Thierry Collet, left, who is the vice president of Dassault Systèmes’ Global Academia and Education division, presents the ACC plaque to NDP’s Sharon Derico, vice principal for academics, center, and Katrina Palushaj, who is the computer science teacher for Notre Dame’s upper division.
Thierry Collet, the vice president of Dassault’s Global Academia & Education division based in France, was on campus earlier today to formally present the school with a plaque that identifies Notre Dame Prep as an official Academic Certification Center. He said that being an ACC school is a privilege that his company carefully grants to only a few schools.
“It demonstrates Notre Dame’s commitment to teaching with and about the Dassault Systemes solutions in order to best prepare your students to take our market’s recognized examinations,” Collet said in granting the certification. “It is a crucial added-value differentiator for your school to be perceived at the leading edge for taking care of your students’ eventual employability. The people who master this software are among the most in demand by industries all over the world.”
Above and below, Collet watches Notre Dame Prep students work with 3D design CAD software.
Katrina Palushaj, who is the computer science teacher for Notre Dame’s upper division, has spearheaded Notre Dame’s CAD program and was instrumental in first bringing in Dassault Systèmes' 3D Experience platform to the school in 2012, which at that time included the CATIA application for virtual design authoring, DELMIA for digital manufacturing, SIMULIA for realistic simulation and ENOVIA for collaborative innovation.
"Advanced 3D computer tools are changing the conventional idea of an engineer as the guy in the short-sleeve white shirt with a pocket protector," Palushaj said. “These 3D platforms are more aligned with the way kids think today and makes it fun to learn, opening engineering up to a whole new group of people. We are proud to be the only school in the state now with the ACC designation.”
Palushaj’s Introduction to Computer Aided Design (CATIA V6 Engineering Design Software) class is a perennial favorite for sophomores, juniors and seniors and this year is no different with every seat filled. More on Notre Dame’s computer science curriculum is here.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division 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's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.