Shrine Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Shrine Catholic High School is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic secondary high school located in Royal Oak, Michigan
, affiliated with National Shrine of the Little Flower Church. It has an attached middle school called the "Academy". Originally founded as an all-girls school in the late 1930s as "Little Flower High," the parish added the all-boys school "Shrine High School," eventually merging the two.
helped establish the institution while serving as one of the first Roman Catholic priests to preach to a widespread audience over the medium of radio during the Great Depression
. His program became increasingly controversial as World War II
approached, bringing national attention to the parish. The Bishop finally asked Fr. Coughlin to give up his radio show, which he did. The school maintained the title "Shrine of the Little Flower High School" into the 1960s, when it became "Shrine High School" until its latest name change in 2001.
The school was originally more than double its current enrollment of approximately 300 students in the 1960s and 1970s, but changed circumstances in the metropolitan Detroit area coupled with higher admissions standards steadily reduced enrollment over the decades. Principal Thomas P. Kirkwood led the school for 40 years before his recent retirement. (Kirkwood was the first lay principal in the Archdiocese of Detroit.)
Shrine offers several Advanced Placement courses, including Calculus
and English
, World History and US History, and prides itself in requiring four years of religion
courses for all students. Shrine has a National Honor Society
chapter and honors seniors annually through Phi Beta Kappa. The student body is a majority Catholic, but a substantial minority of Protestants and believers of other faiths also attend. Additionally, it is ethnically diverse, reflecting roughly the composite of the metropolitan region.
and is a member of the Catholic High School League
in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
. The school has placed 17 athletes into the CHSL Hall of Fame.
The school's most notable rivals in terms of athletics are Bishop Foley High School
in Madison Heights, Michigan
, Cabrini High School in Allen Park, Michigan
and Notre Dame Prep in Pontiac, Michigan
.
Shrine's sports include men's and women's basketball
, bowling
, cross-country
, football
, men's golf
, men's hockey
, men's and women's soccer, women's softball
, women's swimming
, women's ((volleyball))and men's and women's tennis
.
program with the first being in the early 1960s. The team played all home games at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum
for the inaugural varsity season. The Knights finished the season with a record of 11-10-1, compared to a 2-23-4 record in their first season as a hockey club four years prior.
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, affiliated with National Shrine of the Little Flower Church. It has an attached middle school called the "Academy". Originally founded as an all-girls school in the late 1930s as "Little Flower High," the parish added the all-boys school "Shrine High School," eventually merging the two.
History
Father Charles CoughlinCharles Coughlin
Father Charles Edward Coughlin was a controversial Roman Catholic priest at Royal Oak, Michigan's National Shrine of the Little Flower church. He was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, as more than thirty million tuned to his weekly broadcasts during the...
helped establish the institution while serving as one of the first Roman Catholic priests to preach to a widespread audience over the medium of radio during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. His program became increasingly controversial as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
approached, bringing national attention to the parish. The Bishop finally asked Fr. Coughlin to give up his radio show, which he did. The school maintained the title "Shrine of the Little Flower High School" into the 1960s, when it became "Shrine High School" until its latest name change in 2001.
The school was originally more than double its current enrollment of approximately 300 students in the 1960s and 1970s, but changed circumstances in the metropolitan Detroit area coupled with higher admissions standards steadily reduced enrollment over the decades. Principal Thomas P. Kirkwood led the school for 40 years before his recent retirement. (Kirkwood was the first lay principal in the Archdiocese of Detroit.)
Shrine offers several Advanced Placement courses, including Calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, World History and US History, and prides itself in requiring four years of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
courses for all students. Shrine has a National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
chapter and honors seniors annually through Phi Beta Kappa. The student body is a majority Catholic, but a substantial minority of Protestants and believers of other faiths also attend. Additionally, it is ethnically diverse, reflecting roughly the composite of the metropolitan region.
Athletics
Shrine participates in the Michigan High School Athletic AssociationMichigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
and is a member of the Catholic High School League
Catholic High School League
The Catholic High School League is a school athletic conference based in Detroit, Michigan. All of the schools are currently part of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the governing body for Michigan scholastic sports...
in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne...
. The school has placed 17 athletes into the CHSL Hall of Fame.
The school's most notable rivals in terms of athletics are Bishop Foley High School
Bishop Foley Catholic High School
Bishop Foley Catholic High School is a co-educational Catholic high school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Founded in 1965, it is named for the first American Bishop of Detroit, John Samuel Foley. It is located in Madison Heights, Michigan and has an enrollment of 400...
in Madison Heights, Michigan
Madison Heights, Michigan
Madison Heights is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,694.- History :...
, Cabrini High School in Allen Park, Michigan
Allen Park, Michigan
Allen Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,210. The suburb of Detroit was recognized in Money Magazine's list of America's Best Small Cities. Allen Park is part of the collection of communities known as DownriverFord Motor...
and Notre Dame Prep in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
.
Shrine's sports include men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, men's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, men's hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, men's and women's soccer, women's softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, women's swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, women's ((volleyball))and men's and women's tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Football
Shrine's football team won the Class CD League Championship in 2000 and 2001 and 2008, and won the league's Charity Bowl in 1970. In the 2006 season the Knights made it to the CHSL CD Prep Bowl, but lost to Notre Dame Prep 31-21. The next game was a state playoff game against conference rival Allen Park Cabrini, the Knights won the game 18-6 making it the Knights first ever state playoff victory. Shrine made it all the way to the regional final game against Ubly High School. The Knights lost the game on the last play of the game on an Ubly two-point conversion, 22-21. In the 2008 season Shrine won 11 games, the most victories in school history. They finished the regular season undefeated with a 9-0 record. The Knights this time played against Allen Park Cabrini in the Prep Bowl and won by a score of 37-0. The Knights once again ran into Ubly in the regional final, and once again lost. In 2010 and 2011 the Shrine Knights lost to Loyola in the Prep Bowl.Ice Hockey
The 2008-2009 school year was the first year for the Varsity Hockey program, after 3 years as a club team. This will be the second time the school will have a varsity hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
program with the first being in the early 1960s. The team played all home games at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum
Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum
Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum is a 5,600-seat multi-purpose arena in Detroit, Michigan. It is home to the Wayne State University Warriors ice hockey team. The arena was also host to the 2006 men's and women's College Hockey America conference tournament...
for the inaugural varsity season. The Knights finished the season with a record of 11-10-1, compared to a 2-23-4 record in their first season as a hockey club four years prior.
CHSL Championships
| Sport | Championship Years |
|---|---|
| Boys' Basketball | 1948, 1955, 1978 |
| Girls' Basketball | 1978, 1991, 1994 |
| Competitive Cheer | 2002 |
| Boys' Cross-Country | 1974, 1975, 1977, 2010 |
| Girls' Cross-Country | 1979, 1981, 1983, 2010 |
| Football | 1970, 2000, 2001, 2008 |
| Boys' Golf | 1954, 1955 |
| Girls' Soccer | 2008, 2009 |
| Softball | 1980, 2008 |
| Boys' Tennis | 2007 |
| Girls' Tennis | 2003 |
| Boys' Track | 2007 |
| Girls' Track | 1979, 1980 |
| Volleyball | 1981, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 |
State championships
| Sport | Championship Years |
|---|---|
| Boys' Golf | 1950, 1952 |
| Boys' Cross-Country | 1973, 1974 |
Notable alumni
- Kevin Bell (1989), known as DJ HeadDJ HeadDJ Head AKA DJ Manho is a Grammy Award Winning hip-hop producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for producing and co-producing songs for Eminem. DJ Head was raised in Detroit. He is a graduate from Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan , and Michigan State University Alumni...
, music producer and DJ - Kristen BellKristen BellKristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
(1998), actress - Keegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael Key is an American comic actor best known for his roles as a cast member on MADtv for six seasons. He has also had recurring roles on Reno 911! and Gary Unmarried. He used to be the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals...
(1989), actor and comedian - Tom LewandTom LewandTom Lewand was named president of the Detroit Lions on December 29, 2008, after the team finished the first 0-16 season in NFL history.He previously served as the Lions Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He succeeded Matt Millen as the president...
(1987), executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - Bill SimpsonBill Simpson (American football)William Thomas "Bill" Simpson is a former professional American football defensive back who played in the National Football League from 1974-1982. Before his NFL career, he played defensive back and punted for Michigan State University and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2nd round of...
(1970), former professionalProfessional sportsProfessional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive backDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... - John WanglerJohn WanglerJohn "Johnny" Wangler is a former American football quarterback. He played for the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. During the 1979 and 1980 seasons, Wangler and Anthony Carter formed one of the most successful passing combinations in Michigan Wolverines football history...
(1976), former University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
footballMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
quarterback - C. Edward Collins (1951) well known author of college-level textbooks and contributor to many periodicals, including Flying, Catholic Insight, and Gilbert