Car pioneer now the namesake of Waterford school

The Waterford Schools Board of Education voted Thursday, Sept. 1 to change the name of Waterford Alternative High School to Waterford Durant High School.

The school’s name was changed in honor of William C. Durant, the founder of Chevrolet and General Motors and regarded as one of the pioneers of the American automobile industry.

Durant High School is located at 501 Cass Lake Road and educates students who normally wouldn’t thrive in a traditional high school setting.

It is not an adult education program.

The school is home to the Waterford Community Garden/Outdoor Classroom at the school’s Crary Campus on North Cass Lake Road.

The garden is maintained by the students of Durant, who are assisted by a landscape architect and master gardener, along with other community members and local growers.

The garden was made possible through a $5,000 grant from the Waterford Foundation for Public Education along with $2,500 in grant funding and 500 vegetable plants from Burpee Home Garden, as well as other in-kind donations from Waterford Township businesses and supporters.