Notre Dame Academy announced the students’ choices for the annual Academy Awards show that has been ongoing for almost 30 years. 

The show will be December 6.

The junior and senior contestants for the 2025 crown are Mitchell Belongia, Quinn Blom, Alex Ciak, Emma Ciak, Ryan Curtin, Harry Geiser, Schaun Huss, Royce Lin, Max Peirce, Cieran Ryan, Micah Warren and Eli Weiss. 

“The show now is bigger and better than it ever was,” said Mrs.Carolyn Brown, one of the advisers. “It’s full of surprises every year, never boring.”

The contestants will be judged on their intro, the talent portion and their Q & A responses. 

A Student Government fundraiser, proceeds from the show are used to cut the cost of the Academy Ball in the spring.

The show offers multiple opportunities for student participation–such as being in a contestant’s talent act or video, dancing in the senior dance, emceeing, working  on the stage or tech crew or going into a drawing to be a rampeteer. 

Auditioning to emcee is limited to seniors while freshmen and sophomores serve as rampeteers.

Members of the NDA staff often participate in the show, particularly Mr. Matt Schultz, the traditional quiz-master of the Q & A session.

The advisers of the show are Frau Laaksonen, who heads Student Government, Mrs. Julie Campbell, Mrs.Holly Hinch, Sarah VanGrunsven and Brown. 

To put on this production, the NDA tech crew under the leadership of  Mr. Jake Gerlikovski works long hours setting up lights, coordinating videos and recording various segments needed for the show.

“I just enjoy the whole student body coming together and enjoying something so good,” said Brown, who brought the idea of the show from her former school in the Chicago suburbs.

Advisers are contacting last year’s winner, Nicholas Gruesen, about the possibility of his returning to NDA from college to crown his successor.