Local Catholic high schools celebrate Class of 2024; Gabriel Richard siblings introduce scholarship in honor of their late parents
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RIVERVIEW — The Class of 2024 began their high school careers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with their faces covered and being told to keep their distance.
When they walked out of high school for the final time this week, their faces were beaming, hand-in-hand with classmates with whom they shared a truly unique experience.
This spring, 1,973 students graduated from Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2024 — 584 from archdiocesan-sponsored schools and 1,389 from religious order and independent Catholic high schools.
“We are proud of all the graduates of our Catholic high schools and pray that the Catholic formation they received has formed them to continue to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in all their endeavors after high school,” said Laura Knaus, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Each graduate has his or her own story to tell, and unique plans for what comes next.
At Gabriel Richard High School in Riverview, 51 graduates walked across the stage May 23, seizing a diploma, but also much more than that.
“I think Catholic school has made me into exactly the person I am today, being around God and being around people who honor God and trust in His word and believe in Him,” Lola Lipetzky, a Gabriel Richard graduate, told Detroit Catholic following commencement exercises in the school's gymnasium. “It has helped me stay on the right path and make good decisions.”
Lipetzky, who plans on attending Michigan State University to study forensic psychology, recalled starting high school during the pandemic with remote learning, Zoom and online lectures. Like many Catholic high schools, Gabriel Richard quickly resumed in-person learning, albeit with masks and a healthy dose of social distancing — hallmarks of school in the COVID era.
“It was very difficult to be personable with people,” said Lipetzky, who attended St. Mary School in Rockwood for kindergarten through sixth grade and St. Joseph School in Trenton for grades seven and eight. “Even when we were in school, it was difficult to talk and meet people because we never knew what people looked like. Even being on Zoom, it was hard to communicate and get a jumpstart on the high school experience.”
Reece Francisco, a Gabriel Richard graduate who attended St. Joseph in Trenton for K-8, said graduation has been a culmination of four years of hard work, but it's been a gift to attend Catholic school for 13 years.
“I think having a community of people sharing the same religion, where we can freely discuss religion and be comfortable with it, creating strong bonds through faith, has been great,” Francisco said.
Francisco was heavily involved in the National Honor Society and student ambassadors, and said he appreciated the service-based work of those organizations.
“When I first came here, I wasn’t too open to all the possibilities. I wasn’t sure what to make of going back to school in person. But over the past four years, I learned to keep an open mind and open heart to new possibilities,” Francisco said. “Looking back on it, I don’t think I appreciated at the time how much fun I had with my classmates. I think that is something I will value.”
Gabriel Richard siblings announce scholarship in parents’ honor
Thursday night was a special night for Gabriel Richard 2024 graduate Isabella Chiles.
Beyond the milestone of completing high school with her friends and classmates, and the excitement of taking her next step at the University of Notre Dame, Chiles had the chance to share the stage with her brothers, Robbie and Jacob, for a special presentation.
The Chiles siblings presented the inaugural Robert and Christine Chiles Foundation Scholarship, in honor of their late parents.
“Our parents have such great morals that they instilled within us,” Isabella Chiles told Detroit Catholic. “They were so generous and helped so many people in their lives.”
Robert Chiles graduated from Gabriel Richard in 1986, and Christine Chiles graduated from Aquinas High School in Southgate. Christine passed away in September 2019, and Robert died in a tragic boating accident in August 2020 that also claimed the life of Fr. Stephen Rooney, former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Trenton.
“After they died, we wanted to carry on their legacy and help more people in their name,” Isabella Chiles said. “My aunt introduced this idea of a couple months after my dad died. She said she would like to help start a foundation in their name.”
The Robert and Christine Chiles Foundation Scholarship provides a $1,000 scholarship to a Gabriel Richard graduate going into the skilled trades.
“My dad was a very big advocate for the skilled trades,” Isabella Chiles said. “He worked in the construction industry, and his father also was a boilermaker. He always had a deep care for people who worked in the trades."
Christopher Kowalsky was the scholarship's first recipient.
“With Gabriel Richard being a school that’s so focused on college preparation, I think it’s nice to let kids know there are other options as well, and you can be just as successful in a trade as if you go to college, there are so many routes you can take,” Isabella Chiles said.
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