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Notre Dame's new vision means a new name
Since the turmoil over Notre Dame Academy's transition from a Catholic school to an independent institution last year, officials at the Middleburg school have been working to create a new vision for the future.
Now, the school will be choosing a new name.
In a letter sent to the Notre Dame community July 7, Headmaster Elizabeth "Libbi" Murray said name ideas are being considered now and the decision should be announced in early September. The official change will take place July 1, 2010.
Other new initiatives will be taking place as well, said Upperville resident Bruce Smart, former president of Notre Dame's board of trustees who is now a member of the school's strategic planning committee. Smart also served as undersecretary of commerce for international trade under the Reagan administration.
"We're looking to improve the school's image in the community," he said. "It's a community of love, respect, ethical behavior. ... That is worth preserving."
This year for the first time, five incoming freshman will receive a $20,000 scholarship handed out in $5,000 increments over four years. The Trustees Merit Scholarships were awarded based on the results of an exam taken by 25 eighth-graders from around the region.
The five students receiving the award are Caroline Abrahamson, of Round Hill; Abigail Greene, of Lovettsville; Caswell Bennett, of Sterling; Gabriella Pittaluga, of Berryville; and Cecilia Gallagher, of Purcellville.
Smart said the school is also working to increase the student population to between 250 and 300 students. Murray said Notre Dame is planning for about 180 students for the 2009-2010 school year.
After the school officially became non-Catholic in January, it lost about a dozen or more Catholic families, by some estimates.
In one effort to improve the school, new computer, art and science lab equipment will be installed.
Faculty members are being encouraged to expand their teachings and to include topics that will aid students not just in college but in their lives beyond.
"They'll learn about things that will prepare them for our nation's future," Smart said.
Some of these topics include Islamic relations, nuclear proliferation, climate change and global economics, he said.
A push has also begun to attract talented Washington, D.C., area professionals -- such as former White House advisers -- to serve as guest speakers.
Smart said despite the fact that the school is fighting a lawsuit over its decision to leave Catholicism, he believes the school's new direction will be a success.
"We've seen a surge of people betting with their money and their efforts that this school is a go," he said. "Right now, we're just looking forward."
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
Interesting....how many families left at the end of the year? Of 9 families I know that had children there only 2 are returning to finish up. Their younger 9th grade siblings who were all set to go there before last years debacle, will not attend NDA. The 7 other families have moved their children to other private schools or their local, public schools. And the very telling part of this story of the 9 families is that not one of them trusts the board or believes much of what they are/were told. They can keep spinning this as much as they want, but the damage that's been done is great and will take many, many years to erase.
Posted by thatsall
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Dear Loudoun Time-Mirror:
A more thorough inquiry to the claims of the institution calling itself "Notre Dame Academy" would seem to be in order.
In particular, the claim that the school lost only "a dozen or more Catholic families" ("by some estimates")is pure cynicism. Significantly more than 12 families have departed the school.
Last fall, the school administration polled its families during the upheaval induced by the board of directors. It asked why families wished to leave, specifically inquiring whether the religious issue was in the forefront. Many families, Catholic and non-catholic alike, departed because the school is in a state of utter chaos, not for religious reasons. Notably, other Catholic families have enrolled their children in non-catholic, and in some cases, even public schools, because the quality of "NDA's" administration is sadly poor.
Additionally, a significant number of families, Catholic and non-Catholic, fled the school in mid-year because the school was having difficulty functioning amid the controversy.
Notably, "NDA" has delayed the naming of the school for another year. Those who are honest about the current situation understand this delay as a sign of further instability. Simply put, the board and administration know that the only asset NDA has left is its fading name recognition and scenic vistas.
Finally, I wish Mr. Smart well, but wonder how many people "are betting with their money" on an "NDA" education. People who want to gamble and frolic go to Atlantic City. Unfortunately for "NDA", many parents looking for a better education in a stable environment have invested in their childrens' futures elsewhere.
Posted by Sinking_Ship
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Think about the double talk here.
Times Mirror headline - NDA wins !
In reality NDA has lost -forever
Letter to the Editor
Technically you may be correct. From a practical perspective Notre Dame Academy and its rich 40 plus year is history lost, soon to be forgotten forever.
I have been involved with NDA for over a dozen years. I put two children through NDA. I was an apostle for the school. I now have several more close friends because of NDA . The community of NDA was collegian, not only the students, the parents, the teachers, the coaches, and the board.
A scant four years ago the schools enrollment was a teeming 300 students. There was serious discussion of expansion. Graduating seniors received in excess of $2.0 million in merit scholarship. The athletic teams were gaining state and national prominence. When there was a budget shortfall, board members, friends and family more than willingly made up the difference. All this while being Catholic!
What changed you might ask? Personal objectives of certain board members with deeper pocketbooks and a disdain for Catholicism .
Understand clearly, NDA is not a winner here. NDA will lose its name; its identity, its heritage and I venture to say, sadly, lose its existence in the near future
Posted by raider43
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I had a conversation with a teacher who shared with me that the incoming 9th grade class is less than 25 students as of the other week.
Grades 10, 11, and 12 are running around 40 students in each class.
That total number of students is far less than 300 of just recent years.
The admin folks not be able to pay the bills and teaching staff with a small enrollment.
As this concered teacher shared, it would not surprise them that some teachers contracts maybe terminated in the near future.
Posted by ThePibbster
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i am currently a junior at notre dame academy. i am an honor student, and have been very involved in the school since i enrolled in the fall in of 2007. as student, i can tell you from firsthand observation that the school is alive and thriving. yes, enrollment was down at the start of the school year. this happened as a result of two factors:
1) the current economy (check enrollment at other area schools, even the nearby wakefield school has a lower upper school enrollment than that of nda by at least 20-25),
and 2) the negative, often obnoxious remarks made by the same few disgruntled people to the press at every opportunity.
the current board of trustees at the helm of the school is composed and run in an entirely different manner than the one about which all the bad publicity was thrown around. the members of this board support the teachers, faculty, administration, and parent/student community in putting a great amount of energy into helping the school succeed as an educational institution, which, believe me, it is doing.
you, the writers of the comments above me, those who would continue to bash my school, have had your day in court. put simply, you lost. a qualified judge ruled that the school had every right to start and continue along the direction it chose. to that end, most (if not all) of the people who did not agree with this change have moved on to schools that better suit their personalities. assuming that the people still making these comments flaming the school are among this crowd. i ask you to please let your grudge go so that the people who do still support nda may continue doing so without your constant hatred. there is no reason to tarnish our name; there never was, and there never will be.
finally, i would like to quote the "leader" of this group, one mr. jim wilson. in april of 2008, he said, "it's amazing how a change in the policy of the school can cause the losing group to have such animosity." i wholeheartedly agree. it really is amazing how you people, having moved on and away from the school, still have the lack of conscience to continue to bring my school down. please stop.
with love, a 16 year old student who cares more about a fine educational institution than some legal adults seem to. hm, imagine that.
Posted by lexington
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