HASN'T SKIPPED A BEAT

May 4, 2020

Notre Dame Prep's counseling department is working harder than ever in support of current students and seniors.

Notre Dame Prep's counseling department has had a busy couple of months -- perhaps busier than any previous March and April in memory. College decisions for seniors always occupy a fair amount of time for Director of Counseling Vlado Salic and his staff, but adding the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant uncertainty surrounding upcoming fall matriculations, it truly has been intense for both counselors and students.

"Like everyone else, our seniors have been struggling to make sense of this situation," Salic said. "Mostly around disrupted schedules, lack of daily structure, sometimes motivation, and just the stress and fear of uncertainty about what their next year might look like." 

He also said it appears that seniors have been taking more time to decide on which colleges to attend next year and where. 

"In addition, we're seeing it at NDP and we're hearing from other schools that seniors seem to be choosing colleges closer to home this year," Salic said. "Also, some colleges may be struggling financially as a result of the pandemic, which could lead to less scholarship money being offered to students, which adds more financial stress on families and their final college decisions."

He said that across the country, many colleges are also reporting an increase in students taking a gap year, but so far he's not seeing that at Notre Dame. Besides college counseling, Salic said a fair amount of counseling time lately has been just staying in touch with not only the seniors but other grades as well.

"Some of them understandably have been struggling with focus and motivation," he said. "They worry about the adults in their lives who may be first responders, essential workers, the elderly, or just people they are close to. The COVID-19 situation has shaken and changed their world as they know it."

The counselors are working closely with Vice Principal Kim Anderson to help keep track of all students, whether they are struggling or not. Salic said he and his staff worry about them all the time, and acknowledges that working remotely obviously isn't the same thing as if all were on campus. 

"Group Zoom meetings have been helpful, but we usually conference with kids individually or with their parents and a teacher or with Mrs. Anderson," he said. "Personally, I have made several phone calls to parents who also had questions and concerns, and other staff members have been doing the same. Sometimes, emails are just not enough."

Anderson says NDP's counseling team hasn't skipped a beat throughout the campus shutdown.

"Among many other things, they're offering informational video visits with college reps in order to keep the current juniors and seniors on track with the college admissions process," she said. "They're staying updated on how the different colleges and universities are looking at any possible switches to virtual learning. 

"I'm beyond proud of Mr. Salic, Mr. Whalen, Ms. Mahoney and Ms. Bond," Anderson added. "Even with all of the challenges that we have faced as a school and global community over the last few weeks, our NDP counseling department has been able to stay centered on supporting our students' academics and emotional well-being."

Salic said that while the past several months have been a stressful time for his staff, they are adapting and making the best of the situation.

"We meet weekly virtually to discuss students of concern, issues at hand, bounce ideas, and future planning," he said. "We have all been affected by this situation to different degrees and some of us are having more difficulty than others, but we all have one thing in common: we miss the in-person contact with the kids."

It makes our day to see and speak with those students. They have such great ideas and energy. It's magnetic and makes me feel energized and young(er) to be around them. We all have families and loved ones who depend on us at home as well, just like our NDP families. 

"Having good support from the administration and from our assistant, Mrs. Privert, also has been very helpful. Aside from that, like everyone else, we counselors have all had to make adjustments in our daily routines and do the best we can given what we are dealing with. I always say that we control what we can and stay informed about the rest."

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three school are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.