School Crest
The official seal of Notre Dame is the coat of arms of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
- The Shield - Symbolizes protection and faith.
- The Three Stars - Symbolize the Blessed Trinity.
- The Cross - Expresses the love of God as reveled in life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- The Letters N.D. - Stand for Notre Dame.
- The Crown - Surmounting the shield symbolizes sovereignty, loyalty, and victory. It is the crown of eternal life.
- The Rose - Expresses hope and love.
- The Lily - Expresses purity and innocence.
Sunflower
The sunflower is a symbol for St Julie Billiart, the foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
"Be like the sunflower that follows every movement of the sun, and keep your eyes always turned towards our good God." - St. Julie Billiart
Mascot
The school's first mascot was introduced during World War II. In 1942, the students selected the Gremlin as the school's mascot. The Gremlin was used during World War II as the mascot for airplane pilots. The Gremlin was supposed to protect the pilots and their planes. Stella Barreto, aka Ms. "B", a beloved Notre Dame teacher for 38 years, defined the Gremlin as an "invisible, mischievous sprite whose purpose is to do good for the home team and cause mischief for the opposing team. For example, if you were playing basketball and you went up for a shot, the Gremlin would ride along and make sure that the ball went in. But if the opposing team tries to make a shot, the gremlin will sit on the basket and deflect the ball.
In the late 1990's, the Gremlin had a negative connotation due to a popular movie called "The Gremlins," where gremlins were the nastiness that happened when the Mogwai got wet. At this time, the students decided to change the school's mascot to the Regents. What is a Regent, you ask? A Regent is the person who steps up when a leader is needed.
