St. Mary's Preparatory is a co-educational, Catholic, college preparatory high school with a Polish-American heritage in the

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

suburb of Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. Its mission and message is "1. God; 2. Family; 3. St. Mary's."

Overview

St. Mary's was founded in 1885 on

's east side on the corner of Forest and St. Aubin by Rev. Joseph Dabrowski as a school for

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83% ...

boys to train for the priesthood. The school moved to the 125 acre (0.5 km²) campus of the former

Michigan Military Academy The Michigan Military Academy, also known as M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by J. Sumner Rogers and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy. Some journalists hav ...

on the shores of Orchard Lake in 1909 and is still there today. St. Mary's offers a college preparatory education. The campus is shared with SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary and contains some offices and classrooms for

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Roman Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Madonna Univer ...

Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 95,535 at the 2020 census, which ranked it as Michigan's ninth most-populated municipality. Livonia is a part of Metro Detroit and is located about west of th ...

. The

Felician Sisters The Felician Sisters, officially known as the Congregation of Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi (CSSF), is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members profess public vows of chastity, p ...

from

have served the Orchard Lake Schools since 1935. Since 2019, St. Mary's Preparatory opened admissions to girls.

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 Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and English; four years of mathematics; three years of science and social studies; three 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. Over 60% of the 90 different courses offered by St. Mary's Prep from grades 9-12 are at the honors and AP level. 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. Class retreats and other activities are available for students. The school chaplain and many campus priests can guide students regarding their individual programs. 100 percent of St. Mary's graduates who apply to college have been accepted. A full-time guidance counselor assists students in selecting colleges and universities. The school held the national record for most students from one year to go to the U.S. Naval Academy (4). StMarysprepbuilding

Students may enjoy walking to classes as the classes are located in different buildings, so the outside walks offer fresh air and scenic views of the campus and Orchard Lake. 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 Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

, the Detroit Catholic League, the Oakland Schools Consortium, and the

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Unlike m ...

Campus and student life

Campus buildings include a hockey arena, volume library, a Marian grotto, a three-story residence hall, a bookstore, two gymnasiums, a science center, administration buildings, a laboratory and science building, a field house, a dining hall, and the Shrine Chapel. It has a quarter of a mile of beach on Orchard Lake open only to members of the school. Students often participate in playing sports. The school offers 14 varsity sports: football, basketball, baseball, bowling, track and field, cross country, golf, wrestling, rowing, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, skiing, and snowboarding. The Girl's Division offers cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, crew, track, and field. The Eaglets have won many league, district, and regional titles in its history. it had 41 Michigan State Championships. In 1998 the school's rowing team placed second in the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

. The Eaglet football team reached the state finals fourteen times, winning eight times. In 2021, the Eaglet baseball team won the high school baseball National Championship, it was the first time that a team from Michigan had won the National Championship, the Eaglets won it while finishing 43-1 on the season. The athletic facilities include an athletic center with a hockey arena, a weight room, an indoor track, locker rooms, a banquet hall, and a basketball gymnasium. The crew team has its own boathouse just off Orchard Lake. Outdoors, St. Mary's has 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 Eaglets compete in the MHSAA Division I (ice hockey), II, and III, depending on the sport. In the Detroit Catholic League, they compete in the Central Division. St. Mary's fiercest rivals are De La Salle Collegiate High School,

Birmingham Brother Rice Brother Rice High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys non-residential college prep school with approximately 590 students located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States in Metro Detroit. The school shares a campus with the all-girls Mar ...

, U of D Jesuit, and Catholic Central High School. St. Mary's holds the largest high school fair in the country every year for fund-raising attracting thousands of people (http://www.stmaryspolishcountryfair.com/).

Museums

The "Ark Building" (#9) contains the Polish Home Army Museum. The Ark Building also houses many other museums of Polish military history and Polish history in different rooms including: Reading Room of the Central-Archives of Polonia; Museum of Fr. Józef Dąbrowski; Museum of the Polish Army Second Corps; Archive and Museum of Polonia Radio and TV, Robert Lewandowski Collection; Commemorative Room of Polish Diaspora; Archive, Library, and Museum of the First Polish Armored Division; Archive, Library, and Museum of the Polish Home Army AK; Archive, Library, and Museum of the Polish Air Force; Museum of the Singers Alliance of America – Circuit 4; Museum of the Polish National Alliance, Aloysius A. Mazewski Collection; Dr. Loda and Edward C. Rózanski Collection; Museum of the Polish Falcons – Nest 31; and the Museum of the Polish Association of Former Political Prisoners. The Galeria (Building #8) features art by Polish artists, including painting, sculpture, china, and antique furniture. The Galeria and museums area open for tours on Polish Sundays, the first Sunday of the month.

Boarding program

There are seven-day and five-day boarding students.

Notable former faculty

Dan Gheesling Daniel Robert Gheesling (born September 1, 1983) is an American reality television personality, YouTube personality and Twitch streamer who is best known for his appearances on the American TV series ''Big Brother''. He is often considered to be ...

, Winner of Big Brother 10. Asst. Coach of Football team, & Teacher of Health, Biology, & Physical Education at St. Mary's. *Art Paddy, Michigan High School Football Hall of Fame 1983 / OLSM Varsity football coach 1973-1977

Notable alumni

* Robert Bolden, former

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interco ...

and

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quarterback * Josh Bourke, a former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area (e ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

who spent the majority of his professional career with the

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of the Canadian Football League (CFL) *

David Bowens David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football ...

, a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

who played twelve seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

(NFL) * Charles Davis, a former American football

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

* Gary Ignasiak, a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) player who played part of one season with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. *

Mike Ignasiak Michael James Ignasiak (born March 12, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of four seasons in the major leagues between and , all for the Milwaukee Brewers. Career Amateur After graduating from St. Mary's Prepar ...

, a former MLB

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who pitched parts of four seasons in the major leagues between and , all for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

. * Scott Kowalkowski, a former American football linebacker who played for the

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and the

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in a ten-year career that lasted from 1991 to 2001 in the NFL. * Matt Linehan,

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ameri ...

for the

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in the

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(AAF). * Kalin Lucas, an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

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of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested ...

Adam Maida Adam Joseph Maida (born March 18, 1930) is an American cardinal prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Maida served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1990 to 2009, and was elevated to cardinal in 1994. Maida previo ...

, a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

* Grant Mason, a former

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turno ...

* Jim Paciorek, former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. *

Jay Penske Jay Penske is an American media and publishing entrepreneur and auto racing team owner. He is the Chairman and CEO of Penske Media Corporation, a digital media and publishing company he founded in 2004. Early life and education Born in New York ...

, a media and publishing businessman *

Jeff Petry Jeffrey Petry ( ; born December 9, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, 45th overall, at the 2006 N ...

, professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference t ...

currently playing for the

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of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) * Leonard Renfro, former American football defensive tackle who played two seasons for the

in the NFL *

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, a current American football wide receiver for the

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of the NFL. * Sam Rogers, a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the

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, the

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, and the

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, an American football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the NFL * Morgan Trent, a former American football cornerback in the NFL. * K. J. Hamler, a current American football wide receiver for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the NFL.

References

External links

St. Mary's Preparatory
- official site
Athletic website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Preparatory School Catholic secondary schools in Michigan High schools in Oakland County, Michigan Educational institutions established in 1885 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Polish-American culture in Metro Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit 1885 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan