The Second Annual Crabs for Chas: Saturday, July 19th at NDP

Below is a re-print with updates of a post about the annual Crabs for Chas event at NDP in honor of 2006 alum and White Blazer girl, Chastity Dunnaville: The Person She Was, The People We Are In 2006 I had the distinct honor of delivering the commencement speech at Notre Dame. In preparation for […]

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 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 […]

One Story: Sydney Tommins

NDP senior, Sydney Tommins is delightfully and blissfully ordinary, which is meant to be taken as the highest of praise. In an era where teenagers are depicted – at least by the mass media – as overly experienced and world weary, jaded and full of sullen ennui, it is heartwarming to meet someone like Sydney […]

One Story: Lauren Tomasic

Can essence be quantified? And if so, what is its unit of measurement? For NDP, the answer is easy. What is essentially Notre Dame can be calculated by an accounting of each individual girl. Take NDP junior, Lauren Tomasic, class of 2014, for example. While I was interviewing Mrs. Chris Kaiser, the Dean of Students, […]

NDP After Hours

If you visit Notre Dame during normal school hours you’ll find yourself in the thick of things wherever you go. Every corner of the school hums with activity and there’s an urgency to every task. After hours the school has an entirely different vibe. It’s quieter, which is not to say dull. Still, walking the […]

One Story: Meghan Stromberg

Currently, there are 739 girls at NDP. That’s 739 Works in Progress. 739 Unique Individuals. 739 Stories to Tell. There aren’t enough days in the year to tell them all. So…where to begin? Rather randomly, as it turns out. Which is not to say objectively. I spent a lot of time at NDP last year […]

Blue Ribbon Year

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle. Does excellence matter? In an era where we give our kids trophies for striking out and kudos for feeling good about themselves (if not their actual skills) it begs the question…does excellence matter? The U.S. Department of Education thinks […]

And So It Begins

And so it begins. A new chapter in a never-ending narrative. Yet the story never gets old because the characters are endlessly fascinating. They fall into three categories: devoted parents and family; dedicated faculty and staff; and – at the center of it all – the vibrant and spirited student body. At the moment, our […]