Divine Child High School

Divine Child High School
Address
1001 North Silvery Lane Dearborn, Michigan, (Wayne County), 48128  United States
Coordinates	42°19′7.3″N 83°16′58″W / 42.318694°N 83.28278°W / 42.318694; -83.28278Coordinates: 42°19′7.3″N 83°16′58″W / 42.318694°N 83.28278°W / 42.318694; -83.28278
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Motto	Virtus Cum Scientia (Virtue With Knowledge)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1958
Principal	Peggy Knuth
Asst. Principal	Damian Hermann
Pastor	Father Jim Bilot
Teaching staff	67
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	888  (2008)
Grade 9	223
Grade 10	253
Grade 11	185
Grade 12	227
Color(s)	Red and Grey
Athletics conference	Catholic High School League
Mascot	Freddy Falcon
Team name	Falcons
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Average ACT scores	24.5
Newspaper	'D-Scene'
Yearbook	Clarion
Athletic Director	Tony DeMare
Website	divinechildhighschool.org

Divine Child High School is a private Catholic high school in Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The principal is Peggy Knuth and the Assistant Principal is Damian Hermann. The school's pastor is Father Jim Bilot. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008.

History

Divine Child was opened in September 1958 by Monsignor Herbert Weier, with 84 freshmen, two Bernadine Sisters, and an athletic coach. The first graduating class, in 1962 consisted of 69 students.The original building consisted of 37,478 square feet (3,481.8 m²) of space including ten classrooms, two science labs, a small library, a typing and office machines room, and a study hall room. Since that time, eleven additions have significantly increased the size and facilities of the school.

Academics

Divine Child offers classes in the following areas: religion, math, science, English, social studies, world languages, fine & applied arts, physical education/health, and technology. Divine Child's curriculum is varied to meet the needs and interests of each student. A total of 26.0 units of credit are required for graduation including demonstrating proficiency with computers.

Bands

The bands in the school are the marching band, pep band, symphonic band, and jazz band. Each band plays music that suits their genre and plays their music at different events throughout the school year.^[2][3] In the spring of 2006, the jazz band won 'Best Jazz Ensemble' at the Music In The Parks. In 2008, the marching band was invited to perform at Mitt Romney’s candidacy for the presidential race. In 2011, the Marching Band was invited to march at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Sports

Divine Child High School has the largest Athletic Program in The Catholic League. Divine Child offers 24 Sports and 52 Teams. These teams include basketball, football, hockey, golf, soccer, track, cross country, wrestling, and many other sports. The current athletic director is Tony DeMare.

Notable finishes

State Championships

• Baseball (Boys): 1992, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010
• Basketball (Boys): 1973, 1977
• Basketball (Girls): 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2011
• Competitive Cheer (Girls): 1985, 1996
• Pom Pom (Girls): 2001, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011
• Cross Country (Boys): 1982 Class B Runner-Up, 1993 Class B Runner-Up
• Figure Skating (Girls): 2000, 2005, 2008
• Football (Boys): 1961, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1985
• Hockey (Boys): 2002
• Softball (Girls): 1975, 1986
• Winterguard: 1999
• Golf (Boys): 2010
• Track and Field (Girls): 2010
• Chess (Boys): Pawnmaster Champions 2010

Activities

Divine Child also offers many clubs and after-school programs, including: Anime Club, Art Studio, Bowling Club, Boys Intramurals, Boys Varsity Club, Capitalist Club, Car Club, Chess Tournament, Competitive Science, Culinary Arts, Drama Club, Forensics, French Club, German Club, International Thespian Society, Latin Club, Ready Set Create, Movie Club, National Honor Society, Newspaper, Pocket Billiards, Spanish Club

Divine Child also offers musical and theatrical activities, including a fall play and spring musical, bands — marching, symphonic, jazz, pit, pep, and show choir.

Notable alumni

• Gary Danielson, Class of 1969 - A former professional quarterback for the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns and current CBS College Football analyst.
• Pat Shurmur, Class of 1983 - Lineman for Michigan State University and head coach for the Cleveland Browns
• Dan Gheesling, Class of 2001 - Winner, Big Brother season 10.
• Elizabeth Jarosz, Class of 1991 - One of the candidates on season two of The Apprentice.
• Jim Herrmann, NCAA and NFL assistant football coach
• Tom Dohring, Lineman for University of Michigan and Kansas City Chiefs.
• Jeff Chadwick, NFL wide receiver
• Bill McCartney, National Championship winning coach with the Colorado Buffaloes, former DC basketball and football coach.
• James Finn Garner, Author
• Ryan Anderson (baseball), First Round MLB Draft Pick, Pitcher.
• Gary Forystek, NCAAF QB for ND, started over Joe Montana for a brief period of time.
• Mike Cervenak, Pro Baseball Player
• Robert Steger, Class of 1994 - Co-Founder of Buddha's Closet
• Stanley Wieckowski, Class of 1994 - Co-Founder of Buddha's Closet
• James Chwalek, Class of 1994 - Co-Founder of Buddha's Closet

References

• "Divine Child High School". Private School Review. http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/13884. 
• "Divine Child, Livonia Stevenson honored for improving ACT scores" DetNews article

Notes

1. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". http://www.advanc-ed.org/schools_districts/school_district_listings/?. Retrieved 2009-06-23. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ http://www.divinechildhighschool.org/band.php
3. ^ http://sites.google.com/site/dchsbands

External links

Official website