Mr. Robert Pauly, Notre Dame Academy’s new president, arrived in style, wearing custom-made NDA shoes crafted with help from Mrs. Cathy Kirschling, atrium receptionist.

“I was so excited to become the president, and I wanted something that would be fun and goofy, the opposite of the stuffy perception of a school president,” Mr. Pauly said.

Mr. Pauly came up with the idea to create unique shoes that he could wear to greet students before school, during pep-assemblies and at football games.

“I was walking through Target,” the president said,” and I spotted these funky, blue, one- of-a-kind shoes for $35.”

Mr. Pauly said he is always thinking of ways to connect with students, whether it is singing and strumming on the guitar, or greeting students with a smile and a high five before school, and now the suede shoes.

“But I had a great deal of help from Mrs. Kirschling. I told her what I wanted and she made it happen,” Mr. Pauly said.

“I had to call four different places,” Mrs. Kirschling explained.  “It took a little process.”

The company, Elite, eventually sewed on the NDA crests, cut from uniform shirts, within a day, but Mrs. Kirschling made more than five trips for the special shoes.

“I was moving my son to college, so it was a busy time in my life, but I pulled them all together in the end,” she said.

“She really came through,” said the president.   “I was just going to glue them on myself with some Elmer’s glue.”

Students and staff agree that the hard work of customizing the shoes was worth it.

“I thought they were cool,” sophomore Patrick Grace said, and junior Luke Mariani added, “They showed spirit.”

“I love the crest idea on the back,” Mrs. Kirschling said.

Mr. Pauly remembered former governor Lee Dreyfus and his signature red vest he would wear representing Bucky Badger.  Anytime he spoke, Dreyfus would wear that vest, Mr. Pauly said.

“My shoes could represent Notre Dame Academy, and he (Dreyfus) was my inspiration to bring a little fun and spirit,” Mr. Pauly explained.

Even more than the shoes, Mr. Pauly admired the school spirit he saw in the students at last week’s home football game.

“I was very proud to be associated with this group of students, and I thought they were awesome,” the president said.

He thinks that the shoes represent the school spirit of NDA--good, silly and fun.

“These shoes bring out the joy in people, the best of the school. They are youthful like I once was,” Mr. Pauly said.