Notre Dame Viewbook

STRONG in spirit

Notre Dame High School offers a powerfully well-rounded college preparatory experience to young men and women in grades 9-12.

Founded in 1957 as a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, Notre Dame is located on 100 beautiful acres in Central New Jersey. Notre Dame prepares students for lives of meaning and service, rooted in the Catholic values in the the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy.

NotreDame is a school where students want to be, and where they know they belong. We offer students a robust college preparatory experience within a positive and empowering community that is strongly grounded in Catholic values—the perfect environment for young men and women to learn and grow, to reach beyond their comfort zones and to be their best. Here, students with diverse interests, abilities and strengths find the right level of academic challenge and exciting opportunities to explore, create, lead and serve.

Discover the energy on our campus and the strength of our spirit for yourself.

DEVOTED to learning

From seminar-style discussions to hands-on learning, AP courses to internships, meaningful academic challenge awaits each student at Notre Dame. We meet you where you are and stretch you as far as you can go. Whether you’re interested in the arts, science, economics or something else entirely, Notre Dame’s faculty and staff are committed to your success. We’ll help you chart your course to college and beyond, ready to seize whatever your future holds.

A Collegiate Experience

Every aspect of Notre Dame’s academic program prepares students to thrive on a college campus, without sacrificing the joy of a well-rounded high school experience.

EXPANSIVE COURSE OFFERINGS allow you to pursue your strengths and interests, while our graduation requirements ensure a solid academic foundation. You will enjoy big-school advantages with a small-school feel thanks to involved teachers and our tight-knit community.

BLOCK SCHEDULING, which mirrors a typical college approach to course schedules, allows for more focused study. It also gives you greater flexibility for meeting graduation requirements and selecting electives that match your goals.

ACADEMIC CONCENTRATIONS in applied science, international business, communications and pre-law enable you to customize, focus and enhance your academic experience to reflect your interests in a manner similar to a college minor.

TRIP ’23

I genuinely enjoy going to school every day.”

INVOLVED IN: Communications Academic Concentration, Varsity Crew, Student Ambassadors, Peer Leaders Executive Board, Yearbook

BIGGEST SURPRISE AT ND: How easy it was to meet new people.

MOST IMPACTFUL TEACHER: Mrs. Bannon. She encouraged my writing and helped me become a better student.

LEADERSHIP PREPARATION: Being a Peer Leader has let me interact with so many new people and helped me lead them on the right path.

FAVORITE ND TRADITION: Friday night football games

BEST ND MEMORY: Kairos retreat

WORLD CHALLENGE HE WOULD LIKE TO FIX: Climate change

RESPECT AT ND: Never is anyone seen as an “other.” It doesn't matter what you look like or how you act, you are welcomed by everyone.

ND COMMUNITY IN ONE WORD: Diverse

Something Exceptional for Everyone

At Notre Dame, we ensure that each student gets the opportunity to reach as high as their ability and ambition will take them. A variety of programs ensure that students with diverse strengths build the skills they need to succeed— and encounter the challenges they need to grow.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT Notre Dame students earn college credit for high school work by passing the Advanced Placement test given by The College Board. Notre Dame High School stresses preparation for college with a challenging curriculum for all students. Our curriculum includes Advanced Placement courses and honors classes that span all departments offering a variety of subjects designed to provide a rigorous academic experience to all students.

COLLEGE PARTNERSHIPS allow you to pursue advanced studies beyond our 15 AP courses and 25 honors courses. Through dual enrollment, the college or university awards actual college credits to jumpstart your transcript.

Arrangements with the Princeton math program, Seton Hall University, Georgian Court University and others provide you with endless possibilities for challenge.

MCAULEY STUDIES provides extra support developing the academic skills and tools required to thrive at Notre Dame, in college and beyond. McAuley Studies helps incoming freshman identified during the admissions process build a foundation for success, offers content support for students in Notre Dame’s rigorous college preparatory courses, and supports students who have a learning plan or need accommodations for a learning difference.

“The students and teachers at Notre Dame help me to be more creative because we can bounce ideas off of each other. Everyone is open minded and willing to try new things.” — KEIHRAH ’24

Self-discovery and Exploration

Students come to Notre Dame to find their voice and vision—a discovery we help them grow into. At every opportunity, we prompt you to find your leader within, and we expose you to different fields and career paths.

THE SENIOR PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP offers the opportunity to experience a real-world work environment and explore key components of a career in a specific field. Past internships sites have included law firms, physical therapy practices and architectural firms in addition to on-campus options.

ACADEMIC ADVISORY GROUPS advance the small-school atmosphere of our community while providing every student with opportunities for social and emotional growth. Led by a faculty member, each advisory cohort remains together from year to year and includes students from each grade, a model that promotes peer leadership and relationships across grade levels.

MOVED by mercy

Notre Dame is more than a school; it’s a community of love and respect, a place where we connect belief and action. Shaped by our Catholic faith, we instill values that prepare students for lives of meaning and service to others, to make decisions with integrity and to face challenges with strength. Approximately 25% of our students come from other creeds, enriching our community and fostering mutual understanding as we build a more just society in a diverse world.

Through study, prayer, liturgies, retreats and other programs, we help you cultivate your spirituality and embody the core values of our school’s founders, the Sisters of Mercy:

RESPECT: We reverence the dignity of all persons and all life as gifts of God and strive to promote community in our world. You can see it in the way our students hold the door and say good morning…when an upperclassman steps in to remind an underclassman how we act at Notre Dame... The students in our vibrant and diverse community

hold a deep respect for each other, their teachers and themselves—a respect that’s expected and contagious. Diversity and inclusion initiatives, including a focus on world religions in senior year, further this caring atmosphere.

INTEGRITY: We believe that fidelity to moral principles, honesty and sincerity are the basis of trustworthiness in all encounters.

At Notre Dame, we hold students to a higher standard. Our students pledge to abide by our honor code. They’re encouraged and empowered to stand up for others. They exhibit the utmost

STEVIE ’24

Everyone respects everyone, even when they have different opinions, especially in class discussions.”

INVOLVED IN: Performing Arts, Student Government Association, Clubs

BEST ND MEMORY: Performing in the musicals

ON FAITH: Notre Dame has helped me grow my faith by giving me the space to develop my personal beliefs and the knowledge to understand what religion really means.

EYE-OPENING SERVICE EXPERIENCE: Sophomore ICAN Day, which exposed me to poverty in our area and how I can help

WORLD CHALLENGE SHE WOULD LIKE TO FIX: The lack of arts programs in underprivileged areas

BEST DISCOVERY AT ND: The importance of having individual relationships with your teachers

ABOUT ACADEMICS: The academics at Notre Dame have challenged me to reach out when I need help and to learn what kind of help I need.

FAVORITE ND TRADITION: Pep rallies

ND COMMUNITY IN ONE WORD: Spirited

level of character in the classrooms, on the playing fields and in their clubs. And if they make a poor choice—because we all make mistakes sometimes—it’s embraced as a teaching moment, an opportunity to learn and grow.

COMPASSION: We embrace the joys and the sorrows of others to whom and with whom we minister and are moved to action in solidarity with the human community.

Notre Dame is a family—there’s really no other way to describe it. On our campus, there’s sense of love that just makes everyone feel cared for. From serious illnesses to great achievements, we lift one another up in times of need and celebrate together in times of gladness.

SERVICE: We joyfully extend our energy and resources on behalf of the poor and sick, working to relieve misery and address its causes where possible.

Service is more than a graduation requirement at Notre Dame—it’s a way of life. From class service days and honors service courses to initiatives organized by clubs and organizations of all types, Notre Dame students are always lending a helping hand. Through the honors service practicum, upperclassmen have the opportunity to take on a leadership role in the school’s service activities.

JUSTICE: We believe ordering of right relationships with all persons and all creation is fundamental to our advocacy for structures that protect the vulnerable.

At Notre Dame service and social justice go hand in hand. We guide students in exploring the why behind our work, helping them see the structural roots of suffering and need in the community. While social justice and Catholic social teaching are explored across our curriculum and programs, they receive special attention in junior year religion.

ENCOURAGED by community

The positive spirit of our community creates a welcoming and empowering environment—where students are simply happy. From student government to the performing arts to athletics and activities, there’s lots to get involved in and lots of freedom to explore. At Notre Dame, different clubs and organizations plan activities together, and friendships cross all the traditional boundaries. When you set foot on our campus, you know what it means to belong.

STUDENT LIFE: Pink Out. Homecoming. Club Rush. The Freshman Amazing Race. Prom. Intramurals. At Notre Dame, we believe in balance. As a Notre Dame student, you will work hard, but you will also have fun. There’s always something exciting to look forward to here.

CO-CURRICULARS: Over 50 co-curriculars on our campus provide lots of opportunities to find your niche and to meet new people. At Notre Dame, it wouldn’t be unusual for you to play on the football team, sing in the choir and meet with the book club. Thanks to our block scheduling and daily activity period, it’s easy to get involved in more than one thing.

ARTS: We offer students abundant opportunities to create, express and perform through a comprehensive arts program that includes both curricular and co-curricular options in music, visual art, theater and dance. Whether you’re exploring a new creative outlet or you’re a serious student of a particular medium, musicians, artists and performers at all levels will find options at Notre Dame that challenge their abilities and meet their interests.

SENAN ’23

I went to a small elementary school, so I wasn’t sure how I would feel here. But Notre Dame was welcoming from the moment I walked in.”

INVOLVED IN: Cross Country, Tennis, SHADES, NDTV, Clubs

BIGGEST SURPRISE AT ND: The amount of things you can do here

MOST IMPACTFUL STAFF MEMBER: Mr. Rowland. He makes me work hard during cross country practice.

BEST DISCOVERY AT ND: It’s never too late to learn something new.

ABOUT ACADEMICS: AP and Honors courses are very rigorous. My AP Psychology class was very hard but it definitely prepared me well for the AP exam.

GOAL AFTER ND: To major in something business/finance related in college

WORLD CHALLENGE HE WOULD LIKE TO FIX: Access to quality education

LEADERSHIP PREPARATION: Notre Dame has helped me become a leader through service experiences that teach us how to be responsible in the real world.

ND COMMUNITY IN ONE WORD: Welcoming

ATHLETICS: Notre Dame’s competitive athletics program plays an integral part in the wellrounded experience we offer. As athletes hone their skills and test their limits on one of our 55 teams, they cultivate the personal integrity, honor and respect our students are known for. Several no-cut sports and a large number of freshman teams make it possible for anyone to compete. And when game day arrives with full bleachers and supportive fans…that’s when our school’s spirit really shines.

HEALTHY DINING: From soup, salad and sandwiches to the day’s main entrees, Notre Dame students enjoy a wide variety of highquality food choices prepared from fresh ingredients, including vegetarian selections. Our alumni still talk about Wrap Wednesday!

“The extent of clubs and extra-curricular activities allows me to go out of my comfort zone.” —ALEXA ’25

GRACED by possibilities

At Notre Dame, we fuel your passion and curiosity, offering opportunities to grow into your best self while guiding you on the path to college. Our students routinely earn admission to the colleges and universities of their choice, including the most selective and respected in the nation. But just as importantly, they leave us as joyful people, guided by life-long values, prepared to lead in and serve the world.

MAP YOUR ROUTE: Every incoming student is assigned a college and school counselor who gets to know them as a student and a person over the course of their four years at Notre Dame. Your college and school counselor helps you figure out the direction you want to go in life and the best route to get there. Resources like SCOIR for college and career exploration, SAT/ACT preparation, and information sessions on everything from athletic recruitment to financial aid will help you and your family navigate the college admissions process.

YOUR FUTURE AWAITS: From Columbia University to the College of New Jersey and everything in between, we help our students enroll in the colleges and universities that are right for them and their families. Notre Dame has helped over 16,000 alumni successfully set off on their own chosen paths—as university professors and police officers, investment bankers and chefs, medical doctors and actors.

But the most exciting thing about it all is that the best is yet to come—for our alumni, for Notre Dame, for you. Because at Notre Dame we’re a community that’s always learning. Always growing. Always striving for excellence.

LILIANA ’24

The academics have challenged me because the teachers get to know your true potential and give you personalized attention.”

INVOLVED IN: Volleyball, Dance (Jazz, Contemporary, Tap and Pointe)

GOAL AFTER ND: To become some type of pediatric doctor

MOST IMPACTFUL TEACHER: Ms. Moceri. To me Ms. Mo has always been more than a teacher, she has been someone I can go to for advice and trust with anything. Not only has she taught me in a classroom setting, she has also taught me many life lessons, bettering me not only as a student but as a person.

ON FIGURING OUT WHAT’S NEXT: The many different clubs and courses that Notre Dame offers have helped me figure out what subjects I truly enjoy and what I want to pursue later in life.

MOST MEMORABLE “WIN” OFF THE COURT: When one of the freshman in my peer leader group texted me in the middle of the year thanking me for helping her feel welcome

BIGGEST SURPRISE AT ND: How many functions the school provides. From movie night to class game night, there’s always something to do.

FAVORITE ND TRADITION: Spirit Week

ND COMMUNITY IN ONE WORD: Inclusive