Before the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the resulting tidal wave that washed over Indochina and Sri Lanka, I had never heard of the term ‘tsunami.’ Since that devastating event, however, the word has become part of my vocabulary and turns out to be the perfect metaphor for contemporary culture. A tsunami has a momentum […]
Read More Why a Religious School?Consider this: If all 7 billion people on this planet consumed energy, resources, and materials at the rate we do in the United States, we would need 4 earths to accommodate that level of consumption and waste. In other words, it’s unsustainable. A lot of people have been trying to tell us this for quite […]
Read More Blue and White and Green All OverA poster suggesting that we “Love people, use things” was tacked to the kitchen wall of my childhood home, hung there by mother in a spurt of creativity. “I like the sentiment and the colors work nicely with the decor, don’t you think?” she said, by way of explanation as she sipped her coffee. I […]
Read More Collateral EducationFor some reason, which to this day remains a mystery to us both, my good friend Patti Bailey and I were placed in an advanced French class upon entering Notre Dame Prep as freshman so very many years ago. Perhaps it was our grade school record that led them to make certain assumptions about our […]
Read More A Certain Je Ne Sais QuoiIt’s getting harder to believe in innocence anymore. I’ve seen too many 6 year olds going on 16 and 16 year olds going on 30. What’s the hurry? The most popular TV shows among teenagers have titles like Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girls, and The Secret Life of an American Teenager. Each has a plotline […]
Read More The Age of Innocence‘Peer evaluation’. There’s a term that’ll send a shudder down the spine of any garden-variety neurotic: Employer questionnaire: Please evaluate your co-worker, Susie B. Employee answer: I’m so glad you asked. I’ve been wanting to bring this to your attention for some time now. I feel that Susie B. can be very insensitive (I wouldn’t […]
Read More Excellence By DesignLet’s face it; if you are or have a school age child, chances are you’ve been recruited to do more than your fair share of fundraising. I know this because, more than likely, I’m your biggest customer. Personally speaking, I have enough Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies in my freezer to open my own bakery […]
Read More Penny QueenI am continually impressed with how Notre Dame has evolved since I walked its halls as a student. While it’s always been a first class, college preparatory school, one that offered plenty of empowering and enriching extracurricular activities, it’s never been content to rest on its laurels. Thanks to its consistent, visionary leadership over the […]
Read More They Call Me Madame Governor: Youth & Government at NDPOne of the things I am most impressed with whenever I visit Notre Dame is the joyful energy of the school. It’s always buzzing with activity and the kids seem genuinely happy and engaged. I’ve visited on many occasions over the years and my experience is always the same. I’ve even been back to film […]
Read More NDP Open House: The Joint Was Jumpin’Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…Romans 12:2 There is nothing more thrilling than connecting in a very personal way with a work of art. Imagine how thrilling it must be for the artist to create it. To take the mundane material of life, run it through […]
Read More Art For More Than Art’s Sake