Much has been written about the benefits of experiential learning. It can provide students with a better understanding of course materials, as well as further their skills, interests, and values — which in turn builds confidence. Within the past year, a suburban high school and city school district have made significant investments in providing their students with this type of learning environment.
Detroit Catholic Central’s New STEM Center
When you drive onto Detroit Catholic Central’s campus in Novi, you’ll notice its brand-new science, technology, engineering, and math center, the George and Mary Turek Hall of Science. Not only does the facility have floor-to-ceiling windows, but through those windows you can see a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet suspended from the ceiling.
The 57,000-square-foot facility at this 97-year-old all-boys private school offers much more than a flashy first impression. The center helps students develop hands-on skills that will prepare them for college and STEM-related jobs, including in aviation.
Some features include a 4.3-meter Observa Dome with a digital Celestron telescope that rotates 360 degrees and can observe stars during the daytime; a FIRST Robotics Competition field with access to the Haas VF-2YT CNC machinery that creates custom parts for robots; and aviation programs with high-tech equipment like the Redbird 180-degree flight simulator, which allows students to practice flying and accumulate flight hours toward a pilot’s license with a certified flight instructor.
“Any field that has a STEM representation … we are preparing our guys [for it], and we’re doing it at a level that is university standard, not just high school standard,” says Amy Ely, the director of STEM at Catholic Central. Ely says that last year the school gave out over a million dollars in tuition assistance so that this level of education is “available for anyone that has the desire to try.”
The $61 million center was made possible through donations — and not a cent of tuition money. George Turek, an alum who graduated in 1966, was the primary donor responsible for the center, which was named after his parents.
More Automotive Programming at Detroit’s Breithaupt Career and Technical Center
In the Detroit Public Schools Community District, more opportunities are available for high schoolers interested in automotive careers. That’s thanks to a $1 million donation last December from the Joel Landy Foundation, a charity honoring the late Cass Technical grad known for his restoration work in Midtown.
The donation went toward the newly renamed Joel Landy Automotive Training Lab at the Herman A. Breithaupt Career and Technical Center, which offers hands- on career instruction to DPSCD students.
“The program itself trains 10th through 12th grade students in automotive services, collision repair, and connects them to paid internships and local car dealerships so students can earn money while they gain skills and receive high school credit,” says Kerrie Mitchell, president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation.
The donation will also cover new equipment and field trips that expose students to real-world experiences before they start an internship. Students who complete the automotive course earn an Automotive Service Excellence certification, which validates their skill set to employers. Students who excel at their internships are often hired after graduation, Mitchell says.
“We [the DPSCD Foundation] try to create these opportunities to ensure that our students are career or college ready once they leave our high school,” Mitchell says.
This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on April 7.
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