TEACHER OF INNOVATION

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April 23, 2025

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

Notre Dame Prep's Louise Palardy to be recognized as Project Invent's 2025 Fellow of the Year next month in New York City, the only teacher in the U.S. to receive such an honor. The P.I. Fellow of the Year award is given to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to furthering the nonprofit's vision of "creating a generation of fearless, compassionate problem solvers." 

Currently in its fifth school year, Notre Dame Prep's engineering and empathy course, which is based on the Project Invent academic model, remains a popular option among the upper school's science students.

During a typical engineering and empathy course, students team up to create inventions that impact their communities in positive ways. According to science teacher Louise Palardy, Notre Dame's STEM specialist and manager of the school's robotics center, the class involves creating an impactful technological invention, a business plan and marketing strategy.

NDP was the first school in the United States to use Project Invent as an integral part of its in-class curriculum and the credit goes to school administrators and Palardy who didn't hesitate to adopt the innovative course.

That forward thinking by Palardy — along with her hard work and determination — has led the nearly 20-year fixture on the NDP campus to be named Project Invent's 2025 Fellow of the Year, an honor bestowed on only one educator in the U.S. each year.

According to Project Invent, "recognized fellows are individuals who exemplify Project Invent’s Theory of Change and have made exceptional contributions to furthering our vision of creating a generation of fearless, compassionate problem solvers," certainly an apt description of Palardy, who can't stop talking about the concept of Project Invent and the special class that emerged from the program. 

"With invention education and programs like Project Invent, students develop confidence, resilience and leadership skills," she said. "They learn new ways of thinking and how to turn challenges into opportunities. As a teacher of innovation, my interest is to see every student have this chance."

Palardy sees the idea going even deeper into the Notre Dame Prep's curriculum.

"The idea of invention education and design thinking as a force for social good could be adapted to more subjects than just engineering and science," she said. "We've discussed dipping into other subject areas as an area of exploration as well as support for offering engineering and empathy to our younger students."

'Perfect timing'

After receiving an undergraduate degree in engineering chemistry from Oakland University, Louise worked for years as a chemical engineer and in project management for an adhesives company. But when she started volunteering in robotics at Notre Dame Prep with husband, Jerry, to create the VEX IQ robotics program at the school, Louise also caught the teaching bug. 

"I decided to enroll in a master’s in education program at the University of Cincinnati that would allow me to become a teacher and a better mentor for the students," she said.

She enjoyed the program at U-C, learned a great deal about teaching and graduated just as the NDP's Easterwood wing was opening with its new robotics facility.

"Andy Guest was looking to hire someone to run the robotics center and it was perfect timing for me," she said. "Currently, I teach honors chemistry along with engineering and empathy, and algebra. I truly enjoy teaching. I also think the International Baccalaureate program is fantastic and I'm glad to be teaching classes in the Middle Years Program, which allows me to bring real-world experiences and a global perspective into my classes."

Palardy will accept the Project Invent Fellow of the Year award the evening of May 30 at the organization's annual Night of Innovation ceremony in New York City. Along with recognizing outstanding members of its community with three annual awards — Fellow of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Community Partner of the Year, the event will showcase student teams from across the country as they share their invention journey and pitch their innovative solutions to real-world problems.

More on Project Invent:

Project Invent is a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering students with 21st-century skills to succeed individually and impact globally, through invention. Through a year-long curriculum, students are mentored to develop products that make a tangible impact, fostering a generation of innovative problem-solvers. For more information, visit projectinvent.org.

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.