Lower-school teacher is in the movies

Wrestling a vampire, getting strangled by Sigourney Weaver and screaming in Al Pacino’s face likely are not things that most elementary-school teachers get to do in a lifetime. But for Notre Dame’s lower-school physical education teacher, it’s just another day at the office—well, to be truthful, his “extra” office.

 

With a nearly 40-year career in teaching and coaching under his belt, Notre Dame’s Patrick Battani has been one busy guy. Now, as Notre Dame Marist’s phys-ed teacher, he is taking very young and rambunctious junior-kindergarten to fifth-grade students and giving them a well-rounded weekly routine of fitness activities that sometimes rival sophisticated high-school and college programs.

 

For example, from the lower school's curriculum guide on physical education: Jr.-K: “Use objects and props to develop spatial awareness and coordination skills.” 2nd grade: “Demonstrate selected elements of mature form of manipulative skills of roll, underhand throw, overhand throw, catch, kick, hand dribble and volley.” 5th grade: “Demonstrate mature form of a variety of locomotor and non-locomotor skills.” Pretty impressive and complex stuff for young students—and their teacher!

 

For Battani, however, who spent 31 of his teaching years as an English teacher in the Detroit school system and who probably should be thinking about taking a quieter, less-stressful path to retirement, he says he’s very happy doing what he’s doing at Notre Dame. 

 

“I really like teaching at ND Marist because the little kids are so enthusiastic,” he says. 

 

Battani also heads Notre Dame’s high school varsity girls basketball program. He’s been coaching at NDP for seven years after previous stints at Bishop Borgess, Ann Arbor Huron and Andover high schools. He says he especially loves coaching at NDP. 

 

“Notre Dame Prep is great because the athletic program is so organized, the facilities are outstanding, and the kids are smart,” he said. “Which is very important because we have a very large playbook for basketball.”

 

If all that’s not enough to keep Battani busy, for the last six years he’s been a scorer of standardized test essays for the Michigan MEAP as well as for the Tennessee and Connecticut tests. And he’s currently a substitute teacher in the Warren Consolidated School system.

 

But it’s probably his film and TV resume that piques more than just a few interested inquiries, including a few from The Blarney Stone. 

 

For the last several years, Battani has been fortunate enough to get lots of work as an extra on Hollywood-type film sets. Between spending a month as a stand-in for noted actor and playwright Wallace Shawn and literally standing next to Robert DeNiro for take after take where he had to receive communion 14 times, Battani says he’s had the pleasure of working on numerous other films with many of Hollywood’s elites.

 

Lower-division teacher Pat Battani once received communion 14 times in a scene with actor Robert Di Niro.

He’s worked with Pacino in the Kevorkian biopic “You Don’t Know Jack,” De Niro in “Stone,” and counts Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Paul Sorvino, Benicio Del Toro and Sigourney Weaver as fellow actors on recent films. In addition, Battani, who got into the business by simply answering a casting call, was an extra in the Detroit-filmed AMC drama series “Low Winter Sun.” His latest work is for the upcoming release of “Into the Storm,” in which actor Richard Armitage has a lead role. 

 

“Look for me in about five scenes,” Battani said. “And also look for NDP junior Hailey Atkins, who also was an extra in the film.” The film premieres August 8.

 

Besides “You Don’t Know Jack” (2010), “Stone” (2010) and “Into the Storm” (2014), Battani’s filmography includes “The Irishman” (release date N/A), “Jimmy P” (2013), “Real Steel” (2011) and “Vamps” (2012), in which Weaver’s character tries to strangle him.

 

So what does Battani do when he’s not teaching six year olds, coaching high schoolers or acting with Hollywood A-listers? He and his wife, Jean, travel a lot and they both try to keep up with their five kids, Kelli, Kim, Kevin, Mike and Amanda. Oh, and he says he cooks, too. “I was a chef for six years. So I love to cook!” Phew! It appears that for chef Battani, there really is always something simmering on his stove. 

 

Follow Notre Dame 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.