TO THE MAX

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March 15, 2024

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

Amazing Shake school winner Max Mermell looks forward to the global competition next week in Atlanta. He's also excited about what awaits him at Notre Dame Prep's upper school next year.

Notre Dame Prep's winner of the 2024 Amazing Shake school competition, Max Mermell, heads to Atlanta, Georgia, next week to participate in the Global Amazing Shake. He said he's looking very much forward to the trip to the Ron Clark Academy for the big event.

"I'm traveling with my sister, Ellie, who was the best scoring sixth grader, Thomas Binkowski, who was the best scoring seventh grader, William Platt, who is an eighth grader and was third place in the entire school, and Audrey Love, who is an eighth grader and was second place in the school," said the NDP eighth grader. "The families of those competing will also be accompanying us to Georgia."

Mermell said he's very excited and grateful to be attending the competition and hopes to acquire some beneficial skills, knowledge and experience. 

"It's a wonderful opportunity to see how you can perform on the big stage and, most importantly, have some fun!"

Mermell, who also was one of the top finishers in the regional Amazing Shake, which was held at NDP on Mar. 8, is thankful for the opportunities and learning experiences that the entire competition experience has afforded him.

"Everything we went through had its negatives and positives, which themselves are complicated and subjective," he said. But he said he definitely had some favorite parts of the competition. 

"I thoroughly enjoyed being in the actual moments of competition, such as entering a gauntlet, orating an answer to a 'would you rather' question, having an active conversation in a work-the-room setting, etc. These were the moments that were most fun and valuable in my total experience. During these moments I was able to observe, learn and build my skills. I liked being in a state of mind where I was both focused and thrilled at the same time. Moving on and eventually winning was amazing, but the actual experiences of being in the competition settings is what actually makes the Amazing Shake so special."

It certainly has been a whirlwind for Mermell since he began his Amazing Shake journey and while he's looking forward and preparing to do well in Atlanta, he's still able to look beyond to what's next in his academic career at Notre Dame Prep.

"I am incredibly excited for my freshman year at NDP," he said. "Being in the middle school, I have already made connections with students, faculty and some of the programs in the upper school. I am anxious to start taking advantage of even more opportunities that the school offers, both academic or otherwise."

He added that moving to high school, like any other large step of such a big aspect of life, will most definitely be a complicated journey. 

"That is why I am extremely grateful to be attending a school like Notre Dame Prep that will allow me to choose my own journey, push me a bit when needed, and support me all the way through it," he said. "If I had to use one phrase to describe how I feel about this next step, it's 'I don't know what my high school future is, but I am most definitely excited to find out!'"

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.