About Our School

History of the River Rat Mascot

During 1967-68, a new Ann Arbor High School was being constructed and there was a problem. The school that was to be Huron did not yet have a mascot.

Before the school even opened, Ann Arbor High students who were not going to be relocated to Huron came up with the nickname "River Rat". They used the name as a joke to refer to their newly rivaled classmates who would attend a school built on the Huron River and near an old medical waste site. But the Huron students turned the joke around, and they, too began referring to themselves with pride as River Rats.
 
Administration felt differently about their issue of the River Rat. Huron's first principal, Paul Meyers, had an especially strong dislike of rats after bad experiences with them as captain overseas during World War II. So the nickname was ignored for the most part, and when Huron's construction finally completed, "River Rat" did not appear to be in the running as mascot.
 
When Huron was opened in 1969, its mascot was intended to be the Huron. However, this mascot did not draw much enthusiasm or support from the students, and shortly after its opening, Huron had a write-in student ballot to determine a few choices for a possible alternative. Several of the more popular choices, including the Highlanders, the Hawks and the Indians, were put on a ballot during the student elections that year. The River Rat never made it to that ballot.
 
However, none of the listed mascots could muster up fifty percent of the votes and student kept writing in "River Rat" instead of selecting a given choice on the ballot. Huron went several years without a mascot, during which time local newspapers started referring to Huron sports teams by the old nickname. Baseball players became Bat Rats and wrestlers became Mat Rats. It was the media that validated the name River Rats.
 
Over time, the name eventually stuck and became ingrained in Huron's history.
 

Principals

Paul K. Meyers (1969-1979) graduated from Harvard University and the University of Michigan before becoming a chemistry teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools in 1949. During the 1967-68 school year, he involved himself in the planning of Huron High School and became its first principal in 1968. He served as principal for 11 years before resigning for medical reasons in 1979.

Ronald Tesch (1979-1986) attended Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois before coming to Ann Arbor. In his first year as principal, he stated that his goal was to revive and enhance the cooperation and communication between the school faculty and student body. He enjoyed the Huron atmosphere and said, "We have opportunities here at Huron that almost no other high school in Michigan has." He left Huron in 1986.

Al Gallup (1986-1987) Interim Principal

Dr. Joetta Mial (1987-1993) became the principal of Huron High School in 1987 after serving as an administrator, counselor, and class principal for several years. She helped create the "Senior Lounge", which is no longer present, among other things for her 1982 class. She retired with the Class of 1993.

Jane Johnson (1993-1994) Interim Principal

Dr. Arthur Williams (1994-2014) has been the principal of Huron since 1994. He was a strong advocate for reforms, such as block scheduling and the formation of new clubs which show the diversity at Huron, in the school to create a new and more contemporary learning atmosphere. He retired with the Class of 2014.

Jennifer Hein (2014-2015)

Dr. Janet Schwamb (2015-2021)

Ché Carter (2021-Present)