Two teachers talk about what makes Notre Dame so special and why it feels just like home.
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy counts many of the best teachers in Michigan among its faculty. And what sets them even further apart is their genuine caring for the students as well as a passion for Notre Dame's central mission.
In this video, part of a series of videos on representatives of Notre Dame's exemplary faculty and staff, Brandon Jezdimir, a sixth-grade teacher and vice principal of the middle school, and Barbara (Bobbie) Hall, who teaches English, health and P.E. in the upper division, talk about why they became teachers and what made them want to teach at Notre Dame.
“I walked into this building more than 10 years ago, and I knew there was something special about this place,” said Jezdimir, when asked why he teaches at NDPMA.
He said he’s got a real passion for teaching kids, which he says is due in large part to two very influential people in his own early academic life—teachers and mentors who were not only committed to academics, they were focused on the whole person, certainly a familiar refrain to those who have been part of the Notre Dame family for more than five minutes.
A 2000 graduate of Notre Dame Prep, Hall, who teaches English, health and P.E. in the upper division, says Notre Dame is her home. She says that God brought her back home for a reason.
She loves working with kids, loves to help them learn all the life lessons that school and athletics can teach them through the school and its curriculum.
“I want to see the students succeed, especially after they’ve been struggling with something,” she said. “It just gives them a whole new sense of hope and confidence, and I love to be part of helping them with that.”
More from Hall and Jezdimir is in the video below. Enjoy!
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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 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.