St. Francis High School (Traverse City, Michigan)
| St. Francis High School | |
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| Address | |
| 123 East Eleventh Street Traverse City, Michigan, (Grand Traverse County), 49684  United States |
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| Coordinates | 44°45′22″N 85°37′22″W / 44.75611°N 85.62278°WCoordinates: 44°45′22″N 85°37′22″W / 44.75611°N 85.62278°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic, Dominican Sisters |
| Established | 1877 |
| Founder | Michael Weber |
| Superintendent | Mike Buell |
| Principal | Erick Chittle |
| Vice principal | Walter Meeker |
| Headteacher | Paul Britten |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Color(s) | Navy and Gold |
| Fight song | Notre Dame Victory March |
| Athletics conference | Lake Michigan Conference |
| Nickname | Glads |
| Team name | Gladiators |
| Athletic Director | Tom Hardy |
| Website | http://www.gtacs.org/sf_home.php |
St. Francis High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Traverse City, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.
Contents |
Background [edit]
St. Francis School was established in 1877 by the Dominican Sisters.[1]
In the Spring of 2003, Saint Francis chartered a Key Club, which is a service organization supported by the Kiwanis Club. The club has 30 members. Gladmeals, as a part of Key Club, holds a Soup Kitchen each month in the school cafeteria. In the Fall of 2008, St. Francis High School was named a Top 50 Catholic High School in the United States.
Sports options exist for boys and girls, freshman through varsity levels. At least 80% of students participate in athletics as well as other extracurricular opportunities including drama, debate, forensics, pom squad, band, Key Club, choir and much more.
College choices of recent graduates include Boston College, Northwestern Michigan College, Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Aquinas College, Alma, Albion, Hope, Notre Dame, Loyola, DePauw University, DePaul University, Northwestern University, Grand Valley State University, St. John's St. Benedicts University, Carnegie-Mellon, Dartmouth, the Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Athletics [edit]
Fall sports include:
-Boys' Football
-Boys' Tennis
-Boys' Soccer
-Boys'/Girls' Cross Country
-Girls' Volleyball
-Girls' Equestrian
-Girls' Cheerleading
-Girls' Golf
Winter sports include:
-Boys'/Girls' Basketball
-Boys' Wrestling
-Boys'/Girls' Indoor Track
-Boys'/Girls' Bowling
-Boys'/Girls' Skiing
-Boys' Ice Hockey -Girls' Ice Skating - Girls' Pom and Dance
Spring sports include:
-Boys'/Girls' Outdoor Track
-Boys' Baseball
-Boys' Golf
-Girls' Softball
-Girls' Tennis
-Girls' Soccer
Football [edit]
The St. Francis Football team has won[2] state titles in 1992, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Other trips to the State Finals include[2] 1983, 1998, 2007, and 2008. Since the playoff system was established in Michigan, TCSF has qualified[2] for the playoffs 23 times. This includes the current streak of 19 years[citation needed] which is an MHSAA record. The Gladiators have[2] an all-time winning percentage of .757 (418-133-4). Their regular season winning percentage is .763 (375-115-4)[2] and their playoff winning percentage is .705 (43-18).[2] The Gladiators are members of the Lake Michigan Conference, which they have won[2] for 6 consecutive seasons. During this streak they have not lost[2] a single conference game. Other members of the Lake Michigan Conference include: Boyne City Ramblers, Charlevoix Red Raiders, East Jordan Red Devils, Elk Rapids Elks, Grayling Vikings, Harbor Springs Rams, and Kalkaska Blue Blazers. Other teams that St. Francis considers[citation needed] its rivals are the Muskegon Catholic Central Crusaders, the Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central Panthers, and the Kingsley Stags. Although the Benzie Central Huskies have been considered a rival of St. Francis, The record between the teams stands at 32-0 for St. Francis. St. Francis's top five most played opponents are the Manistee Chippewas (33 games), Benzonia Benzie Central Huskies (32 games), Boyne City Ramblers (29 games), Kalkaska Blue Blazers (28 games), and the St. Ignace LaSalle Saints (28 games).[2] Many Gladiators have gone on to play football at the collegiate level. The most recent Division I recruit is ILB Max Bullough (6'3 225) be a member of the Michigan State Spartans.[3]
Boy's Tennis [edit]
The tennis program has become one of the top Division 4 programs in the state. The team has qualified for states each of the last six seasons. In 2004 the team went to state and made a strong appearance. In 2009 the team finished 5th in the state while winning a flight for the first time in school history, Josh Kurtz (Sr.) and Patrick Wilson (Jr.) won a state title at #3 Doubles. That title was followed up in 2010 by Keith Gingras (Sr.) and Stephen Siddall (Jr.) who also won at #3 doubles to go along with another 5th place finish at States. St. Francis boasts two strong JV teams that have recently been able to defeat numerous varsity teams during their seasons.
Yearbook [edit]
Veritas, the annual St. Francis High School yearbook, had a history of several Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) awards in the early 2000s, capped by a Spartan Award in 2004. A Spartan Award is the highest award given out by MIPA. The 2004 yearbook, titled "Crossing Lines," was advised by Deanna Siler. The editor-in-chief was Bryan Esler, and co-editor was Corey Maslowski. The book was published by Herff-Jones.
Notes and references [edit]
- ^ SFHS. "School History". Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Michigan-Football.com".
- ^ "Record-Eagle".
