Highland has already closed, but will it stay standing. There is talk about the Huron Valley School Board deciding to leave up the big gym, but it appears that the decision will be made tear down the rest of the school.

Highland Middle School was built in 1936 and many people see it as a local historical landmark. HMS was home to many teachers and students who had close emotional and personal ties to the school; and for them to see the school that they had grown so attached to be torn down would break their hearts.

Assistant Principal Eric Dziobak, a 19-year veteran teacher at Highland said that the loss of Highland “hit hard” because of the time and history that he has with the school.

Dziobak enjoyed his time at the school, including the community and support that came with it.

 “It made it a positive and good experience,” he said.

 He loves the school and says that even though he saw it coming it was still devastating to actually know for sure that it was closing, he definitely doesn’t want to see the school get torn down, but he thinks we need to do what is best for the community, even if that means tearing down the school.

“You have to move on in life,” Dziobak says.

Nic Miller, a former student at Highland for three years, made memories there and will be another person who will be forced to cut ties with his former middle school.

Miller, a former basketball player says that he would like for them to keep the main gym up and open it for the public. But if they aren’t able to do that then at least leave the sign up in memory of the school.

 Miller says that what made the school so good was such a good atmosphere and such good teachers; they are the ones that made the school such a great place.

The closing of Highland didn’t just affect and hurt the teachers, it also affected the students.

Jackson Hale, a freshman experienced what it was like when all of the kids from Highland came to Muir when Highland closed.

“It was very different, a lot more crowded and noisy,” said Hale.

Even though it might not have been as peaceful, he still enjoyed the kids from Highland. He liked it because it brought more of his friends over and he made new friends in the process.

Not only did Hale enjoy the new kids but he says that he enjoyed the teachers that came over as well.

Hale had Elizabeth Barnaby, a former eighth grade social studies teacher at Highland. Hale says that he really liked Barnaby and that she was really fun and funny. Hale liked all of the new kids that came to Muir and the new friends he made.

Highland was a great school that was home to some great people and teachers. It holds memories for hundreds of kids and is old enough to be considered a landmark. Closing the school already hurt people, but tearing it down would be  a devastating event for many in this community.

But as a man once said, “You have to move on in life.”