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 […]

The SSND’s: Call and Response

The last thing Headmistress Sister Patricia McCarron does each morning before she heads out the door for NDP is to make sure she’s wearing her School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) lapel pin. It is a tiny accessory, smaller than a postage stamp, yet it represents something quite significant. To those who wear it, the […]

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 […]

Pick A Club, Any Club

File this one under: “Something for Everyone” or “Learning In and Outside the Classroom” or… “Pick a Club, Any Club.” In an era where cutbacks for even the bare essentials have been made throughout nearly every public school system in the country, any student who attends a school where those very same essentials are protected […]

(Young) Women Rising

That Doonesbury strip, written back in the 70’s during the height of the still nascent Women’s Movement, is one of my all time favorites. At that time, the character, Joanie Caucus, ran the local daycare center where she watched over, among other 3 and 4 year olds, young Ellie. Joanie was also a new and […]

NDP: One of a Kind

Recently, Notre Dame Prep launched a new Capital Campaign under the banner, Honor Tradition, Value Change, Fund Her Future. As prelude to the campaign, I conducted separate interviews with quite a few members of the greater NDP community about what Notre Dame means to them and why they think it’s important to assure her future. Those […]

Today’s Bookbag: Form Follows Function

As prelude, please indulge me in a brief, personal, history of the book bag: In first grade, I carried my books (all two of them) in a nifty little scotch plaid satchel that went quite nicely with my green, velveteen winter coat. In third grade, I traded up to a handsome, chestnut colored, leather (OK, […]

Girls and Science: Fully Capable

Those involved in the nurture, training, and education of children sooner or later refer to the concept of a child’s potential: ‘Every child has great potential.’ Or, ‘Every child should be given opportunities to reach his or her full potential.’ It’s a noble concept and a worthwhile goal. But it has echoed out there for […]

Déjà Vu All Over Again

June 2013: School is out. Camp is in. There were at least three camps in full swing at Notre Dame this summer: Sports Camp for prospective middle-schoolers, Laptop Camp for incoming freshman and Camp Umoja, a full out day camp for children from Baltimore City’s inner city neighborhoods. The Umoja campers ranged in age from […]

The Person You’ve Become; The People We Are

In 2006 I had the distinct honor of delivering the commencement speech at Notre Dame. In preparation for the event, I spoke with a few of the graduates-to-be about their NDP experience and the road ahead. One of those young women was Chas Dunnaville, undeniably the brightest of stars in an exceptional class. While at […]