THIRTY PLUS THIRTY

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February 7, 2025

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

Co-founder and former president Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m., talks about Notre Dame Prep’s first 30 years and what he sees in the next 30. 

In 1994, Fr. Leon Olszamowski, s.m., and his Marist colleagues began a journey of academic excellence that transcended normal boundaries of private Catholic education. Since then Notre Dame Prep has continued to reach higher and higher standards that define a school like no other — truly a masterpiece of education.

On Aug. 28, 1994, Notre Dame Preparatory School began its first year with a meeting of teachers, administrators and staff around four small tables in the library of the former Oakland Catholic High School building. The meeting included 18 staff members and consisted of veteran teachers from three of Notre Dame’s heritage schools: Harper Woods Notre Dame, Pontiac Catholic High School and Oakland Catholic High School. The meeting was facilitated by Russell Surveyer, a social psychologist from Boston, Mass.

Drawing on a mission conceived by Society of Mary founder Fr. Jean-Claude Colin in 1829 and the experience of graduating from and later teaching at Notre Dame High School, Marist Fathers Leon Olszamowski, Jim Strasz and Joe Hindelang formulated a vision: Notre Dame Preparatory School would be “the school of choice in Oakland County.”

The following day, on Aug. 29, faculty and staff welcomed 183 students to a new school in the refurbished Oakland Catholic building. It was also on that day that students heard for the first time the defining phrase of the mission of the new school: “With God, we form Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars.”

Notre Dame Preparatory School has come very far in a relatively short 30-year timespan with a solid foundation rooted in faith, community service and academics.

And the next 30 years promise to be just as exciting.

So says Olszamowski, who, as corporate president, remains very active at the school he helped found in 1994. IRISH Magazine sat down with him in late September to discuss the school’s first 30 years as well as the next 30.

The following interview was edited for clarity and space.

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IRISH MAGAZINE: Father, the campus and student programs have grown significantly since 1994. In your opinion, what are the major milestones accomplished over the past 30 years?

FR. LEON OLSZAMOWSKI, S.M.: Well, I think one of the major accomplishments over that time was actually succeeding in putting the Marist philosophy into a school that was not Marist. That philosophy called people to be, as you know, Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars.

Another one of the major milestones for me occurred at the end of the first year of the school. When we took the property over after Oakland Catholic closed, I remember giving NDP about a 50-50 shot of making it. And at the end of the first year, we ran into some financial difficulties, including the fact that it appeared we were going to run a $30,000 deficit that year, and the diocese, which had ownership of the school at that time, threatened to close the school. They wanted a clean balance sheet, obviously, but Father Joe talked with the Archbishop and we got another year, after which we ended up running a $60,000 surplus. So then they kind of backed off and let us manage the school as we saw fit.

Plus, given the fact that we had 101 new freshmen coming into the school, it was becoming more evident that we in fact were going to make it. So we shifted from a survival mode into a growth mode.

I think the next milestone that helped the school was in the area of faculty. Originally, we had eight really good teachers on hand from Oakland Catholic. Then eight teachers from Harper Woods Notre Dame decided to join us. Related to faculty, another key milestone for us was that we addressed an obvious inequity problem with male versus female teachers. In that first year, our women teachers on average made $6,000 less per year than the men did. I remember thinking back then that I didn’t want to touch that issue with a 10-foot pole. But I suggested instead that we form a faculty committee to address it — how to make this equitable in the school. So what the committee actually brought back to me was shocking, at first — but a good recommendation, nonetheless. On average, the next year, the women got a $6,000 raise and the men got a $300 raise. That was a big turning point, staff-wise, because it created a sense of equity and better morale among the faculty. They really understood what was going on, and faculty and staff kind of bonded really well from that point forward.

The other thing that really helped us back then besides an excellent staff and a sizable freshmen class was the merging of new students with students who remained from Oakland Catholic, which basically would have been sophomores, juniors and seniors. The problem there was basically that when it came to academics, the incoming freshmen were at a higher level than many of the remaining Oakland Catholic kids.

Essentially, we had to run two separate program tracks, one for the freshmen and one for the other three classes. These things were all happening behind the scenes, by the way, but eventually everything worked out.

As an example of what we were facing, after our first school year, our valedictorian had a 3.20 grade point average and the average ACT back then was around 19. For comparison, our last NDP graduating class featured valedictorians with GPAs ranging from about 4.35 and 4.60 and the Class of 2024 averaged 26.1 on the ACT.

Eventually NDP had four classes of students we brought in ourselves and parents began to see that we had a real, genuine program going on here and more from the feeder schools in the area began to send their kids as well. Another factor that really helped us survive during those early years was that other Catholic high schools in the area and even the public schools didn’t pay much attention to us, thinking that we were not really competition for them. It gave us a chance to really explode our student population since we were in fact delivering what we promised.

IRISH: You also were making capital improvements as well during that time, right?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Yes, after the initial improvements in 1994 we did major capital work in 1998, one of the parents came up to me and said, “My God, this is beautiful what you’ve done here. What are you trying to look like? Cranbrook?” I just smiled.  Also, in the beginning, some prospective families would say, “You expect us to go into Pontiac?” After a while that turned into, “Oh, it’s only a few miles from us in Pontiac.”

So yes, a little long-winded answer to your question, but basically these were some of the practical things that were being done on the ground, as well as the attitudinal changes that were going on at the same time. We also received a lot of support in the early days from many of the local parish pastors, which was a big help.

In fact, to this day, I won’t mention the name of the person, but someone from the Detroit archdiocese once told me that Notre Dame Prep is looked on as the best of the Catholic schools in the diocese. And that is because we have a strong religion program and the fact we were offering things that other schools didn’t offer, including the addition of the International Baccalaureate program. The addition of IB was huge and continues to pay dividends for us.

IRISH: Especially since we are the only Catholic school in Michigan with IB for students aged 3 to 19, correct?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Correct, and even though some students don’t go into the Diploma Program in their junior and senior years, they can still benefit from IB by taking IB classes a la carte, so to speak. And as freshmen and sophomores, they’ve already had the benefit of the Middle Years Program, Plus, if they’ve been through our lower and middle schools, they’ve received the considerable benefits of the complete continuum of the International Baccalaureate.

IRISH: What about the decision to acquire ownership of the school from the archdiocese?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Yes, I think that was an important milestone when we bought the campus in its entirety from the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2014 and turned ownership over to our Board of Trustees. The trustees now are the actual owners of the school. They are in control of both the debt and the assets. Speaking of which, another big milestone that was achieved rather recently is related to our quest to come to a one-to-one ratio between the debt we had and the excess cash and investments that we had on the other side of the ledger.  So, that’s something we’ve also struggled with, particularly in the last few years. But under the leadership of Andy Guest, our head of school, Tony Block, our CFO, and board chair Steve Pangori, we now operate with a balanced budget and building small reserves. So we’re actually not just one-to-one, we’re heading toward two-to-one in favor of assets now. That’s a major milestone and provides for a rather stable picture for the school going forward, helped along by the increases in student population, particularly at our lower and middle schools.

IRISH: And the future looks to include some other big changes as well?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Yes, there are still projects that we need to do that would put NDP in an even better place. As you know, we’re in the process of looking at adding much-needed space at the lower school, which includes a multi-purpose gym that can be used for athletics, lunch, and theater space, as well as more early childhood classroom space. We also plan a renovation of the library and administration area at the lower school. And we think we’re in a position now where we can probably do it. There are other projects on our wish list, including a much larger chapel at the main campus, plus a student commons area and consolidated administration space. And more space for our arts programs, especially performing arts.

IRISH: What kind of impact does offering everything we do here at NDP have on our ability to fund it all?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Well, I think that people actually recognize that there’s a lot of life that’s going on here. But, you’re right, there also are consequences for that. We have one of the highest tuitions of Catholic schools in our area. And we’re also in a kind of buffer zone between what we call a price-value school and a process school that offers a lot more. That “a lot more” includes paying for the outstanding academic program we have, capital improvements like our greenhouse, upgraded athletic facilities, our STEM wing and so much more. Like our robotics program, for example, which has a worldwide reputation as one of the top programs. When we initially brought FIRST Robotics into the school, we shared it with Avondale High School. But after going on our own, it has just grown and grown. Now, beyond our FIRST program, we have a VEX robotics program that really is exploding in size. We have kids in kindergarten getting into robotics and even at some of these younger ages, our kids continue to bring home awards and championships. It’s really another major learning opportunity for our kids separate from our academic curriculum. But again, while we get funding help for some of these extracurricular activities from parents and sponsorships, there is in fact a significant impact on our balance sheet as well.

I also would be remiss not to mention the progress we’re making in student diversity, especially lately. I’ve always said that there is a difference between “knowing” faith and “doing” faith. Part of that is teaching students to go beyond prayer and challenge them to love and seek justice for others. So we’re making some real strides in this area, including with our Building Bridges program.

IRISH: Professional development of staff has been a focus, hasn’t it?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Yes, it’s always been a big thing for us and we continue to encourage and fund the development of skills necessary in this rapidly changing world we live in. Additionally, with the very tight labor market, it’s sometimes been a struggle lately to bring in new well-qualified teachers, including replacements for longtime veteran personnel who retire.

Also, as many over the years have heard me say that NDP is one school with three divisions, it’s also been a big focus of mine and of the administration to encourage a sense of real camaraderie among all three schools, teachers, students, parents included — that we are all one big family, all Notre Dame Prep with the same mission and vision albeit at different age levels. It is very heartening to me when I see the older students from the upper school intermingle with kids from the middle or lower schools. I love to see our youngest students working in the greenhouse or building robots in our robotics center located in the upper school. And of course, celebrating all-school Masses is always a wonderful thing to see each month.  The younger kids in particular really sing their hearts out during the school alma mater at the end of each liturgy.

IRISH: In your view, what does it mean to be a Marist school now in 2024 and has that changed from 1994 or even 1954 when NDHS was opened?

OLSZAMOWSKI: When comparing NDP and Harper Woods Notre Dame, you can’t ignore the fact that one school is coed and one is all-boys. I’ve worked in both types of schools in the past, and noticed that it does make some difference in terms of school atmosphere, for example. But the basic Marist values of being the best person you can be, of working with other people and striving to do the best that you can with your academic talents were certainly a part of Notre Dame High School as much as they are a part of Notre Dame Prep today. But there are differences. NDP, I want to say, has generally a more mellow atmosphere, a more natural atmosphere versus the way it was with NDHS, where in order to speak with girls, you had to cross the parking lot between Regina, an all-girls school, and Notre Dame. We had some very strict nuns on the other side of that parking lot that kind of quashed most interaction between the two schools.

But going back to your question, the mission of both schools, whether it’s 1954, 1994 or 2024, is basically the same. Our basic philosophy across the board is to be like Mary in all we do — think like Mary, judge like Mary, feel like Mary, and act like Mary. Those are the things that we’ve always stressed. Plus, we try to focus on a Marist Way theme each year. This year, for instance, our theme is “humility”; other themes explored in the past are “love of God” and “doing the work of Mary.” Those themes are reinforced in every student and staff member, which, to be honest, may not have been stressed as much at Harper Woods Notre Dame. However, that’s also been a more recent phenomenon due to having far less priests on hand. When I attended Notre Dame High School, there were 28 priests on staff. That will never happen again, at least in my lifetime. At NDP, we’ve got four Marists — three priests and Br. Louis. But the basic thread of what it is to be a Marist person is common to both NDHS and NDP. And even today it’s still a close family at Harper Woods Notre Dame. When I went to a recent NDHS 1962 reunion, as an example, it was like being with my own old buddies. I mean, they’re not even my 1965 graduating class! They were seniors when I was a freshman and it’s like, wow, you know, and it’s a real feeling; it’s still a feeling of being home.

I think there’s also a certain overlay in any Marist school in which there is kindness and love. Even with the “tough guy” Marists in the old days, guys like Fr. Joe Chase, as an example, or Fr. Omer St. Onge. They were in a way kind of rough, but they were rough in a kind way. A Marist Way. There was very little thought of ever trying to excoriate a kid, you know, to break them down. But rather it’s always better to try to show them a right path to go. And so it is with our current school, too.

But your question was a good one. The common thread has been, and always will be, the Marist Way.

Conversely, that’s also why we’re very concerned about what’s going to happen when there are no longer any Marist religious here. So, we’re stressing Marist Way, not just inside the student body, but also in the faculty where we have seminars for them in the summer when Fr. Strasz will give talks on the Marist Way and so forth — to create a language that people can absorb. For example, at a recent board retreat, we had a session on humility with the board of trustees. Part of the job that we as Marists have and that I think we’re doing a decent job at, is to translate the Marist Way into something that everyone, both lay and religious, can understand today.

IRISH: What are the main challenges Notre Dame Prep faces today versus five, 20 or 30 years ago?

OLSZAMOWSKI: Most of our programs and institutions remain strong, but some need a little more oomph in certain places. For instance, our greenhouse and botany programs could be improved a bit and we could bring in more religious and Marist principles into what the kids are doing with the world outside the doors of NDP. Kind of like what’s evolved in our STEM program, where we’re offering classes that bring in empathy and kindness to science, such as the relatively new engineering and empathy class taught be Louise Palardy.

I’d also like to try to get parents involved in some of our program, too. We have a lot of parents with green thumbs who could be helpful to us with the greenhouse as another example.

One of our other great needs is putting together a sizable endowment. Not just an endowment for buildings and facilities, but one that’s just a straight endowment to be used for the professional development of teachers, more academic programs for the kids, and student scholarships. We’re working in that direction. I’m not sure if it will be sooner or later, but the more immediate need is for expansion of facilities in the lower school.

Also on the financial side, now that we’re in much better shape, I’m hoping that we start transferring more of that money into investments so it can grow even more.

I also worry about staffing and keeping an outstanding faculty and staff in place going forward. Today, around 18 percent less young people are going into education and teaching careers, and I fear that may get worse. There’s also a very real concern about the loss of the Marist religious. But for now we’re here and doing okay. And I really like the fact that people like Andy Guest are here, and people like Mike Kelly are here. People who have a sense of what being Marist is all about, you know, because it’s going to be a lay structure eventually. Yes, even after the priests withdraw from daily work, we’ll still likely sit on the Board of Trustees. And, yes, we’ll still be conducting Marist evaluations from the perspective of the religious. But the general operation of the school will be the responsibility of the laity.

IRISH: That kind of segues into my next question. In your opinion, what do you think Notre Dame Prep will look like 30 years from now? And I don’t mean necessarily physically, although that could be part of your response.

OLSZAMOWSKI: Well, I guess it’s a function of a much broader question in the world writ large. Where will the Catholic faith be in our country or in the world in 30 years or 100 years? I was shocked to hear recently that there are now only about 400,000 practicing Catholics left in Germany, which at one time was a very Catholic country, sharing turf with Lutherans. The same phenomenon is going on in this country. If parents are non-practicing and don’t believe much in religion, what can we do about it? Parents are a child’s first teachers. If they don’t teach them to pray, they don’t teach them to go to church, what will that all mean for the future? It’s also one of the reasons I want that new gym space in the lower school because currently we’re running out of space to put all the elementary kids for their weekly Mass.

For the Catholic Church, the schools have always been the incubator of the faith. Basically, they’ve been the socialization structure that we’ve used to bring young people into the faith, right? And although the Mass at the parish level is very, very important, I’m hoping that the parochial schools and schools like ours stay very Catholic even after a parish may go away.

But getting back to our school, I would envision that in 30 years or more this school will still be an excellent educational institution no matter what. But I always go back to the macro view of what’s going on in the world; what’s to become of the Catholic Church in general unless there’s a significant change? Even though Pope Francis is trying to change things in a better direction, he’s getting a lot of pushback from a lot of old men who are afraid of change.

IRISH: If you could point to one or two things — only one or two things — that you are most proud of about this school after 30 years, what would that or those be?

OLSZAMOWSKI: I think one of the things, of course, I’m most proud of is that, in my opinion, Notre Dame Prep is still a very Marist and a very Catholic school. It’s what we came here to do. It’s what we were asked to do by Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida when he was the archbishop.

IRISH: Do you think Cardinal Maida was aware of the Marist philosophy during that transition from Oakland Catholic to Notre Dame Prep?

OLSZAMOWSKI: I don’t know, but I think he grew to understand it more over time. Also, when we began talking about closing Notre Dame High School due to the tremendous demographical change on that side of town, I think Maida wanted to give the Marist Fathers another opportunity.

Not many people know this, but at that time, Cardinal Maida asked the Marists about taking over three schools in Southeast Michigan: Oakland Catholic, Aquinas High School and Cardinal Mooney. All three! And we told them we didn’t have enough priests and brothers available. So he said, “well, choose the one you want.” We looked at it and said this one is the best shot. Major roads nearby, enough wealth in the area to be able to survive, even though it is in the city of Pontiac, which for some was a drawback. But given everything that was here, the facilities and all the basic infrastructure already in place, we figured this was the best shot for us. Plus, it would put us at a sufficient distance from Notre Dame High School so there wouldn’t be any unnecessary internecine rivalry issues in the meantime.

So bottom line, I’m very happy that we’ve been so successful in fulfilling what the diocese asked us to do.

Here’s a little related sidebar: I remember the day when Fr. Gerry Demers, s.m., and I were first checking out this place in 1992 and walking across Oakland Catholic’s parking lot that at the time looked like Saigon after the Vietnam War. We were accompanied by the pastor of Saint Mary of the Hills and we were supposed to be doing this tour on the sly. But then we ran into the principal from Oakland Catholic, who asked, “how can I help you?” And the pastor said, “Oh, we’re just here to show them the school and blah, blah, blah.” And he walked away likely still very suspicious.

Afterward, when we finished our walking tour, Fr. Demers said to me, “Well, what do you think?” And I said I’d give it a 50-50 shot. And he said, “Good, we’ll do it.”

Two years later, when Fr. Joe became Marist provincial, we cut the deal at Mountain Jack’s restaurant that used to be on the corner of Opdyke and University. And, as they say, the rest is history!

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.