VALUED VALEDICTORY

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May 31, 2022

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

Two alums separated by five decades (and the Atlantic Ocean) gave the valedictory address at their graduation ceremonies. Their paths after graduation also have the University of Michigan in common as well as a mutual and profound appreciation for their Notre Dame/Marist education.

Imagine being asked to give the valedictory address at your high school graduation. Might be a bit nerve-racking, perhaps even downright frightening for you and likely for most everyone else. For two Notre Dame alums separated by 53 years?

Not so much.

At graduation ceremonies held May 22, Notre Dame Prep senior Jaimie Krankel wasn't at all nervous about giving her speech unless you count the few brief moments as she walked up to the podium. In fact, she only found out she'd be giving the speech a few days before commencement.

"[At first] I actually had no idea I'd be giving the valedictory speech," she said. "It was a huge surprise to find an email from Mrs. Anderson asking about it since I hadn't been checking emails regularly and saw it a day or two late. But I was super excited and honored to represent my class. And I thought it was a good opportunity to end the year with a light-hearted speech, which is what I gave despite that little apprehension at the beginning of it."

For 1969 Notre Dame High School valedictorian Siegfried Schweighofer, other than fellow students' relatives, he pretty much knew everyone else in the gymnasium at commencement and that was enough reassurance for him, he said, to diminish any nervousness.

"And then my brief address basically just reflected on past pleasant school experiences and regrets, and the anticipation of future challenges," he recalled.

Burghausen to Detroit

Schweighofer's no-big-deal recounting of his big moment on the graduation stage stood in stark contrast to his rather unconventional journey to Harper Woods Notre Dame in the first place. That journey actually began in Germany when he was a toddler after his parents decided to move to America from Burghausen in the southern State of Bavaria. 

"After a seven-day passage across the North Atlantic in February 1954 when I was three years old, my parents and I arrived at the Port of New York," said the now retired pediatrician. "We took the train to downtown Detroit and began our new lives, initially living with my great-aunt in the city."

He said his parents at first were completely unaware of the educational hierarchy in the U.S. But once they moved to East Detroit (now Eastpointe) and attended St. Basil Parish, the concept of a parochial education began to trickle in. 

"However, that educational concept takes money," he said, "money that my parents did not have, which is why I was one of the few and perhaps the only one in my class who did not attend a Catholic grade school."

But that didn't slow Schweighofer down at all, and his assimilation once inside the halls of Notre Dame High School was very soon complete. 

The most positive influence in his life

"My experience at NDHS, including the firm but always supportive faculty and staff, and my classmates, all of whom were new to me since I came from a public school, was the most positive, pivotal influence in my entire life," he said. "Thanks to the guidance from my teachers, I was able to attend the University of Michigan, where I met my wonderful wife of 48 years who blessed us with four wonderful daughters who eventually blessed us with eight wonderful grandchildren."

Like Schweighofer, Krankel also is heading to the University of Michigan after her Notre Dame graduation. She's studying engineering at U-M, and says her unique experience at NDP blending IB Art and math has helped her see the creative side of math and the scientific side of art.

"I want to combine these passions through engineering aesthetics and also with my experience in robotics since I've already seen in high school how engineering and art blend together," she said. "At Michigan engineering, I plan to pursue the aesthetics side of engineering while at the same time minoring in art."

'Love as Jesus would love'

Krankel acknowledges that her successful launch into post-secondary education in Ann Arbor is due to the outstanding preparation she received in Pontiac.

"Notre Dame has been such a positive community for me," she said. "The students and faculty here have always looked out for each other and want the best for each other. My class especially has bonded together as a family, as we are understanding and supportive of one another in school, sports and life. The advanced classes and dedicated teachers always push us to do the most we can in preparation for college."

Faith also has been a critical part of Krankel's NDP experience. 

"NDP provided an environment that helps us grow in our faith," she said. "Faculty and students are openly driven by faith, which allows us to easily discuss it with one another through our high school years."

Schweighofer too appreciated the special combination of academics and faith at Notre Dame. 

"The Marist Fathers and Brothers and the lay staff taught us vast volumes of knowledge with the critical thinking that accompanies it," said the current Oakland Township resident. "But most importantly, they taught us to be kind, which means to love as Jesus would love."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, 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.