University Liggett School

Last updated
University Liggett School
University Liggett School campus.jpg
Campus location along Cook Road
Location
University Liggett School
Grosse Pointe Woods
,
Michigan

United States
Information
School typePrivate, Co-educational [1]
Established1878, as Liggett School
Head of schoolThomas Sheppard [2]
Enrollment612 PreK-12 [3]
Average class size14 students [4]
Campus size50 acres (200,000 m2) [5] on two locations [6]
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Red, White and Blue    
Mascot Knight
Endowment$36.5 million
Website http://www.uls.org

University Liggett School, also known as Liggett, is a private, independent, secular school in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1878, it is Michigan's oldest independent coeducational day school. [5]

Contents

The school teaches grades PreK3 through twelve on one campus, consolidating its two campuses to one in the fall of 2012. According to the school, over 50 zip codes in Southeastern Michigan are represented by its student population. [5] Over $2 million in merit- and need-based financial aid is awarded to new and returning students annually. [7]

History

The Liggett School

In the spring of 1878, seven members of the Liggett family, headed by the Reverend James D. Liggett, settled in Detroit to establish a small, independent school for girls originally named The Detroit Home and Day School. In 1883, the school moved to a three-story brick building at the corner of Cass Avenue and Stimson Place. In 1914, the Albert Kahn-designed "Eastern Liggett" branch, on Burns Avenue at Charlevoix, was built and soon fully occupied. It would remain so until 1964, when classes would be held in a new building constructed on Briarcliff Drive in Grosse Pointe Woods. [5] The Burns Avenue building was sold, and now houses the Detroit Waldorf School.

Detroit University School

Detroit University School, the second of Liggett’s predecessor schools, was founded in 1899 by Charles Bliss and Henry Gray Sherrard, who sought independence from public schools. In 1916, after a fire destroyed Detroit University School's original building at Elmwood between Larned and Congress, it moved to what became known as the "Castle," a Gothic-style former residence on Parkview Drive midway between Jefferson Avenue and the Detroit River. There it remained until 1928, when, with the help of Henry and Edsel Ford and many other Detroiters, the school relocated to Cook Road, then the eastern limits of Grosse Pointe. [5]

Grosse Pointe Country Day School

Opened in 1915 in a white frame house (still standing at 301 Roosevelt Place in Grosse Pointe), Grosse Pointe Country Day School served boys and girls from kindergarten through ninth grade. A year later, classes opened in an English-style building located at Fisher Road and Grosse Pointe Boulevard. In 1941, Detroit University School and Grosse Pointe Country Day School joined forces under one board. For the day-to-day life of the schools, the major change was that Country Day sent its older boys to Detroit University School and became a school for girls. [5]

Grosse Pointe University School

In 1954, the Country Day building was sold to the Grosse Pointe public schools and the girls joined the boys on the Cook Road campus, merging the schools to make Grosse Pointe University School. Minoru Yamasaki was commissioned to design a lower school, a middle school, and other facilities, such as a new gymnasium, an auditorium, a library, and fine arts rooms, to complement the two-story brick building erected in 1928. [5]

In 1969, the need for an increase in space for the middle school was solved by merging Grosse Pointe University School with The Liggett School to form University Liggett School. [5]


Accreditations, Academics and Arts

Sports

University Liggett School is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools and Association of Independent Michigan Schools. ULS' sports teams compete with regional private and public high schools, such as Detroit Country Day School, Greenhills School, Oakland Christian, and Cranbrook Kingswood. Liggett competes athletically in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference for most regular-season contests with many other similarly sized independent schools throughout Michigan. In 2017, the school became a member of the Catholic High School League. It also is a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and its 9-12 enrollment of 244 currently places it in MHSAA's Class D.

University Liggett School has had three teams in the last two years compete in or win Michigan High School Athletic Association state championships. The girls basketball team was runner-up in the 2011 and 2012 seasons for Division III. The boys baseball team won the Division IV state title in 2011, was runner-up in the 2012 season, and won the state title again in 2013. The girls softball team was runner-up for the state title in 2013. Also, the boys ice hockey team won the Division III state title in 2012. In 2014, the girls ice hockey team won the Division I state title.

University Liggett School also has a FIRST Robotics Competition team that began its rookie season in 2010. [8] The robotics team won the FIRST Robotics World Championship in 2022. [9]

Midwest Premier League side Liquid Football used the stadium for their home games during the 2023 season.

Arts

University Liggett Schools students produce films and workshops made throughout the year, and the performing arts department launches two major theatrical productions annually: a drama each fall and a musical each winter. [10] The school is active in the International Thespian Society and the Educational Theatre Association as Troupe 5253. [11] The school's Manoogian Arts Wing was added in 1981, [10] under the planning of then-Arts head Ed Jacomo; it added arts facilities to the school, including a new dance studio, an art display, an audio-video editing studio, five arts classrooms, arts offices, and a conference room. [10] Dr. Phillip Moss, a highly respected director and actor, is currently the chair of the creative and performing arts department of the school. Notable performances have included a 2011-2012 production of Chicago that was sent to national festival where many actors and crew received excellent and superior ratings. [12]

Notable faculty and alumni

Publications

University Liggett School's Office of Marketing and Communications publishes Perspective magazine twice a year. The magazine has been recognized since 2015 with many journalism awards, including five in 2016 from the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit chapter [14] The school's marketing and communications efforts received an international award for Communications Program Improvement in 2015 from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The county was founded in 1796 and organized in 1815. Wayne County is included in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of several U.S. counties named after Revolutionary War-era general Anthony Wayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grosse Pointe is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,678.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grosse Pointe Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,135 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grosse Pointe Shores is a city in Wayne and Macomb counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,647 at the 2020 census, down from 3,008 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edsel Ford</span> American businessman (1893–1943)

Edsel Bryant Ford was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the only child of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Kahn (architect)</span> American architect

Albert Kahn was an American industrial architect who designed industrial plant complexes such as the Ford River Rouge automobile complex. He designed the construction of Detroit skyscrapers and office buildings as well as mansions in the city suburbs. He led an organization of hundreds of architect associates and in 1937, designed 19% of all architect-designed industrial factories in the United States. Under a unique contract in 1929, Kahn established a design and training office in Moscow, sending twenty-five staff there to train Soviet architects and engineers, and to design hundreds of industrial buildings under their first five-year plan. They trained more than 4,000 architects and engineers using Kahn's concepts. In 1943, the Franklin Institute posthumously awarded Kahn the Frank P. Brown Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe</span> Region of the Detroit metropolitan area

Grosse Pointe refers to an affluent coastal area next to Detroit, Michigan, United States, that comprises five adjacent individual cities. From southwest to northeast, they are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe North High School</span> Public high school in Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe North High School is a public high school in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. North is a four-year comprehensive high school with an enrollment of around 1,400 and expected 2016 graduating class of 350. Classes are in session for 182 days per year and the school day is from 8:00 AM to 3:05 PM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosse Pointe South High School</span> Historic public high school in Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe South High School is a public high school of state and national historical significance serving the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe. Originally known as Grosse Pointe High School when it opened in 1928, the school adopted its current name in 1968 after the newly established Grosse Pointe North High School began accepting students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Nelson (athlete)</span> American pole vaulter

Frank Thayer Nelson was an American athlete and baseball player who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was born in Detroit, Michigan and died in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span> Architecture style of Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, USA

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-modern neogothic spires of One Detroit Center refer to designs of the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's distinctive skyline.

The Macomb Area Conference is a high school sports league located in Southeastern Michigan. It is a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). There are currently 36 members, spread across Macomb County, St. Clair County, Oakland County, and Wayne County.

Marcus R. Burrowes (1874–1953) was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He was widely known in southeast Michigan, especially during the second and third decades of the twentieth century, for his recreation of English Revival style buildings.

NorthPointe Christian Schools is a private Christian school located on the North East side of Grand Rapids, Michigan. NorthPointe Christian Schools is committed to 'equipping students to impact their world for Jesus Christ'. This commitment is accomplished through academics, spiritual life, athletics, and extracurricular activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edsel and Eleanor Ford House</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is a mansion located at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores, northeast of Detroit, Michigan; it stands on the site known as "Gaukler Point", on the shore of Lake St. Clair. The house became the new residence of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford family in 1928. Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford and an executive at Ford Motor Company. The estate's buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn, its site plan and gardens by renowned landscape designer Jens Jensen. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016.

Jack A. Tompkins was an American baseball and ice hockey player, airline executive and civic leader in Detroit, Michigan. As a high school student in Royal Oak, Michigan, he won 27 consecutive baseball games as a pitcher, still a Michigan high school record. At the University of Michigan, he was captain of the baseball and hockey teams in 1932. He worked for more than 30 years for American Airlines in Detroit and became a civic leader in the area, working to bring the Olympic Games to Detroit from the 1940s to the 1960s and founding the Great Lakes Invitational hockey tournament in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MorningSide, Detroit</span>

MorningSide is a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit, Michigan. The area is bounded by Harper Avenue and Interstate 94 on the north, Mack Avenue to the south, East Outer Drive and Whittier on the east and Alter Road and East Outer Drive to the west. The local association that shares the name MorningSide with the community is a collaboration of residents working together to take care of this area.

Bishop Foley Catholic High School is a Catholic high school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Founded in 1965, it is named after the first American Bishop of Detroit, John Samuel Foley. It is located in Madison Heights, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George D. Mason</span> American architect

George DeWitt Mason was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan, in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Waldorf School</span> Private waldorf school in Detroit, Michigan, United States

The Detroit Waldorf School is a private PreK-8 Waldorf school located at 2555 Burns, Detroit, Michigan in an Albert Kahn-designed school in the historic Indian Village neighborhood. In 2016, the building was designated a Michigan State Historic Site. The school is the only remaining private independent school in Detroit, and is one of the city's highest-rated schools, receiving five stars on GreatSchools.org. As of 2016, 240 students were enrolled in the school.

References

  1. ↑ Healey, Joeseph P. "University Liggett School ~ From the Head of School". University Liggett School. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  2. ↑ "University Liggett School announces Thomas W. Sheppard as new Head of School". University Liggett School. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ "University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan / MI". Local School Directory. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  4. ↑ "University Liggett School ~ Employment". University Liggett School. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "University Liggett School ~ History of Liggett". University Liggett School. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ "University Liggett School ~ Maps & Directions". University Liggett School. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  7. ↑ "University Liggett School ~ Tuition & Financial Aid". University Liggett School. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  8. ↑ "2010 Michigan FIRST Robotics Teams and Events List" (PDF). FIRST in Michigan. March 21, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ Hartt, Michael (2022-05-05). "Liggett wins global robotics championship". Grosse Pointe News. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  10. 1 2 3 "University Liggett School ~ Arts". University Liggett School. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Students selected for opening show at International Thespian Festival - EdTA - Educational Theatre Association". www.schooltheatre.org. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  12. ↑ Moss, Phillip. "Dr. Phillip W. Moss". Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  13. ↑ Adzima, Mike (September 8, 2021). "Third generation racer carries on family legacy". Grosse Pointe News.
  14. ↑ http://www.uls.org/ftpimages/208/download/download_1873613.pdf [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ https://uls.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/208/download/download_1586754.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]

42°25′35.39″N82°53′57.53″W / 42.4264972°N 82.8993139°W / 42.4264972; -82.8993139

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.