Life at Loyola

There’s never a dull day at Loyola. Our students, faculty, and staff are regularly engaged in a variety of ways. These “snapshots” are just a sampling of what’s been taking place this school year.

Kicking Off the College Season

The college application process got underway for seniors in early September as Loyola hosted visitors from numerous colleges and universities. Lt. Daniel Schmerber from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland had our seniors’ full attention as he spoke to them about their college plans and the possibilities open to them in the United States Navy.

Celebrating the Holy Spirit

In September, Loyola students, faculty, and staff celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The Mass is a tradition among Jesuit academic institutions dating back to 1548. We gathered as a community to thank God for the gifts of creation and salvation, and to seek the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the coming year. This year, we were blessed to have Fr. Robert Ytsen, SJ, as our Celebrant. Hosted by the Senior Class, Lectors and participants included Loyola seniors, Victor Robinson, Braylon McDonald, Michael Williams Jr., and Daniel Kinard.

A Dinner of Winners

Loyola benefits each year from the Fr. Vincent Welch Memorial dinner, which raises funds for student scholarships. Started over 30 years ago by our dear friend and supporter, Fr. Don Worthy, in memory of his beloved friend and baseball buddy Fr. Vincent Welch, the sports-themed dinner has raised $1.5 million for Loyola through the years. This dinner always features a special honoree and a full house. This year, the 2022 Hank Aguirre Memorial Award went to Michigan State’s legendary Basketball Coach Tom Izzo, who was also the featured keynote speaker. Surrounding Mr. Izzo is Loyola board member and alumnus Bruce McDonald ‘00 on the right and his son Braylon ‘23 on the left. Our heartfelt thanks to Fr. Worthy for ALL he has done – and continues to do – for our school.

Happy 90th Birthday Fr. Worthy

We mentioned that Fr. Worthy is an avid baseball fan…so much so that he’s been to EVERY World Series since 1968! So, in celebration of his 90th birthday this year, we wanted to make him feel like the All Star he truly is on his special day! We started with a baseballthemed, social media post to our entire community that shared how we feel about this great man. Then, for two weeks, we featured similar birthday wishes in a banner ad on the front page of our website and a shout out of “Happy Birthday” by our freshmen class.

Spirit Week Success

“Spirit Week” is our big build-up to our Homecoming game in September. Loyola students and staff had a blast taking part in Decades Day, Pajama Day, Mismatch Day, Dress Like Your Grandparents Day, and even a pizzaeating competition! Way to “dough” Bulldogs!

Advent Mass Prepares Us for a Loving Christmas Season

On Dec. 2, our Junior Class was honored to host our Advent Mass for the school and some special guests. For this occasion, we were blessed to have three priests at Loyola: Fr. Bill Murphy, SJ, (center) was our Celebrant, and Fr. James Sand, SJ, (left), and Fr. Rick Millbourn, SJ, (right) were concelebrants. On that day, many of our Board Members were in attendance, too, for a Board retreat. So, it was another blessing that so many of us could be together to celebrate the season of Advent together. Thank you to our Junior Class and our student readers and participants which included Christian Burkes, Jameer Autry, Jeffrey Morton, and Larry Little Jr.

Supporting our Veterans

During the Christmas season, sophomores in Mr. Dennis Morey’s sociology class joined forces with Blue Star Mothers to let our veterans know how much they are loved and appreciated - especially during the holidays. With help from retired teacher, Mrs. Kathy Gross-Jacek, our young men put together over 100 Christmas packages for veterans at the Detroit VA hospital. They made each one special and signed cards to let each veteran know how grateful we are for their commitment and service. Thank you to all our thoughtful students - Men for Others, Men for Detroit. But most of all, a big “Thank You” and much love to all our wonderful veterans! God bless you.

Douglass North Star Scholars Named

Early in the school year, the recipients of Loyola’s first-ever Frederick Douglass North Star Scholarship Program were chosen and then notified at a special meeting in President Dave Smith’s office. Christian Burkes, James Dumas Jr., Qaid Cunningham, Ja' Mell Frazier and Brandon Washington were the five young men selected to study the life and accomplishments of the pioneering African American leader, Frederick Douglass. In addition, $10,000 scholarships were provided for each young scholar to help offset the cost of his education at Loyola. Learn more about how you can contribute to this program by contacting Mr. Bill McGrail at: bmcgrail@loyolahsdetroit.org or by calling (313) 861-2407, ext. 503.

MLK Day: A Day of Mindfulness, Wellness, Reflection, and Service

For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ms. Jenny Fox, our director of counseling and social-emotional learning, planned a day built around the elements of good self-care, as well as the benefits of service to the community. Fox, with help from staff, developed specific activities in which all our young men participated. Students first looked inward and participated in mindful stretching, proper eating, creativity (through an artistic tiedye activity), yoga, meditation, and more. Next, they looked outward and created blessing bags for COTS filled with essentials that residents there need. Each student also wrote a special, uplifting message and placed it inside each bag.

A Little Pie for Pi Day

March 14th was National Pi (3.141592653) Day and our dedicated math teacher, Mr. Matthew McNamee, found a clever way to celebrate it with the entire school. He provided students and staff with their own pies.

Mr. McNamee earned an “A+” for ingenuity, creativity and, of course, good taste. Thank you, Mr. McNamee.

Frederick Douglass Scholars Deliver Stirring Tribute

On Feb. 14, Frederick Douglass Day, Loyola’s Douglass North Star Scholars honored the legacy of the former slave who became a great author, editor, orator, and abolitionist hero, during a meeting of our Black Business Leader Advisory Group. With support and direction from our American history teacher, Mr. Phil Pettelle, each student recited compelling excerpts from Douglass’ speeches and editorials. At the conclusion of the program, Kim Tandy, from Mayor Duggan’s office, presented our scholars with certificates from the city, as well as Spirit of Detroit pins. It was a memorable morning for all in attendance, filled with emotion, reflection, and inspiration.

Honoring Very Important Women

It’s become a tradition at Loyola to host a V.I.W. (Very Important Women) Breakfast for the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts (or any other important women) who love, nurture, and care for our young men. Students invited these remarkable women to join us on campus as we began the day with breakfast followed by Morning Prayer. Our young men are grateful to have this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to these wonderful women for all the love they share and for all the good they do in our community and beyond.

Supporting #Why Apply Day

Why Apply Day is an annual social media campaign that’s intended to encourage and support students through the college application process, especially firstgeneration college students and those from low-income families who may not otherwise apply to college. At Loyola, faculty and staff got on board and supported students by wearing gear from their alma mater and sharing why college was important to them. The top photo is Ms. Therese Schueneman, our donor relations coordinator. Below, from left to right, are Ms. Jennifer Fox, director of counseling, Ms. MiSean Washington, our college and career coordinator, and Mr. Dan Geoghegan, lead teacher/biology and physics teacher.

Recognizing Six New Student Leaders

This school year, we had the pleasure of inducting six exceptional students into the National Honor Society at Loyola High School. During the traditional ceremony, we celebrated their accomplishments and honored their dedication to scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Congratulations to our new inductees: Hasani Debrossard, Marcus Hampton, Khalil Kamau, Markail Marable, Raylon Murry, and Jonathan Wilson.

Top Chefs

This year, Loyola students are enjoying a new class option: Culinary Arts. The class focuses on food preparation, cooking, and nutrition and our students are eating it up. Under the guidance of Chef Diallo McCaskle, students have learned to make omelets, double cheeseburgers, chicken Alfredo, chicken stir-fry, chocolate cookies, chili, a fattoush salad, and much more.

Trade School/College Fair for Alumni and Students

Loyola hosted a Trade School/College Fair in April after hearing from alumni and current students who wanted to learn more about those opportunities. Held in our Prayer Room, the event included representatives from Focus: Hope, Schoolcraft College, Wayne County Community College, Henry Ford College, the U.S. Army, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. Detroit Promise was also there to answer any financial aid questions. For the Loyola juniors and sophomores, it was a great way to start considering all the options available to them. For our alumni, it was a great opportunity to transition into careers that are actively seeking qualified candidates.