'IT'S NOT JUST AN EDUCATION'

The Notre Dame Marists talk past, present and future of their beloved school.

Notre Dame’s exceptional education experience is not possible without the commitment of hundreds of individuals over the years. It took a village to transform a high school with 183 students into a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade Catholic school serving 1,000 students. Even so, four men in particular have shaped the course of the school’s history like no others.

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For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

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IRISH magazine had the opportunity to sit down with Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m., Fr. Jim Strasz, s.m., and Br. Louis Plourde, s.m., before classes started this fall. Each of them shared their memories of the early days, what it means to be a Marist school and what they think the future holds. Click here for Fr. Leon Olszamowski’s personal thoughts on Notre Dame’s 25th anniversary .

IRISH: When did you first come to Notre Dame Preparatory School?

Fr. Joe: I joined the faculty as a full-time religion teacher in 1998. The following year I was asked to be the assistant principal for discipline and continued teaching part-time. In 2002, the roles of president and principal of the high school were separated. Fr. Leon served as president and I was named principal by the Marist Provincial at the request of the school’s Board of Trustees. I also taught a couple of religion classes for a while.

Br. Louis: I came in 1994 to help with copies and mailing, similar to what I did at Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods. We were opening a new school in the Oakland Catholic High School building, so I was organizing a lot of office spaces for the administration. The first thing I did was set up an office for myself. I didn’t have an office in Harper Woods and shared office space with Dolores Lynch. God rest her soul. I also was in charge of transportation.

Fr. Strasz: I was the school’s first assistant principal when we opened in 1994. I was named vice principal and left shortly thereafter for a six-year assignment at the Marist Retreat House in Framingham, Mass. I returned to Pontiac as a faculty member in 2003 and joined the administrative team. I took a sabbatical in 2013 and returned as a teacher one year later. It was then I began helping to implement the ‘Marist Way.’ We realize that as aging priests and brothers, we will be retiring at some point. My role is to help the administration understand and implement our Marist mission in the school’s daily life. I do this with the support of the other Marists as well as my colleagues in Campus Ministry and the teachers and staff across the three schools.

IRISH: It must have been interesting in those early days. Some faculty and staff like you from Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods came to Pontiac and worked side-by-side with teachers at Oakland Catholic High School at the request of Cardinal Adam Maida, the Archbishop of Detroit at the time.

Fr. Strasz: As Marists, we were doing something we had always done. The local church had a need—Cardinal Maida asked the Marists to come to the Catholic school in Pontiac—and we were filling that need. The Marists have been known to answer the needs of the local church throughout our history, whether it be in France, Oceania, Atlanta or Oakland County. During the first few weeks we were here, Fr. Leon and I went out to parishes in the area and preached about Notre Dame Prep. We operated on a shoestring budget in the beginning. I have a lot of great memories.

Br. Louis: I’d say the atmosphere in the beginning was very lively because everyone was excited about the future. There was some initial “getting used to” among the Notre Dame High School and Oakland Catholic folks. It’s always felt like a happy place to me, like one big happy family!

IRISH: The campus and student programs have grown significantly since 1994. What significant initiatives have you seen in the past 25 years?

Br. Louis: There have been so many. We added grades 6 through 8 in the middle school in 1996. The lower school opened in Waterford at St. Benedict’s parish and then the Board of Trustees moved it here to Giddings Road in 2013. The new library, or media center, opened in 1999. The athletic facilities and the Easterwood Wing and the Kozyra Greenhouse are also recent enhancements.

Fr. Joe: I enjoyed teaching in Harper Woods for 10 years and here at NDP. There has been a growing emphasis on college readiness and college admissions among the students and parents. One of our Spanish teachers, Ellen Tessada, who has since retired, first mentioned the International Baccalaureate program to me. She believed it fit well with our mission and would give our graduates a head start on lifelong learning for college and beyond.

IRISH: Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy was the first Catholic school in the country to embrace the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Is this true?

Fr. Joe: Yes, that’s true. Another major change has been the style of teaching and learning that goes on in and out of the classroom. Students are learning around the clock thanks to our talented faculty and their use of academic technology. 

Fr. Strasz: We’ve also seen a cultural change in our schools and homes. It’s a different generation even now compared to the students who graduated from here 25 years ago. And so we have to take the Marist Way and present it much differently than when we first started. Fr. Leon always said his goal was to make this school the best academic institution in Oakland County. I think few, if any, would argue that we are not already there. It’s important to note this great school is serving the local church, as we were charged by Cardinal Maida when we first began. I like to say, “Here at Notre Dame, it’s not just an education; it’s a formation of character.”

IRISH: What does it mean to be a Marist school? 

Fr. Strasz: We are called by God, by gracious choice, to belong to the family of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We learn from her example in the early Church and at Nazareth how to tell the story of Jesus and invite others to come and be His disciples. We become, in a sense, her presence by the way we live our lives. The Marist Way asks us, how do I take this gift that is offered to me, how do I make it present in my own life, and how do I share the gospel with other people—and do it Mary’s way?

Fr. Joe: The U.S. Province of the Society of Mary (“The Marist Fathers and Brothers”) is proactively working with our teachers and staff and other lay women and men at Marist schools around the country to instill the Marist philosophy of education. Our teachers are committed to living it themselves and sharing it with our students. In the same way that Mary always pointed to her Son and led others to Jesus, we are called to be like Mary for the benefit of the students entrusted to us by their parents. It is impressive to me to see teachers, coaches, counselors and campus ministers who are enlivened and inspired by Fr. Colin’s invitation to us to be instruments of God’s mercy.

IRISH: What sets Notre Dame apart?

Fr. Joe: Hospitality is one of the values that Fr. [Jean-Claude] Colin, the Society of Mary’s founder, stressed for Marists and their co-workers in ministry going back to the 1800s. We make safety and security a priority for our school in these modern times, but it’s comforting to hear visitors and new families say how welcoming our students and staff members are. We are keenly aware of how to reduce stress and anxiety among the study body while also maintaining high academic standards. We’re preparing students to make a real contribution at college and in life. More importantly, we hope our students deepen their relationship with God. Even those who have questions or doubts about faith can take time here to think about and set good priorities for their lives and learn to become more generous people.

Fr. Strasz: I think the one main thing that sets us apart is that we are a Marist school. Every Catholic school has its own charism or gift from God which makes up its spirit. Our Marist spirit calls us to learn from Mary how to be present in the Church and in the world today. Our mission is to work with God to form good Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars—in that order.

IRISH: In your opinion, what will Notre Dame Prep look like 25 years from now?

Fr. Joe: Well, I don’t have a crystal ball and, after being a Marist priest for nearly 41 years, I have learned to never predict the future. It will certainly take the diligent work of the Marist laity and the spirit of the Marist educational life, and that it’s up to us, the remaining religious Marists, to trust in that laity in working with them to ensure the mission of the Society continues. When I was a student at Notre Dame High School, nearly everyone we knew was Catholic and everybody went to mass. Today’s families are much different. It’s our job as Marist religious and laity to adjust accordingly and serve our families like we always have. 

IRISH: How can we accomplish this goal?

Fr. Joe: It’s all about the formation of a student’s character. We do that through academics, through sports, through the arts, etc. How do you learn to be the person you truly are? God has created you and His plan is ultimately that you will be the person that you truly are. In a world that is rapidly changing and that will likely be unrecognizable to us 25 years from now, it will always come down to how you remain faithful and live your life as you’re supposed to live it.

Fr. Strasz: I can’t imagine what education will be like in 25 years. Our Marist mission will still be needed by students and families and they will be in the good hands of our dedicated lay staff who continue to live and foster the Marist way of life. Like Fr. Joe said, there are and will be challenges without a doubt. Technology and the pace of life has changed our world so drastically. Our students have so many resources and options they sometimes have trouble setting priorities. It is easy for them, and all of us, frankly, to get caught up in what’s around us. It’s important to remember to choose to live as a person of faith and integrity. God created each of us to be great individuals. Sometimes students try so hard to fit in, they lose sight of being themselves. Our challenge as Marist educators is to help students see that God has given each of them unique talents and qualities to develop and use in the service of others. The more we can help students know God loves them—today and 25 years from now—the happier they will be in life.

Br. Louis: I believe the work we’ve done here in the last 25 years will still be felt by the kids who are here 25 years from now.

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For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.