Our History

Carman High School opened in Flint Township, MI in 1967, the second high school in the Carman School District (cross-town rival Ainsworth HS had opened in 1961). Carman had its first graduating class in 1968, and its final graduating class in 1986, when Carman and Ainsworth merged due to a shrinking student count in the district. Carman High benefitted from a non-typical tax arrangement approved by the State of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Education, whereby corporate and property taxes on specific City of Flint-owned properties (most notably the General Motors complexes just east of the Township) were re-allocated to support the Carman School District. Though there were a mere eighteen matriculating classes of Carman Cougars, the school's legacy is powerful. Carman High offered students an outstanding academic environment and instruction, powerful athletic experiences, and unparalleled fine arts: award-winning thespian programs, and nationally- (even internationally-) recognized bands and choirs, including the Carman Chorale, a well-taught and disciplined group of students singing pieces typically performed at only collegiate or professional levels.

Following an all-classes Carman High School reunion in the fall of 2014, including a tour of the school facilities and meeting with current students, faculty, staff, and administrators, a number of Carman High School Alumni, family, and friends recognized a need, and an opportunity to pay forward the remarkable, life-shaping education and experience we enjoyed as CARMAN COUGARS from 1968-1986. In contrast to our school experience, the latest government statistics indicate that 78.1 percent of the students of the C-A district are economically disadvantaged, qualifying for the Free and Reduced Lunch program. It was clear to us that the need is significant, and while the reunion itself was designed as a charitable "party with a purpose" event benefitting the Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, we saw that the effort needed to be organized, focused, and ongoing in order to maximize its impact. This led to the formation of the Carman Cougar Charities Corporation in late 2014. (More information on the CCCC and its leadership can be found on the "Our Board" page.)

In 2013, James "Woody" "Bucherie had an idea to bring former Carman High School students together: the Las Vegas businessman and 1971 Carman High School graduate decided he'd start a Facebook group so alumni could keep in touch. It quickly grew beyond expectations, from the first weeks' 300 people, to 2,500 a few weeks later. Of those 2,500, more than 800 went back to Flint in September of 2014 to celebrate the school's history. That reunion was the genesis of the Carman Cougar Charities Corporation. While the Corporation maintains a close relationship with the Carman Talk Facebook community, and recognize Carman Talk as a critical constituent in our work, their focus is largely social in nature, while ours is 100% focused on the charitable cause of the Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools.