Retired structural engineer and partner of the firm, Howard Hunter, recalled an amusing anecdote.

He remembered that when the firm was researching what educators wanted in their new school, the biology/taxidermy teacher said he would like a conservatory large enough to house considerably sized animals and maintain an entire ecosystem.

[6] Construction commenced in 1941, prior to the United States' involvement in World War II.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December, construction materials were seized by the government for war production.

'Each unit 10 by 12 ft.,' report the architects, 'was designed as a complete element within itself, having its own light, both artificial and natural, heating, ventilation, electric wiring, case and cupboard spaces, and in general adapting itself to the same utilitarian manner as a sectional bookcase' ".

The school has total capacity for 2,056 pupils and includes modern science labs, a home economics lab, a metal shop, a wood shop, a large boiler plant to provide steam heat, several classrooms with stages for dramatics and speech, an auditorium seating 1,783, a cafeteria capacity for 400, and a gymnasium with room for 2,200 spectators.

Sexton High School was not only an engineering marvel, it was a piece of architectural art.

Below the clock face, narrow glass block windows and chrome spandrels give an extra sense of height to the tower.

Probably the most unusual feature of Sexton High is its exterior concrete reliefs by Corrado Parducci[8] and interior decorative tile.

On the school's north face, ten educational-based reliefs adorn the side of the auditorium.

The sculptures represent art, chivalry, drama, education, geography, labor, law, literature, music, and pioneering.

Additionally, along the two curved exterior walls, the spandrels have more carvings that depict different educational themes.

Upon entering the main foyer, the viewer steps upon the mosaic tiled Michigan Seal set into the durable terrazzo floor.

Upon entering the main chrome doors, the hallway opens up into a spacious curve-walled foyer with benches.

While the wainscoting has endured, the hardwood floor has since been covered by a carpet due to years of wear caused by chairs and tables being dragged across it.

The auditorium is large for a high school building and includes a balcony for more accommodation of students.

Sexton is one of the only area schools to have an active chapter of the International Thespian Society, Troupe #3911.