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Notre Dame is inviting all Hounds to make a short video or submit a brief written testimonial, outlining how your College experience contributed to your life. It could focus on a person, event, team or the general experience. Your memories are invaluable as they are a testament to the relevance of a Notre Dame education and should be saved for posterity.

If you decide to write a testimonial, please keep it under 500 words.  It should include a clear photo of you and the years you attended Notre Dame. We are asking for 2-5 minute videos, a head and shoulders shot, recorded on your mobile phones (horizontal) or suitable cameras.  The videos would be shared on the College’s website.

We encourage everyone to consider doing this, even if you are uneasy about talking to a camera.  Involve your friends and family. Make mistakes. Do it again. Please check the clarity of the picture and the quality of the audio.  Make it a fun event, and we will help edit it later if need be. 

Hounds from all eras are encouraged to preserve their memories. Those who were there with Pere can leave personal memories of him.

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Hounds Testimonials

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  • Click the video below to watch all the video testimonials we have received so far.





How to share your
memories of Notre Dame
Once you have made your short video or brief written testimonial, send it to us at ndtestimonials@notredame.ca.

For videos that are too large to email, head over to , upload your file(s) and once uploaded, submit them to ndtestimonials@notredame.ca.


Alumni News

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To view an individual Hounds' video or written testimonial, please click the corresponding red name bars below.
Video Testimonials

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Written Testimonials

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  • Brian Felesky

    Hello Hounds and Future Hounds,
    My name is Brian Felesky. I attended Notre Dame for only one year 1959-60. (For family reasons, I did not continue). However, to my amazement and eternal gratitude, my relationship with Notre Dame has continued for a lifetime.
    With deep thanks to Bill and Lois Mooney, as well as to Jack Gorman, (three iconic Hounds), I was blessed to have ongoing contact with Pere, whenever he came to Calgary. So my engagement grew.
    Later on, I was honoured to serve as a member of the Board of Regents with Fred Hill, as Chair. Fred was a giant patron and leader of Notre Dame. Martin Kenney was the exceptional/memorable Principal.
    Today, I’m privileged to be working with the current and very passionate Chair of the Board, Murray Maynard, and a small, but mighty, group of Alumni. Together, we are committed to enriching Pere’s grand spirit at the College, for the benefit of all students and teachers. Indeed, the legacy of Pere Murray has inspired students and lifted them up, to their potential, for over 100 years. There’s much more to go!
    No doubt, Pere was a “bigger than life” person – a person of great faith and intellect – a person who was steeped in the wisdom of the classic philosophers from Plato to Voltaire. He was also an exceptionally gifted orator. Pere’s words could stir up high emotions and take the breath away of all listeners, whether they be kids in a classroom or players on the ice, teachers in a meeting, executives at a dinner, or a student or parent with him, in his cluttered office in Lane Hall.
    I fondly remember being with Pere and a small group, at a dinner in a Greek restaurant in Regina. Pere was moved by all the pictures of the Parthenon, the Acropolis, Venus and the like, on the walls. So, he just stood up in the middle of the restaurant and gave a short, and very moving oration on the great gift to humanity of the Greek philosophers. The restaurant owners, all of the patrons, the staff and the rest of us, were absolutely spell bound.
    Further, Pere was also a remarkable visionary. He was way ahead of his time in the 1950’s, when he began writing and speaking about the imperative of ecumenicalism as well as the importance of diversity and pluralism, for world peace and for harmony in our communities. That was well before the diversity and civil rights movements, really got going in the US and elsewhere. It’s also remarkable that in 1962, he built the Tower of God to celebrate, that there is one universal God for all faiths, particularly the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Further, to underscore the universality of God, it is incredible that Pere, a humble prairie priest, was able to communicate with, and get written testimonials of such belief in a universal God, from various world leaders, including King Faisal, Henry Kissinger and Charles de Gaulle.  
    Indeed, Pere’s legacy is very unique and very precious. It’s the mission of Notre Dame to keep that legacy alive – to keep it as a vital part of the school’s culture – to inspire students to realize their full potential, for their personal benefit and for the benefit of their country. Indeed, as Pere so ominously stated – Hounds must “look the world right in the eye and join hands in a common task”.
    Bless you all. Let us celebrate and give thanks for the gift of Notre Dame in all our lives and in all future lives.
     
    Brian

  • Erin & Gerry Inglis

    For all three of our children Note Dame was a life changing experience.

    Our daugher Aidan enrolled in grade 12 when she realized her priorities needed to change. She learned it was "cool" to be smart, and how to think big. Our oldest son Taylor enrolled when he was 13 for grade 9, and it turned his life around 180 degrees. His brother Cale decided to join him and also be a four-year Hound, and was Valedictorian and runner up for Athlete of the Year. All three learned personal responsibility, independence and self reliance.

    The unique mix of excellent academics, athletic opportunities and value based life lessons helped them channel their energies and strengths into areas where they could really achieve success. Aidan did her BBA at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, then her MBA at the University of Calgary, playing varsity basketball all the way, returning to Notre Dame each year to help coach summer basketball camps.

    Taylor did his BA at Concordia University where he played varsity football. He's spent the last seven years in the CFL playing for the Edmonton Eskimos, and today is also a successful real estate agent. Cale did his BBA at Acadia, and then his MBA at the University of Regina playing varsity football throughout. He also returned to Notre Dame as a part-time house parent and mentor to give back some of the positive lessons he gained there.

    We are very proud of all three of our children, and so grateful to Notre Dame for providing the opportunity for them "to make something of their lives."

    Erin and Gerry Inglis
    Proud Parents of Hounds Aidan, Taylor and Cale

  • Debbie & Mike Karpenko

    Our daughter Chelsea graduated from Notre Dame in 2007 and is currently attending Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She was, and still is very proud to be a Notre Dame Hound.

    As they say, "Once a Hound always a Hound," and I think that will always hold true for her. Her experience at Notre Dame prepared her well for living in residence at University in many ways. She learned leadership skills and confidence in her ability to be independent.

    The spiritual aspect of the school brought her a greater awareness of the importance of giving, com-passion, acceptance and appreciation for the blessings in life.

    We found the teachers, coaches, nurses and staff to be caring, supportive and nur-turing. Although Notre Dame is located in the tiny town of Wilcox, the teenagers there always seemed very happy living in the Notre Dame community. This says a lot about the school's ability to keep kids interested and engaged with learning, sports and a wide variety of extra curricular activates.

    As a parent, it was reassuring to know that when we left our child at Notre Dame and drove back to Winnipeg, there was always someone close by who we felt genuinely cared about her well being, whether in school, in sport or emotion-ally.

    We will forever be grateful for having had the opportunity to send our daughter to Notre Dame.

    Debbie & Mike Karpenko
    Proud Parents of Hound Chelsea, '08

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  • Carol & Rick Schwartz

    As parents of three children who graduated from Note Dame, we can honestly say that each one had the best time of their life there.

    We chose it because of its hockey programs for both male and female athletes, and as a result, all three of our kids received full scholarships to NCAA Division 1 Universities exceeding a total of $500,000. Mandy went to Yale and both our boys are at Colorado College.

    But while they certainly loved and benefited enormously from those programs, it turned out the real benefits came from their day to day lives at Notre Dame; from their friends and teammates, from the staff and coaches, from the graduate Hounds that "Never Lose Heart," and especially from the school motto "Struggle and Emerge."

    When Mandy was diagnosed with leukemia the strength that came from those words was there for all us when we needed it. And so were the vast numbers of Notre Dame Hounds who showed up for her and for us with all the love and compassion of a family.

    Although she is no longer here, I know she watches over us with pride as we continue to raise awareness in her name for this ongoing battle. She really knew how blessed she was to have been loved and supported by all her warriors - the Hounds of Notre Dame. THANK YOU!

    Carol and Rick Schwartz
    Proud Parents of Hounds Mandy, Rylan and Jaden

  • Mike & Carol Sitko

    Mike began his first teaching job at Notre Dame in 1979. He'd been told "If you want to learn to be a good teacher and leader, then go to Notre Dame."

    So he did, and in addition to just teaching, he was responsible for a dorm floor of boys and coached hockey, football and baseball.
    During our seven years living in Wilcox, Carol worked with Lynne Kenney in the college Support Services office making life-long friends that became like family. Our first two sons were born there, and after we returned to Ontario to be nearer our families, we had
    two more sons.

    Our four boys grew up hearing stories of Notre Dame, and our oldest son Jon decided he wanted to go there for grade 11. He absolutely loved it, and was followed there by brothers Matt, Josh and Patrick. All of them are still in contact with the friends they made at Notre Dame, as are we.

    As parents, we deeply appreciate the job the staff do 24/7 in the absence of day to day parents. Today our boys are all fine young men - two with university degrees and two presently still in college.

    Through their hockey they've made life-long friends, and love to go back for reunions. And when Matt got married to Sarah, almost twenty Hounds came to share their big day!

    If you've never visited Wilcox, take some time and go see the place for yourself. We think you will agree it's the best learning environment you can find for a young person today!

    Mike & Carol Sitko
    Proud Parents of Hounds Jon, Matt, Josh and Patrick

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P.O. Box 100 Wilcox · SK, Canada S0G 5E0
Phone: 306-732-2080 · Fax: 306-732-4408 (Confidential) · Email: info@notredame.ca