A New Cookbook & A New School
- kellison71
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Today’s recipe comes from a recent cookbook acquisition, Nouvel Panther’s Country Cuisine. The cookbook features a collection of recipes put together through the Nouvel Catholic Central Athletic Association—and many of them look quite tasty!
Nouvel Catholic Central High School is a conglomeration of a number of smaller Catholic schools in Saginaw County, opening its doors at 2555 Weineke Road in Saginaw Township, in 1984. The Catholic high school student population the year before was just 981 students.
Saginaw County’s first Catholic high school was actually created more than 100 years before Nouvel came into existence--St. Mary High School was founded in 1868. According to the Nouvel school website:
“By the mid-1960s, Saginaw was home to nine Catholic high schools; St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Andrew, SS. Peter & Paul, Holy Family, Sacred Heart, Holy Rosary, St. Paul Seminary and St. Stephen. Population shifts led to declining enrollment, and by the early 1980s, only three high schools remained in operation. A prudent decision was made by the Diocese of Saginaw to merge the three remaining high schools; St. Mary, SS. Peter & Paul and St. Stephen, into one.” (https://nouvelcatholic.org/history)
While the connection between Reverend Henri Nouvel, the Jesuit Priest, who may have been the first European to visit Saginaw, seems obvious, the name of the new school was suggested by a teacher at St. Stephen, Sharon Choate. Choate, who taught French, noted that Nouvel in French means “new” or “fresh”—an apt name for a whole new school that would combine the old.
However, the site for the new school was not immediately decided. Several sites were considered for the school, including the former Catholic high school buildings, the Downtown Saginaw Mall, and the Wickes administration facility. Considerations included transportation ease, ability to open by the fall of 1984, and student needs. Ultimately, the current site of Nouvel High School on Weineke, was chosen, the former home of SS Peter and Paul.
While combining any schools can be tenuous, especially when combining former rivals—as recently experienced by the combination of public schools Arthur Hill and Saginaw High into Saginaw United—there were also advantages. Jim Geary, athletic director and football coach at St. Stephen, told The Saginaw News,
“Personally, I think (the merger) is a good idea. In the long run, it will have a positive effect on the athletic program. I think the program will be strong in the area, and strong in the state in some sports. But it will take some lumps at first.” (The Saginaw News, September 8, 1983).
Geary was right—and this is where we turn back to the cookbook put together by the Athletic Association…
The Recipe: Ann Kenyon’s* Turkey-Potato Pancakes
3 beaten eggs
3 C. shredded, raw potatoes, drained (about 3 potatoes)
1 ½ C. finely chopped, cooked or leftover turkey
1 ½ tsp. grated onion
dash of pepper
1 Tbsp. flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
In mixing bowl, combine eggs, potatoes, turkey, onion and pepper. Add flour and salt; mix well. Using about ¼ cup batter for each pancake, drop batter onto hot, greased griddle, spreading to about 4 inches in diameter. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
*We aren’t sure who Ann Kenyon is (or was?), but we thank her for her delicious recipe and work on the Nouvel Panther's Country Cuisine.