At this year’s Falcon Awards Night, we are honoring four individuals who have had a remarkable impact on our school community and changed the lives of countless students. Whether providing tuition assistance, offering guidance and support, or leading programs that have helped generations of students grow in mind, body and soul, all of our awardees have created a lasting legacy at West Catholic. We encourage you to join us on Wednesday, October 25 at 6 p.m. at the Goei Center as we celebrate our award recipients.

St.  John Paul II Award – Fr. John Vallier has been a priest for 36 years but has been a sports enthusiast his entire life. As soon as he received his first assignment as Associate Pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in 1987, he became involved with sports at West Catholic. He assumed the role of spiritual guide for girls basketball the year of the State title run and served as chaplain and assistant coach for the ice hockey program. Fr. Vallier has also left a lasting impact on the lives of many young men over his 16 years working with the football team as a coach and mentor.

Alumni Excellence Award – Steve Norder ‘83 has seen great fruit from his decision to send all four of his kids to WC. After graduating from West, Steve attended GVSU, attained a business degree in 1988, and married his wife Joni in the same year. Now his company Custom Caulking and the Norder families give back to West any way they can since they feel “the more we give, the more we get.” Their support helps families with tuition expenses as well as athletics and the arts since they all contribute to the wellness of each student’s mind, body and soul. 

Business Excellence Award – Miles Schmidt ‘68 and his wife Cecelia sent seven of their eight children to West. The couple isn’t ashamed to admit that they received some financial help in getting their kids through WC. They are glad to now be able to give back and return the generosity. They are especially passionate about helping support other large WC families who may need tuition assistance and those families whose children aspire to serve our country in the military. His accounting firm Schmidt, Koning, Villarreal & Associates also supports Catholic education.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Mike Mulder has had an immeasurable impact on the West Catholic community. Mike not only taught science classes at West for over 30 years, but he also created many memories through the unique field trips he started, one of which continues today: the annual Out West trip. Mike started working at West in 1973, mainly teaching biology, anatomy and physical science. His goal was to have students love coming to school each day. He retired from West in 2008, but not after enriching thousands of students’ lives both in and out of the classroom.

Can’t make it to Falcon Awards Night? Consider making a donation in honor of one of our awardees! Visit grwestcatholic.org/giving to discover the various ways you can contribute.