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Notre Dame Alumni E-Newsletter |
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Dear ,
Greetings from the Notre Dame alumni office!
We hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Christmas break. December was a month of our NDPMA students and alums giving to those in need. Be sure to check out the stories about our "Great Give" and other highlights.
We have many exciting alumni events coming up: the Ann Arbor and East Lansing Traveling Irish Dinners, an alumni Red Wings hockey game (now that the labor dispute is resolved) and the Alumni Irish Games. Be sure to come and join the fun!
Our alumni director, Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP), will be returning from her maternity leave later this month. This will be the last e-newsletter I will produce. It was both a pleasure and rewarding experience working with each of you and filling in at the ND alumni office these past few months. Thank you for making the job so interesting!
I wish all of our alumni and their families a very Happy New Year!
Irish blessings,
Karen Guest, filling in for Rachel (Alexander) Miller '00 (NDP)
Director of Alumni Relations
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Calling all swing dancers or "want-to-be" swing dancers!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Pontiac Campus, Cafetorium
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Come join the fun as the NDP Band Boosters present a Swing Dance with music by the NDP Jazz Band. Start with a swing dance lesson, then for the next two hours enjoy listening to the musicians or practicing your new steps during open dancing. The cost is $5 at the door.
All are welcome. So grab your family and friends and swing on over to the NDP cafetorium on Wednesday, January 30, for a night of dancing and great music!
For more details, click here.
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Red Wings Outing
Date to be determined soon now that the labor dispute is over!
Now that the labor dispute is over and the Wings will be hitting the ice, join the alumni association for its first-ever Red Wings outing. Through an alumni connection, we've been able to secure discounted tickets. A new game date will be determined soon.
Tickets $35.00 per person.
Questions? Contact Scott Lockhart '98 (NDP) at scottielockhart@hotmail.com.
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Ann Arbor & East Lansing Traveling Irish Dinners
April 13, 2013
The Traveling Irish Dinner series continues with stops in the towns of the Wolverines and Spartans. So mark your calendars for Saturday, April 13, 2013. The locations and times will be determined shortly.
Contact Keaton Curran '10 (NDP) with questions at keatoncurran@gmail.com.
To RSVP click here.
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Alumni Irish Games
March 23, 2013
Calling all alumni! Get ready to come and have fun at Notre Dame Prep for the annual Alumni Irish Games, which will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2013, from 4 p.m. to
8 p.m.
Contact Vicki Sidor '01 (NDP) with questions at sidorvictoria@gmail.com.
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NDP Class of 2002 gives to NDPMA!
A big "THANK YOU" goes out to the Notre Dame Prep Class of 2002, which donated its reunion proceeds to the Notre Dame Annual Fund.
The Class of 2002 had their 10-year reunion at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. More then 70 alumni attended the festivities. A great time was had by all!
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ND Alumni Association gives back to NDP!
You may have noticed this year that the Notre Dame Alumni Association Christmas card was sent to you via the Internet. The alumni association donated the $1,000 saved in postage to financial aid to be used by NDP families in need.
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Ryan Rowinski '95 (NDHS) grows produce for the needy
Started Forgotten Harvest Farms of Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties
NDHS Alum Ryan Rowinski definitely has a "green thumb." He is a Farm Produce Agent for Forgotten Harvest, a local organization that helps to fight hunger. Rowinski started Forgotten Harvest Farms, which is a new division of Forgotten Harvest. At the farm, he grows produce and rescues surplus farm produce locally to support their mission of supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to those in need in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. To watch a short interview with Rowinski, click here.
If you would like to learn more about Forgotten Harvest, click here.
To volunteer at Forgotten Harvest Farms, contact Ryan at rrowinski@forgottenharvest.org.
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Mark Binelli '88 (NDHS) earns spot among 2013 Michigan notable books
In Binelli's book "Detroit City is the Place to Be," he tells the story of the pride, grit and hope that Detroiters experience as they fight to revitalize one of America's greatest cities.
Binelli's book was one of 20 titles chosen by the Library of Michigan from 200 nominees that focus on stories from the Great Lakes state or were written by a Michigan-connected author.
To read the complete story and see the list of books, click here.
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Teacher Ann Stefaniszyn '02 (NDP) alum gives the Christmas spirit
Ann Stefaniszyn '02 (NDP) teaches kindergarten at Joy Preparatory Academy in Detroit. Many of her students' families struggle to make it through day-to-day life, especially during Christmas. This past Christmas, Stefaniszyn adopted two families from her classroom. She not only provided them with the necessities to get them through the Christmas season, but also provided them with gifts they would otherwise not receive.
Stefaniszyn said that she modeled her program after the "Adopt-A-Family" program that her former teacher, the late Bev Williams, ran in her classroom at NDP. Ann mentioned that she had been blessed with amazing teachers throughout her years at NDP. Not only did they teach her the values of respect, generosity, kindness and compassion, they practiced what they preached.
Stefaniszyn was very pleased and thankful to receive a donation from NDP to help out her families in need. They really had a wonderful Christmas!
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Former ND teacher Hal Rice to teach a church history class
At SS. Cyril and Methodius, Sterling Heights
If you want to learn about church history,who better to teach you than former NDHS and NDP teacher Hal Rice. Rice is leading a new church history course at SS. Cyril and Methodius Church titled "Selected Topics in Church History." It will consist of 20 DVD class presentations by a variety of college professors, each 30 minutes in length, followed by a Q & A session. Many programs are enhanced by on-site visuals. Some of the topics include the House of Islam, Art and Architecture of Great Cathedrals, Byzantium, Germanic Kingdoms in the West, Catholicism in the East and the New World, St. Augustine and St. Benedict and many more. You may attend one or more of the sessions. To see the complete list of topics, click here.
The same class will be offered on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays at
10:00 a.m. Classes began on Monday, January 7, and Wednesday, January 9, in rooms 117 and 119. There is no book or cost for the class.
Hal Rice at 586-997-3505.
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Gerard Castaneda '94 (NDHS) to play Pontius Pilate in The Cross and the Light musical
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, March 24-31, 2013
 Be sure to check out The Cross and the Light, a musical that follows the Passion of Christ, his death and resurrection. It's a deeply moving music journey that has been described as the "Broadway version of the The Passion of Christ." To read more about the production, click here.
Our alumnus, Gerard Castaneda, is very excited to be playing Pontius Pilate in the production. He feels that not only will this show entertain you, it will touch your heart.
To check out the show dates and times, click here.
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You can help Notre Dame build its school archives
In recognizing the rich history of Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy and its predecessor schools, the school is in the beginning stages of building a school archives. While it's not fully known what the collection will comprise, we'd like to begin by filling in the parts of the yearbook collection that are lacking.
If you have any copies of the following yearbooks that you'd be willing to donate to the school, please mail them or bring them to Frank Castronova '89 (NDHS), 1300 Giddings Road, Pontiac, MI 48340-2108:
- St. Frederick High School (Pontiac), all years
- St. Michael High School (Pontiac), all years
- Pontiac Catholic High School, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1984
- Oakland Catholic High School, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
If you have any questions, please contact Frank at fcastronova@ndpma.org or 248-373-2171, ext. 5. Thanks in advance for your help!
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Calling all St. Frederick and St. Michael Alumni
The ND alumni office would like to let alumni of St. Frederick and St. Michael high schools in Pontiac know that we now have lists of alumni and their contact information in our database. These records will come in handy when it's time to plan class reunions. A thank you goes out to Lance Butler from St. Michael's and Ester Dougherty McInnes from St. Frederick who provided the alumni department with the records.
If you are interested in planning or helping out with your class reunion, please contact Rachel Miller, ND alumni director, at rmiller@ndpma.org. If you would like to have your contact information updated in our database, click here. |
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Yunjae Cho '10 (NDP) studying at the Univ. of California, Berkeley
Majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
 | | Yunjae Cho '10 (NDP) says that NDP has prepared him well for college and his choice of career. |
Yunjae Cho '10 (NDP), now in his junior year at the University of California, Berkeley, says he decided on the school because it is known for its prestigious, leading-edge programs in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS). "EECS is a broad area of the study of semiconductors, circuit design, signal processing, communication, computer architecture and artificial intelligence," he said. "I'm focused specifically on hardware designs in the field of electrical engineering."
Cho, who also works as a teaching assistant at Cal, said that his time at Notre Dame Prep was instrumental in his success at Cal-Berkeley. In his first few semesters at college, he felt better prepared in his introductory classes than many of his peers.
After completing his studies at Cal, Cho plans on attending graduate school. After that he hopes to work on research projects in the robotics area.
Last month, Cho took time out of his active schedule to discuss his experience in college as well as his time at Notre Dame Prep.
To see Cho's complete interview, click here.
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Danny Methric '90 (NDHS) and Tony DeNardo '90 (NDHS) play in the "Rattlesnake Shake" Band
Danny Methric '90 NDHS, left, and Tony DeNardo '90 NDHS pose for a photo by NDHS alum Mike Kelly '73 between sets of their, December 22, show with the "Rattlesnake Shake" at the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit. Methric and DeNardo also play in the band "The Muggs".
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2012 "Top 14 List" why we love Notre Dame
2012 has come to an end and 2013 just the beginning. We have seen a plethora of "Top 10" lists in the media: best movies, books, albums, most beautiful people, highest-paid athletes, vacation spots, and on and on. At the risk of adding to the chatter, Notre Dame is nonetheless pleased and proud to offer its own list.
We tried to whittle our list down to 10 - and we could have easily listed 50 - but starting with number 14 and in no particular order, here are the "top-14" reasons why we love NDPMA and why we think it is clearly the top school in Southeast Michigan.
14. Experienced and caring faculty, staff and administration
13. 20+ extracurricular clubs and organizations
12. A beautiful campus
11. Each member of the Class of 2012 on average earned acceptance to four (4) four year colleges and/or universities
10. More than 50 music, theatre and visual-arts opportunities
9. Nineteen students from the Class of 2012 signed to play college athletics
8. Over $13 million in scholarships, averaging $80,000+ per graduate (2012)
7. A world-class alumni association
6. NDP students have performed Christian service for more than 300 non-profit organizations in 2012
5. 27.00 average ACT score for 2012 graduates, 45 scored 30+ on the ACT
4. Notre Dame students were accepted to 147 colleges and universities in 2012
3. 200+ athletic championships and counting
2. 100 percent of graduates accepted to four-year universities on a routine basis
1. Only Catholic school in the nation offering the challenging International Baccalaureate curriculum for junior kindergarten through high school students
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NDPMA Christmas Great Give program a huge success!
NDPMA students were busy shopping for those in need this Christmas season. For the Christmas "give" portion of NDPMA's Great Give program, Notre Dame students ended up stocking the Baldwin Center's Christmas store with more than 830 new Christmas gifts for infants, children, teenagers and parents. The Baldwin Center is a human-service agency whose mission is to feed, clothe, educate and empower the men, women and children of the Pontiac community.
In the Thanksgiving edition of the "give," the Notre Dame community collected 32 full food baskets and more than $8,000, all of which benefited a number of local charities, including WHRC (Whitmer Human Resource Center), Baldwin Center and Grace Centers of Hope.
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Check out NDP's 2012 football highlights online
The NDP 2012 football team had another outstanding season. Click here to view some of the highlights.
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NDPMA lower division moving update
On December 17, the Board of Trustees voted 17-1-1 to build a permanent 12-classroom building on the corner of Walton and Giddings as the new home for the lower division. The project includes the renovation of an existing church and the addition of a connector to the new classroom building. The new facility will encompass 2.25 acres of land and 18,000 square feet of space to accommodate up to 240 students. The project will cost approximately $2.5 million and be completed by the start of the 2013-14 school year. To read The Blarney Stone story, click here.
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NDP's enrollment at a five-year high
In the recently published NDPMA annual report, "The Notre Dame Report," the school released updated enrollment numbers for the 2012-13 school year. According to Notre Dame's admissions office, enrollment continued to grow for the third year in a row with the school's freshman class beginning the year with 196 young men and women, the largest freshman class in six years. In fact the school recently had to establish a "waiting pool" for incoming students.
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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 rmiller@ndpma.org for details.
NDHS Class of 1963, 50-year
September 14 and 15, 2013. Dinner on 9/14/13 at Sterling Inn, Sterling Heights, Mich. On 9/15/13, 10 a.m. Mass at Old St. Mary in Greektown, Detroit, followed by a Detroit Tigers game. 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 1973, 40-year
June 21, 22 and 23, 2013. Contact Frank Coppola at 586-295-9375 or taxmanfj@yahoo.com. Frank is looking for interested alums to help organize the reunion. Please contact him if you can help out. The committee so far includes Frank Coppola, Gerry Mattei (248-881-9836) and Bob Valgoi. The committee will be posting updates on classmates.com.
Pontiac Catholic Class of 1973, 40-year
Event is in the early planning stage. Contact Nancy Mazza at nancylmazza@yahoo.com.
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We pray for those who have died:
Joseph J. Russo, D.O., Father-in-law of Aldo Colandrea '70 (NDHS). 1-5-13
Hilma Weil, mother-in-law of James Potwardowski '76 (NDHS). 1-4-13
June E. Cummins, mother of Michael Cummins '71 (NDHS) and Timothy Cummins '75 (NDHS). 1-3-13
Frances Scodellaro, grandmother of William Auiler '07 (NDP). 1-2-13
Margaret M. Osterman-Healy, grandmother of Robert Healy '08 (NDP) and Ava Healy '12 (NDP). 1-2-13
Richard A. Clark Jr. '58 (NDHS). 1-1-13
Myra L Bemis, grandmother of Katherine Bemis '09 (NDP), Elizabeth Bemis '10 (NDP) and Kristina Bemis '10 (NDP). 12-31-12
Agnes Martina DeMonaco, mother-in-law of Daniel Hollenkamp '68 (NDHS) and grandmother of Elizabeth Hollenkamp '01 (NDP), Daniel Hollenkamp '03 (NDP) and John Hollenkamp '05 (NDP). 12-31-12
Mary Ann Schypinski, mother of Ronald Schypinski '77 (NDHS). 12-29-12
Athanasious "Tom" Filas, father-in-law of Kyle Lobes '94 (NDHS). 12-26-12
George Miko, father of George Miko '75 (NDHS), Joseph Miko '77 (NDHS) and John Miko '80 (NDHS), and grandfather of Christopher Miko '00 (NDHS) and Nicholas Miko '06 (NDHS). 12-25-12
Emily Marie Zubalik, daughter of Ernest Zubalik '46 (SF) and the late Beverly (Humphreys) Zubalik '51 (SF). 12-24-12
Conrad R. Hemenway, father of Kevin Hemenway '75 (NDHS). 12-22-12
Normand R. Lajoie, brother of former Marist Fathers Boston Province provincial and former NDPMA board member Rev. Roland Lajoie, s.m. 12-22-12
Leonard Kozlowski, father of Ronald Kozlowski '68 (NDHS). 12-21-12
Andrew Gojkov '71 (NDHS). 12-15-12
Ronald Richard Koppsch '64 (NDHS), brother of Richard Koppsch '69 (NDHS).
12-15-12
Sara Ventimiglia, mother of Salvatore Ventimiglia '60 (NDHS), Anthony Ventimiglia '74 (NDHS), Jack Ventimiglia '74 (NDHS) and Joseph Ventimiglia '75 (NDHS), and grandmother of Nicholas Ventimiglia '00 (NDHS) and Anthony Ventimiglia '02 (NDHS).
12-14-12
Arthur J. Beltz, father of Bruce Beltz '68 (NDHS). 12-9-12
Letitia J. Kehrig, mother of Robert Kehrig '82 (NDHS) and Timothy Kehrig '85 (NDHS). 12-7-12
Susan Ricci, wife of Joseph Ricci '67 (NDHS). 12-6-12
Judith Bejma, wife of Thomas Bejma '61 (NDHS). 10-23-12
We pray for the sick:
Elaine Just, wife of Ed Just '66 (NDHS), was recently diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Jim Mandl '66 (NDHS) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the week before Christmas. He will be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment in early January. He will also have surgery sometime in late March or early April.
Joey Caretti, the twelve-year-old son of Joe Caretti '84 (NDHS) and Lisa Caretti (Regina HS). The family asks for prayers as he continues to recuperate from various side effects related to his cancer treatment and bone marrow transplant.
Marne Housey, wife of Michael Housey '84 (NDHS), as she continues to battle a brain tumor.
Geraldine Kopitz, mother of Keith Kopitz '84 (NDHS), Bruce Kopitz '68 (NDHS) and Kevin Kopitz '79 (NDHS), and grandmother of Alexander Kopitz '11 (NDP), as she recovers from a broken hip.
Email your prayers and petitions to alumni@ndpma.org.
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January
Swing Dance sponsored by Band Boosters, January 30, 2013
March
Alumni Irish Games - March 23, 2013, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Alumni Detroit Red Wings Game - Date TBD
April
Ann Arbor & East Lansing Traveling Irish Dinners - April 13, 2013
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