Notre Dame High School (New Jersey)

Notre Dame High School

Front of the school
Address
601 Lawrence Road (US 206)
Lawrence Township, New Jersey, (Mercer County) 08648
United States
Coordinates 40°15′19.76″N 74°44′38.06″W / 40.2554889°N 74.7439056°W / 40.2554889; -74.7439056Coordinates: 40°15′19.76″N 74°44′38.06″W / 40.2554889°N 74.7439056°W / 40.2554889; -74.7439056
Information
Type Private, college preparatory, coeducational
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1957
Oversight Diocese of Trenton
President Barry Breen
Principal Mary Elizabeth Ivins
Chaplain Father H. Todd Carter
Faculty 82.6 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,341[1] (2013-14)
Student to teacher ratio 16.2:1[1]
Color(s)      Blue and
     white[2]
Athletics conference Colonial Valley Conference
Team name Irish[2]
Accreditation AdvancED[3]
Publication Etc... (literary/art magazine)
Newspaper The Voice
Yearbook The Canticle
Senior Vice President for Advancement Maggie Kelly
Vice President of Finance and Operations Donna Grabowski
Athletic Director Richard Roche
Student Life Director Dave McWilliam
Website http://www.ndnj.org

Notre Dame High School is a coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory school in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton.[4] The school is accredited by AdvancED.[3]

As of the 2013-14 school year, Notre Dame had an enrollment of 1,341 students and 82.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.2:1.[1]

History

Built in 1957, Notre Dame High School is located in Lawrenceville, near Princeton University, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, The Lawrenceville School, and Hun School of Princeton. The Catholic Diocese of Trenton also neighbors the school. The main building itself is square in shape, housing classrooms on two floors. Its mascot is the "Irish", usually displayed on athletic wear as a shamrock affixed to "ND". The current president is Barry Breen, accompanied by principal Mary Elizabeth Ivins, senior vice president Maggie Kelly, vice president Donna Grabowski, assistant principals Joan D. Pilkington and Joanna Barlow, Chaplain Reverend H. Todd Carter and Director of Athletics Richard Roche.

The school uses a form of block scheduling for its students. In a typical semester, a student has three 80-minute block classes and two 40-minute blocks. One of the 40-minute periods is usually reserved for a lunch period while the other is reserved for physical education or an additional 40-minute class. There is an "activity period" between the four 80-minute blocks during the day in which students can study, take an additional lunch period or participate in various school activities (groups, clubs, community service).

The school features a theatre, gymnasium, cafeteria, several standard classrooms, offices, computer and science labs, school store (The Leprechaun Shop), a renovated track, wrestling room, cross country path, weight-room, turf field with stands, tennis courts, various outdoor playing fields, media center–library, chapel, campus ministry, guidance department, and courtyard.

Parallel to the school's student parking lot flows Shabakunk Creek, which was the location of a Revolutionary War skirmish between American rebels led by Colonel Edward Hand and the British military, delaying the British before the Second Battle of Trenton. A small commemorative sign marks the spot where the battle occurred.[5][6]

Class of 2015 student data

The 2015 averages of the school's SAT scores were 536 Critical Reading, 536 Writing and 544 Math. Fourteen Advanced Placement Program courses were tested. Of 519 AP exams taken, 108 students had a score of 5; 151 had a score of 4; and 156 had a score of 3. The class had one student who was recognized as a semi-finalist and 11 students who were recognized as Commended Scholars by the National Merit Scholarship Program. 99% of students went on to college, with 87% going on to a four-year college, 12% to a two-year college, and 1% to employment or the military.[7]

Performing arts

Notre Dame High School has an active performing arts department which presents three productions annually: a fall drama or comedy, a late-winter musical, and a late-spring comedy, drama, or musical. Past performances have included The Little Mermaid, Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate, Godspell, Man of La Mancha, Inherit the Wind, Grease, West Side Story, The Crucible, Beauty and the Beast, You Can't Take It with You, Scapino!, Les Misérables, The Pajama Game, Peter Pan, Footloose, Seussical, Hairspray and Anything Goes in March 2016. The musicals annually perform for audiences from 3,500-5,000.

Along with theatrical productions, a dance program entitled Fusion, based on contemporary dance styles, is rehearsed during the fall and performs later in the winter. The dance program, which is headed by Debby Rittler Gibilisco, has three separate levels. The Performing Arts Department, led by Lou Gibilisco, offers classes such as Digital Recording, Piano Technique, and Musical Theory, along with overseeing the various musical groups in the school: Concert Choir, String Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Madrigal Choir (the latter two requiring auditions). The Concert Band, Fusion dance, and Madrigal all travel to Disney World (alternating every year between the Concert Band and the Madrigal/Fusion) to participate in workshops, master classes, and performances.

Athletics

The Notre Dame High School Irish[2] participate in the Colonial Valley Conference, which includes high schools from Mercer and Burlington Counties, and the West Jersey Football League (WJFL). Both leagues operate under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[8]

In the 2012-13 season, Notre Dame won seven Colonial Valley Conference Championships (in girls' soccer, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' swimming, ice hockey, baseball, and girls' lacrosse) and three Mercer County Titles (in boys' basketball, ice hockey and baseball). The boys' basketball and girls' lacrosse teams had their finest seasons in school history. The boys' basketball team boasted a record of 25-4 while the girls' lacrosse team went 17-4, losing in the Group III South State Final to national power Moorestown. The ice hockey team had a six-year 81-game winning streak in Colonial Valley Conference play, spanning from 2011 until a close loss to rival Princeton High School 4-3 on January 6th of 2017.

The school is historically known for its football team and track program, which have both earned numerous awards and acknowledgments. Notre Dame's Sabrina Alexander won the Non-Public A State Championship in the 100m hurdles in 2013. Vanessa Romulus won the Non-Public A State Championship in the high jump in 2012 and 2013. Nicole Kurtain won the Non-Public A individual cross country championship in 2001.[9]

The Notre Dame girls' basketball team won the Non-Public A State Championships in 1994-95 vs. Immaculate Heart Academy and in 1995-96 vs. Paramus Catholic High School.[10]

The boys' swim team capped their 2009-10 season undefeated and went on to win the Mercer County Tournament for the third straight year.[11][12]

The softball team won the 2007 South A state sectional championship with a 2-1 win over Red Bank Catholic High School in the tournament final.[13] The team then won the Non-Public Group A State Championship with a 1-0 win over Mount Saint Dominic Academy.[14]

The tennis team won the 1999 South A state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over Monsignor Donovan High School in the tournament final at Veterans Park.[15]

The Notre Dame golf team captured their first Mercer County Golf Championship in 2009, ending a 23-year drought with a total team score of 314, six shots better than the closest team.[16]

In 2014, the girls' basketball team won the Mercer County Tournament championship for the eighth time, defeating Hopewell Valley Central High School by a score of 49-35 in the tournament final.[17]

In the 2014-15 season, the athletic programs won three state regional championships.

The girls' soccer team won the Non-Public A South title over Holy Cross Academy on penalty kicks, with the score tied at 2-2 after two overtimes.[18]

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 School Data for Notre Dame High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 13, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Notre Dame High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 13, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Institution Summary for Notre Dame High School, AdvancED. Accessed May 13, 2015.
  4. ↑ Mercer County Catholic Schools, Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. Accessed January 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Revolutionary War Site - Shabakunk Creek Marker". Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Lawrenceville, New Jersey Revolutionary War Sites". Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  7. ↑ NDHS Student Profile, Notre Dame High School. Accessed April 4, 2016
  8. ↑ League Memberships – 2016-2017, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ 2016 NJSIAA Group Cross Country Championships Program, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 19, 2017.
  10. ↑ PUBLIC GIRLS PAST STATE CHAMPIONS, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ 2009-10 Photo Gallery, Mercer County Tournament Association. Accessed September 1, 2011. "Notre Dame’s Joe LeBender swims the freestyle leg of the 200 individual medley at the MCT. The Irish took first in the 200 IM and won their third straight county title."
  12. ↑ Pratico, Mark, II. "Irish eyes smile for a third time", The Trentonian, February 10, 2010. Accessed September 1, 2011. "In a meet that will not be soon forgotten because of the countless implausible performances, the Irish reigned supreme in the Mercer County Meet for the third straight year with a score of 241, and they did it without a single first place individual swim, proving it takes a sincere team effort to win the meet."
  13. ↑ 2007 Softball - South A, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 11, 2007.
  14. ↑ 2007 Softball - Non-Public Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 12, 2007.
  15. ↑ Staff. "Undaunted Ocean downs Princeton in CJ III final", Asbury Park Press, May 26, 1999. Accessed September 1, 2011. "NOTRE DAME 4, MONSIGNOR DONOVAN 1: Straight-set victories at first and second doubles powered the Irish (12-4) to a South Jersey Parochial A victory over the Griffins (13-3)."
  16. ↑ MERCER COUNTY TOURNAMENT HISTORY - BOYS GOLF CHAMPIONS, Mercer County Tournament Association. Accessed October 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ Staff. "Hopewell Valley (35) at Notre Dame (49), Mercer County Tournament, Final Round - Girls Basketball", The Star-Ledger, March 1, 2014. Accessed October 10, 2015. "Camille Duncan, who entered the game in the second quarter, hit three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points to lead second-seeded Notre Dame past top-seeded Hopewell Valley in the Mercer County Tournament championship, 49-35, yesterday at Rider University in Lawrenceville... It never relinquished that lead on its way to an eighth Mercer County Tournament title."
  18. ↑ Staff. "Notre Dame at Holy Cross , NJSIAA Tournament, Round, South Jersey, Non-Public A, NJ.com, November 12, 2015. Accessed May 9, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Funeral Announcement and Obituary". finddavidbird.info. March 18, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  20. ↑ Reilly, Megan. "2015 Hall of Fame Inductees", Notre Dame High School, April 15, 2015. Accessed October 10, 2015.
  21. ↑ Goldschmiedt, Megan. "'Sandlot' actor arrested for alleged assault on Texas cop", The Trentonian, August 7, 2013. Accessed October 21, 2014. "Guiry, 32, was born in Trenton. He attended St. Gregory the Great Catholic Elementary School in Hamilton and Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville."
  22. ↑ Rich Gunnell, Kansas City Chiefs. Accessed February 4, 2011. "Earned third-team all-state honors in each of his final three seasons at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey"
  23. ↑ Scott Horta, Towson Tigers. Accessed February 4, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Canticle 1993". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  25. ↑ Star Jones profile, The New York Times, accessed April 6, 2007.
  26. ↑ Hunt, Christopher. "Moran to live dream in NYC marathon", ESPN New York, November 2, 2011. Accessed October 21, 2014. "After his parents moved to Lawrenceville when he was 6, Moran started running as a sophomore at Notre Dame High School in New Jersey."
  27. ↑ O'Gorman, George. "Harrisburg QB and Notre Dame High grad E.J. Nemeth enjoys Mother's Day Homecoming", The Trentonian, May 14, 2014. Accessed October 21, 2014. "The former Notre Dame High quarterback great did get to see mom, presenting her a bouquet, after his Harrisburg Stampede team got beat by the Trenton Freedom, 52-38."
  28. ↑ Furman, T.J. "Bordentown native creates MTV cartoon: Cable network's newest show to premiere Tuesday", Princeton Packet, July 31, 1999. Accessed April 30, 2014. "Chris Prynoski said he always doodled during his classes at Clara Barton Elementary School, MacFarland Junior School and Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, Mercer County."
  29. ↑ Reilly, Megan. 2015 Hall of Fame Inductees, Notre Dame High School, April 15, 2015. Accessed May 13, 2015.
  30. ↑ Karas, David. "Paralympian credits family, Catholic school for his success as athlete", Catholic News Service, August 2, 2012. Accessed May 14, 2013. "On Brian Siemann's first day at Notre Dame High School in Lawrence in 2004, Coach Joe McLaughlin invited the young man who required a wheelchair for his mobility to do something he had never before considered."
  31. ↑ O'Gorman, George. "Notre Dame grad Tiquan Underwood inactive for homecoming against Giants", The Trentonian, November 29, 2010. Accessed February 4, 2011.
  32. ↑ O'Gorman, George. "Notre Dame grad Tiquan Underwood inactive for homecoming against Giants", The Trentonian, November 29, 2010. Accessed February 4, 2011.
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