It’s a love-to-hate scenario. Between the two schools, they each are constantly competing. It’s normal: the two major high schools in the same city, arguing over which sports team is better, which school has smarter students, which school does more for the community, which one is just better. The rivalry, the “this side of town” vs. “that side of town,” has been engraved in students’ minds since they first enter their respective school. The students though, all live in Troy’s borders, in a school district striving to be “One Troy,” so one has to examine what the opposing school has to offer.
For those living on the east side of Rochester Road, the Troy Athens side, there is a welcoming atmosphere where many students know each other in the hallways. There is a spirit week with changing themes and an event-filled charity week. With an assortment of assemblies and plays, Athens brings the school pride together. There’s Substitute Teacher Ken Harten, who sings during class. There’s also the fact that the school has little windows, in comparison to their counterpart, which most students say isn’t a big deal.
Jonah Botardo, a sophomore at Athens, says the teachers at Athens are important to making the school the way it is.
“There’s many great teachers that care and like to have fun with the students, which makes learning subjects way easier and more fun,” Botardo said.
Jack Smith, a student at Athens who wishes to remain anonymous, would like Troy High students to know that the people at Athens are really nice, nicer than he thinks most Troy High students believe.
“The people [make Athens different],” Smith said. “There’s a lot less judging and it feels like everyone can be friends with anyone.”
There’s also Charity Week, a crucial part of Athens’ culture. In 2019, the school raised over 155,000 dollars for FOCUS Detroit, a charity reaching out to children living in poverty and giving them an education, making 2019 the third consecutive year that Athens
raised over 100,000 dollars for their charity.The school hosted events including, but not limited to, ice skating, jazzercise, penny wars, t-shirt sales, jail out—students give money to have their teachers get“jailed” and cannot teach— and the charity dance.
“It’s a nice week full of fun events,” Smith said. “I know other schools do their own charity week, but no school can do it like Athens does.”
Bortardo says that it is fun competing against Troy High because there are friendships across town, which leads to a good perspective on Troy High.
“We’re all in the same community and should help each other out because we’re all trying to achieve the same thing,” Bortado said.
Then there’s the west side of Rochester Road, the Troy High side; Science Teacher John Morrison’s “Wahoos” and a rallying group of boys carrying a deer head with fading fur make an impact on the school. There is an annual dodgeball game where students compete against their favorite teachers for charity. At Troy High, there is an atmosphere where intelligence shines.Within the perimeter, there is a grand staircase and a never-ending hallway leading to strong theatre, choir, band and orchestra programs.
For junior Melina Bryant, the people are important to the school.
“The students here are really nice and the teachers are really good,” Bryant said. “I feel like we get a lot of opportunities.”
Bryant says Troy High’s large population plays a role in how people view the school. She also believes Troy High students aren’t that different from their cross-town rivals.
“We all go to the mall a lot,” she said. “We all grew up in different middle schools, but [it’s pretty much] the same. I would say we [have an accurate depiction].”
Jacob Augustine, an Introductory Physics teacher at both Troy High and Athens, sees the similarities and differences between the two schools.
“I think [there is] a little bit more culture of learning and achievement at Troy High, where maybe a little bit more culture of self awareness and community is at Athens,” Augustine said. “Now, that’s not saying one school doesn’t have the other, but I think that’s maybe where the focus lies a little bit more.”
He also sees the similiatries.
“I think both have excellent leadership, I think both have established departments and create department chairs who do a good job of bringing along new teachers and the students are both great,” Augustine said.
While they are in the same region, Augustine does believe the two schools lack an understanding of what goes on in the other.
“I think we tend to have extremist views [of what goes on in the other school],” Augustine said.
He says that because people are told something repetivly, it might make an inaccurate depiction, but he has advice for everyone.
“I think everyone’s pretty much the same,” he said. “Maybe you have some shared experiences that are a little bit different, just because we have the same teacher we have the same curriculum; but students are students, adults are adults, teachers are teachers, and almost everyone’s the same, more so than they’d like to admit.”
So whether or not the schools have an accurate depiction of the other, everyone is in the same city. Here’s to One Troy.