Five from Notre Dame dine with the Detroit Red Wings and get an update on new arena.
The Detroit Red Wings made their annual appearance in front of the Detroit Economic Club today, and five students from Notre Dame were on hand to witness it.
Andy Guest, executive vice president and director of advancement for Notre Dame, organized the trip and transported senior Abigail Hart, junior Luke Newman, junior Daniel Caton, junior Alexander Shimoon and freshman William Caton to the event, which was held at the Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit.
Christopher Ilitch, who is president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., was the meeting’s presiding officer and gave the keynote address to those in attendance.
Notre Dame’s Luke Newman, right, is with Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.
The five students were chosen because of their interest in business and technology, good academic standing, and a willingness to experience a “real-world,” high-profile gathering of business and government executives. It didn’t hurt that all were big Red Wings fans, either.
Among topics discussed by Ilitch was the new Red Wings arena, which he said already has nearly 10,000 tons of steel in place along with foundation work underway for the building’s retail and office spaces. He said the roof should be up by the fall and the official name of the arena could be announced soon. He also said the site lines will be much better than at Joe Louis Arena and the new arena will have 60% more concession space and a concourse three times the size of the one at Joe Louis.
In January, Guest took five students to Detroit’s Cobo Center to sit in on a presentation and discussion given by southeast Michigan’s “big four” government executives, which is comprised of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. In November, Guest took a number of Notre Dame students to a DEC luncheon that featured Dell Computer founder Michael Dell.
Senior Abigail Hart shows off the Red Wings autographs she received today at the DEC luncheon.
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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.