# Divine Child High School

Divine Child High School, commonly known as Divine Child (DC), is a private, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory, parochial high school in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Divine Child is a highly ranked private high school in Michigan, scoring in the top 15 percent of private schools in the State. Notably, it is the seventh-largest private high school, and the largest co-educational Catholic high school in the State.
The school is located on a 20-acre campus that includes a new athletic complex and fitness center, which was financed through an ongoing capital campaign that has raised five million in capital to date.

## Overview

Divine Child High School is a highly rated, Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Dearborn, Michigan. Divine Child is ranked among the top 15% of private high schools in the State of Michigan as of the 2021–2022 school year. It is the State's largest Catholic co-ed high school, enrolling nearly 900 students from 55 different zip codes; minority enrollment at the school is 18.6 percent, and the student-teacher ratio is 12:1.
Divine Child Catholic Schools, with a total enrollment of approximately 1,500 students across grades K-12, ranks as the second largest private school community in the State.
The school follows an all school uniform policy, with boys wearing khaki slacks and an Oxford shirt and tie, and girls may either wear a kilt or slacks, along with a button-up shirt, with both wearing blazers. As of 2022, Divine Child Catholic Schools had an estimated financial endowment of twelve million dollars.

## History

Divine Child High School was founded in September 1958 by Monsignor Herbert Weier. Initially, it consisted of 84 freshmen, two Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis, and an athletic department. The Class of 1962, the first graduating class, consisted of 69 students. The original building consisted of 37,478 square feet (3,481.8 m$^2$) of space including ten classrooms, two science labs, a small library, a typing and office machines room, and a study hall room. Since then, eleven additions have significantly increased the size and facilities of the school.

## Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 884 students enrolled at Divine Child in 2018 was: Native American/Alaskan - 1.0%; Asian/Pacific islanders - 4.8%; Black - 2.3%; Hispanic - 4.3%; White - 81.4%; Multiracial - 6.2%

## Academics

Divine Child offers 20 honors and 19 Advanced Placement courses that can be taken for college credit that include: American Government, American History, Art History, Calculus AB, Chemistry, Computer Science, Computer Science Principles, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Environmental Science, Spanish, Latin, Music Theory, Physics 1, Physics 2, Statistics, World History, Seminar, and Research.
The school provides academic support to students with specific learning differences at tiered levels of intervention.

## Bands

The school has four bands which are present: marching band, pep band, symphonic band, and jazz band.

## Athletics

The Divine Child Falcons are members of the Catholic High School League, and has the largest athletic program in the league with over fifty teams. Divine Child is ranked among the top five percent of high schools in the United States for athletics. The school colors are red and grey. The following MHSAA sanctioned sports are offered:
* Baseball (boys)
** State champions - 1992, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010
* Basketball (girls and boys)
** Boys state champions - 1973, 1977
** Girls state champions - 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2011
* Bowling (girls and boys)
** Boys State Champions 2021
* Competitive cheer (girls)
** State championships - 2021, 2022
* Cross country (girls and boys)
* Football (boys)
* Golf (girls and boys)
* Ice hockey (boys)
** State champions - 2002
* Lacrosse (girls and boys)
* Soccer (girls and boys)
* Softball (girls)
** State champions - 1975
* Swimming and diving (girls)
* Tennis (girls and boys)
* Track and field (girls and boys)
** Girls state champions - 2010, 2012, 2013
* Volleyball (girls)
* Wrestling (boys)

## Notable alumni

* Ryan Anderson, MLB pitcher
* Claire-Marie Brisson, Harvard University faculty
* Mike Cervenak, MLB player
* Jeff Chadwick, NFL receiver
* Gary Danielson, NFL quarterback
* Theo Day, American football quarterback
* Tom Dohring, NFL lineman
* James Finn Garner, New York Times bestselling author and satirist, author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
* Dan Gheesling, American reality television personality, YouTube personality. Big Brother 10 winner, Big Brother 14 runner-up; first contestant to appear in the Final 2 twice
* Eric Haase, MLB catcher
* Jim Herrmann, NFL assistant football coach
* Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan football, NFL player for the Detroit Lions
* Bob LaPointe, American College football head coach.
* Bill McCartney, college football coach and founder of Promise Keepers, coached basketball and football at Divine Child early in his career
* Jordan Oesterle, NHL defenseman
* Lauren Plawecki, Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 11th district
* Laurie Pohutsky, Speaker pro tempore of the Michigan House of Representatives
* Chris Rusin, MLB pitcher
* Pat Shurmur, NFL head coach
* Erin E. Stead, Author, illustrator of children's books, winner of the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, A Sick Day for Amos McGee
* Ron Vanderlinden, linebackers coach at Air Force Academy; head football coach at the University of Maryland.
* Brian Zahra, Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.