Scholarship in memory of alum Kristy Malter celebrated Dec. 4 at Notre Dame.
At a ceremony held Dec. 4, 2017, on the Notre Dame campus, members of the cheer team look on as alum Kristy Malter's parents, from left, Tim and Donna Malter, and NDPMA Head of School Andy Guest sign documents establishing the Kristy L. Malter Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Malter, who graduated from Notre Dame Prep in 2013, passed away in July of 2016 after contracting bacterial meningitis. She was 21. Upon her passing, her parents and several family friends decided to honor her memory by working with Notre Dame to create a scholarship in her name. The scholarship fund will provide supplemental support for families who qualify for financial aid to Notre Dame.
In remarks at the signing ceremony, Tim Malter thanked all who've been involved with getting the scholarship in motion.
"I'd like to start with Ed Belcrest, a friend of mine who graduated from NDHS in Harper Woods in 1981," Malter said. "Ed told me that he has one daughter and can't imagine what I'm going through. He said he saw a picture of Kristy in the paper and he wants that picture to live on."
Malter said Belcrest on the spot gave him a $2,000 check and told him to start a scholarship fund with it and it all went from there. Malter also said another acquaintance noted that he knew someone else who wanted to start an endowment fund for Kristy and contributed $45,000.
"And on top of all that, there have been even more donations coming in," Malter added.
"Also, to Andy Guest, Greg Simon and Beth Campbell, and the many people at Notre Dame who were involved with making the scholarship happen, we would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts."
According to Gregory Simon, Notre Dame's director of advancement, the school is honored to be part of carrying on Malter's spirit of service, generosity and her genuine care for children.
"Her scholarship will help students to be more like Kristy and participate in the Notre Dame community as upright citizens," Simon added. "We are thankful to the Malter family, Ms. Deloris Charles, and their friends for choosing to honor Kristy in this way."
The purpose of the scholarship, according to the scholarship's memorandum of understanding, is to "increase access to Notre Dame Preparatory School and create a merit-based scholarship honoring Kristy L. Malter ’13 (NDP)."
At Notre Dame, besides being an active and exemplary student, Malter was a member of the school's competitive cheer team. Cheer coach Beth Campbell remembers Malter as a special team member and an even more special person.
"Kristy was the kind of young lady you hope yours will turn out to be one day," Campbell said. "She was selfless and the ultimate sweetheart, always thinking of others. I cannot properly express how much it means to me to see her memory carrying on through this scholarship."
Short video of award ceremony is below.
The scholarship award will be made each year based on returns on investment in an amount not less than $2,000 total. NDPMA and the Malter family also encourage contributions to the scholarship fund.
Scholarship applicants will be evaluated solely based on Kristy L. Malter Memorial Scholarship essay submissions to the Notre Dame admissions office. The Malter family, in collaboration with the school admissions office, is creating an essay prompt and evaluation criteria for the scholarship.
Recommendations for Malter scholarship recipient(s) will be made by Notre Dame's admissions director and approved by the head of school.
The funds in the scholarship will be invested under the oversight of the NDPMA Board of Trustees and the fund growth to be managed by the finance committee of the Board of Trustees.
Contact Gregory Simon, director of advancement, at 248-373-2171, ext: 5, or gsimon@ndpma.org, with any questions or if you would like to contribute to the scholarship fund.
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. 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