As of Monday, Aug. 26, Ypsilanti Community Middle School's (YCMS) new home is the former Willow Run Middle School's 175,000-square-foot campus at 235 Spencer Lane in Ypsilanti Township. Students, staff, faculty, and community members were invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 21, to celebrate the finalization of the relocation and a $1.5 million investment in facility renovations.

“We want to be a pillar in the community and bring our students back from the charter schools,” says YCMS Principal Charles Davis. “Moving back to a building that’s only 20 years old creates the sentiment that we want our kids to feel like they belong, are special, and deserve it.”

When Ypsilanti Community Schools merged with Willow Run Community Schools in 2013, the district utilized Willow Run Middle School. Before the 2018-2019 school year, students were relocated to the former East Middle School on Emerick Street in Ypsilanti, where school has been in session until this year. YCS Superintendent Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross says the renovation and relocation process has been a “labor of love” for all of YCS’ staff and partners, many of whom are alumni of the former Willow Run schools.
Doug CoombeYCMS Principal Charles Davis, YCS Director of Human Resources Sue McCarty, YCS Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross, and YCS Assistant Superintendent Carlos Lopez.
“Now that we have one of our anchor schools here, we’re able to do things where students can engage with community members and our partners,” Zachery-Ross says. “We want people to continue to be excited and know that it’s taken a while for us to get here, and we want to take time being thoughtful and gathering ideas.”

The new campus is over double the size of the middle school’s previous location, and has been completely refitted with new carpets and furniture in every classroom. The campus also houses an eight-lane swimming pool, two gymnasiums, and a 1,000-seat auditorium. Davis says staff considered student desires and concerns when making design decisions like creating a maker space for students, and including “modular and standing desks and flexible seating options."

The size of the building also led Davis and other staff members to be mindful about security, installing new cameras throughout campus. Davis says they also took a “logistical approach” to ensure sixth, seventh, and eighth graders are separate and able to effectively move around the building and out to buses.
Doug CoombeThe "Clap In" welcoming students to the new YCMS location on the first day of school.
“Anything you can get anywhere else, we have it, and we’re also able to offer a lot of things that no one else offers,” Davis says. “We’re really blessed to have this.”

Prior to the relocation being finalized, YCS was also awarded a nearly $15 million federal grant from the national Fostering Diverse Schools Grant Program to expand its science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programming throughout the district. Zachery-Ross hopes that with the additional space, teachers will be able to provide more hands-on STEAM learning opportunities and bring experts onto campus to introduce students to potential future STEAM careers. She says YCMS’ STEAM and IB programming is not separate, and students will be able to “pick and choose” the kinds of topics they want to explore in both.

“This campus is much larger than where we were previously,” Zachery-Ross says. “Our teachers are no longer constrained just to classrooms and can have small or large groups, and students are able to explore opportunities that they haven’t thought of before.”
Doug CoombeThe "Clap In" welcoming students to the new YCMS location on the first day of school.
Before the relocation was finalized, the campus was being used by other community nonprofits and organizations, including the YCS-run Resiliency Center and Homeless Youth Program. The center’s website describes the resource as “a one-stop shopping experience for the students and families of YCS,” where YCS students, families, and staff in need can pick up new clothing, shoes, toiletries, and non-perishable food items. 

Cherisa Allen, YCS' Ypsilanti programs community liaison, has been operating the center since 2021. She sees the YCMS relocation as an overall positive for both the center and the school, and says she is “very grateful for the opportunity to assist YCS families."

“Students and staff can now walk right around and take the sidewalk to pick up items if there is a need,” Allen says. “At YCS we go by the motto 'Stronger together,' and this relocation allows us to do just that.”
Doug CoombeThe "Clap In" welcoming students to the new YCMS location on the first day of school.
The Resiliency Center isn’t the only community partner that is still calling the campus home. Organizations like Rosie’s Community Kitchen, EMU Bright Futures, and the Washtenaw County Department of Health and Human Services also have offices on or near campus. Davis hopes that more of the space can be used by other community organizations in the future. Zachery-Ross also has ideas of allowing the general public to utilize the building’s many resources, such as the swimming pool, once students and staff are acclimated to the new campus.

“We have a growth mindset around here,” Davis says. “This is a huge building, and we want to find out what the community needs are and see how we can serve them.”

“The community has high expectations of us, and we expect enrollment to go up,” Zachery-Ross says. “We are here for the long term. We are committed to being here and supporting the students in the community.”

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photos by Doug Coombe.