THIRD ANNUAL KOTZAN CREATIVE WRITING SCHOLARSHIP OPENS
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February 13, 2024
For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.
The Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award, which debuted in 2022 to help pave the way for future creative writers at Notre Dame Prep, opens in 2024 with a focus on short stories based on a picture prompt.
Michael Kotzan graduated from Notre Dame Prep in 2005.
NOTE: Entries for the new Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award are due June 14. For more information, current freshmen families should check out their community time page in MyNotreDame.
Michael J. Kotzan was a proud 2005 Notre Dame Prep graduate who touched many lives during his time at the school, including those of classmates and teachers. According to his mother, Donna, who retired from Notre Dame Prep after many years as a teacher and administrator, Michael, who died suddenly in June of 2021, epitomized the ideal Marist-educated young man.
“One of my favorite quotes of Fr. Colin, the Marist founder, which is appropriately displayed in the school main hallway, says, ‘While doing great things for the Lord, be unknown and even hidden in the world,’” said Donna Kotzan after the scholarship was first announced. “That would be a great tagline for Mike; he didn’t need credit or center stage and always was concerned about and considerate of others.”
More on Michael Kotzan is here.
In an effort to help awaken the creative talents of NDP’s youngest students and to honor the memory of Michael, the Kotzan family worked with the administration of Notre Dame Prep two years ago to initiate the Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award.
"This year's award is based on writing a creative short story, 1,200 to 1,500 words in length, based on a picture prompt," said Kim Anderson, NDP's upper school principal. "The subject is one of the student’s choosing and it can take any genre: fantasy, science fiction, humor, romance, mystery, etc."
Joe Kotzan, Michael's father and a Notre Dame High School alum from the Class of 1970, said the first two years of the scholarship program have been rewarding for all involved.
This year's scholarship award is focused on writing a short story, 1,200 to 1,500 words in length, based on this photograph. The subject is one of the student’s choosing and it can take any genre: fantasy, science fiction, humor, romance, mystery, etc.
"All of the submissions have been excellent and although the judges have agonized over identifying the winners, we hope that all of the participants felt they benefited a great deal from stretching their talents for this creativity challenge," he said. "We would like to thank the English department faculty, the judges and especially Principal Kim Anderson for the time and effort they put forth to help this challenge achieve the goal of fostering creative writing talent. We hope this award continues to encourage students at NDP with interests in creative writing to pursue the development of their talents and follow their dream, just like Michael had done."
NOTE: Entries for the new Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award are due June 14. For more information, current freshmen families should check out their community time page in MyNotreDame.
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.