A DAY AT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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February 9, 2025

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

A group of nine students from Notre Dame Prep's upper school traveled Friday, Feb. 7, to the county complex in Pontiac to participate in the annual Oakland County Youth in Government Day. 

The NDP students joined with others from many schools across the county for the all-day program that featured members of the county board of commissioners, elected officials from the executive branch, judges and county sheriff deputies. NDP delegation included juniors Kevin Carter and Caroline Powell and sophomores Alex Chung, Sophia Fox, Mary Galle, Hanna Gappy, Nella and Izzy Kaminskas and Cammi Pennell, all led by MYIG group adviser Bill Emerick.

The day's program began with a welcome talk from Darren Bagley of the MSU Extension 4-H office in Oakland and Genesee counties. Students also heard from Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Brown, Oakland County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg and Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. Later, students broke into groups to debate topics real and imagined and then held discussions about adopting a four-day school week throughout the state before voting in a mock election using real ballots and scanners. (To the surprise of event organizers, staying with the five-day school week won resoundingly.)

During lunch, the NDP students met with Oakland County Commissioner Brendan Johnson, a 2012 Notre Dame Prep graduate, who now represents District 4 (Auburn Hills and a portion of Rochester Hills) on the county board. He shared with the current students his experiences and memories of Notre Dame Prep, including some of the favorite teachers he had while attending NDP.

Following lunch, students met with the Honorable Michael Warren of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, who explained the different procedures that happen during a trial, as well as the importance of trial by jury and citizen participation in the process. The day ended with a demonstration from the county sheriff's K-9 unit. Officers explained the various duties of K-9 animals and the demands made on the handlers who keep the dogs at home.

 

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.ndprep.org.