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 […]

The Pursuit of Knowledge

It’s true what they say. Knowledge is power. It’s something those who believe in the value of a good education take for granted. Knowledge takes you where you want to go. But at Notre Dame Prep, knowledge is something far more than that. It’s a source of joy and a gift to be shared. This […]

The P in NDP

Lest any of us forget, the P in NDP stands not for preppie as in 50 shades of khaki, but rather for preparatory as in college and beyond. It is highly unlikely that anyone in the greater NDP community would – or could – forget. College prep is, after all, Notre Dame’s raison d’être. From […]

Mathlish

“The universe cannot be read until we have learned the language… in which it is written. And it is written in mathematical language.” Galileo “They’re a special breed!” NDP Director of Communications, Cami Colarossi, responded with her own admiration to my observation about the triumvirate of middle school math teachers I had just come from […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Class of 2019: Going Up!

It made sense at the time. Interview a group of 6th graders towards the end of the school year and find out how their first year at Notre Dame went. There were several flaws in the plan, however. For one thing, I dropped by to conduct this hard-hitting bit of investigative journalism on a day […]

Oh! The Humanities!

Not long ago, Notre Dame alum, Bette Ellis O’Conor (’46) and her husband, Jim, approached NDP with an idea. In keeping with the college preparatory mission of the school, the O’Conors wanted to establish an academic program that would open the girls’ eyes and minds to the interconnectedness of coursework as a way to better […]