As a contributing writer for the last and only year of the Leprechaun’s existence, it has come to my attention that there are many individuals out there who truly miss the bi-monthly Leprechaun. The mission of the Leprechaun was to connect alumni, students, parents and friends to the events, past and present, at Notre Dame. I miss all the wonderful teachers and staff who worked on the Leprechaun as we tried to come up with interesting and noteworthy articles for each edition. I know that many of you are missing a great many things concerning Notre Dame, and now it seems we have all become the “evacuees” of Hurricane Adam. You are all wondering what happened. Why did it have to happen? What next? As someone who was close to the events as they transpired, the following are my observations and personal dealings with Notre Dame’s fight for survival in the preceding two years leading up to the closure.

In September of 2003, I was introduced to the new Development Director, Tim VerVaecke, who arrived at Notre Dame with an enthusiasm and vision for what could and should be done to return the school to prominence. I was involved with the school as a parent for the four years prior to Tim’s arrival, and I had not witnessed any such vision during that time. My oldest son had just graduated the previous May and with one son down and another to go, I was feeling that while there were a lot of things right about Notre Dame, there were equally as many things wrong with it. Complacency had worn hard on the teachers and staff and parents struggled with fund raisers that had become old and tired. Along with a failing economy, enrollment had declined, thus causing a financial crisis that needed immediate attention. The school required so many things from so many people. We were in a race for our survival, and it was truly hard to know which problem to tackle first. Who knows when the AOD first decided to pull the plug? Was it even a well-thought decision after hard consideration?

When Tim first came to Notre Dame, he immediately tried connecting with the parents, alumni, and staff. He attended the first Parent’s Club meeting and talked about some of the things he would like to try doing at the school to get spirit up, to get more involvement from the ND community, but most importantly to bring the fun back into events at Notre Dame. He then sat down and studied past contributions made to the annual fund, discovered a steady decline, and wondered why it had happened. He spoke with many people during his investigation as to what went wrong. Why was the school in the shape it was in? It became abundantly clear that this complacency had eroded alumni support for the school. Alumni no longer felt connected and felt that nothing was being done to establish a re-connection between them and their Alma Mater. There were even people in the community living just a few short miles away that didn’t know Notre Dame existed! How could that be? This school had been there for 50 years and there were actually people who thought it was gone?

One of Tim’s first ideas in trying to connect with people was to have an evening where a number of alumni would be honored by the school as a “thank-you” for each gentleman’s contribution to ND after graduation and to acknowledge the amazing personal accomplishments they made in their lives. This was not to be an effort to secure donations from alumni; it was to be a night of celebration, plus a venue to show the community the successful alumni we were so proud to say had graduated from Notre Dame. The first Emerald Evening took place in June of 2004, and four alumni were honored. The second Emerald Evening was to take place in October of 2005, but the AOD had other plans for us.

Next, Tim founded the newspaper “The Leprechaun” and published the first edition in June of 2004 with a small staff of three people. The paper was established as a way to let alumni know what was happening at ND and to let parents see what their sons were involved in. It was our mission to make sure that each edition was distributed as timely as possible with articles that would be of interest not only to current students, but alumni as well. Our staff grew to six members, and quickly we had more information to put in the paper than we could actually print. The first few issues were just nine pages, and in the end, we had a hard time keeping our editions down to the 16-page paper it had become. Lesnau Printing (Paul,’72 & Michael, ‘72) did their best to get the paper out as quickly as possible, always cognizant of our limited financial status but our desperate need to get our product in the hands of the Notre Dame community in a timely manner.

The next order of business was to quickly get a marketing plan up and running if we were going to have a fiscally healthy freshman class for the following year. Mike Kelly ‘73, put a marketing campaign together that would let everyone know what Notre Dame was about. In the fall of 2004, the first of three marketing campaigns was mailed to 5,000 6th-8th grade boys entitled “Great Numbers” which boasted the incredible things that were happening at Notre Dame.

While the marketing campaign was being implemented, the Board of Directors met and formed two committees to study and resolve the enrollment problems we were facing. The two committees would be called “short-term crisis” and “long-term crisis.” I would head up the short-term crisis with the goal of and intent to increase enrollment for the following year, while the long-term committee would immediately investigate the STACE project in Northern Macomb County, along with the possibility of keeping the Harper Woods School open in its present location.

My committee immediately swung into action, meeting weekly. I met daily with Rick Kuhn ‘66, Admissions Director, on how best to aid in the recruitment process. Parents were called and asked for help in assisting in these efforts. When we held our Fall Open House, the school was alive with enthusiasm from current parents and their sons along with board members and staff as hosts to our guests as we proudly showcased the school. We had prospective parents commenting about how pleased and surprised they were by Notre Dame and its community, with those same parents and sons taking a longer and harder look at choosing Notre Dame. Parents who hadn’t considered us seriously in the past were now thinking twice about sending their sons to Notre Dame! We then contacted alumni and asked them to write a short essay on why they chose Notre Dame and to submit it to Mr. Kuhn. These would be used in our second campaign message sent out again to area students in grades 6-8. This one was entitled “Why I Chose Notre Dame.” The words and feelings expressed by the young men who wrote were inspiring and heartfelt. After reading these essays, I asked Mrs. Ayrault of the English Department if she would ask her current classes to do the same. After reading 95 essays that were written in class, 99 percent of those young men all concluded the same: they were proud of their school; they felt safe and secure; they had the best teachers around; their teachers cared; they knew this was a brotherhood like no other; they were proud to be “Gentlemen of Notre Dame” and that ultimately they could not imagine going to any other school. (I wonder what they imagine now?) These testimonials of alumni and current students were used in this second ad campaign.

Next we sent informational packets to area catechism classes in an effort to attract any boys not currently in feeder schools. Our Principal, Mike Reece ‘79, visited every feeder school that would allow him to and even offered our school bus to pick up any students that wanted to come and spend the day at ND. A Battle of the Bands was planned for early spring with area middle-school students participating. Every accolade, sporting event outcome, and event planned at ND was put in area newspapers. We literally left no stone unturned when it came to getting the word out that the school was a hidden jewel. Parents worked hard sprucing up the outside of the school, planting bushes, trees, flowers, putting down mulch. A sign was printed and placed in the front of the school by Embree Signs (Jamie Embree ‘02) announcing 50 Years of Marists Educational Excellence.

While all these efforts to increase enrollment were occurring, the long-term committee was investigating the STACE proposal in Macomb County. There were many meetings with STACE members and Notre Dame personnel. Negotiations began regarding Notre Dame being a possible candidate for the new school that would be built at 23 and Card Road. While these negotiations were ongoing, Tim gathered a group of influential alumni to see if they would support such a new school and ask what their feelings were about moving. It was unanimous! The alumni felt the school should be moved and would support the transition to the new facility.

So here we are, trying to build support for the present school with the possible move to a new school, all the while doing the many other forms of outreach. Next, the students put on a Christmas play for area needy children, serving them lunch, with Santa giving each child a gift. Neal Rubin of the Detroit News was so impressed by their production that a full page article was printed in the Sunday paper praising the students and their generous spirit. In the meantime, the parents planned a dinner theater evening that included an auction, dinner, and live performance. The evening was an overwhelming success, and on the night of the performance, the ND cafeteria was turned into a beautiful dining hall that had students looking around wondering where they were. Next was the 2nd annual Chili Cook-off. Again attendance had doubled from the previous year. Our next event to be planned would be the Fr. Bryson Classic Car Show, with the hope of getting Fr. Bryson to come home and maybe even have a sock hop like in the “old days.” This was another plan that would be sidelined but later resurfaced in our efforts to keep the school financially afloat during the days following closure notification. If we had only known the storm was coming . . .

Negotiations for the STACE property were heating up and we were told we needed to put together a proposal showing how our move to the new location would be financed. In the meantime, Tim needed to meet with alumni to update them on the status of what was occurring with the new school. A meeting date was set for Tuesday, March 15th, at which time it was our hope that the alumni would back this plan and use any influence they had in helping us accomplish this endeavor. The previous week, Tim and I had occasion to visit the new Catholic Central High School in Novi. As we toured this new school, we were overcome by the prospect of Notre Dame actually being able to have something as grand as what we were viewing. We felt if Notre Dame could get alumni support, that we too could move into a new era and possibly rival the days where ND was a powerhouse in the catholic school community.

March 15th finally arrives – the day Tim is to meet with alumni to pitch the idea of supporting a new school. At 2:00 that afternoon, Fr. Sajdak returned to school after meeting with the AOD where he was told we are on the list of schools to be closed. He was told there is no appeal. He is told to start the process of closing down the school. He was also informed that they (AOD) will not release this closure announcement until Father has time to let his school know. I received the news later that day and thought of the impending meeting that night with alumni. I was sick. How could this be? We were in the process of moving forward. We had done all this work. What about the new school? What do we say to alumni tonight?

Tim’s meeting with alumni to discuss the new school went first as planned. He informed them of the possibility of moving to a new location and the financing such a move would require. He then had to deliver the news that even though these were the things we had been planning, the AOD has other things in mind. The alumni were shocked and angered. A television news crew got wind of the school closures and tracked down Fr. Sajdak along with a few of the men who were attended this meeting. The news of the closures hit the 11:00 o’clock news, and unsuspecting parents and students found out that their schools were going to close on the nightly news before any school personnel had the opportunity to tell them first. My phone started ringing around 6:00 the next morning and didn’t stop ringing for days. Parents were asking me if what they heard was true. We were all in shock, and we all needed to know what to do. There were so many questions and so many accusations. People started blaming administration, the board, anyone involved at the school was fair game when it came time to point the finger as to the cause of why this was happening. None of this seemed possible; not to the student body, not to the teachers, not to the staff, but especially not to the group of people who had been working tirelessly to try to right the ship that seemed to be sinking. How could they close a school with 300 students; a school that turned out the amazing number of bright, college-bound gentlemen year after year?

We felt in the beginning that we could somehow change the mind of the AOD and show them the terrible mistake they were making. There must be some way we could sit down and calmly come up with a proposal that would benefit everyone. We knew there were financial concerns on the part of the AOD and this was why we were doing the things we had been doing over the course of the last year. We were trying to rectify the mistakes of the past, but in the meantime, we needed to keep the school operational until the end of the school year. With the devastating news that we were to close, needed funds were going to dry up quickly and not be replenished.

One of the first orders of business after getting the news was to mobilize parents and students and find a way to keep the doors open until the end of the school year. We called a meeting of the parents who wanted to help with these efforts, with close to 400 parents and students attending and offering their support. Plans for fund-raising began immediately with roughly ten events planned that kept money coming in to the school until the day we were to be evicted. I am forever grateful for all the hard work that many parents, students, and alumni did during the weeks that we scrambled to stay alive. They worked tirelessly with the hope and trust that we would prevail and be allowed to stay alive.

An alumnus who had been the most closely involved in the negotiations for a new school decided to meet with the Archdiocese to see if he could pay off the school’s debt, purchase Notre Dame’s building and return the school back to independent status. He was told no, it was too late, and nothing could be done. He argued; he pleaded; he offered to pay off the school’s debt plus a nice profit for the Archdiocese. He got as high as 5 million dollars. He was told again and again, it’s too late. When he reported this to Notre Dame, it seemed to all concerned that this did not make sense. Since when does someone not want back the money they’ve loaned you plus a profit? If your home lender wanted his money back that he had loaned you and you came up with the funds, wouldn’t he accept it? What is behind this unreasonable attitude about Notre Dame? We didn’t want to be under their protective arm anymore. We wanted to go back to the pre-1997 era when we were owned by the Marists. We had alumni support and a business plan, but the AOD wasn’t listening and apparently did not care.

There were many calls by board members to Bishops and Monsignors and even a registered letter to Cardinal Maida asking for discussions to be opened, frank and sincere discussions. We were turned down at every attempt. The Archdiocese would not negotiate.

A group of highly successful businessmen and alumni were put together and a business plan for purchasing the school was mapped out. Here we had a group of men who believed in what Notre Dame was doing and felt so strongly about its existence that they were willing to put up as much money as it would take to save the school. In the months following, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from people who have inquired about that meeting. To this day, the AOD denies any such meeting ever took place or that any money was offered. It is an absolute insult to the integrity and generosity of these gentlemen. What kind of people could be running the Catholic Church in Detroit?

Parents who had worked fund raisers and attended informational meetings held by the school were getting angry. They wanted to know why the school wasn’t pursuing legal action against the AOD. They met with parent and attorney Pete Harrington who offered to help the parents on a pro bono basis to try and sue the AOD. A corporation was formed by the parents called “Friends of Notre Dame” and these parents took the Archdiocese and Adam Maida to court for the wrongful closure in accordance with the by-laws of the school and the Archdiocese. According to the by-laws that were drawn up at the time the AOD took ownership of the building, the only way the school could be closed would be by the agreement of three parties: the Marists, the Board of Directors and lastly the AOD. It was the contention of the parents that this was an illegal closure since all three parties had not agreed to the act. In the end, the Board of Directors would not join us in the lawsuit, the Marists felt they could not because of their position in the church, thereby leaving the parents to try and bring a suit to court on their own. Another lawyer, Dan Henry, was hired to assist in the case, and in June we went to court. Judge William Giovann heard the arguments of both sides and ultimately ruled that the Friends of Notre Dame had no legal standing in the cause. In the end, we all know what happened. On June 30th, Notre Dame Harper Woods closed its doors for good after 51 years of educational excellence. Many people tried different things to try to persuade the Archdiocese from taking this action. We all had our own idea about what would work and what wouldn’t. We all wanted the same thing: the chance to move forward and continue to offer the kind of educational excellence that so many men had received over these many years.

The good people at Notre Dame tried, with all that they possessed, to reverse the irrational decision for closure. There was no sensitivity shown to the young people affected when the decision was announced. Those young people attending all the schools affected received none of the considerations that the current church closures are being given: time to relocate and get used to the idea. It is a shame that again the children pay for the sins of the father. The Archdiocese needs money for those sins, and we are the ones paying the ultimate price. The Notre Dame building now sits vacant with a “For Sale” sign on the front lawn with a price tag of 7.2 million.

Fifty-plus years ago parents, much like myself, gathered together to discuss the future education of their young sons. They put their time, energy, talent and money together and the end result was the excellent academic institution that was Notre Dame. We now find ourselves in the same position as not having a school for our sons, our grandsons, and even our daughters or granddaughters. I have always said that I feel blessed that there were those individuals way back in the 50's that took that leap of faith and built the school that educated my sons. Now that my family received that blessing, I feel that I must somehow make sure that future generations will be afforded that same opportunity.

The Friends of Notre Dame are currently investigating such an endeavor. There is a need for Notre Dame, wherever it’s built. Many have argued that “it won’t be the same.” This is very true. Nothing stays the same. The Notre Dame that educated my sons in ‘03 and ‘05 was not the Notre Dame that Rick Kuhn graduated from in ‘66, or Jim Mandl, Jr in ‘90. Things change; people change; life is constantly evolving. The building on Kelly Road is just that – a building. It was the Marist charisms that made it what it was; it was the philosophy for educational excellence; it was the building of moral, upright, scholarly gentlemen for the future that made Notre Dame the school it was. Those things can be duplicated again in another facility. God willing, they will be.

- Debi Gurney (Jeff ‘03, Greg ‘05)