St. Mary's Preparatory

St. Mary's Preparatory
"Initium Sapientiae Timor Domini"
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.
Address
3535 Indian Trail
Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, (Oakland County), 48324
 United States
Information
Type Private
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1885
Chancellor Timothy Whalen
Grades 912
Enrollment 530  (2008)
Student to teacher ratio 12:1
Campus Suburban/Rural
Color(s) Red and White         
Athletics conference Catholic High School League
Team name Eaglets
Accreditation(s) Michigan Non-Public Schools Accrediting Association
Tuition $9,800
Headmaster James Glowacki
Vice-Headmaster Leonard Karschnia
Academic Dean Cormac Lynn,
Sean Clouse,
Thomas Oppat
Dean of Students Richard Rychcik
Dean of Resident Students Mirko Vukelic
Athletic Director George Porritt
Website
Location: Indian Trail, Orchard Lake, Michigan
Architectural style: Gothic, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne
Governing body: Private
Part of: Orchard Lake Schools Historic District (#82002859[1])
Designated CP: March 19, 1982

St. Mary's Preparatory is a Catholic secondary school in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan.

Contents

Overview

St. Mary's was founded in 1885 on Detroit's east side by Rev. Joseph Dabrowski as a school for Polish-American boys to train for the priesthood. The school moved to the 125 acre (0.5 km²) campus of the former Michigan Military Academy on the shores of Orchard Lake in 1909 and is still there today. St. Mary's now offers a college preparatory education. The campus is shared with SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary and contains some offices and classrooms for Madonna University of Livonia, Michigan. The Felician Sisters from Livonia, Michigan have served the Orchard Lake Schools since 1935. The Polish roots of St. Mary's are still evident in the school's colors (red & white) and mascot (the Eaglet), both elements drawn from the flag of Poland.

Mission statement

St. Mary's Preparatory is a Catholic, all-boys, college preparatory high school with a Polish-American heritage and legacy. Our mission is to provide deserving young men the moral guidance, discipline, and education necessary to become Christian gentlemen, scholars, and men of service and leadership for the world. By completion of our spiritual and educational model, these men can gain the fortitude, reverence, character, and preparation to meet all challenges for the greater glory of God and their alma mater.

Academics

St. Mary’s academic program is designed to meet the basic entrance requirements for any college curriculum. Requirements for graduation are: four years of theology and English; three years of mathematics, science and social studies; two years of foreign language; and a semester each of computer programming, computer applications, physical education, health, fine arts, and speech. Students are required to fulfill 28 credits for graduation.

Although students need not be Catholic to attend St. Mary’s, all students are educated in the Catholic tradition. This tradition includes four years of theology in the classroom as well as attendance at Mass twice weekly. Additional opportunities, such as class retreats, are available for students, and the School Chaplain and many campus priests are happy to guide students regarding their individual programs.

100 percent of St. Mary’s graduates who apply to college are accepted. A full-time guidance counselor assists students in selecting colleges and universities. In the past eight years, graduates have attended colleges across the world and in the United States, including Albion, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, University of Dayton, Holy Cross, Stanford, Rutgers, Purdue, Duquesne, Hillsdale,John Carroll University, Loyola of Chicago, Mercyhurst College, Michigan State, Florida State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Miami University, United States Air Force Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, United States Military Academy, Kalamazoo, Yale and the Universities of Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

St. Mary’s Preparatory is fully accredited and licensed by the State of Michigan’s Department of Education, the Michigan Non-Public Schools Accrediting Association (MNSAA), and is a member of the Orchard Lake Schools, the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Detroit Catholic League, the Oakland Schools Consortium, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Campus and student life

Campus buildings include a newly built hockey arena and 50,000 volume library, a Marian grotto, a three-story residence hall, a bookstore, two gymnasiums, a science center, administration buildings, a fully equipped laboratory, a dining hall and the prominent Shrine Chapel. The campus also features a quarter mile of beach on Orchard Lake. Only students, facility and staff are allowed use of the beach and docks.

St. Mary's prides itself on its students being scholar-athletes for 80% of the school participates in sports. Thus, the school offers 12 varsity sports: football, basketball, baseball, track, cross country, golf, wrestling, rowing, hockey,soccer, lacrosse, and skiing. The Eaglets have won many league, district, and regional titles in its history. It owns a total of 28 Michigan State Championships to its name. In the past seven years, the Eaglet football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and rowing teams have all captured state titles. In 1998, the school's rowing team gained international prominence for placing second in the Henley Royal Regatta. Since 1994, the Eaglet football team has reached the state finals five times coming away with three victories.

The athletic facilities include the new St. Mary's Athletic Center which has a 1,300 seat hockey arena, a weight room, an indoor track, locker rooms and a banquet hall. Attached to the Athletic Center is the Dombroski Fieldhouse with its 1,000 seat basketball gymnasium. The crew team has its own boathouse just off Orchard Lake. Outdoors, St. Mary's offers two football fields, two baseball diamonds, and a basketball court. The St. Mary's Ski team practices at Alpine Valley Snow Ski Area in White Lake, Michigan.

The Eaglet's compete in the MHSAA Division II and III, depending on the sport. In the Detroit Catholic League, they compete in the Central Division. St. Mary's fiercest rivals are Detroit Country Day School, Birmingham Brother Rice, U of D Jesuit and Catholic Central High School and a new rivalry with East Grand Rapids High school is growing.

St. Mary's holds the largest high school fair in the country every year for fund-raising (http://www.stmaryspolishcountryfair.com/). Parents and students must participate as volunteers.

The "Ark Building" (#9) contains the Polish Home Army Museum.

Boarding Program

The Boarding Program at St. Mary’s is available to all students. There are seven-day and five-day boarding students, depending on the individual situation. Students enrolled in the program receive room and board, which includes three daily meals, a room, laundry facilities, and close proximity to all the school’s recreational and academic facilities.

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

Athletes

References

External links