[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING BENTLEY HIGH SCHOOL

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                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2024

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to recognize Bentley High 
School, Livonia's first public high school. While the building no 
longer exists in its physical form, its space holds many special 
memories for many of the 12th Congressional District residents and 
alumni.
  Livonia Township experienced population growth in the 1940s, which 
drove home the need for its own public high school. Before then, its 
school-aged population was served by seven small school districts 
without a high school. With the people's approval, construction of the 
new high school began on November 8, 1946. The school was named for 
school board president George N. Bentley, and it hosted its first 
classes on September 15, 1947, in spite of ongoing construction. 
Ninety-five students comprised the school's first graduating class on 
June 15, 1950, just a few weeks after Livonia was incorporated as a 
city.
  Over the ensuing years, Bentley High School was expanded multiple 
times to accommodate the changing needs of a growing student body. The 
school proudly boasted an extensive library, wood shop, auto shop, 
swimming pool, and music rooms. Due to declining population, Bentley 
High School was closed in 1984, though it lived on a community center 
until 1999.
  Please join me and the 12th Congressional District in recognizing 
Bentley High School, as the community of Livonia and alumni celebrate 
the legacy and memories of this historic place.

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