Notre Dame Academy (Staten Island)

Notre Dame Academy of Staten Island
Address
74-134 Howard Avenue
Staten Island, New York, 10301
United States
Coordinates 40°37′43.5″N 74°5′21.5″W / 40.628750°N 74.089306°W / 40.628750; -74.089306Coordinates: 40°37′43.5″N 74°5′21.5″W / 40.628750°N 74.089306°W / 40.628750; -74.089306
Information
Type Private, All-Female
Motto Renovemur in Christo
(Let us be renewed in Christ)
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1903
President Sr. Patricia Corley, CND
Grades PK3-12
Color(s) Green and White         
Team name Gators
Accreditation Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
Newspaper Notre Data
Affiliation Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal
HS Principal Kate Jaenicke
ES Principal Rebecca Signorelli
HS Asst Principal Theresa Spear
Athletic Director Nick Senise
Website www.notredameacademy.org

Notre Dame Academy is a private Catholic girls' school in Staten Island, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. As a private school, Notre Dame is not owned by the Archdiocese, although it does maintain a close affiliation with the Archdiocese.

Notre Dame Academy is located on a 13-acre campus on Grymes Hill in Staten Island, New York. Consisting of an elementary school (Pre-K3 - 8) and high school (9-12), Notre Dame serves approximately 700 students. While providing an education in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame Academy is open to girls of all faiths.[2]

History

Notre Dame Academy was founded in 1903 after Mr. William Miller-Jones traveled to Montreal to ask the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame to come and start a school on Staten Island. After his appeal, the sisters were granted permission by New York’s Archbishop Farley to come and teach in his diocese. Mr. Miller-Jones then began looking for a location, which he secured on Howard Avenue. The school opened in September 1903 and was called the Academy of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. The school began taking its first boarding students in 1908, which was a tradition that continued until 1959. After moving further up Howard Avenue, which allowed for expansion, the school applied for and was granted approval by the New York State Board of Regents for the elementary school in 1914 and a charter for the high school in 1917. Eventually as the population of Staten Island increased, so too did the demand for an education, and the sisters met this pressing need by purchasing and renovating two more estates thereby expanding to the current 13 acres.

After receiving Middle States accreditation in 1949, the school ushered in several changes, including the school seal and the official name change to Notre Dame Academy of Staten Island. In the 1950s and 1960s the school underwent further expansion, including a separate building to house the elementary school which contained a new cafeteria and gymnasium.[3]

The campus remained largely the same until the beginning of the 21st century. The new century saw another wave of expansion and renovation, including an Early Childhood Center with classrooms for students in the Pre-K3 to Grade 2 classrooms, and an Arts and Humanities Building, housing a new chapel, a dining hall, an art studio, a computer lab, and several new classrooms. In addition, the classrooms in other buildings have all been renovated to meet the growing technological demands with computers and SmartBoards, while many of the major textbooks are now available as part of a digital library.[4]

Academics

Notre Dame Academy High School offers a college preparatory liberal arts and STEM curriculum that exceeds the requirements established by the New York State Board of Regents. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a Regents diploma with Advanced Designation, students also have the opportunity to take a selection of Advanced Placement courses including:

Notre Dame Academy students also have the opportunity to earn college credits through its affiliation with a nearby University.

Students are offered an array of electives, including Digital Photography, Psychology, Sociology, Women and the Media, Creative Writing, Songwriting, Environmental Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Campus Ministry.[5]

The curriculum in the elementary school aims to assure that the students will achieve high scores on state standardized tests, Archdiocesan exams, and two State Regents exams. They are awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to the high schools of their choice.

Co-Curricular Activities

Notre Dame offers a number of activities and athletic teams.[6]

Notable alumnae

References

  1. MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  2. NDA. "The History and Mission of Notre Dame Academy". Notre Dame Academy website. Archived from the original on 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  3. "NDA Accreditation". www.notredameacademy.org.
  4. "History". Notredameacademy.org.
  5. "NDA Academics". www.notredameacademy.org.
  6. "NDA Activities". www.Notredameacademy.org.

External links

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