DIRECTOR OF IT: IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY TO BENEFIT STUDENTS, STAFF

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August 18, 2024

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

Current and scheduled projects affect delivery of academic mission, student experience and more.

Education technology at Notre Dame Prep has long been a priority, beginning well before the year 2014 when the administration officially committed to one-to-one access of computer tablets, which dramatically upgraded classroom hardware and software and ensured that students have access to some of the best learning technology in the world.

Fast forward to the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year and Notre Dame Prep's technology march continues unabated.

According to Eden Konja, the school's director of information and academic technology, there has been an unrelenting push to keep NDP's technology infrastructure up to date.

"During the summer, we've initiated or completed a number of projects to improve the academic experience for our teachers and students," he said. "That includes increasing the bandwidth connection to between 1300 and 1425, which will provide improved speed and efficiency in data transmission. We're also adding a second fiber line to the building by another ISP (internet service provider), which means a completely separate backup line that will also allow us to load-balance our connections to the internet."

Konja also reminds that Notre Dame Prep continues as part of an elite group of schools worldwide recognized as Microsoft Showcase Schools. 

"This ongoing designation by Microsoft signifies our success in finding powerful new ways to support learning through technology," he added. "In addition, our lower school has been honored for innovation as an Apple Distinguished School. Both honors reflect our commitment to make the most of educational technology and to prepare our students to lead the way in a digital world."

He said the latest tech improvements also include providing all the faculty and staff at the lower school with new Apple MacBooks as well as installing new dedicated Dell desktop computers to update the upper school's computer-aided design (CAD) lab. He said the new Dells will also be able to better facilitate the school's eSports activities. 

"Additionally, security enhancement projects also continued over the summer, including the ongoing installation of keyless devices on access doors around campus," he said.  

In summary, Konja noted that as a leader in edutech, NDP has distinguished itself over the years in many ways, including:

• As a Microsoft Showcase School (one of only about 40 in the U.S.)
• An Apple Distinguished School (one of only about 800 in the entire world)
• CATIA software in CAD classrooms
• First school in Michigan (including colleges and universities) with the Dassault Systems 3D Design Academic Certification CAD program
• One of the top-ranked VEX and FIRST robotics programs in the world
• A dedicated science, arts and technology wing
• State-of-the-art classroom mounted projectors
• More than 1,500 Microsoft Surface Pro tablets and Apple iPads in daily use by students, faculty and staff
• Enhanced security system with multiple camera monitoring systems

 

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.