WHERE CREATIVITY AND TALENT TAKE SHAPE

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January 12, 2026

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

Inside Notre Dame Prep’s nationally recognized arts program — and the students and alumni it inspires.

On a typical afternoon at Notre Dame Prep, students are actively engaged in the arts across campus. Music rehearsals take place in practice rooms, visual art students work in studios and labs, and ensembles prepare for upcoming performances. These activities happen alongside the regular academic day and are visible throughout the school.

At NDP, the arts are not an extracurricular add-on. They are an integral part of the school’s academic program and identity, offering students structured opportunities to develop skills, discipline and creative thinking alongside their core coursework.

Educational research supports the value of this approach. A study cited by the University of Florida found that students who participate consistently in arts education show higher academic achievement, stronger engagement across subjects and improved social and emotional development. The study also notes that long-term involvement in the arts benefits students across socioeconomic backgrounds, reinforcing the arts as an essential component of a well-rounded education.

Those outcomes are evident at NDP in daily classroom work, in student projects displayed throughout the school and in alumni who credit their arts education with shaping their academic paths and professional lives.

A program built for expression, exploration and excellence

Notre Dame Prep offers nearly 40 arts courses across visual, performing, vocal and instrumental disciplines. Sixty-seven percent of upper school students choose to enroll in at least one arts class, a participation rate that underscores the program’s reach and relevance.

Students encounter a curriculum designed for both breadth and depth. Offerings range from foundational courses in drawing, painting and music to advanced study in ceramics, digital photography, songwriting, theatre appreciation and both AP and International Baccalaureate Visual Art and Music Theory. Whether a student arrives with years of experience or curiosity alone, there is space to begin — and room to grow.

For many families, that balance is decisive.

“I came to NDP because of the art program,” said Brennan Eagle NDP ’15 as a student. “The teachers really impressed me when I came to the open house as an eighth grader, and the work in the art rooms convinced me that I would be able to make something of myself at Notre Dame Prep.”

Upper school art teacher Talan Wall, who joined Notre Dame Prep's faculty roster at the Christmas break of 2024, says in no uncertain terms that studying the arts is impactful for students. He says art is "humanity's greatest form of expression," and that it's the world's only language without a barrier.

"The arts allow us to express ourselves during both the good or the bad times," he continued. "And for many young people, it can be the only way they have a real voice."

 Visual arts on a national stage

The work produced in Notre Dame Prep’s visual arts studios has earned recognition well beyond campus. Over the past decade, students have received more than 320 Scholastic Regional Art Awards and over 30 Scholastic National Art Awards — one of the most respected benchmarks of excellence in secondary visual arts education.

Those honors are not isolated achievements. They reflect a program that emphasizes conceptual thinking, technical skill and sustained portfolio development. Graduating seniors routinely leverage their work for admission to competitive college studio art programs across the country.

For students like Matt LaMothe NDP ’18, now an industrial designer and College for Creative Studies graduate, the foundation was decisive.

“Notre Dame Prep never failed to challenge me, and because of that I came into college with a substantial head start,” he said. “The rigorous academics along with its faith, sports and clubs taught me a lot. On top of that, the art program was second to none.”

 A studio culture of growth and risk-taking

Beyond awards, alumni often describe the arts spaces at NDP as communities — places where students learned to think independently while supporting one another.

“For me, high school art was not just another art class,” said Reagan Kayzak NDP’15. “It was a place where we learned to grow individually and as a group. Those of us in IB art at the time learned to challenge, support and strengthen each other.”

That sense of trust allows students to take creative risks.

“Notre Dame Prep’s art program is amazing in the sense of the opportunities and help that is offered to each student,” said Destiney Sandle, who graduated from NDP in 2018 and holds a BFA in environmental and interior design from Syracuse University and an MS in interior design from Eastern Michigan University. “I was never constricted in the creativity or the size of my ideas, but instead I was encouraged to expand and further my thought process.”

Faculty encouragement is a recurring theme.

“I think my creativity comes from my teachers who said, ‘be free to be creative,’” said Erica Bommarito NDP’04. “They embraced the weird and let us take risks. They were very encouraging and taught us never to give up.”

 Music that builds skill and community

Music is woven deeply into student life at Notre Dame Prep. The school supports seven instrumental ensembles, including Jazz Band and Pit Orchestra, along with multiple choral groups ranging from the honors Chamber Choir to Irishman and Ninth Hour. Both bands and choirs consistently earn top ratings at state competitions.

For many students, music becomes an early point of connection.

“Band camp was my first impression of NDP,” said Lynn Wright, a 2021 grad. “It’s the place where I got to see true leadership, interact with kind, talented people and meet many of my closest friends.”

Students interested in pursuing music beyond high school receive opportunities rarely available at the secondary level. Matthew Croft NDP’06 credits his teachers with helping him develop as a pianist, composer and conductor.

“They also gave me the opportunity to have my compositions played by the band and choir, and to learn how to conduct and lead a group, all skills that have come in very handy in my current career,” he said.

From rehearsal room to center stage

Each year, Notre Dame Prep’s upper school musical anchors the performing arts calendar. Productions ranging from The Little Mermaid to The Music Man bring together singers, actors, musicians and technicians in a collaborative effort that mirrors professional theatre. The middle school also stages large productions, including High School Musical JR, which opens at the end of January.

Between cast, crew and orchestra, as many as 100 students participate annually in theatre. For some, it is their first time on stage. For others, it is a continuation of years of training. The result is a production that consistently draws praise for its vocal performance, expressive acting and polished staging.

Former students like John Milback NDP’23 exemplify the program’s flexibility. A standout jazz saxophonist who has soloed at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Milback also starred in school musicals while balancing athletics and academics — evidence that, at NDP, creative pursuits complement rather than compete with other commitments.

An education that extends beyond the arts

The University of Florida study emphasizes that arts education strengthens skills valued far beyond creative fields: critical thinking, persistence, collaboration and emotional intelligence. At Notre Dame Prep, those skills are developed within a unique framework that integrates rigorous academics and Catholic faith formation.

Alumni frequently note that combination as formative.

“I came to Notre Dame Prep because it was a Catholic high school with a strong academic record and great band program,” said Christopher VanDieren NDP’19.

For classmate Gaby Bendtsen, the impact was both personal and professional.

“I thank NDP to this day for showing me the strength and persistence necessary to pursue music professionally, despite how scary that may be,” she said.

Creating what comes next

Notre Dame Prep’s arts program is not designed solely to produce artists, musicians or performers — though it does that, too. Its broader aim is to cultivate students who think creatively, communicate effectively and approach challenges with confidence and purpose.

For prospective families, the message is clear: at NDP, the arts are not an elective afterthought. They are a core part of how students learn to see the world, engage with others and discover their own potential.

In studios, on stages and in rehearsal rooms across campus, creativity was not just encouraged. It was — and is – expected, and it continues to thrive on college campuses across the country.

Madeline Lawrence NDP’23, who's attending Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, said she thinks that art pretty much influenced almost all of what she did at NDP and beyond.

"I like to take ideas in my mind and transfer them across as many mediums as possible," she said. "I had so many wonderful teachers at NDP who encouraged me to use my creativity and interests to go that extra mile.”

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.