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Notre Dame Alumni E-Newsletter |
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Class of 1977 alum to perform comedy show to benefit Fr. John Bryson Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Tickets available now!
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Daily Mass |
Alumni are invited to Mass each weekday at 7:00 AM in the chapel at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, Pontiac. |
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Dear ,
Greetings from the Notre Dame Alumni Office!
I write to you this month during Catholic Schools Week, which runs January 29 - February 5, 2012. As our Notre Dame students take part in celebratory activities, we remember our alumni who serve as living proof of what our students hope to become.
This year's Catholic Schools Week theme focuses on three priorities that Catholic schools establish, distinguishing them from other educational institutions:
- Children are taught faith - not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God.
- Academics, which in Catholic schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential.
- Service, the giving of one's time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good citizenship.
As alumni we are blessed to look back on our Catholic education at Notre Dame, and to be grateful for all of the ways our lessons learned at Notre Dame helped shape our adult lives.
Wishing you Irish blessings,
Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP)
Director of Alumni Relations
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
1300 Giddings Road, Pontiac, MI 48340
Office: (248) 373-2171 Ext. 3
E-mail: rmiller@ndpma.org
Web: www.ndpma.org/alumni
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Estate and Financial Planning seminar
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy will host a free presentation on the topic of "Estate and Financial Planning in Practice." The session will cover the general aims of estate planning, basic tools and techniques, things to consider, and the costs of doing nothing. Case studies will be presented for illustrative purposes and all attendees will leave with a financial planning checklist. All alumni are invited to attend.
The seminar will be conducted by Mr. Tom Del Pup, J.D., C.F.P., a Rochester-based attorney and certified financial planner with 20 years of experience in representing individuals and businesses with their estate, retirement, business and financial planning needs. Tom's informal and educational presentation style has been very popular with alumni and parents in the past.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the board room at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, Pontiac campus. Please RSVP: Email Joan Kopytek at jkopytek@ndpma.org or call 248.373.2171 ext. 2.
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Traveling Irish Dinners: Ann Arbor & East Lansing
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Traveling Irish Dinner series continues with concurrent stops in the towns of the Wolverines and Spartans on Friday, February 10, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. Join us for complimentary dinner at the Pizza House in Ann Arbor, or Harper's Restaurant in East Lansing. Cash bar for spirits and soft drinks. All alumni are welcome!! Must be 21 and up to be served alcohol.
Please RSVP to attend by February 8th: www.ndpma.org/irishdinners
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Alumni Irish Games at NDP
The longtime Notre Dame tradition of Irish Games lives! Remember competing in student games during Irish Week, like cageball, tug of war and chariot racing? Well, grownups can have just as much fun! 
The Notre Dame Alumni Association Board of Directors invites you to the 3rd annual Alumni Irish Games. Take part in or watch a spirited tournament of games in the gymnasium at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, Pontiac campus. Enjoy dinner, adult beverages and socializing with fellow ND alumni.
Tickets: $15.00
includes tee-shirt,
food, and drink
tickets for the bar.
(21+ please bring
ID)
Please RSVP: www.ndpma.org/alumniirishgames
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Spring Into Fashion! Annual fashion show and shopping gala
Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at Cherry Creek
Please save the date for the 15th annual 
fashion show and shopping gala, presented by the parents club of Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy. This year's event will be held on Tuesday, March 20, at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township, Mich., and will feature fashions from the shops and boutiques of downtown Rochester. Channel 955's Mojo in the Morning will be the master of ceremonies. The shopping gala and cocktails will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner and a fashion show. More information to follow in the March e-newsletter. Contact Liz Brisley at 586.484.5718 with any questions.
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Annual golf outing at Wyndgate's Eastwynd
Monday, June 4, 2012
 Alumni and friends are invited to join us for Notre Dame's annual golf outing on Monday, June 4, 2012. This year's golf outing will be held at the Eastwynd, the Wyndgate Country Club's private course in Rochester, Mich. In addition to players for the golf outing, the parents club is looking for help in the following areas to make the event successful: lunch, dinner or beverage cart sponsorships; hole sponsorships; donations of items to the silent auction or raffle. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rick Sutkiewicz at 248.207.9788.
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 Dave Coulier "LIVE" at Notre DameComedy Show to Benefit Fr. Bryson Scholarship Fund
Actor/Comedian, Dave Coulier '77 (NDHS) to perform family-friendly comedy show at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy on May 12, 2012.
Dave Coulier, who graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1977, will take the stage Saturday, May 12, at NDPMA in a special fundraiser to benefit the Fr. John Bryson, s.m., Memorial Scholarship Fund. Bryson was a Marist priest who taught and served at Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods for nearly 45 years. He died in May of last year at the age of 87.
Coulier has been a regular face on television, first starring as Joey Gladstone in the ABC-TV sitcom "Full House" from 1987 through 1995. He also had a stint hosting "America's Funniest Videos." In between, he's acted in movies and continues a successful standup comedy routine at colleges and clubs around the country.
Presented by the Notre Dame Alumni Association, the comedy show is for all ages and starts at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for students and seniors (under 18 and over 65). Premium tickets are available for $50.00, which also admit you to a private "Meet & Greet" afterglow reception with Dave Coulier. All tickets are general admission seating.
For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit www.ndpma.org/davecoulier.
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Five alums will play in Michigan's inaugural division 1 lacrosse game
February 12, 2012 in Pontiac, Mich.
Five NDP alumni will take the field on Sunday, February 12 when the Detroit Mercy Titans host the University of Michigan Wolverines in the first Division I game in the history of the U-M program. Come on out and watch this exciting match-up!
Playing for the Titans: Nick Garippa '10 (NDP), Tim Robertson '10 (NDP), Brandon Beauregard '11 (NDP) and Joe Gifford '11 (NDP). For the Wolverines: Rob Healy '08 (NDP) (shown at right).
The game will be played on February 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Ultimate Soccer, located at 867 South Blvd. East, Pontiac, Mich. For tickets, call 313.993.1700.
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More than 100 attended Alumni Art Show reception
Alumni artists display work for a week-long show at NDPMA
More than 100 people turned out Thursday night, January 26, for the opening reception of the fourth annual alumni art show hosted by the Notre Dame Alumni Association. Twenty-one artists,  including alumni from Notre Dame Prep and Notre Dame High School, exhibited art in media ranging from oil and watercolor to photography and sculpture.
92 unique pieces of alumni artwork were on display in the main lobby of Notre Dame's Pontiac location from January 26 to February 3, 2012.
Pictured at left: Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m., '68 (NDHS) and current principal of Notre Dame Prep; Kirby Smith, retired art instructor from NDHS and NDP; Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP), director of alumni relations; and Frank Castronova '89 (NDHS), annual fund director.
Artists who exhibited their work in the 2012 alumni art show included:
Joe Borri '80 (NDHS), Nallely Flores '11 (NDP), Katy Hojnacki '08 (NDP), Patrick Kelly '00 (NDHS), Walter Kempski '69 (NDHS), Alexandra Kosik '08 (NDP), Daniel Marchese '02 (NDHS), Paige McGrail '11 (NDP), Madison Moreno '11 (NDP), Allison Perez-Valle '11 (NDP), Catherine (Kopytek) Procissi '00 (NDP), Nicole Roser '11 (NDP), Victoria Sidor '01 (NDP), Gregory Simon '89 (NDHS), Hayden Smith '11 (NDP), Megan Stephanic '10 (NDP), Bryan Ureel '82 (NDHS), Erin Welsh '05 (NDP), Kati Swieca-Brockman (NDP art faculty), Ned Devine (NDP art faculty), and Kirby Smith (retired NDP and NDHS art faculty). View more photos from the art show.
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Tigers' Ron Wade appearing on MLB Network's "Baseball IQ" show
NDHS Class of '87 alum is Detroit Tigers' Director of Marketing
Ron Wade '87 (NDHS) will represent the Detroit Tigers - and their charity, the Detroit Tigers Foundation - on the MLB Network's "Baseball IQ" quiz show. The series debuted on Tuesday, January 24. Two episodes will air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:00 p.m., leading up to the opening of spring training camps in late February. It is not yet known on which date Wade's episode will run. Baseball IQ, hosted by Matt Vasgersian, features 32 contestants, including one from each MLB team and representatives of MLB.com and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Contestants match up head-to-head in bracket-style format with a chance to win up to $45,000 for their team's charity. Wade told Blessyouboys.com in an interview, "You have to come up with an answer quick, it's a lot of fun. I highly recommend people tune in to it." (Source: Blessyouboys.com) Full Story |
Lower division students dress as saints during Catholic Schools Week
To help celebrate Catholic Schools Week, on Wednesday, February 1, many students at the lower division of Notre Dame Marist Academy in Waterford came to school dressed as saints. The children (and their parents) spent a great deal of time researching their chosen saints, when their feast days occur and why they were named saints in the first place.
Dressing as saints is an old Christian tradition usually reserved for All-Saints Day on November 1, the day after Halloween. But Notre Dame's lower division has chosen Catholic Schools Week each year to encourage its students to learn more about their faith and those in the past who practiced it. Among saints chosen by the kids were St. George, who is the patron saint of England, St. Matthew, the patron saint of civil servants and all who serve government, and St. Lucy, the patron saint of the blind and those with eye trouble. 
Other Catholic Schools Week activities at the school included a study Monday of the history of Catholic schools in the U.S. and the world; an in-depth discussion Tuesday of what it means to be in a Catholic school, an all-division mass on Thursday, and a special visit on Friday of a priest from the Central American country of Belize.
At right: NDPMA students (JK - 12) celebrated an all-division Mass for Catholic Schools Week on Thursday, February 2. |
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School Day Open House at Notre Dame Marist Academy
Alumni invited to visit Pontiac and Waterford campuses, March 7
Notre Dame Marist Academy's middle and lower divisions (junior kindergarten through grade 5) invite alumni to visit our school day open house on Wednesday, March 7. The open house will take place at both the Pontiac and Waterford campuses, and will include morning and afternoon sessions that will allow prospective parents an opportunity to sit in classrooms and watch our students and teachers in action. In addition, our 2012 Admissions Coffees are scheduled to take place at Notre Dame Preparatory in Pontiac on April 25, at the Lower Division in Waterford on May 2, and at the Middle Division in Pontiac on May 16. More details on these mini-school day open houses will be provided as the dates approach.  Students and families interested in learning more about Notre Dame are invited to see us in action by way of an Open House visit, a personal tour and/or an "Irish for the Day" shadow experience for school-age children. For more information, please contact Dean of Admissions and Diversity, Gregory Simon '89 (NDHS) at 248.373.5300 or gsimon@ndpma.org. Did you know? Alumni receive a $1,000 discount on annual tuition for their child at NDPMA.
Discount available to all alumni of Notre Dame Preparatory School, Notre Dame High School, Pontiac/Oakland Catholic, St. Michael and St. Frederick schools.
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NDPMA's Betty Wroubel named athletic director of the year
Michigan's professional organization of school athletic directors, the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA), has selected Betty Wroubel of Notre Dame Preparatory School as regional Athletic Director of the Year. One of only fourteen administrators state wide to be honored by the MIAAA, Betty will be presented the award in Traverse City on March 17, 2012, at the annual MIAAA Mid-Winter Conference, in which over 500 athletic directors participate.
Wroubel's career at Notre Dame Preparatory School follows administrative, teaching and coaching positions at Our Lady Gate of Heaven, Pontiac Catholic High School, and Oakland Catholic High School. Wroubel completed her bachelor's degree and earned her teaching certificate at Central Michigan University, and she earned a master's degree in classroom teaching from Michigan State University. At Notre Dame Prep, Betty has been a teacher, volleyball coach, and softball coach for 32 years, and moved into the position of athletic director in 2003. Wroubel is involved with MIAAA, where she is a member, and serves on the Exemplary Athletic Program committee. She is also a member of the Oakland County Athletic Director's Association (OCADA), National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), and has also served on many committees for the Michigan High School Athletic Association. She is also an active member of many coaching associations. (Source: MIAAA Press Release) Full Story
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NDP senior reaches 1,000 career points
Basketball star presented with game ball
Notre Dame Prep senior Kellen McCormick reached the 1,000-point milestone on January 20, 2012, as the Fighting Irish defeated the previously unbeaten Ventures of Bishop Foley, 67-60, in a Catholic League division showdown.
Needing 18 points to reach the 1K high school career mark coming into the game, McCormick put in 21 for the night. It's the first time a basketball player from NDP - boy or girl - has reached 1,000 points in a high school career. (Oakland Press article)
McCormick is presented the game ball after the Bishop Foley
game during which he scored his 1,000th career point.
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Notre Dame Marist Academy lower division moving to Pontiac
News story and video announcing new plans
PONTIAC, Mich. (January 3, 2012) -- Head of School Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m., today announced that Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy's board of trustees has approved a proposal to move the school's lower division from Waterford to property adjacent to its main campus in northeast Pontiac. The lower division, which is known as Notre Dame Marist Academy, enrolls children in junior kindergarten through fifth grade. School officials say it could be as early as fall 2012 that lower-division students would join Notre Dame's middle and upper divisions at its Pontiac campus on Giddings Road. Full Story
Watch Fr. Leon Olszamowski '65 (NDHS),
President of NDPMA, in Oakland Press' video
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List of upcoming reunions in the planning stage:
If your graduation year ends in a 2 or 7, you should be thinking of planning a reunion in 2012. The alumni office can help you organize your special event. Call (248) 373-2171 ext. 3 or email rmiller@ndpma.org for details.
NDHS Class of 1962, 50-year
August 16, 2012 at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Contacts: Jerry Lesperance, jerrylesperance@yahoo.com; Jerry Alderman, trottinhorse@myway.com; Tom Lueck, TJLUECK@aol.com.
St. Michael Class of 1962, 50-year
Saturday, May 5, 2012 at Canterbury Village's King's Court Castle, Lake Orion.
A reunion information e-mail "Hot Line" has been established at stmikespontiac62@yahoo.com. Contact: Dick Stevens, dickstevens1@yahoo.com.
NDHS Class of 1963, 50-year
Date TBA, September 2013. Tentative plans for a reunion weekend include a Tigers game, dinner at a Detroit casino, and a Sunday morning Mass downtown.
Contacts: John McCabe, (586) 822-5153; Don Herman, (586) 781-0220.
NDHS Class of 1965, 50-year
Contacts: Dennis Berger, dennisaberger@aol.com, (909) 223-4483; Fr. Leon Olszamowski, lolszamowski@ndpma.org.
NDHS Class of 1972, 40-year
Contact: John Berra, 949-357-3926, jmberra2003@yahoo.com; Terry Cirocco, (313) 884-7748, TJCIROCCO@MCKEENASSOCIATES.COM; Michael Montpetit, (734) 433-2399, mcmont1954365@aol.com.
Pontiac Catholic Class of 1972, 40-year
August 3 & 4, 2012 at Kennedy's (Waterford) and White Lake Park
Contacts: Maureen Horton-Phillips, 231-233-6113, phillips@jackpine.com; Joanne Walters-Malito, 773-520-7454.
Pontiac Catholic Class of 1977, 35-year
August 11, 2012 at Santia Hall in Keego Harbor. Reunion Committee: Paula, Frank, Bridget, Chuck, Liz and Mary are making contact with classmates via Facebook.
NDHS Class of 1987, 25-year
Contacts: John Childs, john.childs@delphi.com or swarthydog@yahoo.com, 248-787-0616; John Vermiglio, jvermig1@comcast.net, 586-212-4763.
NDP Class of 2002, 10-year
Contacts: Steve Skok, Skok@doeren.com; Bill Higgins, wbhiggins@gmail.com; Teresa Elliott, Teresa.Elliott@microsoft.com; Jane Dika, jane-dika@hotmail.com.
NDP Class of 2007, 5-year
June 16, 2012 at Rochester Mills Brewery
Contact: Marie Tashjian, marietashjian@gmail.com or Steve Cox Coxstev2@msu.edu.
For a complete list of reunions and event details, visit www.ndpma.org/reunions
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Births:
Jackson Carmelo McCaughey, born December 3, 2011. Proud parents are Chessa (Rosario) McCaughey '98 (NDP) and Tom McCaughey. Joins big brother James, 3 years old. Though Jackson was in the NICU for 11 days, he is home and doing very well.
Anthony Mark Ostrowski, born October 7, 2011. Proud parents are Tony Ostrowski '00 (NDP) and Sandra Ostrowski.
Alumni Notes:
James Plieth '91 (NDHS) shared information about the Strive to Survive Tour, an event to benefit the Firefighters Cancer Foundation and the Great Lakes Burn Camp. Many Notre Dame alumni are or were Detroit area firefighters. A concert and comedy show will be held on February 11, 2012, at the Fillmore in Detroit. For more information, visit www.strivetosurvivetour.com. Paul Housey '88 (NDHS) shared that his wife, Amber, has published her first children's book. The book is titled "Just Because" and is the first in a series of Flip Side Stories™, which were written to teach children (and adults too) about empathy and the importance of seeing another person's point of view. For more information, visit www.theflipsidestories.com.
Ben Derico '07 (NDP) will be traveling to Uganda in July to film a documentary about a non-for-profit group based in Chicago called Pangea Educational Development. Pangea is an organization dedicated to empowering communities in underprivileged areas around Uganda by helping them create sustainable schools. To raise money to pay for his travel to Uganda, Ben will be biking 200 miles from his current home in Madrid, Spain to Valencia, a city on the Mediterranean sea. If you are interested in making a donation to support Ben's mission, please read Ben's letter and donation form.
Email your announcement to alumni@ndpma.org.
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We pray for the sick:
Marne Housey, wife of Michael Housey '84 (NDHS). Marne was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in June of 2011. The tumor was successfully removed and Marne is undergoing chemotherapy to ensure that the tumor does not return.
Joey Caretti, the eleven-year-old son of Joe Caretti '84 (NDHS) and Lisa (Verkest) Caretti (Regina '84). Joey currently is in the process of receiving a bone marrow transplant as treatment for leukemia. The Caretti family appreciates prayers for a successful transplant and for God's strength and healing for Joey and the entire family.
Addison Puma, the young daughter of Vince Puma '92 (NDHS) - undergoing radiation treatments at St. Jude Children's Research Center in Memphis, Tenn., for an inoperable brain stem tumor.
Norman Kotarski, a beloved long-time and current educator at Notre Dame. Norm is undergoing chemotherapy as treatment for cancer and appreciates your continued prayers.
We pray for those who have died:
Bob LaPointe, taught social studies and physical education and was head football coach at Notre Dame High School from 1984 to 1991. Bob had a 42-year career as a football coach and teacher at schools including Notre Dame High School, Dearborn Divine Child, Belleville High School, and Eastern Michigan University. 1-31-2012
Jane Kale, loving and adored wife of Stephen Kale '70 (NDHS) for 27 cherished years. 1-29-2012
Ron Slack, father of Alexandria "Alex" Slack '10 (NDP). 1-28-2012
Raymond Trzcinski '84 (PC), brother of Brian Trzcinski '87 (Pontiac Catholic) and Megan Elizabeth (Trzcinski) Hoogerhyde '89 (Oakland Catholic). Son of longtime PC/OC/NDP coach, bus driver and game statistician, Vince Trzcinski. 1-25-2012
Iola Platz, mother of Rusty "Henry" Platz '60 (NDHS) and Thomas Platz '63 (NDHS). 1-24-2012
Dennis Puchalski, father of Randy Tumidajewicz '87 (NDHS). 1-21-2012
Mary Vittiglio, grandmother of Terry Kelly '02 (NDP) and Briana (Wiles) Kelly '04 (NDP). 1-21-2012
Donald Klucha '63 (NDHS), beloved husband and best friend of wife Susan. 1-11-2012
Helen Kozara, worked at Notre Dame High School in the business office from 1964 to 1977. Passed away at the age of 96. 1-11-2012
Frederick Belz '62 (NDHS), survived by by his loving wife, Georgene; his father, Raymond Belz, his sisters and brother, and many nieces and nephews. 12-23-2011
Sister Fredrika (Mary Catherine Beda), CSJ, whose teaching career brought her to several schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit, including St. Michael in Pontiac. Passed away at age 89. 11-21-2011
To view all prayers and links to obituaries, visit www.ndpma.org/prayers.
Email your prayers and petitions to alumni@ndpma.org.
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February
8 - Estate and Financial Planning Seminar
10 - Traveling Irish Dinners in Ann Arbor and East Lansing
March
6 - Alumni Board of Directors Meeting, 6:00 PM
10 - Alumni Irish Games at NDPMA, 4:00 PM
12 - Liturgy, 9:00 AM at the Pontiac Campus
20 - Fashion Show and Shopping Gala
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