Student Engagement

Debate Students Visit Washington, D.C., for Model United Nations

In February, members of Loyola’s debate team had the privilege of attending a Model United Nations event in Washington, D.C., thanks in part to a generous donation from The McNish Family Foundation. Our debaters were joined by chaperones Kathy Gross-Jacek, retired Loyola teacher, and Heather Gold, our transition coordinator. In this mock setting, our young men served as delegates from the countries of Thailand and the Solomon Islands. Our debaters tackled such weighty topics as territorial disputes in the Asian region and the political involvement of indigenous tribes in mountainous regions of Thailand. They also had time to take in some sites of the city including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and the Capital Building Museum. They boxed dried food as part of a service project (hence the red hair nets in one of the pics) and hiked in the Allegheny Mountains.

Forgotten Harvest Staff Retreat

On a snowy day in April, Loyola’s faculty and staff did community service at Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park. Our work included unloading food donated by supermarkets and restaurants, then sorting and boxing the items in preparation for donation to various shelters and community service organizations. In the afternoon, everyone returned to Loyola to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our culinary instructor, Chef Diallo McCaskle, along with his sous-chef Loyola President Dave Smith. Following lunch, Mass was celebrated at the school by Fr. Lorn Snow, SJ, from Gesu Catholic Church and School.

Starting the Day the Right Way

In April, Loyola hosted its annual Work Experience Partners’ Appreciation Breakfast at the Detroit Golf Club thanks to the generosity of Cathy and Norm Schmitt. We pulled out all the stops to let our Work Experience partners know how much we truly appreciate them. They do so much good for our young men and our school by welcoming students to work. After a delicious breakfast, our young men spoke about how meaningful the program has been for them. One senior shared how he changed his college major and his choice of college

A Meaningful Mass for Holy Week

During Holy Week, our Sophomore Class hosted Mass on April 4. Our Presider was Fr. John McKenzie from Christ the King Catholic Church and School. Fr. McKenzie has been with us at Loyola many times this year to lead our Morning Prayer, and our young men enjoy his meaningful homilies. Also participating in Mass were sophomores Raylon Murry, Marcus Hampton, Caden Bland, and Lawrence Adams.

because of his positive work experience. After the partner awards were presented and all our students gave their partners a gift, Loyola got a big surprise, too. A visiting organization attending the breakfast announced that next year, they would be joining the Work Experience Program. What a great way to start the day.

Friday Night Lights Were Back on for the Bulldogs

On Friday Aug. 26, the lights came on at University of Detroit Mercy’s Titan Field and the Bulldogs kicked off their 2022 season with a game for the history books. For the first time in over half a century, football was played again at UDM on the hallowed ground that hosted the Detroit Lions' first Thanksgiving Day game. Thanks to the new Loyola-UDM partnership, Titan Field became the official home field for Loyola High School football. While our season record did not reflect the grit, passion, and dedication the team put into every game, we’re eager to see what our Bulldogs have in store for their rivals next season under the lights. We hope to see you there.

Basketball

Varsity Bulldogs Blaze Trail to the Elite Eight in Epic Basketball Run

Loyola's varsity basketball team put on a spectacular performance this season, building on past successes to reach even greater heights. With an impressive 25-2 record, our Bulldogs made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the 2023 MHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship. They secured their first Catholic High School League (CHSL) championship since 2010, achieved a sixth consecutive District Championship, and were crowned Regional Champions. Their hard work and dedication were recognized by their supporters, peers, and sports writers. Individual players received multiple honors and Coach Dennis Morey II earned the distinction of being voted CHSL “Coach of the Year” by his coaching peers, then named “Coach of the Year” in Division 3 by the Associated Press (see pages 20-21 for more information). Congratulations to all the coaches and the team on their outstanding season.

Building a Strong, Bulldog Basketball Foundation

The talent of Loyola's basketball program was on full display this season with the varsity team's historic run, and with the impressive performances of the junior varsity and freshman teams. The JV Bulldogs became 2023 Intersection 1 Division Champions, finishing with a 15-4 record. The freshman Bulldogs won the 2023 CHSL Freshman Championship. With such promising young men, the future of Bulldog basketball is looking brighter than ever. Congratulations to all our JV and freshman student-athletes and coaches on a successful season.

Super Season for Bulldogs Garners

“Super 10” Ranking from Detroit Free Press

Loyola's success in the 2022-23 basketball season caught the attention of Detroit Free Press writer Mick McCabe who ranked the Bulldogs as the best team in Division 3 in January. After an impressive season that included multiple titles, Loyola also secured the second spot in McCabe's "Super 10" ranking for the entire state of Michigan.

Bowling Champion Brothers Strike Victory

Ryan and Cody Champion, Loyola's bowling brothers, had a year filled with incredible accomplishments. In the Boys Individual Bowling Regionals, the pair dominated Division 4, taking 1st and 2nd place against over 70 other bowlers. Cody put on a remarkable performance earning 1st place with 1,237 pins, while Ryan was close behind securing 2nd place with 1,149 pins. Their momentum didn't stop there as they both landed spots in the Top 10 at the MHSAA State Championships. Cody finished 2nd with 1,217 pins, and his older brother, Ryan, finished in 9th place with 1,143 pins. We congratulate Bowling Coach Dominique Darnell and the Champion brothers for their achievements this season. We couldn't be prouder of the Champion brothers and our entire Loyola bowling team.

MR. PHIL PETTELLE

Getting Phil Pettelle to talk about himself is no easy task. This avid outdoorsman would much rather be sitting silently in the woods of northern Michigan hunting turkey or deer or fishing the Au Sable River.

But as soon as you ask him about the teaching profession, our longestserving faculty member becomes less reticent and begins to reflect upon his own days as a student. “I wanted to emulate the teachers I had who helped form me by requiring responsibility and punctuality.”

In particular, Pettelle spoke of his high school social studies teacher, Mr. Cornelius DeStichter. Pettelle described him as a tall man, bald with an Abraham Lincoln-like beard. He wore the same suit every day with a crisp bow tie. He was quite an imposing presence.

“He was a strict man who really controlled his classroom” recalled Pettelle. “But you learned in his class. You left knowing the subject matter.”

Today, if you ask any of the 10th and 11th graders who have gone through Pettelle’s classes, they’d pretty much all say the same thing: You learned about U.S. history, government, and economics from Mr. Pettelle - and then you learned so much more. Yes, things like responsibility and punctuality, but also accountability, self-discipline, and self-respect. All the stuff that builds character.

But it wasn’t always a slam dunk that Pettelle would become a teacher.

A tried-and-true Spartan, he received a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s in communications from Michigan State University. In fact, he was well into a business career in communications and media in Lansing and Detroit as he and his wife, Maria, were raising two boys. Then fate stepped in.

He began coaching baseball - and he really liked being a coach.

His sister Rae, who was already a teacher, took note and posed a question to her younger brother. “You love working with the kids and coaching, why don’t you think about teaching? I think you’d be great at it.”

Despite sibling bias, it turns out she was right. Pettelle went back to school and earned a master’s degree in social studies from Wayne State University, as well as a teaching certificate from Wayne State University. According to Pettelle, “it had to be in social studies. If I was going to do this, I wanted to teach social studies.”

After teaching assignments in public schools that included stints teaching math and other subjects, he learned about an opening at Loyola for a social studies teacher. It was then he decided that this small, but mighty, Catholic school in Detroit was the right fit for him.

Today, his thoughts on teaching have evolved to the point where he views his teaching role as part storyteller. “History allows our young men to learn about people who inspired generations before us. By studying them and the adversity and challenges they faced, we can gain insights into our own lives,” says Pettelle.

Taking it one step further, Pettelle has always felt these stories can mean a great deal to our young men, both in their lives and in the challenges they face every day. Which is why, whenever one of our former grads drops by to say hello and report on how well they’re doing, it means so much to him. Often, when asked who their favorite teacher at Loyola was, the alum will reflect for a moment and answer, “Well, there were a lot of teachers I liked, but Mr. Pettelle had the biggest influence on me.”

Now in his 19th year at Loyola, Pettelle took on the additional role in September of mentoring and providing guidance to the Frederick Douglass North Star Scholars at Loyola. He was extremely proud of their passion and oration abilities as the group made their first public presentation of the writings of Douglass in February. Their presentations were given to the Black Business Leader Advisory Group on Frederick Douglass Day. “Civil rights leaders today all stand on the shoulders of men like Frederick Douglass. They all would have been very proud of our guys,” Pettelle said.

As this school year draws to a close, Pettelle has certainly earned a peaceful and relaxing summer at his cabin in northern Michigan. If he happens to reflect one evening on Mr. DeStichter and the other teachers he wanted to emulate, we hope he knows he has certainly succeeded. In fact, if they could see the work he’s done with our young men through the years, they’d be immensely proud of him - as are we.