On a mission – Notre Dame

Notre Dame senior is taking the school's mission with her to college, to the community and to life.

Gretel Keller, a senior at Notre Dame Prep, goes over some school work with classmates in the cafeteria.

Students at Notre Dame are introduced to its mission statement typically before they even begin their first classes. Many if not most listen to it, learn it and are able to recite it after only a short time on campus. By the time students graduate from the school's upper division, they usually will have demonstrated a pretty thorough understanding of what the mission means to them as young people heading out to college and life.

ND Prep senior Gretel Keller is no different. In fact, she can not only quote the NDPMA mission statement, she can riff specifically on how each of the three main mission components has translated into action for her.

Keller said that as an ND Prep student, she is provided the opportunity to follow the IB Diploma Program, which is preparing her for an exciting future.

"Notre Dame has helped me become a Christian person in part through my religion classes, which have helped me to look at my faith in a new light and to make sure it continues to take on a more important role in my life," she said. "My time here at Notre Dame also has helped me to become an upright citizen through all the community service opportunities that are offered. I have been able to get in better touch with the community around me and participate more in its activities."

And finally, she said, Notre Dame has given her the means to be a true academic scholar.

"The school's challenging curriculum has definitely been a plus for me," said Keller, whose sister Ingrid is a freshman at Notre Dame. "As an ND Prep student, I am provided the opportunity to follow the IB Diploma Program, which is preparing me as much as possible for my future. In addition, the teachers all encourage me to do my best in their classes."

For Keller, it seems her tenure at Notre Dame, which began in the middle school and ends in May at graduation, has definitely prepared her for the future. A successful college career no doubt awaits her after what can only be described as a highly successful high-school career.

In November, she was named a finalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program, which makes her eligible for one of more than 7,500 scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be awarded this spring.

In January, Keller earned two silver key awards for painting and mixed media art in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition for the Southeastern Michigan region. And a year ago, she was honored as a member of the Scholastic All Catholic Team by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

But it's not just art, sports and academics that have helped define Keller at Notre Dame. She has been a regular participant in the innovative “Head Heart Art” after-school and summer program dedicated to helping younger elementary school children reach academic success through art. Plus, she looks forward to NDPMA's annual "Make It Matter" day, which turns all of the school's 1,100 students into an intensive one-day community service machine each fall.

"I didn’t realize it at first, but I came to learn that Notre Dame — though academically focused — also has many other fun and community service-oriented activities that students can participate in," Keller said. "Like Make It Matter day, for example. This year, I was able to write many thank you letters to our military veterans."

Keller was a member of the varsity girls basketball team the past few years.

Keller also said that even though she's been keeping up with her school work and many extracurriculars — she was on the varsity girls basketball team, she's a member of the National Honor Society and Chinese NHS, and is one of the school's elite Student Ambassadors — if she ever has any problems with a class or any other issues, there is plenty of help to be found.

"I think Notre Dame is different from other schools because every student is given the best one-on-one attention possible," Keller said. "Our counselors will meet with us whenever we want to discuss topics such as the college-application process, for example. Also, we can meet with any teacher personally almost anytime if we're having any problems."

So when Keller and the rest of the Class of 2018 graduates on May 20, what do you think will be on her mind? She says she's got mixed feelings about that.

"I know when I graduate, I will leave this school feeling super-excited," she said. "But even though I will miss NDP, I will be looking forward to all the possibilities and opportunities that it has opened up for me."

Keller, third from right, joined her JV basketball teammates a few years ago to help out at Forgotten Harvest.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

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. Notre Dame'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's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools 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.