Detroit Public Schools is telling all alumni to 'Come Home' this weekend for a party

It’s a roll call!

And the Detroit Public Schools Community District is calling all alumni from the north, south, east and west to COME HOME and celebrate the inaugural DPS Alumni weekend.  

In partnership with the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, the event, Come Home, will begin Thursday and end on Sunday. Things will kick off with fine arts performances at the Fox Theatre, including choir and orchestra performances by current DPSCD students, according to Tyrone Winfrey, executive director of community affairs for the district.

On Friday afternoon, the fun will continue with alumni traveling back down memory lane by visiting their alma mater. Mumford High School will be honoring three local, high-profile pastors who are alumni: Bishop Charles Ellis of Greater Grace Temple, Bishop Edgar Vann of Second Ebenezer Church and Pastor Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church. The three will be celebrated for their dedication to the students' success at the school, and the school's courtyard will be dedicated to them. 

"These three pastors have been a huge support to the students' success at Mumford," said Jasmine Stallworth, president of the Mumford Alumni Association. "What a great place to honor them, at their alma mater."

The night will end with an alumni meet-and-greet at the Detroit Athletic Club from 5:30-7:30, and a bike roll for the earlier crowds.

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On Saturday, from 2-8 p.m., alumni can gather on Livernois, along the Avenue of Fashion, for a block party called the “Taste of Livernois,” where people can park, walk, shop, dine and explore.

Winfrey said planners have selected 12 churches throughout the city for alumni to gather and worship from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.

The jamboree will conclude with a black-tie gala on Sunday evening at Huntington Place — formerly known as the TCF center — hosted by recently retired Fox 2 News anchor Huel Perkins and WXYZ-TV Channel 7's Carolyn Clifford. 

Clifford says she is most looking forward to hearing the stories of how the city has been a road to success to so many. Clifford said she attended both Fitzgerald and Vernor elementary schools, which is where she says she got her "mental toughness."  

"DPS schools seemed so big; so many students; so many kids walking home in the snow, in the rain and in the sunshine, fearless and happy. That sticks with me," she said. "So when I see DPS students, I see that same fearlessness and pride ... I have spoken at too many DPS high school and middle school graduations to count, and my message has always been the same: 'When you see me, you see yourself.'"

The gala will honor the accomplishments of several DPS and DPSCD alumni, Winfrey said, and programs and initiatives that benefit current students will be highlighted. The event is free to all, with the exception of the gala and the meet-and-greet on Saturday. Go to detroitk12.org/comehometickets to register and buy tickets.

All proceeds from the gala will benefit students of the DPSCD Office of Fine & Performing Arts.

“We're telling our alumni, not to come back, because come back means we lost you," Winfrey said. "We're saying, come home.”

Jasmin Barmore is born and raised in the city of Detroit. She covers the city's neighborhoods and communities using her passion as her drive to give the voiceless a voice. You can reach her at jmbarmore@freepress.com or by sending her a message on Instagram or Twitter at @bjasminmare.