Michigan State Capitol Lansing following a decision made March 17, 1847, to move the capital from Detroit to Lansing. The Detroit building then became a public school (the Union School, at one time the city's only high school) and library until it burned in 1893. The 1835 Michigan Constitution provided that: Prior to 1847, Detroit fought to maintain the Capitol within its jurisdiction, but communities in the growing western part of the state had many reasons for wanting a move inland, including the need to increase defensibility by moving the state government away from the Canada–US border. Detroit had been occupied during the
East Lansing High School dedicated in September 2005. On June 21, 2017, Andrew Wells (ELHS class of 1976) was named principal, replacing Colby Fletcher. The school's official mascot is the Trojan and its colors are navy blue and white. The athletic teams compete as members of the Capital Area Activities Conference. The school district that is now East Lansing Public Schools was established in 1900, seven years before the city of East Lansing itself. All grade levels were taught in the original Central School, which was built in 1901. When that building burned down in 1916, classes were held in the old Peoples Church