Madeline Allard earned the Donna M. Kotzan School Mission Award from Notre Dame.
Each year Notre Dame Prep bestows special awards to two graduates who best exemplify the school’s mission. For the girls, the award is called the Donna M. Kotzan School Mission Award and this year, Madeline Allard was named its awardee. For the boys, it was Joseph Tuski who earned the school’s Harold P. Rice School Mission Award.
Among many other deserving graduating seniors, Allard and Tuski are students who embody the school mission in many ways. In fact, if Notre Dame had commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of an NDP graduate, the two likely would appear on that canvas.
Both grads were a bit thunderstruck to learn of the honors, but once they found out why they were chosen, they were at once both elated and proud. In Tuski’s case, he didn’t know he was the Rice awardee till almost the last minute.
“As I sat down in my chair before the graduation ceremony, I was flipping through the commencement pamphlet and noticed that I had won an award,” he said. “I saw that it was the Hal Rice Award, but to be honest, I knew nothing about it. Before it was my turn to walk across the stage to receive my diploma, [classmate] Gigi Gonzales introduced the award and what it entailed. It was then and there that I understood much more about what an honor it really was to receive it.”
Joseph Tuski earned the school’s Harold P. Rice School Mission Award.
Tuski also said that just like Hal Rice, one of his main focuses while at Notre Dame was to help other students unlock their own true potential.
“I wanted them to do well academically and to hold themselves to a higher standard when interacting with others in all words and actions,“ he said. “But what I truly enjoyed about my time at Notre Dame mostly was bringing people closer to God. I encouraged many of my friends and others to develop and deepen their faith. I also think that without Notre Dame’s welcoming, comfortable and accepting environment, I would not have been able to be there for my fellow classmates in the way that I was.”
In the fall, Tuski will be attending Oakland University where he will be studying mechanical engineering. He said he’ll be in the honors college at Oakland and one of the requirements of that college is writing a thesis during his senior year, which he said has him really excited.
Serving others selflessly
For Allard, upon finding out that she was to receive her special award, she said she remembers being excited as well as feeling an immense gratitude. But she also had much admiration for the award's namesake, particularly with respect to Donna Kotzan's faith and service.
Madeline Allard had much admiration for the award’s namesake, particularly with respect to Donna Kotzan’s faith and service.
According to Allard, Notre Dame Prep put her on a solid path forward in becoming the Christian person, upright citizen and academic scholar that she is.
“I’ve become a better Christian person by strengthening my faith during retreats, Kairos, daily Mass, service projects and pro-life initiatives,” she said. “I have learned what it means to be an upright citizen by learning to stand up for the voiceless in our community such as the elderly, disabled, unborn and marginalized. And I believe I’ve also had an opportunity to become a better academic scholar through NDP’s tough AP curriculum, a demanding band and theater program, and gifted teachers who pushed me to write, speak and think critically.”
‘Closer relationship with God’
While very grateful for getting the Rice award, Tuski said that he also believes there are many other students who he graduated with who could have earned such an honor.
Joe Tuski, third from right, celebrates with classmates at the 2017 Notre Dame Prep graduation.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunities Notre Dame has given me. Undoubtedly, I would not be the person who I am today if it wasn't for Notre Dame. But more importantly, the thing is, I would not have the relationship that I have with God if it wasn't for Notre Dame.”
Like Tuski, Allard also hopes she was able to bring some of her classmates closer to the mission of Notre Dame.
“Looking back, I would like to think that I have helped to further the true mission of Notre Dame by bringing others to Christ, by spreading joy and loving and accepting people no matter who they are,” she said. “Many of the priests, teachers, campus ministry staff, and administrators who I have been fortunate to get to know also have been role models for who I want to become. During my time at NDP, I have seen my classmates grow into confident young adults ready to jump into the world. And I’ve seen a true transformation in myself and in the class of 2017 — and I can’t wait to continue using the skills and sense of service I have learned at Notre Dame to make a difference in the world.”
More on the awards:
Donna M. Kotzan School Mission Award: Donna Kotzan influenced thousands of students in her 35-year teaching career. Until her retirement, Kotzan was a mathematics teacher and administrator at Notre Dame for 14 years. She is a woman of faith and generosity who lives the mission of the school. It is appropriate that the award given to the young lady who fulfills the Notre Dame mission is named in her honor.
Harold P. Rice School Mission Award: Hal Rice taught history and religion in Marist Fathers schools — including Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods and Notre Dame Prep — for more than 50 years. Rice, who died in 2013, modeled the school mission his entire career for thousands of students. The award bearing his name is presented to the young man who best exemplifies the living of the Notre Dame school mission: With God we form Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars.
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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." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by 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.