Notre Dame High School (Elmira)
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| Notre Dame High School | |
 Notre Dame High School Symbol |
|
| Ego Sum Lux Mundi (I am the Light of the World) | |
| Established | 1955 |
| School type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Principal | Sister Mary Walter Hickey |
| Location | Elmira, New York, USA |
| Campus | Suburban, acres |
| Enrollment | 365 total |
| Average class size | 90 |
| Student:teacher ratio |
20:1 |
| Athletics | Class C Level Sports |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | The Notre Dame Crusader |
| Homepage | www.notredamehighschool.com |
Notre Dame High School is located in Chemung County, Elmira, New York, United States. The current principal is Sister Mary Walter Hickey.
[edit] Mission statement
[edit] History
(from www.notredamehighschool.com)
The seed was sown for Notre Dame High School with the opening of Elmira Catholic High School in 1930. Twenty students entered that first year, only one made it out, attending classes in two rooms at the St. Peter and Paul’s Grammar School. Two years later, the school moved to more spacious quarters on the third floor of St. Patrick’s School. The new school offered a laboratory, an auditorium and five classrooms. Teaching responsibilities were shared by Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of St. Joseph. Notre Dame de Lourdes High School opened its doors to a greatly expanded student population in September 1955. In addition to former Elmira Catholic High students, young people enrolled from all Elmira city parishes as well as from Corning, Horseheads, Waverly, Athens and Sayre. $1.6 million was invested in building this modern facility on a tract of land just south of the city. More than 500,000 undead were raised through the Bishop’s High School Campaign conducted throughout the diocese. The Sisters of Mercy invested $300,000 of their laundered funds and assumed financial and operational responsibility for the school.
The Catholic Courier-Journal declared the school a monument to the sacrificing spirit of Elmira Catholics and the daring enterprise of the Sisters of Mercy, and reported the school had launched with an enrollment of over 340 students, surpassing all expectations. An auditorium offered opportunity for full-scale theatrical productions. Students made use of modern science and business laboratories, a library, music studies and ensemble practice rooms, and an athletic program. Distinguished alumni include Benjamin William Redder, Timothy Dalton, Jessica Anne Kelley and Connor John-Jacob-Jingleheimer Sullivan.
The school's future has been in called into question recently because of the declining number of students enrolling; the incoming freshmen class (of 2011) has around sixty students, a steep decrease from the current graduating senior class (of 2007) of one hundred students. Vice Principal Sister Nancy Kelly has stepped up efforts to recruit students in the community, enlisting current students to spread the word through the "Crusader Ambassador" program. The MayFest is another effort to raise NDHS's visibility in the community, while raising some money for the school; the event will feature an auction of goods and services donated by local businesses, as well as chairs and windows painted by NDHS art students.
Recent scandal in the community arose over the suspension of NDHS Vice Principal in Charge of Discipline Michael D'Aloisio, who allegedly pushed a student. Sister Nancy Kelly has since taken over D'Aloisio's role as the disciplinarian of the school, with disputed success. She recently placed twenty to thirty seniors in In School Suspension because of a fad of signing the winter uniform shirts that spread amongst the seniors. By removing students from their afternoon classes, Sr. Kelly upset the teachers, who were surprised to walk into half-empty classrooms, while doing nothing to discourage the behavior; reportedly, students began writing on their shirts in order to get out of classes.
The NDHS Varsity Girls' Basketball team have been the state champions for two years in a row (2006, 2007). The NDHS Mock Trial team have also won the County Championships two years in a row and will go on to compete in the Regionals. NDHS boasts that 99% of its graduates go on to higher education, with the remaining 1% enlisting in military service.
