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St. Mary's Preparatory

Private, co-divisional school in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St. Mary's Preparatory
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St. Mary's Preparatory, often referred to as Orchard Lake St. Mary's (OLSM) or St. Mary's Prep, is a co-divisional Catholic college preparatory school located in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.[2] The school's stated core values are "God, Family, St. Mary's."[3] St. Mary's offers both day school and boarding school programs.

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History

On January 14, 1879, Pope Leo XIII authorized the establishment of a seminary dedicated to training priests for Polish immigrant communities in the United States, following a petition by Rev. Leopold Moczygemba.[4]

Initially known as "The Polish Seminary," the institution was officially founded in 1885 by Józef Dąbrowski, who became its first rector. It was originally located at 4671 St. Aubin Street in Detroit. Due to expanding enrollment, the seminary moved to the former campus of the Michigan Military Academy in Orchard Lake Village in 1909 under the leadership of Rev. Witold Buchaczkowski.[5]

In 1927, the school reorganized into three separate institutions: SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, St. Mary's College (now a satellite campus of Madonna University), and St. Mary's Preparatory, collectively known as Orchard Lake Schools.[6]

In 2020, St. Mary's transitioned to a co-divisional model by admitting female students. Classes are taught in single-sex classrooms, while extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, and arts programs are co-educational.[7]

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Academics

St. Mary's Preparatory's academic program is designed to meet college entrance requirements. Graduation requirements include four years each of theology and English; four years of mathematics; three years each of science, social studies, and foreign language; and one semester each of computer programming, computer applications, physical education, health, fine arts, and speech. Students must earn 28 credits to graduate.[8]

More than 60% of the school's 90 courses are offered at Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) levels.[9]

St. Mary's is accredited by the Michigan Non-Public Schools Accrediting Association (MNSAA), the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Detroit Catholic League, Oakland Schools Consortium, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).[10]

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Campus and Student Life

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Main school building, originally part of the Michigan Military Academy.

St. Mary's Preparatory is noted for its unique historic campus, originally home to the Michigan Military Academy. Key historical buildings include the administration building, known as "The Castle," originally constructed as a mansion overlooking Orchard Lake for Joseph Tarr Copeland, the founder of the Michigan Military Academy. The campus also houses the Chapel of Our Lady of Orchard Lake, the official Archdiocesan Shrine for St. John Paul II, who visited campus and said mass at the Chapel in 1969 and 1976 while serving as the Archbishop of Krakow.

In addition to historic buildings, the campus offers modern athletic and recreational facilities, including a hockey arena, multiple gymnasiums (one of which was originally a riding stable for Michigan Military Academy cadets), weight rooms, multiple baseball and softball stadiums, a wrestling room and a crew boathouse on Orchard Lake.[11]

Athletics play a significant role, with St. Mary's competing in MHSAA Divisions I, II, and III. Traditional rivals include Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central High School, and Detroit Country Day School. St. Mary's has achieved 41 state championships across various sports as of 2019.[12]

Museums

The campus includes the Polish Home Army Museum and numerous other collections highlighting Polish military and cultural history, housed primarily in the Ark Building. These museums open to the public on the first Sunday of each month ("Polish Sundays").[13]

Boarding Program

St. Mary's Preparatory provides boarding options for both five-day and seven-day resident students.[14]

Notable alumni

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Notable former faculty

  • Dan Gheesling, Winner of Big Brother 10. Asst. Coach of a Football team, & Teacher of Health, Biology, & Physical Education at St. Mary's.
  • Jeff Wall (lawyer), former civics teacher
  • George Porritt, former Athletic Director, Head Football Coach, Head Basketball Coach, Head Lacrosse Coach. MHSAA Hall of Fame. Won ten total state championships across all three sports.

References

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