Aquinas High School (Southgate, Michigan)

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Aquinas High School was a grades 9-12 parochial high school located in the Detroit, MI suburb of Southgate. Built under the joint effort of two local church parishes, classes for the first incoming freshman class began in 1966 at St. Pius X elementary school in Southgate while the high school building was nearing completion.

The first senior class graduated in 1970.

Class sizes averaged around 200 students throughout the 1980s, with a full ciriculum. However, various departments began phasing out about this time, beginning with the marching band program. The school eventually closed in 2001 due to declining enrollment (only 81 students comprised the four grade levels combined), and reduced funding from the Archdiocese Of Detroit. Upon closure, remaining students were sent to other catholic high schools in the area, namely Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte, MI, Cabrini High School in Allen Park, MI, and Gabriel Richard in Riverview, MI.

In sports, Aquinas High School was known for their wrestling and basketball programs, the latter which won Michigan State Championships in 1993 with an undefeated season and lastly in 1998. The baseball program also won state championships in 1979, 1982 and 1998.

Among its graduates through the years were Paul Assenmacher, a left-handed baseball pitcher for several clubs in the 1980s and 1990s, and Kevin Nash, former WCW and WWE superstar.

The building currently houses several organizations, including the Downriver branch of Madonna University, whose central branch is located in nearby Livonia, MI. Pre-school programs along with a "Head Start" program are also located here.