WINNER OF THIRD ANNUAL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP AWARD ANNOUNCED

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August 5, 2024

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

The Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award, which debuted in 2022, honors 2005 Notre Dame Prep alum Kotzan and helps pave the way for future creative writers at NDP.

When Kaden Khami NDP'26 was rushing with his family to make their return flight home from a recent trip, he decided to check email on his phone. He's glad he did because the rising sophomore found out he earned the third annual Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award based on a creative writing piece he submitted last spring.

"I was overjoyed," he said. "I stopped in my tracks and told my parents right away. I was beyond excited and grateful for the scholarship, but seeing how proud my parents were was something else entirely. It was very rewarding to see my hard work come to fruition."

Khami's writing submission, called "The Sandman’s Bridge," was judged as the top entry out of those submitted by then-ninth graders at Notre Dame Prep. The 2024 edition of the writing award was based on creating a short story, 1,200 to 1,500 words in length, using only a picture prompt," said Kim Anderson, NDP's upper school principal, when the competition was announced in February. "The subject can be one of the student’s choosing and it can take form in any genre: fantasy, science fiction, humor, romance, mystery, etc."

The selection committee was comprised of Notre Dame Prep faculty and members of the Kotzan family.

Last year, the writing scholarship went to Quinn Thomas NDP'25 for her paper titled "Books, Brothers and Other Important Things," a one-act play about living in a science fiction world of her own creation.

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 student.

In an effort to help awaken the creative talents of NDP’s youngest students and to honor the memory of Michael, Donna Kotzan and her family worked with the administration of Notre Dame Prep three years ago to initiate the Michael J. Kotzan Creative Writing Scholarship Award.

More on Michael Kotzan and the scholarship is here.

For this year's winner Khami, creating new worlds through text has long been a part of his still-young life.

"Writing has always been a passion of mine and so whether it’s a creative piece or an informative essay, I’m always motivated because researching and brainstorming a piece and then having it unfold and sort of come to life is always worth it," he said.

Khami also credits the teachers at NDP who he's been fortunate to study under since he came to the school as a seventh grader.

"English has been among my favorite courses at NDP, and I had fantastic freshman English teachers in Mr. Lilek and Mrs. Archer, and they’ve helped me along my journey and enhanced my love for writing," he said. 

Khami also plans to enroll in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program as a junior "so that I can have the best possible application for college and to further my education."

And while it may be unusual for a student heading into only his second year of high school to have a good idea of a college career, for Khami, he's already got a good handle on his post-secondary journey.

"In college. I want to pursue either computer science or mechanical engineering. I’ve worked in the information technology field and at AT&T since I was 14 and it’s led me to a drive ultimately for a career in sales and technology."

But first, Khami can't wait for the next three years at Notre Dame Prep.

"I’m actually entering my fourth year at NDP when you consider that I started here in seventh grade, and I can’t express how blessed I am to have the opportunity to attend this school," he said. "The faculty and staff are incredible and the curriculum is amazing. I’ve grown so much academically and as a person in my time here and I’ll always be grateful for that."

Check out Kaden Khami's scholarship-winning piece in its entirety below.

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The Sandman’s Bridge
By Kaden Khami
Notre Dame Preparatory School
Word count: 1,428

PREFACE
As a young boy, I would often find myself writing. At home, in class, in the car, whenever and wherever I could. When I was in the first grade my teacher, Mrs. Grady, discovered my stories. When I was supposed to be practicing cursive or solving my math, my mind would wander and I’d soon find myself jotting down all the stories I’d dreamt up the night before. One day, Mrs. Grady found my secret stash of stories. I watched as she flipped through the first few pages, and, with a smile on her face, left to present my principal with them. Soon after I was called down to the office, I thought I was done for. I shuffled down the halls and crept into the office to face my principal, holding my notebook. I took a seat, prepared to be scolded for skipping out on my assignments, but I was met with something far sweeter. To my surprise, he told me that he loved my writing. He even awarded me a special pencil, “#1 Writer.” It was my Pulitzer. From that day on, that pencil carved out every single story I wrote in that notebook and gave me the confidence I needed to continue my writing journey. I’m blessed to be granted the opportunity and luxury to write something as meaningful as this in honor of Michael and for my beloved family.

CHAPTER 1: What Did I Do This Time?

We all dream, it’s what makes us people. Some little boys dream of having fantastical powers, some dream about traveling to magical places, and some people, like my father, dream about sticking it to their boss. Whatever they are, we all have dreams, but ultimately reality can be even more magical than our wildest dreams.

It was the fall of 92’, I’d just started my first year of high school and was feeling like a million bucks. My family was gearing up for our annual trip to Miami and I’d just turned old enough to do all the things at the hotel.

“Boys! Come down here.” my mom hollered, “One second, ma! Me and Norm will be right there.” Me and Norm loved video games, we’d spend hours cooped up getting lost in fantasy worlds. “Come downstairs right now, Thomas!” My mom only called me by my first name when she meant business. Me and Norm raced down the stairs and found our parents seated on our worn-out red leather couch. My dad laid back, still in his work clothes with his head hanging somberly, and my mom sat upright with her hands resting gently on her knees.

“Did the Smiths tell them about the broken window? Did they see my grade in English?” A million thoughts raced through my head but I had no clue what it could be. “Tommy, Norman, we have something to tell you boys.” My mom started, her arms folded the way she does when she’s giving us a talking to, but now she talked with a gentle inflection and eyes that looked like they’d been topped with a candied glaze. My dad noticed the look on our faces almost immediately. “Don’t worry, ya’ll aren’t in any trouble.” I was relieved but then what could this be about?

CHAPTER 2: The Big Fish

My dad started to talk and his voice broke while he started. “It’s your grandpa Lenny, he passed away last night.” I didn’t know my grandpa very well, he lived in Maine and I only had a few fuzzy memories of him, but my dad would tell me stories about him all the time when I was a kid. They were the most magical stories I’d ever heard.

My favorite was about a spectacularly big fish. My dad told me about how when he was a boy there’d been a drought in his town, the crops had dried up and it was hard to get by. His dad had gone out fishing early in the evening and it wasn’t until the sun was setting that he came back with four other men from town and a wheelbarrow carrying the biggest fish he’d ever seen in his whole life. My dad swears he caught nothing short of a whale that day, and his family didn’t have to go to the market for an entire year. Stories about my grandpa were always larger than life, from monster fisherman to bear wrestler, he was my kind of superhero.

CHAPTER 3: Growing Old Is Mandatory, Growing Up Is Optional

“We’ll be heading up there tomorrow bright and early, so I need you boys to be packed before bed okay? And bring some warm pajamas. That cabin can get freezing!”

“Pajamas and a cabin?” I was sold on tropical Miami, not Miami, Ohio. “Did you not listen to a word your father said, sweetie? We’re heading up to Maine to spend the week with your Grandma Mary, now go upstairs and get ready for the trip.”

I just nodded my head and hugged my mom goodnight, I turned over to my dad and hugged him like I haven’t since I was a kid. I thought, at that moment, that we never really grow up, we just grow old. Sitting there was my dad, a big burly man in a construction vest and jeans, no outfit for a kid. But sitting there was also a scared little boy who missed his dad.

CHAPTER 4: Cool Winds Blow

I woke up groggily, my eyes slowly opened as the sun shone onto my face through the cracks in the orange and green leaves. I’d never seen anything like it before. After a week-long trip, we’d finally made it to Maine. Driving through the town was almost whimsical, the trees were painted a beautiful orange and green mix and the townspeople bustled about. After some more driving, we reached my grandma’s old and mossy cabin. My dad leapt out of the car. “Oh, Charlie come here,” she spoke in a gentle tone only mothers can. My dad hugged her tight and they held each other for a moment. We hopped out of our rusty Ford Explorer and greeted our grandma.

She was an eccentric old lady, she left lipstick all over our cheeks, and if they weren’t red enough she squeezed them as she remarked at how big we’d grown.

That night was spent around a campfire toasting s'mores, celebrating our grandpa, and catching up. In such a noisy city like San Francisco, it’s hard to focus on what’s important, but out here in nature it was nice to be with my family.

CHAPTER 5: A Starman

I woke up early the next morning and hopped out of bed. The birds had just started singing and the air was crisp, so I decided to slip on my loafers and started off outside. I didn’t know where exactly I wanted to head, but I wanted to soak in all of this. The summer was ending, the leaves were changing, and I was going to explore.

I started noticing the little things, frogs bouncing along the ground to little ponds, birds nestled up high in the trees protecting their eggs, and little ants marching together in long lines. I got lost in it all and after what must’ve been an hour I realized I had no clue where I was. I started to wander and try to retrace my steps but it was useless. After a while I stumbled across a bridge. It was rickety, but I figured it had to lead to some kind of town.

A man stood along the bridge wearing a big raincoat hanging down past his knees. I walked a bit closer and realized he was fishing, once I got onto the bridge I started to approach the man, and as I did he tugged on the rod and I watched as the biggest fish I’d ever seen flew out of the water and descended onto the bridge right above me.

I was frozen, but right as the fish came crashing down on me it disappeared in a splash of water alongside the man.

“Man I must have eaten one too many wild berries!” I tried to brush it off but as I reoriented myself, I noticed the mountains in the distance. There weren’t any mountains in this part of Maine, I was positive. Where was I? I noticed a medieval castle in the distance and started for it. Hopefully, whoever lived there would be more helpful.

Soon after I began my trek, I was stopped in my tracks by the biggest brown bear I’d ever seen. Before I knew it, the beast was roaring in my face. Then out of nowhere, the same man in the raincoat swooped in and mounted the bear. Just as quick as it came, the bear fled with the coated man still riding its back.

As I got closer to the castle, the plants grew more colorful and the wildlife more lively. When I made my way to the castle gates, I found there was someone who could help. A single man guarded the castle walls and as he removed his raincoat, I met the most heroic man in the world, my grandfather. I hugged him tight and asked, “How?”

“Until I raised your dad, I was a regular guy, but to him I was like Superman. I couldn’t shoot laser beams from my eyes or fly, but I could love him. Raising that boy was my dream and it came true.” Teary-eyed, I hugged my grandfather and continued through the castle gates, the doors swung open and as I walked through, I woke up back in my grandma’s cabin lying right next to my dad.

I wrote this story in remembrance of my late grandfather and with love for my father. Without my dad, I wouldn’t be fortunate enough to get to write this in the first place. Thank you, Baba, I love you. You will always be my hero.

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.