# Swan Valley High School

Swan Valley High School is a public high school in the Swan Valley School District of Thomas Township, Michigan. Swan Valley High School is part of the Tri-Valley Central Conference. Swan Valley has been part of the Mid-Michigan B, TVC East, TVC West, and the TVC Central conferences since its start in 1971. Swan Valley's original mascot was the Panthers which soon changed to the Vikings. When the new high school was built, the mascot was changed due to another area high school utilizing the Panthers name. The sports teams of Swan Valley were then divided up between the Vikings and the Valkyries to show individual support for both male and female teams. Later the sports teams were simply called the Vikings and the Lady Vikes.

## History

On June 13, 1966, voters approved the formation of a unified school district. Rumors suggest that while the Board was contemplating a name for the new school district, one of the members spotted a Swan on a nearby pond and suggested the Swan Valley School District title. Soon after, voters also approved a $3.9 million bond for the construction of a new elementary (Robert B. Havens which was completed in 1971) and a new high school on 87 acres of land where those buildings sit today.
Ground was broken for Swan Valley High School in July 1971 led by board president Dick Middlebrook and Assistant superintendent Marvin Johnson. The first high school graduation was in 1974 and there have been nearly 7000 alumni since that time. Swan Valley High School is a highly rated public high school in Thomas Township, MI, on the outskirts of Saginaw, MI. In the 2022–2023 academic year, Swan Valley is listed among the top 10 schools in the Saginaw area. The School district is ranked top three in the Saginaw area.

## Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 573 students enrolled in 2021-22 was:
* Male - 58.2%
* Female - 41.7%
* American Indian/Alaska Native - 1%
* Asian- 0%
* Black - 2.2%
* Hispanic - 12.9%
* Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 0%
* White - 80.6%
* Multiracial - 3.6%
30.5% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.

## Academics

Swan Valley offers the following Advanced Placement (AP) courses that can be taken for college credit: AP World History: Modern, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Literature and Composition. For those students who qualify through the IEPC process, the high school offers special education programming. Each student is assigned a case load teacher who monitors his or her progress through graduation. The average ACT score for the school is 25 has an average SAT score of 1160. Swan Valley purchased iPads for every student shortly after the 2014–2015 school year began. The iPads are combined with an education concept known as one-to-one learning, a program new to the state of Michigan. The school utilizes a trimester system.

## Athletics

The Swan Valley Vikings are a class B school and currently part of the Tri-Valley Conference Central Division. Swan Valley High School offers several varsity sports, including:
* Football
* Class B State Champ Runner ups 2017
* Basketball (boys and girls)
* Competitive Cheer (girls)
* Pom Pon - Class B State Champs 2012 (not MHSAA sanctioned)
* Cross Country (boys and girls)
* Soccer (boys and girls)
* Bowling (boys and girls)
** Boys State Champs 2016
** Girls state champs 2008
* Golf (boys)
* Track & Field (boys and girls)
* Volleyball
* Wrestling
* Ice Hockey (boys)
* Baseball
** State champs 2001
* Softball (girls)
** State champs 1986

## Notable alumni

* Mitch Jebb (2020) - MLB baseball player
* Daryl Szarenski (1986) - Three time Olympic qualifier - Pistol

## Distinguished Alumni Award winners

Dr. Donald R. Gilbert 1998
Jeffrey A. Castillo 1999
Edwin C. Flattery 2000
Susan Whaley-Brady 2001
John Owen Hamilton 2002
Sharyl Ann Majorski-Briggs 2003
Luann Freier Marx 2004
Dr. Tari Lynch-Caris 2005
Margo Houston-Barocko 2006
Colonel Merrily D. Madero 2007
Stephen Sowuleski 2008
Heidi Erlenbeck 2009
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Weiss 2010
Tracy A. Weber, PhD. 2011
J. Coffey 2012
Keith Martin 2013
Honorable Laura Frawley 2014
Mike Cousins 2015
Lieutenant Erica Ziel 2016
Jay Fosgitt 2017
Tom Kluck 2018
Theo Keith 2019 - Two time Grammy winning political reporter
Lynda Thayer 2020
Mark Garabelli 2021
Bethany Campbell Charlton 2022