Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/698448
20 June 30 • 2016 metro » continued on page 22 Fond Farewell! Former students remember Southfield-Lathrup as the high school closes its doors. T he news brought memories rushing back — the milestones and proud accomplishments, the big hair, the school spirit, those awkward teenage years. Graduates of Southfield-Lathrup High School bid a fond farewell to their alma mater last week when the 49-year-old school on 12 Mile Road in Lathrup Village closed its doors for good. Declining enrollment (from 1,605 students in 2002-03 to just 800 this year) and financial difficulties for Southfield Public Schools led to the decision to merge Southfield-Lathrup and Southfield High into a new school, Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology. "I have some really great memories of high school. Those were the years when I experienced the most growth," says Renee Simlak, 44, of Los Angeles. "Being on the pompom squad was such a highlight for me. It made me so proud every time my mom came to watch me perform at the games." Simlak's mother, Ann, passed away in 1988, so those memories hold special meaning. Today, Renee is passing the Charger spirit down to her 19-month- old daughter, Ava. "I still have my varsity jacket and the red and white pompoms. My daughter sometimes plays with them," Simlak says. Carolyn Krieger-Cohen, 60, of West Bloomfield is a 1974 Southfield- Lathrup grad. Over the last four decades, she has attended high school reunions and kept in touch with many former classmates. She still considers some of them her closest friends. Robin Schwartz | Contributing Writer Renee Simlak Jeff Lesson Carolyn Krieger-Cohen Pam Zager-Maya Lois Haron Allied Member ASID 248.851.6989 DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD. It Doesn't Have To Cost A Fortune… Only Look Like It! Complete kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as furniture design and installations including granite, wood and other materials. Need a Lender You Can Trust? We're Making a Complicated Process SIMPLE Again! Loan Products Available: ÛiÌ>ÊUÊÊUÊ6ÊUÊ,ÕÀ>ÊiÛi«iÌÊ ÕLÊUÊÓäÎÊUÊ ÛiÌ>Ê,i>LÊ>ÃÊ "i/iÊ ÃiÊ ÃÌÀÕVÌÊ>à 33200 Woodward Avenue | Birmingham -ÊÊnnäÈÓx Ilene Lubin: 248-556-6275 -ÊÊ£ÎnxÎ{Î ÕLJëiÀÌ}>}i°VV ÜÜÜ°ÕL°Ã«iÀÌ}>}i°VV FREE Home Buyers Seminar Every Wednesday, 6-7:30pm Feature your business with OyWhataDeal to acquire quality and eager new customers via risk-free and highly-targeted marketing. By running an offer with OyWhataDeal, your promotion will be e-mailed to thousands of loyal subscribers who will read about your offer, visit your website, share your business with their friends and follow you on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.