Father Gabriel Richard High School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Ann Arbor Township near

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. It is located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing The Diocese of Lansing ( la, Diœcesis Lansingensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan around Lansing. It encompasses an area of including the countie ...

, and was established in 1868 by Father Patrick O'Kelly. It was originally named St. Thomas the Apostle School and included an elementary school. By 1880, the original facilities had been outgrown and the school moved for the first time. In 1900, a new church was begun for the overgrown parish and was completed in 1905.

History

The parish and church were a part of Ann Arbor's early history and in the early 1920s the old school building was torn down and a new enlarged building was constructed that remains to this day. The school survived World War I and grew throughout the Great Depression and in the post-World War II era. By 1980, St. Thomas split into an elementary school, St. Thomas, and a high school was named Father Gabriel Richard Catholic High School after

Gabriel Richard Gabriel Richard (pronounced rish-ARD) October 15, 1767 – September 13, 1832, was a French Roman Catholic priest who ministered to the French Catholics in the parish of Sainte Anne de Détroit, as well as Protestants and Native Americans liv ...

, a French Roman Catholic priest and founder of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. At the start of the 21st century, the original 1920s building became too small and obsolete, prompting construction of a new modern building outside of town, the first move of the school in over 120 years. Father Gabriel Richard High School moved to this new location. The original St. Thomas elementary school building was renovated, remains on its original spot, and continues to operate independently of Father Gabriel Richard High School. In 2008, Father Gabriel Richard High School was put on the Top 50 List of best Catholic high schools in the nation. As of October 2012, it had been placed on this list for four consecutive years. In 2020, FGR was once again named to the Catholic School Honor Roll by the Cardinal Newman Society, which recognizes high-performing Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Father Gabriel Richard offers 16 Advanced Placement courses as well as elective options that include nine visual arts courses, drama, two choirs, band, and humanities. Student leaders help run annual retreats for each grade, allowing opportunity to develop leadership skills in a faith-based environment. Mass is offered daily with each student attending Mass once a week. Confession times are also offered each week. The athletics program offers 38 teams in a wide variety of sports, allowing students the opportunity to play at several different levels. Student athletes sign on to play sports at the collegiate level, with an average of 10 per year signing national letters of intent. In December 2020 the chaplain of the school, Fr. Richard Lobert, was put on leave pending an investigation. In May of 2021, the Attorney General of Michigan closed its investigation without bringing any charges against the priest.

Notes and references

Notable alumni

School website
{{authority control Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing High schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan Catholic secondary schools in Michigan Educational institutions established in 1868 1868 establishments in Michigan