News Around School

Orientation 2022 Letting in the Light of Anne’s Lamp

On August 30th, Notre Dame’s peer facilitators, Anne’s Leaders, (named after our school’s founder, Anne de Xainctonge) gathered in the Dolan Center with President Virginia O’Brien, S.U., Principal Karina Vargas, Assistant Principal Colleen McGrath, and the school counselors to reflect on the qualities of leadership and prepare to welcome back their Chez Nous sisters. Then on September 6th and 7th, they were off and running, helping everyone get back into the swing of school and especially helping to make our new ninth graders feel at home.

After a welcome from Principal Vargas, and a brief introduction to homeroom teachers, Anne’s Leaders led their small groups in a couple of icebreaker activities. Students reflected on the “greatest commandments:” “Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Group leaders had their classmates reflect on what this kind of love looks like in action, along with a discussion of ND’s 12 values of Prayer, Trust, Gratitude, Hope, Perseverance, Conversatio, Magis, Friendship, Courage, Service, Respect, and Responsibility.

Students next selected a small pane of what will become three large depictions of stained glass windows. Each student and teacher was asked to color in a pane for this group artwork, meant to symbolize each one’s unique beauty and the light of love we hold for one another. Orientation concluded with a singing of the Alma Mater, led by Music Director Nicole Wakabayashi. “Forevermore, Notre Dame, Chez Nous!”

2021-2022 Athletic Highlights

CROSS COUNTRY and TRACK

Cross Country, coached by Mr. Daryn Johnson, led the way, achieving season success and sending its 9th grade runners to the Manhattan College Invitational for the first time. Maggie McCabe ’25, in particular, excelled with many personal bests and top place finishes all fall, including being named Freshmen City Champion. Ninth graders and the JV squad took second in the Sectional Championships, and Varsity took third. The team also ran for a good cause in the Terry Fox Run for cancer research. As Coach Johnson says, “Faith in, doubt out is how to get it done!”

Winter and Spring Track kept ND runners busy through the indoor and outdoor seasons. Eleven team members participated in the famous Penn Relays in April, earning personal and ND records in their events.

Notre Dame Varsity Basketball finished 14-8 for the 21–22 season, placing third in the CHSAA Conference League. Varsity Basketball advanced to the league playoff but was defeated in a heartbreaking game against Cathedral by only three points. The Varsity squad did not have any seniors on the team this season, which required all members to raise their level of play. They also received contributions from moving up Junior Varsity players after the completion of their season, which was very helpful for the varsity team’s late-season run to make it into the playoff season.

Junior Varsity Basketball finished 7 and 1, and placed first in the League, beating most teams by more than ten points this season. The team worked hard at every practice, and their enthusiasm for the sport was palpable.

BASKETBALL

Go Dragons!

SOCCER

Soccer is proud of its 21–22 winning season, but as Coach JP Roncoli points out, “That [winning season] did not start only in August 2021, but in previous years where in the sequence of developed aspects what we highlight is the continuity of our training philosophy, from our ninth grade to our seniors. The team follows the same methodology of training, which brings to our girls a continuous process of development. The methodology has proven to be very effective in empowering players to develop a faster thinking process with a more unpredictable style of play on the pitch. ” The varsity team reached the semi-finals of the league, even though the majority of the team was composed of ninth graders and sophomores! ND soccer expects an even better season with new talent coming to make up the team in ’22–’23.

The Volleyball program developed immensely last year, working hard in competition and for every practice and building strength and endurance, both physically and mentally. The team is controlling the ball under pressure and developing its offensive might. The fall season has seen a series of impressive wins by both the JV and Varsity squads!

Softball had a 9–1 winning season in 2022 and won the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) championship! Coaches Maria Vulcano and Kwami Grant are so proud of this stellar team, as is the entire ND community. We can’t wait to see the team back in action in spring 2023.

VOLLEYBALL

SOFTBALL

As you can tell, Notre Dame’s sports teams are thriving! If you would like to show your school spirit with some sports-themed gear, just head to squadlocker.com, click on the “Find Your Store” tab, and type in “Notre Dame School” for the latest fan styles for purchase!

MAKING MEMORIES ABROAD: Côte D’Azur, Geneva, Spain, and Portugal!

ND student travel went into high gear during the 2021-22 school year, as pandemic-postponed trips got the okay to embark. During the February Break, 39 students and their fearless faculty chaperones headed out of icy NYC to sunny southern France. After time in Nice, where they visited Monaco and toured Eze, a fortified medieval hilltop village, they spent a day in Provence, following in the footsteps of artists Cezanne and Zola. A visit to wintry Chamonix and historic Geneva concluded this beautiful and educational interlude.

Over the Easter Break, 45 student travelers enjoyed a sojourn in Madrid, Cordoba, and Seville, where they learned the Flamenco, before reaching their last stop in Lisbon. Trip Coordinator and Science Department Chair Ioana Donose had her hands full and her passport ready for this busy season of travel. Along the way, new experiences were had, new foods tasted (including the Swiss specialty Raclette and authentic Valencian paella), and new friendships formed. This spring, ND voyages to breathtaking Peru!

Seeking the Grace of Encounter

ND Travels to the Texas Border to Learn and to Serve

From April 6 – 11, a group of 14 Notre Dame faculty members and students spent time on the border in El Paso, Texas, as part of The Encuentro Project. This was ND’s second time sending a contingent on this educational and service experience. In El Paso, participants take a deep dive into the issues of forced migration and asylum seeking by vulnerable people. They meet with immigrant attorneys, advocates, and border patrol agents. They spend time serving at a shelter for newly arrived immigrant families and gather each evening for prayer and reflection together. ND is grateful to Fr. Rafael Garcia, S.J., the leader of The Encuentro Project, to Sr. Mary Dolan, S.U., who coordinates the trip for our school, and to all our faculty and student participants for bringing what they learn back to our whole community.