ND's Class of 2014, the Phoenixes, Recognized for Achievements

Notre Dame's Class of 2014 is already following in the footsteps of their Superhero sisters with a long list of awards and honors.  The Scholarship Committee, chaired by Barbara Simmons, recently awarded the following Junior Book Awards and Medals to some very deserving young women.

Bausch & Lomb Award, given by the University of Rochester - Jaclyn Woodward
Brandeis University Book Award - Kimberly Ramos
Brown Book Award - Tracy Nguyen
Bryn Mawr Book Award - Isabel Ullman
Harvard - Varsha Sathappan
Mt. Holyoke Book Award - Amerlyn Zeta
Regis Book Award - Kaela Crowley
Santa Clara University - Jordan Woods
St. Michael's College - Taylor Winchester
The Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony Award given by the University of Rochester - Sumaya Mulla-Carillo
The George Eastman Young Leaders Award given by the University of Rochester - Caroline Diemer
The Rensselaer Medal - Mirai Shah
The Xerox Award for Innovation & Information Technology given by the University of Rochester - Holly Nguyen
University of Chicago - Lynn Scerbak
University of Pennsylvania Book Award - Sarah Shaffer
University of Portland Book Award - Catherine Tattersall
Wellesley College Book Award - Abigail Heiser
Williams College Book Award -Jazlene Elleze Mallari
more

Notre Dame Student Wins Top Award for Technical Theatre

Emily Bordelon '13 had a vision of Oz. Influenced by steampunk and guided by the original book’s illustrations, she worked since early October to ensure that in April, Julie Billiart Hall would become somewhere over the rainbow.  On Monday, June 4 at the California Theatre, the San Jose Stage Top Honors Awards recognized her vision, bestowing upon Emily the award for Student Achievement in Technical Theatre.  more

Notre Dame Students Help Change Life in Yancolo

Life in the tiny town of Yancolo, where finding basic necessities such as food and water is a daily challenge, becomes even more difficult during the rainy season.  As water rises, the river swells, making it difficult and unsafe to cross.  But that's about to change! Thanks to the generosity of the Notre Dame community, the people of Yancolo now have a bridge!  more

Notre Dame Teachers Receive National Recognition

Eran DeSilva and Lee Pruett were both recognized recently for their innovative curriculum and the work they have done to develop more informed and more thoughtful students who will take their place in changing society.  more

Nine Students Win Photography Awards!

Students in Notre Dame's Fine Arts Department have received awards and accolades for their work all year, from early fall when Sierra Larsen and Amanda Baildio were recognized in the Now and Forever Studios Contest, to the four students whose artwork will be featured this year on San Jose Downtown Doors to nine students recently receiving awards from the Photographic Guild of Los Gatos. more

Vintage Hollywood - Notre Dame Style

Notre Dame junior and senior students and their dates got the full red carpet treatment on Saturday at the Corinthian Grand Ballroom in downtown San Jose. more

Notre Dame Speech & Debate Wraps up a Stellar Year

Notre Dame's Speech & Debate Team has closed out the year with fantastic results!  After qualifying five students to the California High School Speech Association State Championships, ND's Speech & Debate Team received accolades across the board!  more

Notre Dame's Wizard of Oz Receives Three Top Honors Nominations!

Monday morning, San Jose Stage's Top Honors Program released its nominations for excellence in local high school musical productions.  Among those nominated are two Notre Dame students and the Wizard himself! Scenic Designer Emily Bordelon '13 and Make-up Designer Maddie Campione '15 received nominations for Student Achievement in Technical Theater.  Kehillah High School Junior Noah Lerner, who played the dual role of Professor Marvel and Oz, received a nomination for Best Featured Actor. more

"Shape of the Eye" Author to Visit Notre Dame

When George Estreich, an award-winning, Oregon-based poet, first saw his newborn daughter Laura, he was curious about her eyes. His mother, after all, was Japanese, which might account for the slight, almond shape. But this was something different, he would soon learn. Young Laura had Down syndrome. Rather than turning to verse to understand the mysteries behind his daughter's condition, Estreich spent the next several years studying Down syndrome. What resulted from his research is the deeply personal, poetic memoir, "The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit." more

Expressing Contemporary Social Issues Through Art

Notre Dame students love supplementing their schoolwork through field trips, and our downtown location makes these excursions a frequent chance to add hands-on learning to the curriculum. Students in Eran DeSilva's Contemporary Social Issues class recently walked to the nearby San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) to create prints reflecting what they have learned in the course. more

The Janksters at FIRST Robotics World Championship

From our small workspace in Donnelly to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, the Janksters flew 2084 miles to compete in the FIRST Robotics World Championships. Still feeling the excitement from winning the Silicon Valley Regional, our team arrived in Missouri, eagerly awaiting the start of an amazing experience. more

Confirmation Celebration at the Cathedral

Fifty-two Notre Dame juniors and seniors recently celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation amongst their families, friends, and the school community at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. Bishop Patrick McGrath and Monsignor Francis Cilia led the mass along with deacons Ruben Solorio and Harry Collins. more

ND Student Artwork Chosen for Four New Downtown Doors

This year, 160 submissions from 16 high schools and 2 middle schools were received by the San Jose Downtown Association for Downtown Doors.  Twenty-five works of art were selected, four created by Notre Dame students - Erin Orsley '13, Sierra Larsen '13, Kaela Crowley '14 and Haley Gallegos '15. more

Lacrosse Skyline Division Champions!

Notre Dame's Lacross Team came out on top this season, capturing the division title.  Congratulations on a winning season! more

The Wizard of Oz Thrills Audiences!

After weeks of anticipation, the Notre Dame community was lucky enough to experience the Wizard of Oz in all of its Technicolor glory in Julie Billiart Hall this past weekend. Starting the afternoon of Wednesday, April 24th with a dress rehearsal and sneak peak for Lowell Elementary School students, the show ran all weekend, ending with a Sunday afternoon matinee. more

Barbara Simmons visits NYU Abu Dhabi

One phrase that remains from my visit to New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), almost like the fading henna design I had painted on my forearm while I was there, is "this is a special moment in education."  more

Notre Dame Annnounces 2013 Women of Impact Honorees

Notre Dame is pleased to announce the 5th annual Women of Impact honorees, award-winning journalist and novelist Belva Davis and former city councilwoman and community leader Shirley Minardi '50 Lewis.    more

Swim Team Celebrates their Seniors

Notre Dame Swim Team's Senior Night was held at San Jose State's pool on Monday April 22nd. Seniors Kelsey Barton, Brittany Melo, Monica Ocampo, Maddy Merlic, Ingrid DeAnda, and Angela Murdter enjoyed the support of their friends and family at the last home swim meet of the year. more

Notre Dame Senior Receives Award for Aspirations in Computing

Notre Dame senior Lauren Fahey was recently awarded the 2013 Bay Area NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing.  The award, sponsored by Microsoft, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), recognizes young high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. more

Notre Dame Giraffes take First Place at ComedySports Tournament

Where does a horse go to get more pajamas? To Dress Barn, of course.  You expected a Bridle Shop?  That deep truth came out in an improvised scene on Saturday, April 20th, as the Notre Dame Giraffes competed against 14 other teams in the tenth annual ComedySportz High School League tournament.  more

Principal Mary Beth Riley Honored by Silicon Valley Business Journal

Principal Mary Beth Riley was recently named one of Silicon Valley Business Journal's 2013 Women of Influence.  The Business Journal's Women of Influence Award honors women within the community who are leaders in their business, respected for accomplishments within their industries, give back to the community, and are sought out as respected advisors and mentors within their field of influence.  The 2013 Women of Influence come from a diverse range of private and public-sector Silicon Valley organizations, including Cisco, Kaiser Permanente, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Stanford University.  more

Chemistry Lessons to Help the Homeless

It might be difficult to see the connection between a chemistry lesson and a trip to downtown San Jose's  Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph and their Office of Social Ministry.  What do concepts of heat, energy and calories have to do with homelessness?  For Notre Dame Chemistry students the connection became clear on a very personal level recently.  more

Pacific Cultural Night

Notre Dame's Filipino Student Association (FSA) hosted Pacific Cultural Night in partnership with Bellarmine College Prep on Saturday, April 13th. more

Turning English Literature Lessons into Life Lessons

At Notre Dame, where concepts of social justice, compassion and community service are woven throughout the curriculum, even the reading of a literary classic written by John Steinbeck becomes a lesson in life and giving.   more

Notre Dame Students at ELC 2013

Recently four students from Notre Dame's Class of 2014 - Erica Kao, Julia Gupta, Jaclyn Woodward, and Kristen Reames - were invited to participate in the 2013 Enterprise Leadership Conference (ELC) sponsored by local Rotary Clubs.  Designed to enhance the leadership skills of the outstanding high school students in attendance, this event follows a 26-year Rotary Club tradition. The participants learn the opportunities, benefits, and challenges of establishing a business of their own or providing services in free enterprise systems. more

Track & Field - a Team Effort

The Notre Dame Track & Field Team hosted WBAL #3 at Bellarmine’s track on Wednesday April 10. The large team of more than 60 girls was constantly cheering each other on in their events, showing true solidarity between athletes. A considerable number of parents and faculty came out to watch, many pitching in to help with announcing, registering athletes, and moving hurdles. more

Notre Dame Janksters Take FIRST Place!

“It shoots! It scores!” The announcer yelled, the audience cheered and screamed, and sixty frisbee-shooting robots performed amazing feats at the 2013 FIRST Robotics Silicon Valley Regional.

At the end of the competition, Notre Dame's robotics team, the 1967 Janksters, brought home a first place trophy.  Congratulations!

Check out the video below to take a peak into the exciting competition and watch Team 1967 Janksters battle along with their alliance partners, Team 254: The Cheesy Poofs and Team 118: The Robonauts.  more

Notre Dame Celebrates Holy Week

On Tuesday March 26th, the Notre Dame community gathered to celebrate Holy Week in St. Julie Billiart Hall. Holy Week honors the central stories of the Christian tradition: Jesus' invitation to serve in the washing of the feet, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. The prayer service, a modern interpretation of the Way of the Cross, was led by student leaders from the Peer Ministry Leadership Team. more

Easter Blessings


Notre Dame JV Swim Team Takes First Place

The Notre Dame Swim team recently traveled to Vallejo to compete in the Jaguar Invitational at the John F. Cunningham Aquatic Complex. The meet took place on March 16th, and both JV and varsity swimmers raced. The varsity team received 3rd place overall, and JV won 1st place! more

A Spirited Response to the Sister Project

At Notre Dame High School in downtown San Jose, where all the students are girls and most of the faculty are women, the topic of feminine products is no big deal and the concept of having to do without these basic necessities is unthinkable.  But for many girls and women throughout the San Jose community, this is the harsh reality.  more

Students Deepen Their Understanding of the Rwandan Genocide

This summer, the entire Notre Dame community read the ND Reads selection, I'm Not Leaving, by Carl Wilkens about his experience in Rwanda during the genocide in the mid 1990s. Notre Dame students in the Tapestry of Voices and French 4 AP classes have had the chance to apply this book to their classes by talking to Emmanuel Habimana, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide.  more

Notre Dame Forensics Team Qualifies for State Championship!

In last weekend's forensics competition, seniors Kitty Lan and Nhada Ahmed went undefeated in five preliminary rounds of Parliamentary Debate, earning the opportunity to compete in the state championship competition in April.  more

Janksters Make the Ultimate Ascent in Madera

Creating a machine that shoots frisbees into multiple goals and climbs up a pyramid in six weeks may be daunting, but this challenge was successfully met by Notre Dame's Robotics Team, the Janksters. Last weekend, the Janksters headed to Madera, California for their first regional competition of the year with the hopes that their robot, Chris Danger, would be a success.  more

Notre Dame Student Accepted into Newsroom by the Bay Program
Class field trips and powerful prose lead to summer programs at Stanford. Congratulations Izzy Ullman (2014) on your beautiful essay and insight; you are a woman of impact!  moreIt's That Time of Year - Science Projects!

It's that time of year again - science projects!  In the midst of our very own March madness, with Spirit Week, Woman's Place Project, the Young Women's Advocacy Summit, and the WASC visit, the biology classes are spending hours outside of class designing and setting up projects, predicting and writing hypotheses, and collecting and analyzing data. more

Notre Dame Students use Facebook to Spread Compliments

At Notre Dame, social media is not just likes and statuses. Students have created a forum on Facebook for sending support and encouragement to their peers. The page, called ND Compliments, was started anonymously by ND students, and other girls are invited to share words of praise and admiration for their classmates.  The forum is part of trend, begun to counteract cyber-bullying, that has spread throughout many high schools across North America. more

First-Hand Learning - the Day Workers Center of Mountain View

Social justice and immigration are common topics of learning and discussion at Notre Dame, interwoven throughout the curriculum. For Bayard Nielson's advanced Spanish classes, the realities of immigration and the challenges facing a population far from home and the support of family and friends, became very real recently as they spent time with some of the men and women from the Day Workers Center in Mountain View. more

Notre Dame's Varsity Basketball Team Advances to CCS Semi-Finals!

The perseverance and dedication the Notre Dame varsity basketball team has shown throughout the season has led to great results for our hard-working athletes! Under the leadership of Head Coach Kiira Rodriguez and Varsity Assistant Coach Caitlin Amarillas, the team won the league championship, going 9-1 during the league season, and 19-8 overall this year.  Their performance also earned them a third place seeding in the CCS Division III Tournament!  more

The Janksters Unveil their Robot

On Sunday, February 17, the Janksters unveiled their amazing robot to the Notre Dame community. This year’s robotics challenge involved shooting frisbees into high goals and climbing up a 7 1/2 foot pyramid. Six weeks after the challenge was announced, the Janksters completed their robot and displayed it for the first time in Julie Billiart Hall. more

Forensics Shines at Cal Invitational

Last weekend Notre Dame's Forensics Team traveled to UC Berkeley to participate in the Cal Invitational, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country.  This is one of the area's largest tournaments, with students competing from all over the United States!  more

Notre Dame Celebrates Their Senior Athletes

Notre Dame's two winter sports, basketball and soccer, recently celebrated the tradition of senior night for the last home game of the season. This event is meant to honor the hard work and dedication of the senior players who have committed much of their free time in high school to athletics.  more

VSU By Night: 10th Annual Show

Notre Dame's love of tradition and appreciation for culture and diversity are evident around the campus every day.  They are also reflected in the wide variety of student clubs - everything from Math Club to Fashion Club and the Jewish Cultural Club - who meet regularly throughout the year.  Recently Notre Dame's Vietnamese Student Union (VSU) participated with Bellarmine and Evergreen High School in a spectacular performance.  more

Model United Nations - a Growing Opportunity for Notre Dame Students

ND girls are always busy-even on the weekends! Notre Dame's Model United Nations (MUN) team, a new addition to the successful forensics program, attended the Santa Clara Valley MUN Conference on February 1st to 2nd at Santa Teresa High School.  more

Notre Dame's Forensics Team Continues to Shine

Notre Dame's forensics program, which encompasses speech, debate and Model UN (Model United Nations), has had a very busy last few weeks participating in several tournaments and conferences. Freshman and sophomores competed in the first tournament, the James Logan Invitational over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  Notre Dame students did better than they had ever done before in this competition. more

All in a Week's Ora et Labora!

During Catholic Schools Week (January 27-Feb 2), the Notre Dame community celebrated its Catholic roots in the work of St Julie Billiart and its commitment to spirituality, service and social justice. The week included a range of events sponsored by campus ministry and its student leaders. On Monday, the Peer Ministry Leadership Team gathered with student representatives from thirty-five Catholic schools that are part of the Diocese of San Jose to celebrate faith, leadership, service and community. The diocesan mass, held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph and led by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, featured Notre Dame in liturgical dance ministry. more

Cobras Return to Share College Advice

On a recent Friday, the Superheroes and the Phoenixes flocked to the gym, juniors hoping for reassurance and encouragement for the widely-anticipated college application process, and seniors eager for advice on choosing the right fit for their needs from the veritable flood of college acceptances.  more

Spreading Kindness

At the start of the school year, Notre Dame's student leaders selected a theme for the year's activities.  In selecting Pass it On, they vowed to work for sisterhood, solidarity, eco-justice, faith, spirit and education for life and have accomplished much in these first few months.  As they started the second semester with a State of the School assembly, they re-committed to Pass it On, adding kindness to the list.  more

Going Red for Hearts

On Friday January 18^th, ND basketball teams played Harker School in the Go Red game. This game was a charity event for the American Heart Association. American Heart association is an organization that fights against cardiovascular disease and stroke. The teams decided to raise money for this cause because heart disease often affects both women and athletes.  more

Notre Dame Sets Off to See the Wizard

Last week, 62 students sang, danced and read for the chance to journey to Oz in this spring’s musical, The Wizard of Oz. The production, performing April 25 through April 28 in Julie Billiart Hall, will be the largest in Mr. McCaw’s nine years at Notre Dame. more

Notre Dame's Basketball Team Goes Red Against Heart Disease

Julie Billiart Hall will be filled with the sounds of shoe rubber meeting the polished wood of the basketball court and cheering fans Friday night as undefeated rivals Notre Dame and Harker take the court.  Although both teams hope to score a win, they are also working to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke through their GO RED basketball game.  more

Check out the video below as our Notre Dame Regents are featured on Get Sports Focus!

Notre Dame Janksters - Ready for 2013

While many of Notre Dame's students may have spent their winter break vacationing or enjoying much-deserved lounge time, the Janksters, Notre Dame's Robotics Team, was busy!  The girls spent their first weekend of vacation volunteering with Toys for Tots, playing games and participating in other activities with young children. more

Notre Dame Senior Alexa Nazarian Climbs to the Top!

Notre Dame girls tend to push themselves to the limit, filling their days with academics, community service and extracurricular activities. As busy as they are, many Notre Dame students don't slow down much when they are away from school, either, and senior Alexa Nazarian is no exception. Few would guess that Alexa would have time for things like World Cup climbing, but since the age of nine, she has been a rock climber, having competed at three national competitions and a World Cup. more

Notre Dame Students Make Life-Saving Donations

Notre Dame High School's Interact Club held the first of its two annual blood drives recently.  Coordinated by Amerlyn Zeta'14  and Kirti Duddi'14, with the help of the Stanford Blood Center, the event drew 75 Notre Dame students, parents, and faculty members to Julie Billiart Hall to donate blood. Even several Bellarmine students took the time to carpool to Notre Dame to support the great cause. The Stanford Blood Center was able to draw 53 pints of blood, just 2 pints below the goal, potentially saving hundreds of lives. more

Happy Holidays!

Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe

The sight of more than 600 students, dressed in their Notre Dame best, and accompanied by faculty and staff walking to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in downtown San Jose is always impactful.  Their poise and obvious "joie de vivre" never fails to draw the attention of our downtown neighbors and visitors who happen to be in the area. As they made their way Tuesday morning for Notre Dame's annual Advent Liturgy, the group seemed particularly joyous.  more

Barbara Simmons' Perspective

Barbara Simmons, director of college counseling, was heard on KQED public radio’s “Perspectives” program at 88.5 FM recently.  Her thoughtfully and beautifully written reflection on cursive writing, entitled Cursively Yours, can be found here.  To hear the audio component, click on Download Audio at the top of the page. more

Winter in Paris

Last weekend Notre Dame students and their guests danced the night away in the gym under sparkling lights, complete with a twinkling Eiffel Tower. This year, the theme of Notre Dame's annual December formal was Winter in Paris. more

The Actors Who Don't Do Anything - Shakespeare On the Road

Notre Dame recently hosted The Actors Who Don't Do Anything, two members of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival who adapted a song from the VeggieTales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, to prove that literature can be found everywhere. In a two-man show, Mark Bedard and Tasso Feldman portray Vladimir and Estragon from Samuel Beckett's classic existential play Waiting for Godot, but intersperse it with readings from Shakespeare, classic vaudeville and a sketch right out of MAD Magazine. more

Have Cello, Will Travel!

This week two new Notre Dame Performing groups made their public debut. Fourteen students traveled to Harry's Hof-Brau in San Jose to share the gift of their music with the local chapter of the Retired Public Employees Association of California.  more

Notre Dame Students are Thankful for so Many Things
Notre Dame students shared thankful thoughts which were posted in the breezeway for all to see.  Below are a few:
Cross Country Finishes Strong

Notre Dame's Cross Country Team returned to Toro Park in Salinas on Saturday, November 10th for Central Coast Section Finals (CCS), finishing tenth overall. Our varsity team had 7 girls running, freshmen Maya Mizuki and Claire Mondry, sophomores Emily Cox and Meilani Makhni, and Juniors Emelia Hamilton, Quinn Cabral, and Kaela Crowley. more

Chillin With the Jellies

Students in Advanced Placement Biology, Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Biology II traveled to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for some hands-on education.  in addition to learning about the variety of sea life that inhabits our bay, students toured the Plastics Exhibit, a graphic representation from artists all over the world who dedicate their careers to the environment.  more

Notre Dame Honors Women of Impact

Notre Dame High School in downtown San Jose recently held its 4th annual Women of Impact Luncheon at the Fairmont's 4th Street Summit Center.  This annual celebration honors successful women who have played a role in our region's history, acting on behalf of peace and justice, embracing diversity and leadership, and forging new paths.  Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, Supervisor Dave Cortese and several past honorees joined Notre Dame Principal Mary Beth Riley and emcee Janice Edwards of CreaTV in welcoming this year's honorees. more

Election Day at ND!

This year, Notre Dame held its very own mock election on November 6th to mirror the real election happening in our country. Students and faculty alike were invited to come to the voting tables set up in the Manley Foyer to vote on both the presidential election and the California propositions. more

Notre Dame Tennis Athletes End the Season on a High Note

At the end of tennis season every year, West Bay Athletic League holds an annual tennis tournament. The participants are chosen by all the league coaches at the WBAL finals meeting, attended this year by varsity coach Prince Daniels.  Of our athletes, sophomore Vi-Van Nguyen, and seniors Kiki Bartel, Elisabeth Knapen, and Helena Knapen were selected to play in the WBAL end-of-the-year tournament on October 29th and 30th. more

Notre Dame Spotlights Robotics

Notre Dame students were greeted by the red, black, and white spirit of the Janksters, Notre Dame’s amazing robotics team, in October. The Janksters kicked off Robotics Spotlight Week by introducing the student body to Matt, the team’s basketball-playing robot, who drove around campus. more

Speech & Debate Goes on the Road

Several members of Notre Dame’s 2012-2013 Speech & Debate Team were on the road again in October, competing at Gunn High School. more

Notre Dame Artwork Graces Dia de los Muertos Altar

For the past decade, students in Notre Dame's ceramics classes have created pieces of art that are utilized in a public altar display celebrating Dia de los Muertos.  more

Freud's Last Session - Notre Dame Students Take Advantage of Their Downtown Home

On Wednesday, October 24th, several dozen Notre Dame girls took advantage of the school's urban location to go see Freud's Last Session at the San Jose Repertory Theater downtown.  more

Notre Dame Students Serve at Multicultural Year of Faith Mass

Last year, Pope Benedict XVI declared a Year of Faith to begin October 11, 2012, the date that marks the 50th anniversary of Vatican II.  During this Year of Faith, Catholics around the world are invited to rediscover, renew and deepen their relationship with God.  On October 10, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath celebrated the opening of the Year of Faith at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. The mass inaugurated the Diocese of San Jose's efforts to honor and celebrate this special year.  more

Students Go to Beautiful Lengths & Dig Pink in the Fight Against Cancer

The spirit of generosity ruled court on Monday, October 22 as Notre Dame hosted Beautiful Lengths to collect hair for cancer patients and Dig Pink, a volleyball matchup between Notre Dame San Jose and Notre Dame Belmont, to raise money for SideOut. more

Notre Dame Student Attends Princeton Symposium

Over the weekend of September 28-30, I was honored to attend the Creative Arts and Humanities Symposium at Princeton University. The Symposium invites about ninety students from across the country to briefly experience studying humanities in a college setting. more

Notre Dame Students Channel Their Inner CSI Agent with DNA Fingerprinting

Students in Paul Lapke's AP Biology and Mrs. Evashenk's Biology II class were channeling their inner CSI agent recently as they conducted a simulated paternity test. The students took DNA samples and treated them with restriction enzymes, a process which cuts the DNA strands at specific locations.  more

Notre Dame Golf Tournament – A Fore Star Event!

For fans of golf, Notre Dame’s annual Golf Tournament was nothing less than a perfect day – full of sunshine, cooling breezes and beautiful blue skies. The record number of golfers and guests who came to join them for dinner made for a fantastic event in support of a very worthy cause! more

Do you Hear the Howling? That's the Class of 2016 Blue & Green Wolves!!

Notre Dame’s annual Frosh (freshman) Sleepover is a wonderful tradition. Every year in early October, the freshman class joins together and celebrates their new sisterhood with one big slumber party in the gym. The freshmen get the chance to pick their new class colors and mascot by splitting into groups, coming up with suggestions, and then voting.  more

Adventures in Ashland

This weekend a few of us Notre Dame girls were given the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Ashland, Oregon on the annual Shakespeare festival trip.  While there, we saw Henry V, Romeo and Juliet and Animal Crackers, which were all wonderful plays. more

The Class of 2013 Superheroes Light Up Notre Dame!

More than 700 high school students packed into Notre Dame's gym last Friday for the Electric Glow mixer. Any local high school student can attend Notre Dame mixers as long as they are invited by a current student, so there's always a large and diverse crowd of kids. Everyone danced the night away, with glow sticks lighting up the gym floor. Senior Amanda Pham had nothing but praise for the mixer, saying, "The theme was good, the glow bracelets were so cool and it was the best mixer I can remember!" more

Cross Country Athletes Plunge into Lake Tahoe

Notre Dame’s annual cross country overnight trip was packed with team bonding and intense training over tough terrain and at a high altitude – hard work for our athletes.  The location, beautiful Lake Tahoe, and the companionship of teammates, however, helped sooth sore muscles and lift exhaustion. more

Sophomores Stepping Up!

Each year, as one class graduates and a new class of freshman take its place; each subsequent class must rise to their new role. On Wednesday September 19, the Class of 2015 goddesses took part in their sophomore Stepping Up Ceremony, which celebrated this ascension to a new role as Notre Dame sophomores, and as leaders. more

Women’s Spirituality Group – an Experience in Sharing, Friendship & Prayer

This year the women of the Notre Dame community have been invited to celebrate their faith through prayer, reflection and friendship by participating in the new Women’s Spirituality Group. The group, sponsored by Campus Ministry, is one of several activities and events featured through Community Corner, which provides a variety of opportunities for Notre Dame adults to gather and learn at Second and Reed Streets. more

Notre Dame Forensics Already Earning Kudos!

Although we’re only a few short weeks into the school year, Notre Dame’s Speech & Debate Program has already earned a significant achievement – the 100 Club designation! The National Forensic League (NFL) proudly honors ten levels of recognition within its Chapter Honor Societies, based on the number of members and degrees attained by an active chapter during a competition season. The 100 Club designation is given to programs that have reached 100 members and degrees.  As such, Notre Dame’s program ranks in the top ten percent of programs across the United States. more

Tri-Sport Athletes Balance Athletics & Academics

Scholar athletes are among the Notre Dame’s hardest working students because they must balance school work with sports every day. Of our more than 250 athletes, those who play three sports, one for each season of the school year, have the most difficult schedule throughout the year. Notre Dame currently has six tri-sport athletes, whose commitment to their athletics as well as their education is admirable. more

Learning About Engineering With LEAP

Notre Dame’s JB Hall was filled with students interested in learning more about engineering career opportunities this week.  Led by engineers from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the session introduced students to LEAP (Learning for Life Engineers in Aerospace Post) one of many Exploring opportunities provided by Learning for Life. more

Notre Dame Celebrates Community & its Unique Urban Location

On Tuesday, September 11^th Notre Dame students and faculty made the journey downtown to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph for the Mass of Commissioning.   more

One Million Bones

“The death of one man is a tragedy.  The death of millions is a statistic.”  Although there is no proof that Joseph Stalin ever voiced this opinion, the words are often quoted as his.  Regardless of their origin, history and research has shown that, in fact, the same good people who will work diligently to help an individual in need often become numb to the plight of the victims of genocide.   more

And They're Off & Running!

While most of us were still enjoying our vacation, fall sports athletes were busy starting to practice over the summer. Notre Dame’s cross country team has been training since early August for their season, which officially starts this Saturday with the Earlybird Invitational at Toro Park in Salinas. more

Notre Dame Welcomes New Families

The Notre Dame campus is abuzz with energy and enthusiasm!  You can hear it in the excited voices of students, faculty and staff as they settle in for the school year, already discussing Socrates, the Pythagorean theorem, covalent bonds and the history of photography.  You can feel it reverberate through the halls and across the grass in Pardini Park in the gales of laughter and squeals of delight as students reconnect.  And it was tangible throughout JB Hall as new parents gathered for a welcome dinner recently. more

Students Vow to Pass it On!

The 2012-2013 school year began on August 22 as Notre Dame students and faculty renewed old friendships and sowed the seeds for new ones.  Keeping with tradition, the entire community started off the year with the annual welcome assembly, learning about the school’s theme for this year, “Pass it On.”  For students, it means taking what they’re learning and passing it on through service to the community. more

Caitlin Torres Awarded Rene Lepiane Scholarship

Each year the Rene Lepiane Leadership Award is presented to an incoming freshman student who exemplifies the qualities of a good leader.  The recipient is chosen, in part, based on her written essay.  Caitlin Torres, this year’s recipient, shared her ideas of what makes a good leader.  “From my experience, I believe a leader should be strong and stable academically and socially,” wrote Caitlin.  “Also, a good leader needs to show determination, good time management, and a complete commitment to their job,” adding that good leaders should never “limit themselves in what they can do.”  more

Parlez-vous Français? ¿o Español?

Research has long shown that learning a second language has far-reaching benefits for students.  In addition to higher academic achievement on standardized tests and improved reading comprehension, studies indicate a correlation between language learning and students' ability to hypothesize in science.   When coupled with international travel and an opportunity to immerse in the culture and language of another country, the benefits expand to include an increased appreciation for diversity and cultural differences, a chance to see history and geography come to life, a better understanding of our global community, as well as increased self-confidence, leadership ability and independence. more

National Merit Scholarship Program Recognizes Notre Dame Student

Notre Dame student Laura Pagan recently joined a prestigious group of high school students awarded distinction by the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP).   more

Summer Adventures in Japan!

The beautiful city of Okayama, Japan became home for a group of Notre Dame students and their chaperones for two weeks this summer as they took part in a home stay program designed to immerse students in the culture and language of the region.  more

Notre Dame Artwork Decorates Downtown Doors!

Downtown Doors features the art of high school students on otherwise stark utility doors in the center city's core area. Since its beginnings in 2003 when four doors were enhanced with student artwork, more than 130 works of art have been put on display and enjoyed by thousands of visitors and those who work and live in the downtown area.  This year, three new doors will be decorated with artwork created by Notre Dame students. more

Notre Dame's Class of 2013 - the Superheroes - Recognized for Achievements

Notre Dame’s Class of 2013 is already following in the footsteps of their Cobra sisters with a long list of awards and honors.  more

The Beauty of Pit Firing

What do you get when you combine clay and loads of Notre Dame talent with a bunch of organic materials, and then set it all on fire?  The answer – beautiful ceramic pieces as distinctive as our Notre Dame girls!   more

Notre Dame's Student Body Chooses Next Year's Leaders

Posters appear across the walls, catching students' eyes during the usual rush to early morning classes. Heads turn. Leadership candidates begin to emerge from the student population; new ideas flow and support begins to build. This may seem like an ordinary day at Notre Dame, but it has only just begun! The greatly anticipated ASB elections have come around once again. more

You are who I was; you are who I will be.

This week highlights two distinct moments in a Notre Dame San Jose High School education: the Woman's Place Project presented by the Class of 2015 and the Young Woman's Advocacy Summit presented by the Class of 2012.  These two signature projects embrace the heart of our mission to graduate college-prepared learners who are spiritual seekers, justice advocates and community leaders.  Seekers, advocates and leaders?  It is a daunting task, but the end result is the Notre Dame graduate!  more

Notre Dame's Forensics Team is San Francisco Bound!

Four members of Notre Dame's Speech & Debate Team will be traveling to the California State Speech & Debate Finals at Lowell High School in San Francisco April 27-29th, 2012.   These students represent the top competitors in the Coast Forensics League, one of the most competitive Speech & Debate leagues in the entire country, and the most competitive in California.   more

Notre Dame Student Awarded Latino Role Model Scholarship
For the past twenty years, The Latino Role Model Conference has worked to inspire and encourage youth to pursue higher education.  Each year, a panel of business and community leaders review the applications and academic standing of a great many applicants and award college scholarships to a few very deserving students.  moreQuidditch Comes to Notre Dame
The sport of quidditch, inspired by the Harry Potter books and movies, is growing in popularity on college campuses across the nation.  The craze began in 2005, when a group of students at Vermont's Middlebury College formed their own team.  moreSummer in El Salvador
For 14 students and their chaperones (Ms. Zambo, Ms. Donlin and Ms. Kuszmar) preparation for a June trip to El Salvador began in February.  moreHome for the Holidays Draws Dozens of Alums

Laughter and screams of joy could be heard all across the Notre Dame campus—and especially inside Manley Hall—on a Wednesday evening in late December. The reason? The annual Home for the Holidays celebration, which, despite the frenzied time of year, drew plenty of alumnae from the classes of 2000-2010. For the Bandits of 2010, it had only been a few months since they last saw each other. For others, it may have been a matter of years. At this event, however, over lattes and a chocolate fountain, alums were able to catch up fully on college experiences and personal happenings. For some, that even included married life. more

ND Forensics Stand Out at 2nd Annual Robert Garcia Tournament

"ND Speech and Debate is in full swing, with ND students poised for a great year after participating in the Robert Garcia Invitational at St. Francis High School Sept. 24-26, 2010. Three students competed, with all three making it to final rounds of competition. Representing ND were: Adrienne Furniss and Prerana Vaddi (both '12) competing in both Parliamentary Debate and Impromptu and Gurveen Sekhon ('12) competing in Congressional Debate. Prerana placed 2nd in Impromptu and 3rd in Parli, and Adrienne placed 3rd, and the pair went 3-3 in Parli debate. Gurveen was named the 4th Congressional Speaker. All 3 are officers on the team, and showed both their skills and leadership in their excellent results. Great job girls!".