FORMING FAITHFUL, THOUGHTFUL GRADUATES

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January 29, 2026

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

From play-based catechesis to IB World Religions, Notre Dame Prep builds a religion curriculum that is academically rigorous, developmentally responsive and grounded in lived faith. Taking a deep dive into religion education at NDP

At Notre Dame Prep, religion is not treated as an ancillary subject or a once-a-week exercise. It is a sequenced, assessed academic discipline that develops alongside students from their earliest years through graduation, intentionally shaped to meet both intellectual and spiritual needs.

“Studying religion is vital because it helps to address the spiritual hunger and deep questions that people of all ages have,” said Amy Preiss, chair of the religion department and a longtime member of the faculty. “While a first grader may find comfort in learning stories and rituals of our faith, a junior in high school requires a different approach that honors his or her burgeoning critical thinking.”

That developmental lens defines Notre Dame Prep’s approach across its lower, middle and upper schools. Religion courses evolve in content, method and expectation, while remaining rooted in Catholic teaching and the school’s mission to form academic scholars and upright citizens grounded in faith.

A continuum from head knowledge to lived experience

Preiss describes the program as intentionally cohesive across divisions, balancing intellectual understanding with personal formation.

“Faith comes through head knowledge — intellectual understanding and information — but it is also a heart experience, a lived faith experience,” she said.

In the lower school, religion instruction centers on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a play-based, hands-on approach that introduces young children to Scripture, prayer and liturgical life in a concrete, relational way. Lessons focus less on doctrine and more on belonging, wonder and love.

For first grade teacher Emma Dinardo, a 2018 alumna of Notre Dame Prep, the goal at this stage is foundational.

“At the youngest ages, religion is less about understanding church doctrine and more focused on learning how to love others, respect God’s creation, forgive, show kindness and understand the love God has for each one of them,” Dinardo said.

She emphasized that early exposure to faith shapes identity and moral reasoning long before students can articulate theology. Daily prayer, Bible stories and discussion are woven into classroom routines, helping students associate faith with safety, consistency and care.

Middle school: identity, virtue and belonging

As students mature, religion instruction shifts toward greater structure and reflection. In middle school, students explore Scripture, Church history, the Commandments and the sacraments while beginning to wrestle with moral responsibility and personal faith.

For Kim Kriesel, who spent more than two decades teaching in the lower school before moving into middle school religion, the work is both formative and personal.

“For many of our students, our Catholic faith is part of their identity,” Kriesel said. “Being at a Catholic school helps them understand an important component of who they are and fosters the development of their faith.”

Middle school students often gravitate toward the study of saints, Kriesel noted, finding relatable role models whose lives illustrate perseverance, courage and service.

“Learning about the lives of saints can provide students with a sense of hope and helps them see the extraordinary in the ordinary,” she said.

Upper school: rigor, inquiry and relevance

By the time students reach the upper school, religion courses are unmistakably academic in tone and expectation. Following the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ curriculum framework used throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit, Notre Dame Prep offers a comprehensive sequence that includes Scripture, moral issues and lifestyles, the study of sacraments, Church history, Catholic social teaching and world religions.

Preiss emphasized that religion courses are graded with the same seriousness as any other subject.

“We cannot grade students on their faith — that is between them and God — but religious knowledge is measurable,” she said. “Students have homework, tests, reviews and study guides.”

Freshmen begin with intensive study of Sacred Scripture, followed by courses on Jesus Christ, the Paschal Mystery and the sacraments in the 10th grade. Juniors examine Catholic moral theology and contemporary ethical issues. Seniors complete their formation through history, social teaching and comparative religion.

“We aim to be very well-rounded, covering anything a student might have questions about, while also remaining open,” Preiss said. “We recognize that students are all on their own journeys of faith and we want them to feel safe asking questions and to feel respected.”

Introducing IB World Religions

Beginning in the 2026–27 school year, Notre Dame Prep will introduce a new option for seniors: International Baccalaureate World Religions. The yearlong course represents a significant expansion of the school’s religion offerings and reflects broader trends in Catholic education.

The IB World Religions course is a systematic, analytical and empathetic study of global religious traditions. Students examine core beliefs and practices across multiple faiths while engaging deeply with Christianity and one additional religion. The course emphasizes inquiry, comparison and respectful dialogue.

“Many students are naturally curious about what people of other religions believe and how they approach life’s biggest questions,” Preiss said. “Studying world religions helps them better understand other people and global events, while also deepening their understanding of Catholicism by seeing what is unique about our beliefs and what is shared across traditions.”

The International Baccalaureate describes the course as promoting awareness of contemporary religious issues and fostering informed international citizenship. It asks students to grapple with enduring questions about human purpose, destiny and moral responsibility.

Importantly, the course does not replace Catholic formation but builds upon it. Students are encouraged to compare other religious worldviews with Christianity, strengthening both understanding and articulation of their own faith.

Faith and the IB Learner Profile

Although religion courses are not formally part of the IB program, faculty intentionally align instruction with the IB Learner Profile.

“In the Catholic tradition, reason and inquiry are viewed not as rivals to faith, but as essential partners in the search for truth,” Preiss said. “Students are encouraged to be Inquirers and Thinkers as they grow in their faith.”

Dinardo sees this alignment even in the earliest grades.

“Religion provides a faith-based lens for those discussions, while the IB framework gives them the language and structure to explore them thoughtfully,” she said.

Alumni perspective: faith that endures

For alumna Elizabeth Brouns NDP’19, religion classes at Notre Dame Prep provided depth and context that reshaped her relationship with faith.

“At NDP, I got a chance to strengthen my faith in ways that I’ve not been able to before,” Brouns said. “In religion classes, for example, I was able to learn about moral issues, church history and the reasons for why things are done at Mass every Sunday.”

Her experience reflects a central goal of the program: that faith education extends beyond graduation.

“Faith is not just something you study for, get an A on and then put away,” Preiss said. “It is something that carries you through many situations in life, both happy and difficult.”

A distinctive offering

In an educational landscape where public schools must treat religion only from a neutral, cultural standpoint, Notre Dame Prep occupies a distinctive space. Its religion program integrates academic rigor with spiritual formation, grounded in Catholic tradition while attentive to a pluralistic world.

By introducing IB World Religions alongside a comprehensive Catholic curriculum, Notre Dame Prep signals its commitment to preparing students who are informed, reflective and capable of engaging thoughtfully with belief and meaning.

As Preiss noted, the ultimate aim is not simply knowledge, but formation.

“When we look at the mission statement, when you walk through the doors at Notre Dame Prep, our goal is to help form good Christian people,” she said. “That foundation stays with them long after they leave.”

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.