The following alumni were especially recognized for their contributions:

Travis Bronik '00 (NDP), Frank Castronova '89 (NDHS), Paul Gaynor '84 (NDHS), Andy Guest '84 (NDHS), Pat Haddad '81 (NDHS), John Henke '58 (NDHS), Gerard Housey '77 (NDHS), Phil Jeszke '76 (NDHS), Joe Kotzan '70 (NDHS), Peter McCanna '79 (PC), Frank Migliazzo '69 (NDHS), Gerry Nosotti '62 (NDHS), Kris Powell '75 (NDHS), Joseph Sobota '95 (NDHS), Pete Sullivan '82 (NDHS) and Lee Vaughn '84 (NDHS).

The Bishop Michael J. Gallagher Society is a group dedicated to the collection and preservation of Detroit Catholic school history. The Society will host its second-annual awards dinner on Thursday, November 8, 2012, at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills.

The event will begin with Mass in the school chapel followed by dinner and the awards program. Notre Dame High School is one of three schools that will be honored at the event. Frank Castronova '89 (NDHS) will accept the award on behalf of the Marist Fathers and will give a short history of Marist education in metro Detroit. Keynote speakers will be US District Court Judge Gershwin Drain, a graduate of St. Gregory High School, and Mike Duggan, a Detroit Catholic Central graduate and currently CEO of the Detroit Medical Center. There will be presentations recognizing contributions to Catholic education and historic preservation in the Detroit area. 

All are invited to attend. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Additional details and registration information can be found at www.bishopgallagher.org or by calling Mike Butler (CC'71) at 734-776-0231.

Anna Mott is one busy person! And if you need English instruction, she is the one to contact!  Since May of this year, she has been in Costa Rica with the Peace Corps working with two Costa Rican English teachers to improve their levels of English and their teaching techniques.  She also organizes activities and English camps for the children in her town.

In Costa Rica, learning English can change a person's life, opening a door to new opportunities for work or study, a higher salary and a brighter future.  Many students at small elementary schools, however, do not receive adequate English instruction. 

In January, Anna will be running a camp called JumpStart Costa Rica for 20 students in her town.   

JumpStart Costa Rica, funded entirely through donations, offers intensive instruction to incoming seventh-graders. In addition to providing students the support they need to enter high school English classes for the first time, JumpStart seeks to boost confidence and teach life skills. 

JumpStart is funded strictly through donations.  Anna mentioned that her community has expressed more interest in JumpStart than the program is presently able to accommodate.  The students and their parents are very grateful to be able to participate in this program. 

If you would like to see the full story or make a donation to JumpStart, click here for the details. 

Anna Mott ('07 NDP center) with some of her Costa Rican English students.

With 250 retail business plans submitted, Elias '88 (NDHS) and Naomi Khalil were thrilled to hear their restaurant, La Feria, was chosen as the winner of $50,000. They won the 2012 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest. Hatch Detroit is a non-profit organization that helps support retail businesses in Detroit.

The Khalils, along with their head chef Pilar Baron Hidalgo, plan on opening La Feria in 2013.  La Feria will be a Spanish restaurant located on Cass Avenue in Detroit's Cass Corridor. The Khalils want to introduce Detroiters to authentic Spanish dining!  

Click here for the complete story.

It's that time of the year when we will be putting up our Christmas trees! Here's your

chance to support Notre Dame and a Notre Dame High alumnus!

For each tree sold, Addison Oaks Tree Farm will donate $5 back to Notre Dame. 

Addison Oaks Christmas Tree Farm is owned and operated by Frank '71 (NDHS) and Cathy Rimi and their three sons. The 20-acre site was first planted as a tree farm in 1988 and features rolling, scenic topography.  The farm is nestled between two parks in northern Oakland Townshop.  Click here for more details on Addison Oaks Christmas Tree Farm.

Opens: November 17, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. (Hours: Sat. & Sun. 9 - 5, weekdays 12 -5)

Be sure to print out the donation voucher.  It must be presented at the time of purchase.  To download the donation voucher, click here.

For directions to the tree farm, click here.  

NDPMA's 2012 Super Raffle winners announced!

The Holloway family, from left, Douglas Holloway, Kelly Holloway and ND Prep  sophomore  Paige Holloway along with Br. Louis Plourde, s.m., from NDPMA pose with a check representing the $50,000 grand prize .

 

On Saturday, October 6, at the Oktoberfest Celebration, the four winning tickets were called and the winners were notified!