MUSIC, MINISTRY AND MISSION

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November 17, 2020

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Notre Dame senior, who is taking her talent, hard work and devotion to faith to college next fall, says none of it would be possible without the faculty, staff and students at her high school.

When current senior Angelica Fandiño was a sophomore, Notre Dame's marketing department interviewed her for an upcoming video to be used in student enrollment efforts. She said that among other things she loves about Notre Dame are the close bonds one develops with other students at the school and its devotion to mission. 

"My sister who went to NDP and who's now in college, says some of her best friends are also Notre Dame grads. But that's not because she went to high school with them for four years," Fandiño said during her interview. "It's about shared values and it's because the school and its mission have taught them all to value much more than only themselves."

One of NDP's teachers who's come to know Fandiño through the annual Kairos retreats said she definitely has been a prime example of a mission-driven student.

"Angelica is a very kind and caring individual," said NDP math teacher Dan Staniszewski, a frequent adult leader at Kairos. "She exemplifies the mission of being a good Christian person and works tirelessly for the benefit of her peers. We are quite lucky to have a student like Angelica at NDP."

Natural talent

Now, after negotiating three-quarters of a year of upheaval due to the ongoing pandemic, Fandiño is setting her sights on hopefully a more normal last part of her high school career and then college matriculation. 

"In college, I hope to major in some area of business, potentially marketing, with a minor in music industry studies or performing arts management," said the St. Hugo of the Hills graduate. "Right now I am hoping to study at U-M, IU-Bloomington, or Miami of Ohio due to their strong programs in both of these subjects."

If she does minor in music or the performing arts, it will be a natural fit for Fandiño, according to another NDP teacher (and choir director), Dave Fazzini.

"Angelica is one of the most naturally talented students to ever come through the NDP choir program," he said. "She is a brilliant musician who is capable of working on a professional level with any group of trained musicians. Plus as a student she is hard-working, engaged in the learning process, and strives to better herself in all that she does."

Opportunities

Besides choir, Fandiño is a four-year participant in NDP's basketball program, and a member of the school's National Honor Society, the Student Ambassador program, Champions for Life, SADD Club, and Campus Ministry through the Peer Leader program.

Theatre also occupied a healthy amount of Fandiño's time outside the classroom at Notre Dame.

"Angeli has grown so much in our theatre program," said Meredith Scott, NDPMA's theatre program director. "She has always been dedicated, but this last year her true talent came through. She had one of the lead roles in our fall 2020 outdoor drama, 'Women and War,' and her monologue at the end of each performance left the audiences in tears every night." 

Fandiño readily acknowledges herself that she has grown in many ways while at Notre Dame, and that her high school experience has been a huge reason for that growth.

"Notre Dame Prep has given me numerous opportunities to excel in my faith, service and academics, but in none of these areas would I have grown without the relationships I have built over the years," she said. "What I have accomplished and some of my most defining moments were achieved through the people I have been blessed to meet at school. NDP has given me not only a platform to voice my beliefs and interests but also a set of friends and faculty who will support me in the process."
 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

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 schools 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 National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.