Shrine Catholic Schools
| Shrine Catholic High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
3500 West 13 Mile Road , 48073 | |
| Coordinates | 42°31′5″N 83°11′23″W / 42.51806°N 83.18972°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1941 |
| Founder | Charles Coughlin |
| Principal | Thomas Oppat |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 280 (2010) |
| Campus size | 20 acres (81,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Navy blue and Gold |
| Fight song | Shrine Victory Song |
| Athletics conference | Catholic High School League |
| Nickname | Knights |
| Rivals | Madison Heights Bishop Foley and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes |
| Accreditation | Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools |
| Newspaper | The Observer |
| Yearbook | Spirit |
| Tuition | $12,200 |
| Website | http://www.shrineschools.com |
Shrine Catholic High School is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic secondary high school located in Royal Oak, Michigan, affiliated with National Shrine of the Little Flower Church. It has an attached middle school called the "Academy". Originally founded as an all-girls school in the late 1930s as "Little Flower High," the parish added the all-boys school "Shrine High School," eventually merging the two.
History
Father Charles Coughlin helped establish the institution while serving as one of the first Roman Catholic priests to preach to a widespread audience over the medium of radio during the Great Depression. His program became increasingly controversial as World War II approached, bringing national attention to the parish. The Bishop finally asked Fr. Coughlin to give up his radio show, which he did. The school maintained the title "Shrine of the Little Flower High School" into the 1960s, when it became "Shrine High School" until its latest name change in 2001.[2]
The school was originally more than double its current enrollment of approximately 300 students in the 1960s and 1970s, but higher admissions standards steadily reduced enrollment over the decades. Principal Thomas P. Kirkwood led the school for 40 years before his recent retirement. (Kirkwood was the first lay principal in the Archdiocese of Detroit.)
Students must be evaluated by their current teachers in six subjects as well as an overall behavior and attendance assessment. Prospective students must take a specific placement test for Shrine as well as achieve high marks on the SLEP test and their National Standardized Tests. They must have also achieved high grades in the past at their old school. In addition, a video interview is required, submitted either by DVD or by Skype.
Shrine offers several Advanced Placement courses, including Calculus and English, World History and US History, and prides itself in requiring four years of religion courses for all students. Shrine has a National Honor Society chapter and honors seniors annually through Phi Beta Kappa. The student body is a majority Catholic, but a substantial minority of Protestants and believers of other faiths also attend. It is about 86% Caucasian-American, 7% African-American, 5% Asian-American, and 2% Hispanic-American.
Campus
Shrine's campus is located on 20 acres in Royal Oak, Michigan. Features of the school include a chapel, learning resource center, an academic and college counseling center, three science labs, a two-story visual arts lab, a large library, football and baseball fields, a track, a fitness center, and a recently renovated student center dining hall. A brand new field house and the new Sanders Auditorium are the result of a recent renovation. Current technology is found throughout the school.
Athletics
Shrine participates in the Michigan High School Athletic Association and is a member of the Catholic High School League in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The school has placed 17 athletes into the CHSL Hall of Fame.[3]
Shrine's sports include men's and women's basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, men's golf, men's hockey, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, women's volleyball, men's and women's track and field, men's baseball, and women's tennis.
State championships
| Sport | Championship Years |
|---|---|
| Boys' Golf | 1950, 1952[4] |
| Boys' Cross-Country | 1973, 1974[5] |
Notable alumni
- Kevin Bell (1989), known as DJ Head, music producer and DJ
- Kristen Bell (1998), actress
- Herb Bostic (1979), former Michigan State University basketball player[6]
- Mike Haggerty, former NFL football player
- Keegan-Michael Key (1989), actor and comedian
- Tom Lewand (1987), former executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Detroit Lions
- Jim Seymour (1964), former NFL football wide receiver
- Bill Simpson (1970), former NFL football defensive back
- John Wangler (1976), former University of Michigan football quarterback
References
External links
- Shrine Catholic High School
- National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church
- Catholic High School League
- Shrine Varsity Hockey
- Shrine Catholic Athletics
