2025 IB DIPLOMA PROGRAM CANDIDATES CELEBRATED

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May 5, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program candidates celebrated in front of family and friends for their hard work and diligence in completing such a challenging and prestigious program.

On Thursday, May 1, Notre Dame Prep seniors enrolled in the IB-Diploma Program got together with family and friends in the St. Peter Chanel Library to celebrate their candidacy for the IB Diploma and to accept the special IB sash they will wear on graduation day May 18.

This was a group that was both energizing and effortless to work with, according to Katrina Sagert, NDP's IB-DP coordinator and English/social studies teacher. "They liked being challenged by the material and by one another. They were exceptionally good-natured, and I loved the community they created."

Thursday's event also showcased the students' work on their extended essays, which are 4,000-word research studies, or "mini-theses,” on a topic of their choice deemed to be of global significance and using at least two of the six academic subjects.

This year, students wrote on subjects that included how artificial intelligence software can improve modern dentistry; the disorder and unpredictability of chaos related to the structure and order of fractals; and the exploration of the cultural, linguistic and identitarian impact of the Detroit Lions, among others.

The essays are sent to IB officials rather than be graded at Notre Dame Prep, making the project a real chance to “think globally.”

Sagert said this year's group of IB-DP students was a great cross-section of NDP students and that year-in and year-out, the IB program has been a gold standard in getting young men and women ready for college, for career and for life.

Kyle Lilek, who teaches the IB-DP course Theory of Knowledge, spoke at the May 1 celebration. He told the students that the responsibility of knowledge isn’t just about using what you know today - it’s about continuing to grow, adapt and question.

"Facts can change," he said, "what’s true today might not be true tomorrow, and beliefs can shift and evolve with new experiences. Knowledge is not static. It’s evolving. And it’s your responsibility to stay curious, to stay humble and to keep pushing the boundaries of what you understand."

Longtime NDP English teacher Anthony Butorac also discussed this year's IB Diploma candidates by addressing each one of them individually.

He looked at Sam Phillips and said, "The word leader gets thrown around a lot, but you truly are a leader. I see that every day. You lead your class in student counsel and you lead my kids as a basketball coach. And I am impressed by your appreciation for the Red Hot Chili Peppers."

For Skylar Vanhecke, it all starts with art, according to her English teacher.

"Perhaps it was because of your art skills, I don’t know, but I do know that you always offered something different to our class discussions and in your writing," he said. "You always surprised me with great comments and insights. Any college would be lucky to have you."

Taking that thought even further, Lilek told all the candidates that not only will college be a brand new experience for them, many peers sharing space on their new campus homes will have a thing or two to learn from them.

"The University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, Villanova University, Michigan Technical University, Purdue University and many more places — they have no idea what they’re in for with all of you," he said Thursday evening. "The awareness of yourself, the humility to listen and learn, but also the confidence to assert your ideas — you’ll be shocked at how rare those gifts are among your fellow students in college."

NOTRE DAME PREP IB-DP CLASS OF 2025 AND EXTENDED ESSAY TOPICS

Elyse Abbott 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, Biology 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Economics, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: How can Taylor Swift’s discography be interpreted as a bildungsroman of her life? 

Alessa Atallah 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Biology 
Standard Levels: Spanish, Psychology, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations, 
Extended Essay: To what extent is Saudi Arabia “sportswashing” to cover up their human rights abuses? 

Cecilia Belej 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches 
Standard Levels: Spanish, Environmental Systems and Societies, Chemistry 
Extended Essay: How do the disorder and unpredictability of chaos relate to the structure and order of fractals?

Isaak Brook 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent did the automotive industry impact the culture in Detroit from 1950-1970? 

Brynn Caffrey 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Biology 
Standard Levels: Spanish, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does the portrayal of mental illness in Joker (2019) villainize Arthur? 

Francesca Daogaru 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: How did Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Coelho’s The Alchemist and Rimmer’s The Things We Cannot Say artistically portray overcoming adversity and finding love and redemption and subsequently reflect the concept of mindfulness? 

Victoria Devine 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Visual Arts 
Standard Levels: Spanish, Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does Amazon affect small business? 

Marc Farah 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Economics, Psychology, Chemistry 
Extended Essay: How does the mathematical constant e relate to the patterns and structures found in natural phenomena and their underlying mathematical models? 

Olivia Gehrke 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, Visual Arts 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does Edgar Allen Poe play a role in the development of the show Wednesday? 

Sehaj Gill 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Biology, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Spanish, Psychology, Chemistry 
Extended Essay: To what extent should past misuses of science guide ethical considerations of genome editing using CRISPR-CAS9 technology? 

Charles Henry Graff
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does marketing and media influence soccer internationally? 

Ava Hustyi 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: How has Tesla’s reputation as a brand evolved since Elon Musk’s involvement with the brand?

Matthew Kafarski 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Biology, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Chinese, Economics, Chemistry 
Extended Essay: To what extent did the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate influence the formation of a uniquely Japanese culture during the Edo period (c. 1603 - 1867)? 

Joseph MacDonald 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: In what ways has smartphone technology impacted social interactions? 

Lucy Milback 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Spanish, Psychology, Environmental Systems and Societies Extended Essay: What is the role of hostile Anglo-Irish relations in the development of the late 20th- and early 21st-century Irish songwriting? 

Maria Nunning 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Biology 
Standard Levels: Chinese, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: How did the events of the Opium Wars and British control of China influence China from the start of the first Opium War (1911) until right before the 1911 Revolution (1910)? 

Geralyn Nguyen 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, Biology 
Standard Levels: Psychology, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does the film Crazy Rich Asians portray the distinct differences between Chinese and Western cultures? 

Samuel Phillips
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Biology 
Standard Levels: Chinese, Economics, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent does sleep quantity and/or quality affect athletic performance? 

Felipe Emanuel Sanchez Montalvo 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Chinese, Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies Extended Essay: To what extent does analytics play a role in the NBA business? 

Nathaniel Seaman 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, History 
Standard Levels: Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: What is the cultural, linguistic and identitarian impact of the Detroit Lions? 

Jack Stetson 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Economics, History 
Standard Levels: Chinese, Chemistry, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations 
Extended Essay: To what extent has Warhammer affected grimdark as a genre? 

Creighton Studt 
Higher Levels: English Literature, History, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Spanish, Environmental Systems and Societies, Economics Extended Essay: How can artificial intelligence software improve modern dentistry in the United States of America? 

Audrey Thummel 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Spanish, Visual Arts 
Standard Levels: Environmental Systems and Societies, Psychology, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches 
Extended Essay: What are the neurological correlates of scientific creativity and how do they differ from those involved in artistic creativity? 

Skylar Vanhecke 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches, Visual Arts 
Standard Levels: Spanish, Environmental Systems and Societies, Psychology 
Extended Essay: In what ways does Sirani’s Portia Wounding Her Thigh, Fragonard’s The Swing and David’s Oath of the Horatii reveal the influence of each of their respective art periods? 

Christina Yeras 
Higher Levels: English Literature, Biology, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Standard Levels: Spanish, Psychology, Chemistry 
Extended Essay: How does the amount of time after a change in posture from standing to lying down impact the amount of time it takes blood pressure to stabilize in individuals aged 16-18?

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper 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 Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP 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, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.