For the first 10 years of her academic career, LoReal Harris attended a private school. “Every single month, my mom paid tuition for 10 years… wow. That’s a lot of money,” recalls Harris, who is now a 17-year-old high school senior.
For her high school career, Harris’ mother decided to switch gears from private schooling and placed her trust in Cass Technical High School. Cass Tech is one of Detroit Public Schools’ premier application schools. The newly authorized International Baccalaureate World School – the first school in the city of Detroit to earn this designation – is a two-time, nationally recognized School of Excellence ranked in the top 5% of all high schools in the state by the Michigan Department of Education; a top-10 ranked high school by the Mackinac Policy Conference; and is ranked as one of the best high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Thanks to Cass Tech’s notable Dual Enrollment Program with Wayne County Community College District – the largest program of its kind across the city that allows students to earn college credits while in high school – in May, Harris will graduate from WCCCD with her associate’s degree. In June, she will accept her high school diploma. “Technically, I’ll be a college graduate before I graduate from high school!” says Harris, who plans to study pre-law at the University of Toledo in the fall. “I’ve always wanted to pay my mom back somehow for all that she’s given me. Now, I get the chance to do just that.”
Detroit Public Schools School of the Week: Cass Technical High School January 12, 2015 from Detroit Public Schools on Vimeo.
What exactly does this mean for mom and Harris? Two years of college tuition that she will not have to pay for because Harris will enter the University of Toledo as a junior in the fall; A tuition-free undergraduate degree as Harris has already secured scholarships to cover the final two years; and “Cass Tech: No. 1. Second to None.”
“Our students strive for excellence,” Lisa Phillips, Cass Tech principal, says affectionately. “They feel that they are first in everything they do. They work harder. They play harder. And the results are usually success. So when we say ‘No. 1. Second to None,’ even if we come in at No. 2, we still feel in our hearts that we’re No. 1.” And that No. 1 mentality is now spreading glob-ally. With the school’s announcement of the new International Baccalaureate designation, Phillips said just this month she received at least 25-30 applications from students outside of the country including families from Spain, Mexico, Africa and Brazil who will soon move to Detroit.
Premier Programs & Partnerships With a total enrollment of 2,328 students, Cass boasts a broad range of academic, social and cultural experiences for all grade levels, as well as dynamic partnerships that prepare students for college and careers. The 2013-2014 senior class earned more than $45 million in scholarships. Annually, Cass has a 98% graduation rate and a 97% college bound rate.
Cass collaborates with nearly every public university in the state, and some HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Cass also partners with dozens of community organizations and businesses including Quicken Loans, general Motors, Chrysler Corp., UAW-Ford, DTE Energy Foundation, and Ilitch Holdings, Inc. One of the schools most talked about partner-ships is the Doctors of Tomorrow Program where incoming freshmen who wish to pursue a career in medicine visit the University of Michigan medical School monthly and throughout the summer.
Cass students receive similar hands-on experiences that first or second-year medical students are introduced to. Cass Tech was also one of three Detroit Public Schools selected to participate in a new pilot pro-gram this semester with the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The new Michigan Architecture Prep Program (MAPP) aims to expose students to collegiate coursework and careers in architecture. Participating students will spend half of their school day on architecture work at locations including the Michigan Research Studio, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, City of Detroit, and the professional workspaces of local architects and designers. Stellar Academics + Signature Athletics = winning Attitudes
In addition to excellent academics and leading extra-curricular offerings, Cass has a long-time history of top-notch athletic programs attract-ing students like Owen Dolle, a 14-year-old ninth grader who transferred this semester from Grosse Pointe. “I was nervous at first to switch to a new school,” he admits. “But everyone is like family here. Cass has the best sports programs and the best academic programs around.
When you combine the two, it’s very compelling for student athlete, and really to any student, to come here.” Cass holds district, city and state champion-ship titles in football, swimming, volleyball, soft-ball, tennis and golf. Head Football Coach Thom-as Wilcher was recently named the 2014 Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Wilcher joins Phillips as being named one of the best in their respective fields. Phillips holds the title of 2014 Principal of the Year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
Cass Technical High School
2501 Second Avenue
Detroit MI, 48201
Phone: (313) 263-2000
Fax: (313) 263-2001
Principal: Lisa Phillips
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