Notre Dame Alumni E-Newsletter
September 2012 
 
In This Issue
Homecoming!
NDHS '62 Football
Oktoberfest
Chicago Irish Event
NDHS '62 Reunion
Alex Genord '11
Frank Castronova '89
Dennis Strach '06
Alumni New Hires
Lower Division Move
Wall of Fame
ND Growth
Fr. Jim Strasz '70
Bartenders Needed
ND Job Postings
Class Reunions
Prayers for Alumni
Event Calendar
Quick Links

Dear  ,  

 

Greetings from the Notre Dame Alumni Office! 
 
This month we celebrate Homecoming and will honor ND alumnus and three-time Olympian Doug Brown '70 (NDHS) at the homecoming football game on September 28.
 
Each year more than 200 alumni and guests attend the alumni tent festivities at Homecoming. Join us for a barbeque dinner and premium sideline view of NDP's varsity football game. Free admission for alumni and their families. We hope to see you there!
 
Irish blessings,
 
Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP)

Director of Alumni Relations

   

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UPCOMING EVENTS 
HomecomingHOMECOMING!  Friday, September 28

Notre Dame alum and Olympian Doug Brown '70 (NDHS) to be honored

 

Doug Brown, a 1970 Notre Dame High School alumnus who competed in the Olympics three times (1972, 1976, 1980), will be honored at Notre Dame Prep's homecoming game on Friday, September 28.

Brown also was a two-time American record holder and a five-time national college champion (Tennessee) in steeplechase. During his senior year at NDHS, he won the Michigan class A state championship in cross country.

 

Alums are invited to attend Homecoming and meet Doug Brown.

 

Details for the alumni homecoming festivities are below.

 

  

Class of  '62 football team to reunite at ND Prep game on September 21

 

Alumni football players from the Notre Dame High School class of 1962 will be honored on Friday, September 21, 2012, at Notre Dame Prep's home varsity football game.

 

All are invited to watch as the alumni players are recognized on the field and presented with special momentos celebrating 50 years.

 

Friday, September 21, 2012

7:30 p.m. game time, Notre Dame Prep vs. Bloomfield Hills Lahser.

Class of 1962 festivities will precede the game. 

 

Pictured right: NDHS Class of 1960's football team celebrated 50 years in 2010.

OKTOBERFEST

Saturday, October 6, 2012

  

Notre Dame will host its fifth annual Oktoberfest event on Saturday, October 6, 2012, at the Pontiac campus. The evening begins at 6:00 p.m. with dinner served at 7:00 p.m., followed by live music and dancing, and the $50,000 Super Raffle drawing held at 9:00 p.m.

 

Tickets are $30.00 per person and include a barbeque buffet dinner, beer, wine and entry to win door prizes. Dress is fun casual. Adults 21+ only.

 

RSVP by September 17, 2012, by calling Joan Kopytek in the advancement office at (248) 373-2171 ext. 2. 

 

INTERESTED IN BARTENDING AT OKTOBERFEST?

Seeking alumni bartenders to serve beer and wine. You must be 18 years old. This is a paid position. If you are interested, please contact Ron Yanik '78 (NDHS) at [email protected].  

Traveling Irish - CHICAGO!

October 27, 2012

  

Join the alumni association at its inaugural Traveling Irish event in Chicago on Saturday, October 27, 2012. Restaurant location and time TBA.

 

Check the web site for updated information and to RSVP later this month at www.ndpma.org/chicago.

  

Contact Keaton Curran '10 (NDP) at [email protected] with questions. 

ALUMNI NEWS
NDHS Class of '62 celebrates 50 years
Reunion celebration held at Notre Dame in Pontiac

 

The Notre Dame High School Class of 1962 celebrated its 50-year reunion on Thursday, August 16, 2012, in the Notre Dame Prep cafetorium. Special guest Fr. Robert Champagne, s.m., 90, a founding Marist at Notre Dame High School in 1954 and a favorite teacher of the class of '62, flew in from Massachusetts to attend.

 

More than eighty alumni and guests enjoyed a strolling dinner while the DJ played 1950s and 60s music reminiscent of the famous ND record hops. The class presented alumni director Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP) with an honorary NDHS Class of 1962 diploma and named her "one of the guys of '62" in appreciation for her collaboration on the reunion event. In addition, Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m. '65 (NDHS), president of NDPMA, was invited to give a welcome address, sharing recent updates about the Pontiac campus.

 

Special thanks to the reunion committee members and their wives who helped make the evening a success: Jerry Alderman, Jerry Lesperance, Tom Lueck, Victor Marrocco, Mike Petrucci and Jack Hettrick. Photos from the reunion available on our Facebook page.

   

Fight Song
NDHS Class of 1962 sings "Fight Song" at 50-year reunion

 

Alex Genord '11 (NDP) completes internship at Vatican Museums

 

2011 Notre Dame Prep grad Alex Genord starts her second year at the University of Notre Dame with a wealth of experience gained from an internship at the Vatican.


There, Genord worked in the Office of the Patrons of the Arts 

in the Vatican Museums, an organization within the Vatican that isresponsible for all of the fundraising for the conservation and restoration of the artwork in the Holy See collection.

 

Genord said her internship at the Vatican was both an incredible experience and an honor.  

  

Click for the Full Story, or visit www.ndpma.org/newsletter to view the article in the September/October 2012 issue of Blarney Stone.
Alum returns to help advance the school
Meet Frank Castronova '89 (NDHS)

 

 "Who IS that guy?!" Many Notre Damers wonder about the well-dressed, erudite, friendly and personable "young" man who is at just about every school and alumni function. Urbane to a fault but always ready with a handshake and a smile, he's Frank Castronova, Notre Dame's annual fund director. 

 

Frank felt compelled to return to ND and the Marists in 2011 because of what he gained from his own four years in high school. "They gave me the tools I needed to succeed educationally and professionally," he says. "I consider my service to the school my way of showing my appreciation to the Marists." 

 

Learn more about Frank and his mission at Notre Dame by clicking here, or visit www.ndpma.org/newsletter to view the article in the September/October issue of Blarney Stone.    

Notre Dame Prep alum professes first vows
Dennis Strach '06 (NDP)

 

At a July 28 Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dennis Strach, a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame Prep, made his first profession of vows with the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States Province of Priests and Brothers in Notre Dame, Ind. The Congregation of Holy Cross is 1,200 religious men dedicated to education, parish and mission service in 16 countries on five continents.

 

Strach, who earned a bachelor's degree in music with a Spanish minor from Oakland University in 2010, will continue as a temporarily professed seminarian at Moreau Seminary at the University of Notre Dame to work toward priesthood.

 

More alumni hired at Notre Dame

 

Five Notre Dame Prep alums have been hired by NDPMA beginning this fall:

  

Felicia Guest '06 (NDP) joined the faculty at Notre Dame Marist Academy's middle division, where she is teaching seventh- and eighth-grade humanities classes.

 

Erin Welsh '05 (NDP) joined the faculty at Notre Dame Preparatory School (upper division), where she is teaching English.

 

Amy (Nagler) Cullen '02 (NDP) joined the faculty at Notre Dame Marist Academy's

lower division, where she is student-teaching third grade.

 

Kala (Thomas) Parker '00 (NDP) joined the staff at Notre Dame Preparatory School

and Marist Academy as associate dean of admissions. Parker works alongside fellow

admissions team members Gregory Simon '89 (NDHS), Emily Giacona '02 (NDP) and

Kathleen Offer.

 

Amanda (Younga) Knapp '00 (NDP) joined the faculty at Notre Dame Marist Academy's

middle division, where she is teaching sixth and eighth-grade humanities and language arts classes.

NDPMA NEWS
ND Marist lower division moving to Pontiac campus in 2013

 

In late 2011, the NDPMA board of trustees gave its stamp of approval to a plan to move the school's lower division to property closer to the two divisions in Pontiac. Head of school Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m. '65 (NDHS) gives an update on where that plan is currently.  Get the full story, or visit www.ndpma.org/newsletter.

 

Pictured right: the future site of Notre Dame Marist Academy's lower division, projected to be occupied by Fall 2013. A view from the North of the current structure (currently Calvary Church), at the corner of Walton Blvd. and Giddings Rd., which will be fully renovated, remodeled and expanded.

Installation of new Athletics Wall of Fame nearly complete

 

Installation of a new athletics "wall of fame" will be completed this week at Notre Dame Prep. The wall of fame will initially honor Notre Dame Prep athletes who have earned first-team all-state honors, and features a nearly 85-ft. mural showing a montage of Notre Dame athletics as well as newly framed portraits of the athletes.

 

Head of School Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m. '65 (NDHS) says the wall has been a long-time dream of Athletic Director Betty Wroubel. "And it would not have been possible without the many athletic donations from families past and present."
 
  
The wall graphics shown above replace the old framed photos and will include all Notre Dame Prep first-team all-staters from 1994 (when the school opened) to today. It has been designed to accommodate additional portraits for many years to come.
Oakland Press reports on Notre Dame's growth

 

It's the worst-kept secret around Notre Dame Prep that the school is just as busy during the summer as it is during the year. Since the last bell rang in June, the athletic and academic departments have been holding camps for extracurricular activities such as soccer, basketball and creative writing while meanwhile making big renovations at the school...

 

By Nathaniel Gaynor '12 (NDP), Special to the Oakland Press

Full Story  

Learning Mary's Way

 

 From the Fall 2012 edition of "Today's Marist".

 Written by Fr. Jim Strasz, s.m. '70 (NDHS).

 

During the summer, students from the Marist schools in Atlanta, Ga., and Pontiac, Mich., were busy learning the Marist Way to service in leadership and among the community participating in mission trips. Fr. Jim Strasz, s.m., writes about how a number of students, including some from Notre Dame Prep, spent part of their summer. 

Full Story

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bartenders needed at Oktoberfest!

 

Can you help us serve beer and wine at the Oktoberfest event on Saturday, October 6? This is a paid position and our alumni have a lot of fun helping out each year! You must be 18 years old.

 

If you are interested, please contact Ron Yanik '78 (NDHS) at [email protected]. 

Substitute teachers wanted at NDPMA

 

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is looking for substitute teachers to work periodically throughout the school year. Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree.

 

If you are interested, please contact vice principal Donna Kotzan at [email protected]

 

CLASS REUNIONS
List of upcoming class reunions:

 

If your graduation year ends in a 3 or 8, your class should be celebrating a reunion in 2013!

 

Considering planning a reunion for your class?  The alumni office can help you get started.

Call (248) 373-2171 ext. 3 or email [email protected] for details.

 

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, [email protected], (909) 223-4483; Fr. Leon Olszamowski, [email protected].

 

Pontiac Catholic Class of 1973, 40-year

Event is in the early planning stage. Contact Nancy Mazza '73 (PC) at [email protected].

 

NDP Class of 2002, 10-year

Saturday, November 24, 2012 at TBD location. Contacts: Steve Skok, [email protected]; Bill Higgins, [email protected]; Teresa Elliott, [email protected]; Jane Dika, [email protected].

 

St. Frederick 2012 All-Class Reunion

Sunday, September 9, 2012. The old school will be open from 9 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. for touring. Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 at St. Vincent de Paul church in Pontiac. A 1:00 p.m. luncheon will follow at Santia Hall in Keego Harbor. Tickets available at Kennedy's Irish Pub on W. Huron St. in Waterford, or contact Jim Russell at 248-363-4209, or [email protected]. Ticket deadline is September 6, 2012.

 

St. Michael 2012 All-Class Reunion

Sunday, September 16, 2012. Mass at 11:00 a.m. at Shrine of St. Joseph, 400 South Blvd. W., Pontiac, Mich. Reunion celebration at 12:00 p.m. at Scott Lake Banquet Center, 2100 Scott Lake Rd., Waterford, Mich. Buffet served at 1:30 p.m. Cash bar. Special recognition for classes of 1942, 1952 and 1962. Reservations required - no sales at the door. Deadline for dinner reservations is September 8, 2012. Download reservation form

 

For a complete list of reunions and event details, visit www.ndpma.org/reunions

PRAYERS FOR ALUMNI
We pray for those who have died:    
    
Robert Woods (SF). 9-1-2012
 
James Phillips, husband of Maureen Horton-Phillips '72 (PC). 8-31-2012

  

Louis Marcetti, brother of Thomas Marcetti '65 (NDHS). 8-30-2012

  

Jennie Penkala, grandmother of Christelle Penkala '02 (NDP). 8-30-2012

 

Chucky Porta '71 (NDHS). 8-24-2012

 

Rosalie Kaczmarek, mother-in-law of the late Jay DiFranco '86 (NDHS). 8-24-2012

 

Helen LaClave, mother of Helen (Laclave) Jilbert '45 (SF), Thomas Laclave '46 (SF) and Joseph Laclave '54 (SF). Grandmother of Martha Laclave '90 (OC). 8-20-2012

 

Vitina Grammatico, mother of Frank Grammatico '58 (NDHS). 8-19-2012

 

Sandy Havrilla, aunt of Christopher Havrilla '97 (NDHS). 8-17-2012

 

Helen Mileski, mother of Darvin Mileski '77 (NDHS) and David Mileski '77 (NDHS). 8-16-2012

 

Jean Merrelli, mother of Richard Merrelli '67 (NDHS). 8-15-2012

 

Lynn von Hatten, father of Lynn von Hatten '63 (NDHS) and James von Hatten '65 (NDHS). 8-14-2012

 

Fr. Armand Thibault, s.m., taught religion and French at NDHS in 1982-1983. 8-13-2012

 

Elaine Moncrieff, mother of James Moncrieff '76 (NDHS), Richard Moncrieff '77 (NDHS), and Thomas Moncrieff '68 (NDHS). 8-11-2012

 

Frank DeLodder, brother of Scott DeLodder '75 (NDHS) and Glenn DeLodder '58 (NDHS). 8-10-2012

 

Frank Modetz, grandfather of Daniel Modetz '01 (NDP) and Scott Modetz '04 (NDP). 8-9-2012

 

Elia Forte, mother of Joseph Forte '68 (NDHS). 8-9-2012

 

Roseann Studinger, mother of the late Leopold Studinger '60 (NDHS) and Walter Studinger '67 (NDHS). 8-6-2012

 

William Havrilla, grandfather of Christopher Havrilla '97 (NDHS). 8-3-2012
 
Isabelle (Issie) Lavina (Brown) Stockwell, mother-in-law of Dennis Joy '67 (NDHS). Grandmother of Jonathon Joy '95 (NDP), Dennis Joy '97 (NDP) and Jacqueline Joy '98 (NDP). 6-12-2012

 

We pray for the sick:

 

Dave Dubay '81 (NDHS), recovering from open heart surgery.

 

Joey Caretti, the twelve-year-old son of Joe Caretti '84 (NDHS) and Lisa Caretti (Regina HS). The family asks for continued prayers that Joey's cancer does not return and that he quickly returns to feeling better. 

 

Email your prayers and petitions to [email protected].
 

To view all prayers, visit www.ndpma.org/prayers.  

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

You are invited!      

  

September

11 - Alumni Board of Directors Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at NDPMA Pontiac

21 - NDHS Class of 1962 50-year football celebration at ND Prep home game

28 - Homecoming, alumni tent celebration at 6:30 p.m.

 

October

6 - Oktoberfest

9 - Alumni Board of Directors Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at NDPMA Pontiac

27 - Traveling Irish, Chicago