Notre Dame Alumni E-Newsletter
February 2017
 
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Dear , 

It is an exciting time here on campus! We hope you will join us on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the upper division cafeteria to hear about the future of the school! All alumni are welcome to attend, but must RSVP here.

Hoping for a class reunion this year? Be sure to click on the reunion link in this email. If you do not see a reunion on the list for your class and would like to get something going, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I would love to help you! I can provide you with contact information for your classmates and a small budget to get things going. We have had some wonderful reunions this past fall.

The next edition of IRISH will be out soon! Please click here to send in an update! We love to hear about what is going on in your life. 


Beth Campbell
Director of Alumni Relations
bcampbell@ndpma.org
ALUMNI NEWS
ALUMNI EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Upcoming Events

March 8 Alumni Career Speakers Series
Focus on Physical Therapy 

If you are interested in sharing your c areer in physical thearpy with our students, please contact Beth Campbell, bcampbell@ndpma.org.

March 9 The Big Announcement Event 
All alumni are invited to join us at 6:30 p.m. in the upper division cafeteria for cocktails and appetizers. For more information and to RSVP, please click here.



Announcements
  • Interested in coaching at NDP? We are looking for a JV boys golf coach and an assistant girls tennis coach. If you interested, please send your resume to Maureen Radulski at mradulski@ndpma.org.
NOTRE DAME STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE LEGAL PROFESSION


More than 50 students from Notre Dame's upper division gathered on March 2 in the school's media center for the 6th edition of the Alumni Career Speaker Series, which is sponsored by the Notre Dame Alumni Association. 

The focus of this event was on legal careers and featured four Notre Dame graduates: Amanda Murley '05 (NDP), judicial staff attorney to Oakland County judge Lisa Gorcyca; Brynne Lewis, JD '04 (NDP), an attorney with Hewson & Van Hellemont, primarily focusing her practice on insurance defense; Andrew Pauwels '05 (NDP), a litigation associate at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, a Detroit based commercial law firm; and Michael A. Rataj '77 (NDHS), a criminal law attorney. Last month, a number of alums spoke to Notre Dame students about the marketing, accounting and finance industries.

Notre Dame Prep graduate ('98) and ND Alumni Association chair Scott Lockhart, who organized the event along with Beth Campbell, director of alumni relations, said the association looks forward to continuing to match current student interest with alumni professionals across a range of disciplines. 

"Yesterday's session proved once again that students at Notre Dame are very interested in what their next steps could be in terms of college majors and careers," Lockhart said. "We're very happy that the association can continue to host these types of events."

To read more of the story, click here.
ALUM IS SETTING BIG GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM



Luke Moriguchi, a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame Prep, paid a visit to his alma mater, and among those he spent some time with was Vlado Salic, who directs the upper division's counseling department.

"Luke came to see us to share what he's been up to before his afternoon flight out to Iowa to get to his new apartment and job," Salic said. "It's always very nice and a highly appreciated gesture when an alum visits, but this one really felt special because he also has a great story about his educational journey and his family, which includes his sister, Francine, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2014.

Moriguchi was heading to Iowa because he soon will begin his new job as a quality engineer at John Deere's Product Engineering Center, located in Waterloo.

"I will be working with John Deere Power Systems, and that facility engineers and builds all powertrain applications for the company," Moriguchi said in an interview with IRISH magazine. "My first rotation will focus on quality planning of supplier parts within new engine programs."

Moriguchi's journey to Iowa follows a very successful stint at Purdue University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. 

Among the many extra activities at Purdue during his years at Purdue, which included serving on the Purdue Marching Band's drumline, Moriguchi joined the Institute of Healthcare Improvement Purdue Chapter, a relatively new club at Purdue with countless chapters internationally. 

To read more of Moriguchi's story, click here.
NOTRE DAME ALUM TO RUN FOR MAYOR

Joe Ricci, a 1967 Notre Dame alum, announced this week that he has thrown his hat in the ring of mayoral candidates in the city of Grosse Pointe Farms.

A current member of the Farms city council, Ricci officially filed paperwork recently with Wayne County to run for GPF mayor in November's general election.

Ricci is a semi-retired longtime auto dealer in the Detroit area and believes his business experience makes him the ideal candidate for the mayor's position.

"Even though the mayoral job is considered part-time, I can give full-time attention to the job where no one else can," he said, citing that his successful family automotive dealerships are now run by his two sons, Jay and Andrew.

Ricci is a University of Michigan graduate who has an undergraduate degree in engineering and a master's in occupational psychology. He has been a member of the Grosse Pointe Farms city council for the past four years and has had a strong commitment to the community and to its future, Ricci said in a recent press release.

"I have a passion and love for the community," he said. "This is where I have lived for 35 years and where my sons and grand kids have also made their home."
NOTRE DAME ALUM APPOINTED TO SPECIAL COMMISSION BY MICHIGAN GOVERNOR


Notre Dame alum Michael Paletta, MD, ('75), who is Hospice of Michigan's vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer, was recently appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission. Paletta joins the 21-member group, which will review the Report of Findings and Recommendations for Action from the Michigan Prescription Drug and Opiod Abuse Task Force, and develop and propose policies and an action plan to implement the report's recommendations.
A resident of Northville, Michigan, Paletta was selected to represent Michigan hospice organizations and will serve a two-year term.

"Dr. Paletta will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Governor's commission," said Robert Cahill, president and CEO of Hospice of Michigan. "We are proud of his dedication to the medical field and we're excited to see him representing Hospice of Michigan at the state government level."

After graduating from Notre Dame in 1975, Paletta went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Albion College in Albion, Mich., followed by a medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. He completed his residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, and is board certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative medicine. 

Paletta was awarded a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and earned a certificate of added qualification (CAQ) in geriatrics. In addition, he is a distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

To read more of Paletta's story, click  here. 
NDPMA NEWS
LOWER DIVISION EXPANSION NEARS COMPLETION


Students and faculty will soon be spreading out and into the new 7,200 square-foot expansion of Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy's lower division, according to recent information from the school. 

"The tile floor in the hallway was completed yesterday and, subject to an electrical inspection next week, the drop ceilings will be installed throughout the building soon after," said Julie Frakes, Notre Dame's facility manager. "Plus, the new lockers have already been delivered to the construction company and should be installed hopefully very soon."

Each of the six new classrooms in the addition are the same size as its current classrooms, with an additional restroom and entrance/exit included as part of the $1.1 million expansion, which was begun in late summer.
School officials said the plan is to start moving into the new facility during the first few weeks in March.

Notre Dame's lower division moved in 2013 from its original location in Waterford to the current facility on the school's main campus in Pontiac. Since then, it has experienced substantial growth in enrollment and its 12 classrooms will grow to 18 when the new addition is completed. 

To read more of the story, click here.
FOUR FROM NOTRE DAME SIGN TO PLAY COLLEGE ATHLETICS


On what is traditionally the annual signing day for high school student-athletes across the U.S. who are heading to college in the fall to play football, Notre Dame Prep did indeed host a signing ceremony on campus today for four of its senior student-athletes.
 
Luke Adams has committed to attend and play football at Columbia University; Bryce Baringer signed to play football for Southern Illinois University; Ryan Genord will be playing lacrosse at Drexel University; and Kyle Sassack has signed to play football for the University of Minnesota. 

Congratulations, Luke, Bryce, Ryan and Kyle!  
NOTRE DAME STUDENT-ARTISTS SHATTER SCHOLASTIC RECORD


Student-artists from Notre Dame found out this week that they earned 45 awards in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition for the Southeastern Michigan region, a huge increase from last-year's school record of 27 awards.
According to Sandy LewAllen, Notre Dame's art chair, earning 45 awards tops the number of awards ever won at Notre Dame Prep. "I am so proud of all our art students and their effort," she said.

The awards include 16 Gold Keys, 16 Silver Keys and 13 Honorable Mentions.

LewAllen also noted that one of the award winners, Sophia Shick, earned the competition's American Vision Award, which means her art was chosen as the "Best of Show" from all of the artwork entered in this year's Southeastern Michigan regional competition. 

"Each regional program across the country selects the five most outstanding works of art from their Gold Key recipients," said LewAllen. "These five young artists represent the region on the national level as American Vision nominees. A national panel selects one of the nominated works from each region as the American Vision Award Recipient for 2017."

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious program for creative teens in the U.S., and the nation's largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King and John Updike.

An awards ceremony honoring the Detroit area Scholastic winners will be held Feb. 7 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts. An exhibit of all winning student artwork sponsored by Detroit's prestigious College for Creative Studies also will be mounted and available at the time of the event.

To read more on this story, click here.
For more Notre Dame news,  click here.
UPCOMING NOTRE DAME EVENTS
February 10 and 11- Notre Dame Marist Academy's Peter Pan Jr. 

March 16 - Notre Dame Fashion Show



CLASS REUNIONS NEWS
For a list of upcoming class reunions   

 

Considering planning a reunion for your class? The alumni office can help you get started. Call (248) 373-2171, ext. 3, or email bcampbell@ndpma.org for details. 

PRAYERS FOR ALUMNI
James Nowak- '80 (NDHS) 9-27-16

Anna Miotto - Mother of John '77 (NDHS) and Mike '79 (NDHS) 1-8-17

John Testori - Father of Jim '71 (NDHS) 1-10-17

Anthony Ciolino - Father of Joe '77 (NDHS) , John '79 (NDHS) and the 
late Anthony  '78 (NDHS) 1-23-17

Amanda Monahan- '99 (NDP) 1-21-17

Eugenia Poroch - Mother of Dave '87 (NDHS) 1-24-17

James Beckman - 
'62 (NDHS) 2-3-17

Prayer List:  click here
 
Email your prayers and petitions to alumni@ndpma.org.
NDP = Notre Dame Prep; NDHS = Notre Dame High School; OC = Oakland Catholic; PC = Pontiac Catholic; SM = St. Michael; SF = St. Frederick.