Awards and Recognition Going Above and Beyond

Many of our students and staff excelled during this school year, earning plaudits and praise from within the community and across the state. Here are some of their accomplishments.

Caring for the Well-Being of Our Students

Adolescence is a time of critical change and development, and the time when mental health challenges may first emerge. Recognizing this, Ms. Jennifer Fox, our director of counseling and social-emotional learning, earned two important certifications this year. She first became certified through The National Council for Well Being in “Youth Mental Health First Aid.” This certification is designed for adults working with young people and focuses on mental health warning signs and crisis training. Next, she completed instructor training from the council that qualifies her to teach mental health first aid to teens. Teaching topics range from available mental health resources and recognizing crisis situations in friends, to understanding anxiety, depression, substance use, eating disorders, and more. Her goal for next year is to have every student in our school trained as a “Mental Health First Aider.”

Work of Art Wins $15,000 Scholarship for Student

Loyola senior, Alexander Mayers, made a strong showing at the Detroit Pistons Black History Month Event held on Feb. 16 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. He competed in the poster competition and his artistic talent earned him a $15,000 scholarship as first runner up in the competition.

CHSL Coach of the Year

It was a repeat performance for Basketball Coach Dennis Morey ll. He was named "Coach of the Year" by the Catholic High School League (CHSL) for the second year in a row. This honor is voted on by fellow coaches in the league. Here, Coach Morey (right), is presented with the Varsity Championship trophy by CHSL Director Vic Michaels after Loyola's victory in the Catholic League Cardinal Division Championship. Congratulations, "Coach of the Year" Morey, on this well-deserved honor

Loyola Students Have Winning Attitude

Two of our seniors took home top prizes in the Northwest Detroit Optimist Club’s essay contest this year. The topic assigned was: Who is an Everyday Hero Who Brings Out the Optimism in You? Darnyl Copeland (left), earned 2nd place for his uplifting essay, and Alexander Mayers (center), took home 4th place honors. Kathryn Joyner (right), Optimist Club president, presented the awards one day after Morning Prayer.

AP Coach of the Year

After earning “Coach of the Year" honors from the Catholic High School League, a panel of sports writers from the Associated Press named Coach Dennis Morey ll "Coach of the Year" in Division 3 for the entire state of Michigan. This is a huge honor and extraordinarily well-deserved. Coach Morey was recognized for leading our Bulldogs to a 25-2 season that included a trip to the state quarterfinals. For more on the Bulldogs' winning season, please see page 15.

Like Father, Like Son

In 2000, when he was graduating from Loyola High School, Board Member Bruce McDonald (right) was proud to receive a scholarship from the Grosse Pointe Rotary Club. Now, 23 years later, he’s even more proud. His son, Braylon (left), is graduating from Loyola this year and Braylon received the same scholarship from the Grosse Pointe Rotary Club. Congratulations, gentlemen.

Hall of Famer

Congratulations to our wonderful colleague, supporter, and Marketing Committee member, Patty Montemurri, who was recently inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. Patty enjoyed an illustrious career at the Detroit Free Press for over 35 years, uncovering major political news stories and reporting with compassion and candor on religious matters.

Mr. Pettelle Named Loyola’s “Teacher of the Year”

Congratulations to Mr. Phil Pettelle, our American history teacher, for earning the “Teacher of the Year” Award at Loyola High School. Mr. Pettelle was selected by Principal Wyatt Jones III ’98 for his dedication, flexibility, and many years of service to Loyola High School. The award is presented by the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Catholic Schools at a special ceremony held at Comerica Park. All honorees receive an Excellence in Teaching Award and tickets to a future Detroit Tigers baseball game.

Bulldogs Bring Honor to Loyola

Loyola salutes those student-athletes who earned individual honors for their talent, commitment, and dedication. Kudos to these young men who brought recognition to themselves and to our school.

Football Honorees

All-Regional

Mehlek Hevron ‘24

All-State

Raylon Murry ‘25

Academic All-State

Braylon McDonald ‘23

Michael Williams Jr. ‘23

All-Catholic

Kendrick Britt ‘23

Dwight Bush ‘23

Raylon Murry ‘25

All-League

Michael Williams Jr. ‘23

Ronald Byrdsong ‘24

Mari’Yon Ford ‘24

All-Academic

Braylon McDonald ‘23

Basketball Honorees

All-Catholic

Dashawn Martin ‘23

Ryan Martin ‘23

Jotham Nweke ‘23

All-League

Darek Anderson ‘23

All-Academic

Victor Robinson ‘23

The Detroit News Honors – Division 3:

2nd Team All-Detroit

Dashawn Martin ‘23

3rd Team All-Detroit

Ryan Martin ‘23

Jotham Nweke '23

3rd Team All-State

Dashawn Martin ‘23

4th Team All-State

Ryan Martin ‘23

Honorable Mention All-State

Jotham Nweke ‘23

Detroit Free Press Honors – Division 3

1st Team All-State

Ryan Martin ‘23

Honorable Mention All-State

Dashawn Martin ‘23

Jotham Nweke ‘23

Detroit Free Press Recognizes Loyola Student with “All-Detroit”

First-Team Football Honors

Loyola sophomore, Raylon Murry, was recognized by the Detroit Free Press for his outstanding performance on the football field. Murry was one of 23 student-athletes named to the Free Press’ “All-Detroit” First Team for his impressive play as a defensive lineman during the 2022 season. Murray’s stats included 71 tackles, seven sacks, and four forced fumbles.

Retired Faculty Member Appears on Epiphany Podcast to Discuss 25-Year Career at Loyola

Our universally admired and recently retired faculty member, Kathy Gross-Jacek, found time in retirement to talk to Vanessa Denha Garmo, host of the Epiphany podcast on the Ave Maria Radio Network. During this in-depth and wide-ranging interview, Gross-Jacek shared insights from her 25 years of selfless devotion to Loyola's mission and what Catholic education means to her.

WJR’s Lloyd Jackson Features Frederick Douglass North Star Scholars Event

WJR-AM's Senior News Analyst Lloyd Jackson was on hand when our five Frederick Douglass North Star Scholars made their powerful presentations on Frederick Douglass Day. In his in-depth interview, Jackson spoke with President Dave Smith, Principal Wyatt Jones III '98, and one of the student-scholars, Christian Burkes ’24. Jackson then shared his insights on the Paul W. Smith Show with Paul W. as the two men talked about the significance of this important program at Loyola.

Bulldog Football Scores Not One, Not Two, but Three Stories on New Home Field

It was over half a century in the making, but when it was announced that the Loyola Bulldogs would be playing their home games at University of Detroit Mercy’s historic Titan Field, the Detroit Catholic, The Detroit News, and Detroit Free Press all recognized the importance of this historic event and gave it the great coverage the story deserved. Each news outlet reflected upon the excitement, the history, and the tradition of this great field. Our president, athletic director, head coach, and players were interviewed and none could contain their excitement over the prospect of finally playing under the Friday night lights.

Loyola Principal Discusses His New Book on Detroit Catholic Podcast

Loyola Principal Wyatt Jones III '98 spoke about his new book The Urban Playbook on Detroit Catholic's Detroit Stories podcast. In the interview, Principal Jones was joined by Donovan Jackson, a Loyola alumnus, as they talked about the book's focus on providing guidance to young men of urban environments based on Principal Jones' experience as an educator and mentor at Loyola.

WXYZ’s Glenda Lewis Finds Inspiration in Loyola High School's Celebration of MLK Day

Journalist Glenda Lewis and WXYZ were at our school this year to cover Loyola’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In honor of this special day, students participated in self reflection exercises, wellness activities, and community service to honor Dr. King's legacy and to continue his work. Lewis showed genuine emotion and appreciation as she spoke with Loyola students about Dr. King’s legacy resonating with our young men today.

Catholic Audience Hears More Good News About Loyola’s Frederick Douglass Scholars

Vanessa Denha Garmo, guest host of the popular radio program, Catholic Connection , spoke with Roger Jankowski, director of marketing and communications at Loyola, to learn more about the genesis of the school’s Frederick Douglass North Star Scholarship Program and the presentations by student-scholars. Denha Garmo shared her admiration for the work Loyola is doing and was so moved when Jankowski referenced one of Frederick Douglass’ quotes, she made it the “Quote of the Day” on her webpage. The quote: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Loyola Principal Visits Fox 2 to Share Loyola’s Process for Helping Young Men Grow

During Black History Month in February, Fox 2 Detroit's The Noon co-host Lee Thomas sat down with Principal Wyatt Jones III '98 and commended him for helping guide young black men into becoming the very best versions of themselves. Thomas cited Loyola’s 12 consecutive years of 100 percent college acceptance among its graduates and referenced Jones’ new book, The Urban Playbook , which, at its core, is a guide for parents, teachers, and aspiring leaders to help young men grow up.

WXYZ Leads Broadcast with News on Loyola’s Work Experience Partner Appreciation Breakfast

Bulldogs Basketball Nets Five Stories in Student and Athlete

Throughout their impressive 2022-23 season, Loyola's basketball team received notable media coverage from Student and Athlete including several front-page stories. Whether it was for their 13-game winning streak, victories over top-notch teams, or for their success in winning the Catholic High School League, district, and regional titles, our student-athletes were certainly well represented in Student and Athlete.

MLive Covers Associated Press

Honors for Loyola's Dennis Morey

In April, Loyola held its gratifying Work Experience Partner Appreciation Breakfast and this year WXYZ was there to highlight all the wonderful things that make this event so special. Their reporter covered the awards presentation and interviewed a student-worker as well as one of our terrific partners. We were grateful for the excellent placement, too. Loyola’s segment opened the noon and 6 p.m. broadcasts.

When the story broke that Loyola’s veteran

Basketball

Coach Dennis Morey ll earned “Coach of the Year” honors in Division 3 from the Associated Press, MLive was on it. This is an award that covers the entire state and is voted on by a select panel of sports writers. Coach Morey was cited for guiding our Bulldogs to an impressive 25-2 record this winter, and for clinching the district and regional titles. Congratulations coach on your well-deserved honor! For more on Coach Morey’s honors this season, please see page 20.