Detroit Catholic School Unveils Cutting-Edge Science Wing| National Catholic Register

NOVI, Mich. — A brotherhood in the Basilian tradition. A state-of-the art STEM building. A flight simulator on campus.

Detroit Catholic Central (DCC) high school offers all this — and more.

Having recently inaugurated its STEM building, the staff and students are looking forward to 100 more years of faith, as well as academic and athletic prowess.

An airplane flyover was part of the grand opening of the futuristic science building at DCC on Aug. 11 that its donors and faculty say is a first step towards a significant expansion for an all-boys school that fosters academic excellence and Catholic faith and values under the guidance of the Congregation of St. Basil. DCC was founded in 1928. With an enrollment of about 1,000 boys, it is the largest non-public high school in Michigan.

Located in Novi, a suburb of the Motor City, DCC opened its The George and Mary Turek Hall of Science — a 57,000-square-foot building for Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) that features a robotics competition court, engineering lab, machine shop, observatory, greenhouse, eight science labs, and a full-motion flight simulator. In interviews with the Register, proud school leaders say the addition is the envy of Michigan’s high schools and even most colleges. It was entirely funded by donations.

DCC is also a sports powerhouse, and 2024 was a banner year for the Shamrocks, who brought home Division 1 trophies in hockey, golf, lacrosse and wrestling. The school also has swimming, football, and track and field teams.

A Vision for the Future

DCC’s “Vision 100” plan for the new building and future updates will ensure success for the next 100 years, school leadership proclaims. As part of the plan, DCC purchased 149 acres this year adjacent to campus, increasing its total acreage from 118 to 267. Envisioned are several playing fields, a track, a hospitality building with concessions, team room, bathrooms, and an additional parking lot. It is slated to open in 2026.

At the inauguration, businessman and principal donor George Turek, a 1966 alumnus and former Navy fighter pilot, paraphrased the words of South African hero Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world. And we’re going to change the world.”

“By any standard of measurement, our new Hall of Science has broken from the past and will forge a new playing field for teaching the sciences at the secondary level and, dare I say, the university level,” Turek said. He added, “The old standard for teaching science, technology, engineering, mathematics, aviation, computer science — and, dare I say, even e-sports — has been shattered in one fell swoop. We refuse to repeat the past. We honor the past and architectural style of our STEM building, and academically we represent only the future.”

Faith Bolsters Science

STEM department head Amy Ely told the Register that students take three mandatory years of science, including robotics, computer assisted design, machining, engineering, chemistry, physics and biology. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered. The school now has a sophisticated RedBird full-motion flight simulator, allowing students to work towards a pilot’s license.

Senior Hayden Sawka said that the simulator is an “amazing tool” towards his education.

Ely said, “I have not seen a classroom where a teacher has not exemplified Catholic values, showing their honor, trust, integrity, help students and generally setting an example. I don’t see how in a physics classroom where teachers would talk about specific Catholic values, but I can see that they exemplify them and expect them based on our tradition of ‘Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.’”

DCC tuition costs $15,975 per year, with no additional cost for materials, tutoring, and early/late campus access. Thirty-three percent of students receive scholarships based on need, academics or sports. There are discounts for families with more than one son enrolled. According to its website, about 30% of students received tuition assistance in 2022, while 83% of new families who applied received an average grant of $5,200.

According to DCC Admissions Director Jake Marmul, many alumni choose the University of Michigan, but added, “In the last few years we had one graduate each at Princeton (DCC 2023) and University of Pennsylvania (DCC 2021).” In 2024, seven graduates out of 197 went on to local community colleges, making for a 100% college acceptance rate.

Guidance Counselor Patrick O’Brien said academics and Catholic faith lead to students’ success. “We have great teachers and great leaders. They show accountability and are good examples.” Seven counselors on campus provide guidance in course selection and college entrance exams, as well as support for mental health and family life. Students offer service as tutors to their fellow Shamrocks.

Students, O’Brien said, can rely on teachers and counselors to monitor social media and technology, while cell phone use is restricted. All-male education, according to O’Brien, “can definitely help the boys to focus on certain topics that have their attention, but I also feel that it can allow boys to let loose without having to impress the opposite sex. It’s a more comfortable environment especially as they grow up. There are opportunities outside of the school: dances and collaborating with other schools. But I feel that in the schooling, 8 to 2:45 every day, in a large school like ours they are here to focus on what they need to focus on.”

Heritage of Faith

Founded in France in 1822, the Basilian order is named for one of the early fathers of the Church but is nearly extinct in its native country. During a time of persecution of the Church in France, the Basilians came to North America in the 1850s and began founding schools and staffing parishes. With headquarters in Canada, it ministers to DCC and St. Thomas High School in Houston. It has missions in Colombia and Mexico.

“No other congregation in the history of the Church was founded by 10 men. They had different personalities and characteristics. That flows into why DCC has such a healthy community and brotherhood. Those founders made it work and it is part of our ethos here to make it work. Basilians don’t have a rule, like the Benedictines. Our founding document is ‘The Basilian Way of Life.’ It is written to be exhortative and inviting. That’s the way we live at DCC,” school principal and chaplain Basilian Father Patrick Fulton told the Register.

“We’re not forcing you. We’re inviting you, in freedom,” he said. As testimony to the success of the Basilian approach, he noted that 21 students entered into full communion with the Church this year.

Putting Faith Into Action

Students take mandatory courses in theology, which can include ecclesiology, Church history and sacramental theology. DCC grad Father John Vinton, current chaplain at Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, recalled for the Register that he studied Church doctrine, adding: “I led the Kairos retreat then, and it helped me to share my faith with others, helping and leading others to Christ. Attending daily Mass was also helpful.”

A stand-out student at DCC this past year was Javier Farfán-Morales, a National Merit Scholar of Guatemalan parentage who started this fall at the University of Michigan. “It changed my life,” said Farfán-Morales, a soccer player and band member, of his education at DCC.

“My life is like a pyramid, founded on my family, to which I have added my efforts and what I learned at DCC,” he told the Register. Validating Father Fulton and staff, Farfán-Morales underscored how important the DCC “brotherhood” was for his studies and spiritual development. For example, he said, “As a National Merit Scholar, I tutored fellow students twice a week, especially math and Spanish.” His father, Fernando Farfán, was also impressed by the school, explaining, “This program is what makes Father Fulton most proud because it has improved the students’ overall success and makes the school different.”

Donor George Turek said at the inauguration, “Catholic Central’s first 100 years were great. Our second will be spectacular,” adding, “We are committed to excellence, both in the classroom and on the field, and we are 100% dedicated to producing men with ethics, morals, values and character who will lead our nation into the future.”

National Catholic Register