De La Salle Collegiate High School

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De La Salle Collegiate High School
Logo of De La Salle Collegiate.
Motto Builders of Boys, Makers of Men
Established 1926
Type Private all-boys secondary
Affiliation Catholic, De La Salle Christian Brothers
President Brother Robert Carnaghi, FSC
Principal Mr. Patrick Adams
Students 875
Grades 9–12
Location Warren, Michigan, USA
Nickname Pilots
Website www.delasallehs.com

De La Salle Collegiate High School is an all-boys Catholic high school run by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Founded in 1926, the school was located on the east side of Detroit before moving to its current location in Warren, Michigan in 1982. The school is dedicated to the Catholic education of its diverse students, including the poor and disadvantaged. It is a college preparatory school inspired by the spirit and tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle, where learning takes place in the presence of God. Each student is encouraged to develop his faith, character, intellect, and morality. This mission is embodied in the school’s motto: “Builders of Boys, Makers of Men.”

The school's most notable rivals in terms of athletics are Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan, Saint Mary's Preparatory in Orchard Lake, Michigan,and U of D Jesuit High School in Detroit, Michigan.

Contents

[edit] History of De La Salle Collegiate

The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is an international, religious association of Catholic men with a Motherhouse in Rome. It was founded in France in 1680 by St. John Baptist De La Salle. The Institute’s main purpose is to provide quality education to the poor and disadvantaged in a Christian environment. The Institute’s members are known as the Christian Brothers, or Brothers of the Christian Schools. The traditional vestment consists of a black habit and white collar and their vows include poverty, chastity and obedience. The institute divides the United States into regions known as Provinces. De La Salle and its Brothers belong to the New York Province.

Shortly after the Christian Brothers first arrived in Detroit in 1851, they opened schools in four parishes with the blessing of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. In 1877, the Brothers transferred their activities to St. Joseph’s parish and organized St. Joseph's Commercial College (High School). In 1923, the alumni of St. Joseph’s Commercial College, led by Anthony Bodde, AFSC, an 1892 graduate of St. Joseph's, organized a drive to raise funds to build a school owned and operated by the Christian Brothers. Their efforts were rewarded in 1926 when De La Salle Collegiate, located on the corner of Connor and Glenfield in Detroit across from present-day Detroit City Airport, opened its doors for the first time with an enrollment of 85 boys. When St. Joseph’s High School closed its doors in 1964, many of its students transferred to De La Salle Collegiate. During the summer of 1982, De La Salle Collegiate moved to its present location on the corner of Common and Gloede in Warren, Michigan. The Brothers’ residence was built across the street on Gloede in 1985.

Expansion of the school and major improvements costing $1.1 million took place during 1993 and the student commons area was added to the building in 1996. Groundbreaking on a new academic wing took place on April 2, 2004 as a part of the Preserving the Legacy Capital Campaign. Improvement and renovations included:

  • a new academic wing with four science labs, three classrooms, and an art room
  • a renovated library/media center
  • a new chapel and campus ministry center
  • a new music wing
  • a new bookstore
  • an expanded weight training facility
  • expanded technology

[edit] Administration

The school is incorporated and governed by a Board of Trustees and a President. The educational program and the school is conducted by the Christian Brothers.

  • President - Bro. Robert Carnaghi, FSC
  • Principal - Mr. Patrick Adams
  • Vice Principal - Mr. Christopher Dean '89
  • Assistant Principal - Mr. Stephen Stewart
  • Athletic Director - Mr. Brian Kelly
  • Director of Advancement - Mr. Chris Czarnik

[edit] School Trivia

  • Support organizations of De La Salle Collegiate include the Christian Brothers’ Auxiliary, made up of present and past DLS mothers; the Dads’ Club, made up of present and past DLS fathers; St. Joe’s Alumni Association; De La Salle’s Alumni Association; and the Music Boosters.
  • The school’s motto is, “Builders of Boys, Makers of Men.”
  • Since 1929, over 10,000 men have graduated from De La Salle Collegiate High School.
  • The school’s mascot is an airplane pilot. The latest Pilot logo was designed by Matt Sikora ‘90. The "DLS" logo is used primarily with the DLS Athletic Department and athletic teams.
  • When the school first opened in 1926, a riverboat pilot (captain) was the school's mascot due to the school being built across from a river called Conner Creek, but Detroit City Airport opened soon after the building of the school. In 1937, the school changed its mascot from the riverboat pilot to the present day airplane pilot.
  • At the school's previous building near the airport, the airplanes taking off would often cause the building to shake.
  • De La Salle Collegiate is a Class A MHSAA-member school, as well as a member of the Catholic League Central Division in all sports with an enrollment of approximately 850 students from nearly 50 Metro Detroit communities and nearly 100 schools.
  • The school’s seal is used in relation to academics. It was redesigned in 2002 for the third time.
  • The school’s DLS logo was designed in the late 1960s by Sam Viviano, Class of 1971, current Art Director for Mad Magazine.
  • The school’s colors are purple and gold.
  • De La Salle produces an annual yearbook called The Pilot which recounts the year’s events, activities, sports and academic achievements. It is usually distributed in the fall.
  • The student newspaper is called The Co-Pilot and is usually published by the journalism class.
  • The alumni newsletter is called The Collegiate and is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement.
  • The school’s website is www.delasallehs.com. The website is updated numerous times each week by Mrs. Vicki Granger, who is the website manager.
  • The two street signposts in front of the school pay tribute to the history of the school. Jay and Orleans represent St. Joseph’s High School in Detroit, and Conner and Glenfield represent De La Salle Collegiate’s former location across from City Airport.
  • The hallway parallel to the cafeteria where class pictures are displayed is known as Alumni Hall.
  • The hallway next to the office where display cases are located is known as St. Joe’s Alumni Hall.
  • The 2006-2007 school year will mark De La Salle’s 80th anniversary. The first ever class to graduate from De La Salle was in 1929.

[edit] Class Day

The school day is divided into 16 mods, which are 23 minutes long. Science labs are three mods long (69 minutes), while regular classes are two mods (46 minutes). The school day begins at 8:00 AM and ends at 2:37 PM during most school days. De La Salle Collegiate operates on a rotating six-day modular schedule.

During the school day, students with open mods are to be in one of the following places:

  • library for quiet study, use of computers, or research
  • student commons where students talk quietly, study, and socialize
  • the cafeteria where students eat, socialize, and share a less quiet atmosphere

[edit] Religious notes

Classroom formal and informal prayers usually close with the following:

Reader: “St. John Baptist de La Salle.”

Response: “Pray for us.”

Reader: “Live Jesus in our hearts.”

Response: “Forever.”

[edit] Academic and Athletic Recognition

  • De La Salle Collegiate continues to receive national recognition for its academics, athletics and fine arts. De La Salle Collegiate has averaged 11 National Merit recipients annually for the last five years. In the last ten years, 99.8% of its students have enrolled in college after graduation.
  • In 2001, the concert and jazz bands, as well as the show choir and men's chorus performed in China. De La Salle’s band program was one of only two chosen throughout the United States to perform in China that year.
  • De La Salle Collegiate sports teams have appeared in 13 state finals in various sports since 1982, finishing as finalists in basketball (1982), soccer (1994), and football (2006), while winning its first State Championship in 1990 in soccer. Since then, DLS has won nine more State Championships (four in soccer, two in bowling, two in baseball and one in lacrosse). The most recent state championships were won during the 2005-2006 school year when the school's soccer and bowling teams each won state titles.

[edit] Notable Alumni/Staff

William "Bill" Maskill '41, former winningest football coach in Michigan high school history

Roland Rinke '43, President, Rinke Cadillac Company

William Fox '50, Owner/President, Bill Fox Chevrolet

J.P. McCarthy '50, former Detroit radio personality, WJR Radio

William Pulte '50, Chairman, Pulte Homes; Ranked #754 on Forbes Magazine list of World's Billionaires.

Kenneth Cannestra '59, former president, Lockheed Corporation and Lockheed Martin

Michael Duggan '64, former Director, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Wire Services

Tom DeLisle '64, veteran Detroit/Hollywood television and radio producer; co-wrote "And Howe!", the autobiography of Gordie Howe

Joe Quasarano, Jr. '64, Director of Sports and Specials at KTLA (Los Angeles) & LA-area Emmy Award-winning director

Honorable Michael Martone '65, Judge, Oakland County Circuit Court

Dennis Olshove '68, Michigan State Senator, District 9

Joseph LoDuca '70, Emmy Award-winning movie and television score composer

Sam Viviano '71, Art Director, Mad Magazine

Terrance Gallagher '73, Director of Public Relations, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Douglas Geoga '73, former President, Global Hyatt Corporation

John Sokolosky '74, former Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs long snapper

Dr. Thomas Sakmar '74, former President, Rockefeller University

Daniel Loepp '75, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Desmond Scanlon '75, Detroit-branch head of the United States Secret Service

Chris Godfrey '76, former University of Michigan and All-Pro NFL offensive lineman. Starting offensive guard on Super Bowl XXI Champion New York Giants and President and Founder of Life Athletes, Inc.

Bill Sheridan '77, linebackers coach, Super Bowl XLII Champions New York Giants

George Grobar '79, senior vice president, Walt Disney Company

John Burchett '80, Chief of Staff of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

Steve Phillips '81, former New York Mets General Manager; current ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst

Jerry McCabe '83, former College of Holy Cross, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker

Keith Karpinski '84, former Penn State University and Detroit Lions linebacker

John Vitale '84, former University of Michigan football captain and former All-American football player

Craig Wolanin '85, former National Hockey League player, won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.

Allen Jefferson '86, Parade Magazine All-American Running Back, University of Michigan Football player

Edward Carolan '87, Vice President, Marketing, Campbell Soup

Mike Peplowski '88, former Michigan State and professional (NBA) basketball player

Craig Wilking, '89, local Emmy-Award winning Producer, Fox Sports Detroit

Honorable David Viviano '90, Judge, Macomb County District Court

Brian Maisonneuve '91, former Hermann Trophy winner and former professional soccer player with the Columbus Crew

[edit] School song

The “School Song” and “Alma Mater” were both written by H. O'Reilly Clint in the late 1920’s. It is traditional for each class to compete in singing the School Song at the first pep rally in the fall:

De La Salle, we’re rooting for you,

De La Salle, oh say can’t you see,

Everyone of us is for you,

We’ll cheer you on to victory.

Rah! Rah!

To the Gold and the Purple,

We will pledge our loyalty,

And may years add but fame

To that grand old name.

De La Salle! De La Salle!


"Alma Mater"

De La Salle, we pledge to thee

Hearts inspired with loyalty

Proudly we thy praises sing;

Boldly may thy anthems ring.

Purple and Gold,

To thee we shall be true;

Alma Mater ever faithful

Sons for you.

[edit] External links