What Did I Learn in School Today?

It has been nearly two years since I was first invited to create a blog for Notre Dame Prep. What began as a marketing tool for NDP quickly became a labor of love for me. What a great gig. I spent the better part of the past 24 months interviewing those people who represent the […]

At NDP, the Hits Just Keep on Comin’!

Earlier this month, NDP’s esteemed musical director, Mr. Alex Dzbinski, travelled to the annual Heritage Music Adjudication in Nashville, Tennessee, accompanied by several of his well-trained and finely tuned student ensembles where they competed against other schools from around the country, including some very elite music academies. Despite the stiff competition, NDP basically swept the […]

One Story: Minnie Jang

Senior Minnie Jang has a system for applying to schools that has worked quite well for her. Essentially, it boils down to this: You pick the school you want to go to… and apply. That’s it. No second, third, or fourth choice. No back up plan. No safe bets. Just go for it. That’s what […]

One Story: Em McCarthy

There’s no formal application or approval process required to merit a profile in Bluenote. Usually, someone or something is simply brought to our attention. Ordinarily, by an NDP faculty or staff member with the hope that we’ll do a story on the subject. Every once in a while though, someone isn’t so much intentionally brought […]

Forensics with Benefits

Let’s get a couple of things straight right up front about the elite squad NDP math teacher, Mrs. Aimee Sann, supervises at Notre Dame. First of all, it’s Speech AND Debate. Not just Debate. And secondly, it’s not just a club. It’s a team. That’s right. It’s the Speech and Debate TEAM. As in head-to-head, […]

NDP Sophomores- Second to None

As any middle child knows, being sandwiched between others has its distinct advantages. The bad news is, the spotlight is rarely on you. The good news is…the spotlight is rarely on you. And when you get right down to it, that’s not a bad place to be at all. Just ask the sophomores. They know […]

Gateway Redux

Occasionally, Bluenote just gets it wrong. Never intentionally, of course, but wrong, nonetheless. Last week’s post on the Gateway Club fell short. Of clarity. Of explanation. Of expectations. This week’s post is a sincere attempt to rectify those shortcomings and hopefully, in the process, paint a fuller picture of the remarkable club that is the Gateway […]

One Story: Amanda Abraham

I don’t know if they keep such accounts, but if they do, then NDP senior, Amanda Abraham, surely must hold the record for the fastest talker on the planet. I should have tape-recorded our interview together. Instead, I arrived armed with only a note pad and pen and became positively giddy trying to keep up […]

NDP’s Athletic Program: The Definition of Winning

Did you know that Notre Dame Prep, in addition to its regular Open House for prospective students and their parents, hosts a second and separate Athletic Open House? Why is that? Could NDP possibly be guilty of catering to a youth sports culture gone awry or is there something far more purposeful and substantial going […]

Student-Alumnae Leadership Club: Self-Starters, Big Planners

Growing up in my family, you were considered a self-starter if you did your homework without being told (reminded, nagged…threatened). My parents also impressed upon us the importance of “having a plan.” Me personally? I considered my life well planned if I had lined up a date for The Next Big Dance. That’s about as […]