St. Martin Deporres High School

I was a teacher at DePorres High school from 1967-1971. During my tenure there I can say that the faculty and students were some of the best people I have ever encountered. Joe Doolin was the principal and was an inspiration to us all. I loved my years there and will never forget the wonderful and inspiring students I met there. I am so sad that it closed. Submitted by former teacher Ray Mack
—Submitted by a teacher

I was a teacher at DePorres High school from 1967-1971. During my tenure there I can say that the faculty and students were some of the best people I have ever encountered. Joe Doolin was the principal and was an inspiration to us all. I loved my years there and will never forget the wonderful and inspiring students I met there. I am so sad that it closed. Submitted byRay Mack, a teacher
—Submitted by a teacher

St. Martin de Porres was just the environment that I needed to help me find my place in life and help me identify my self. The strong christian ethics and the solid family values are unique to De Porres, the are very hard to find else where in our secular society. The stong disapline responsilbe for the drive and ambition found in each of DP's students. There is no reason De Porres should have ever closed. Not very often will you find a predominantly African American high school with 99% graduation rate and 95% percent later go on to college, most of them on scholarship. De Porres was an asset to the city of Detroit and to the black community.
—Submitted by Erica McClendon, a former student

St. Martin de Porres is a school that needs a lot of assistance. It all starts at the top. The principal, Ms. Hughes has done a poor job of managing this school for far too long. She has run away some of the finest students, teachers, coaches and alumni. The school has some very poor instructors due in part to the lack of accountability from anyone. It is apparent that the office management lacks the skill needed to be effective in properly educating today's youth. If you want a good sports program, DP is your school. If you want a good education, look elsewhere (U of D, OL-St. Mary's, CC or Rice). This school will be better if/when the current principal retires. Hopefully, they don't shutter the doors before this happens. I don't know what the current tuition is but if it is anything greater than $1, it is too much!
—Submitted by Alumni, a former student

DePorres is 'top-notch' in education. They hand pick their teachers and it really shows. DP is one of the better schools in Wayne County (research has proven). I would recommend DP to anyone wanting to send their child to a quality school to obtain a quality education. c/o 1988
—Submitted by Monica Hickson-Vinson, a former student

A great school. The discpline, small class sizes, cleanliness, and overall culture of the school creates a wonderful learning enviorment. Would like to see more community and corporate support. An upgrading of the technology based learning equipment within the school. The athletic wing and playing field and track need remodeling.
—Submitted by Willie Riley, a parent

as an alumni of DP and mother of 4 i never considered DP as a school for my children. for 30 yrs their basic concern has always been sports. I have one son and i told him that playing a musical instrument would last longer than any career in sports. my son attends Notre Dame and is perfect 4.0 they offer advanced classes for students like him. I would like for the big DP to be noticed for academics as well as sports. And yes we already know dp is going to beat nd on 10/08/04
—Submitted by a former student

I am a DP graduate who had a wonderful experience at DePorres. I went to DP for my entire high school career and I played 3 to 4 sports while attending. I presently am still in contact with 3 of my teachers and 2 of my coaches. I graduated from University of Detroit with honors. I also earned a full-ride scholarship to play women's basketball. I really do believe that DePorres opened up the doors to college. DePorres was a great family atmosphere where I learned courses dealing directly with college. When I got to college, I had no problems adjusting to the schedule and the many responsibilities I was facing. As a matter of fact DP helped me prepare for the major responsibilities that college brings to me. I really believe DePorres is a school of choice for anyone who is willing to work hard to get a good education.
—Submitted by Shari Hill-Butler, a former student

I am a graduate of St. Martin de Porres and I can't tell you how great my experience at DP was because there just isn't enough space in a 150 word limit. I would recommend DP to any of my friends and family. It really is one of the better high schools in Detroit.
—Submitted by a former student

DePorres is a wonderful family oriented school that focuses on the students. The teachers have always been there for the students no matter the hours. Teachers have always gave their full attention to each and every student as needed. I only wish more schools would focus on the special needs of each student like DePorres has. The Athletic Department was the same way, if anyone was close to being ineligible, then coaching staff was on it and the athlete would be in tutoring or whatever it took to get their grades up. Overall I think DePorres is an excellent small private school that helped me a lot to become the person I am today. I would have never received a full athletic scholarship and continued to get my masters degree if it wasn't for the DePorres family. I am very grateful and hope that we can keep this school in business.
—Submitted by Jeanie Hill, a former student