NOTRE DAME PREP PLACES IN TOP 10 NATIONWIDE IN WORDMASTERS CHALLENGE

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January 5, 2026

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

Middle school students continue long record of strong performance in national vocabulary competition.

Two teams from Notre Dame Prep’s middle school placed in the top 10 nationwide in the 39th annual WordMasters Challenge, a national vocabulary competition that draws nearly 125,000 students each year.

The eighth-grade team earned Highest Honors after scoring 177 out of a possible 200 points in the first of three meets this school year, finishing seventh in the nation. The seventh-grade team also received Highest Honors, scoring 155 points to place ninth nationwide.

All seventh- and eighth-grade students at Notre Dame Prep participated in the challenge.

The teams competed in the WordMasters Challenge’s Blue Division, the program’s most demanding level. Their results continue a long-standing pattern of success for Notre Dame Prep students in the competition.

Among the students posting strong individual performances was eighth grader Mihraille Atia. Teachers Deirdre Schiefer, Christine Boan and Kelly Simon coached the students in preparation for the meet.

The WordMasters Challenge emphasizes critical thinking through vocabulary development and analogy-solving. Students study advanced words and then apply them to complete analogies that test logical relationships. The program is designed for students in grades three through eight and is intended to challenge those who enjoy complex language and problem-solving.

The WordMasters Challenge is administered by a New Jersey-based company focused on promoting academic achievement in schools nationwide. More information is available at www.wordmasterschallenge.com.

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.