The Notre Dame community mourns the passing of beloved teacher.
The following letter was sent by Head of School Andrew J. Guest to current NDPMA parents and guardians:
Dear Notre Dame parents and guardians:
Sylvia Mulrenin, one of the school’s most treasured teachers, passed away yesterday. The news of her illness was sad and unexpected. It caught her family and the entire Notre Dame community by surprise.
Sylvia was an amazing teacher who impacted the lives of thousands of Notre Dame students over her 26-year career at Notre Dame High School (1994-2003) and Notre Dame Preparatory (2003-2019). During that time, she taught mostly chemistry and anatomy, but also biology and was a Quiz Bowl moderator. She has been the co-department chair in the science department since 2015. Her daughter Megan (’09) son Patrick (’13), niece Emily (’15) and nephew, Andrew (’18) all graduated from ND Prep.
Sylvia had a passion for science and loved passing that passion on to young people. Her students often told us that they were well-prepared for college and many pursued careers in science based on the passion that she helped instill.
The school will be hosting a short prayer service tomorrow, Tuesday, June 18 at noon in the Chapel at the main campus on 1300 Giddings Road. The prayer service is open to anyone in the community who would like to gather to pray for Sylvia and her family.
The loss of a teacher can be a very traumatic experience for young people, and everyone grieves differently. It is okay to discuss what happened with your children, but it is not recommended to force them to share their feelings or push them to talk about it if they are not ready.
School counselors will be on-site to meet with students following the prayer service. If your sons or daughters are struggling with the loss of their teacher, I would encourage them to attend the prayer service and/or to meet with our counselors afterwards.
The bottom line is that they need to know that they are loved, it is okay to be sad for the loss of their teacher, but that they will be okay. Mrs. Mulrenin would want them to remember her in a positive way, learn from her lessons about science, education and life and continue to grow to be good Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars.
Sincerely,
Andrew J. Guest
Head of School
Read a January 2018 profile of Sylvia here.
Obituary and funeral arrangements:
Sylvia Mulrenin passed away at her home and surrounded by her loving family on Sunday June 16, 2019, at the age of 57. Sylvia was born in Mt. Clemens, Mich., on June 14, 1962, to Rudolph and Olga Wenzel. Sylvia is the beloved wife of Steven. Loving mother of Megan (Alex) Frankfort and Patrick Mulrenin. Dear sister of Robert (Pat) Wenzel and the late Udo Wenzel and the late Werner Wenzel. Dear sister in law of Barbara Wenzel. Loving aunt to several nieces and nephews. Sylvia was a beloved teacher at Notre Dame Prep and Notre Dame Harper Woods High Schools. Visitation Thursday 2-9 p.m. with an evening Scripture Service at the Wasik Funeral Home, Inc. 49150 Schoenherr Rd. (N. of 22 Mile Rd.), Shelby Twp. Instate Friday 9:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. Funeral Mass at St. Lawrence Catholic Church 44633 Utica Rd. (S. of M-59), Utica.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named Michigan's best 50 Catholic high school three of the last four years (Niche.com). Notre Dame's lower and middle schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All Notre Dame schools have been authorized by International Baccalaureate as "World Schools" and the entire institution is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers. It 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, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org