News & Events News
Notre Dame's Facing History & Ourselves Student Leadership Group recently attended a mini-conference with students from high schools across the Bay Area where they heard from Gayle "Asali" Dickson, the only female artist for the Black Panther Party's newspaper. They also read and discussed excerpts from Judith Heumann’s book “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.”
This week the Notre Dame High School student body welcomed incoming Head of School Ashley Rae Mathis in an all-school assembly. Ms. Mathis was introduced to each class by class council presidents who shared a few highlights. To close the assembly, Ms. Mathis spoke about gratitude - gratitude for this opportunity, gratitude for Mary Beth Riiley’s amazing example, and gratitude for the future. We look forward to welcoming her back to campus on July 1 when she officially becomes head of school.
For more than 20 years, Notre Dame students have celebrated Spirit Week with games, cheers, crazy costumes and lots of laughter and hugs. This year the Jaguars, Dragons, Basilisks and Stingrays continued the tradition, filling Julie Billiart Hall with noise and joy. As always, the traditional teacher bowling and faculty skit were huge hits! Student Council presented Head of School Mary Beth Riley with a specially decorated helmet to commemorate her last ride across JB Hall on a skateboard!
International Women's Day on March 1 also marked the start of Catholic Sisters Week. Notre Dame is blessed to be part of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and to have both Sister Carol Shoup and Sister Gillian Wallace on our campus.
Notre Dame's Robotics Team, the Janksters, revealed their 2023 robot to an enthusiastic crowd last weekend. The team has worked tirelessly to brainstorm, prototype and build this year's robot since January 7 when FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) revealed this year's team challenge, CHARGED UP.
Seniors recently traveled to the San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville for a three-day experience through which they reinforced bonds with classmates and spent time on important self-care. The retreat was based on the Kairos model, which encourages growth, self-discovery and mindfulness.
Generations of family members walk the Notre Dame halls – mothers, daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters who share the legacy of a Notre Dame education and St. Julie’s mission to “teach them what they need to know for life.”
Class field trips have always been a key component of the Notre Dame experience. Classroom learning across the curriculum is applied in real-world context through visits to local neighbors as well as iconic institutions across the Bay Area. Recently, science classes visited the California Academy of Sciences where they explored the depths of the rainforest and the ecosystem of the ocean, among other experiences.
Students in Notre Dame High School’s cultural clubs recently presented the 2023 Diversity Showcase, a celebration of the rich diversity of the student body. The event featured songs, dancing, beautiful traditional costumes and delicious food, allowing students and their families to celebrate their own culture and learn about others.
Congratulations to Notre Dame High School’s Varsity Basketball Team, which took home the league championship trophy!
Last week, Notre Dame’s Regent Collective Dance Company performed at Santa Clara University’s basketball game, entertaining guests with a fun and impressive halftime show.
Since 1974, Catholic Schools Week has been celebrated across the United States with Mass and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value of Catholic education and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.
Last week, the Class of 2025 participated in Sophomore Breakaway Days, which included a daylong retreat and an interdisciplinary field trip to the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The retreat provided students with an important learning and growth experience fostering spiritual reflection and community building while the field trip extended academic curriculum into experiential learning and application.
Led by director Emily King, the Regent Collective Dance Company and Notre Dame dance classes presented their first live performance since 2020 with the modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid for an audience of more than 430 people. Choreography for the show, Two Tales, featured a wide range of dance styles including jazz, contemporary, ballet and hip-hop.
Notre Dame High School's First Scholars program provides assistance to students who will be the first in their family to attend college with assistance in navigating the road to a college education. Last week, students in the program attended a panel discussion at Santa Clara University to learn about the college application process from first generation students.
Notre Dame High School’s AAPI Coalition collaborated with other cultural clubs last week to organize a school-wide celebration of the Lunar New Year. The event featured traditional Vietnamese and Filipino dances and games as well as a sampling of delicious snacks.
Senior Anna Yang was recently recognized as one of the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.
Students in Introduction to Engineering wrapped up the third grading period with a class engineering competition. In a test of teamwork, creativity and understanding of the design process, six teams were formed to take on the VEX IQ Challenge: Next Level, a game involving pushing and stacking large plastic hubs.
On Wednesday, Notre Dame High School student body leaders shared a State of the School presentation with the learning community. The presentation highlighted accomplishments from the first semester and forecast many of the activities and events that will take place over the next few months.
Congratulations to Kaitlyn '25 who created the winning logo artwork for our 20th annual Crab Fest! We look forward to welcoming guests back to campus on Saturday, Feb. 4 as we raise funds for co-curricular programs. Thank you, in advance, to the hundreds of dedicated volunteers, attendees and sponsors who make this event such a success every year.
Last week, seniors Myiesha ’23 and Ruth ’23, along with Notre Dame’s Robotics Team, hosted the 9th annual Young Women’s Engineering Symposium (YWES) on the Notre Dame campus with the goal of providing high school students with an opportunity to explore engineering and STEM careers through the experiences of local professionals.
More than 200 members of the Notre Dame community came together recently to celebrate Las Posadas. This tradition of Catholic faith and Mexican culture acknowledges the waiting, hoping and traveling of the Advent season as we recount Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.
Notre Dame's Class of 2024 Dragons recently enjoyed the first off-site retreat in three years. Organized by campus ministry and student leaders, the event provided an opportunity for students to strengthen their bonds as classmates and practice self-care around balance, self-worth and wholeness.
Notre Dame's student group, Lighthouse, recently hosted a special event to help students relieve some stress during this busy time of year. The group, focused on mental health and wellness, provided activities, music and pumpkin pie, along with an opportunity to bond over shared stresses as well as the many things students found to be thankful for.
Folklorico dancers from Notre Dame and Bellarmine recently performed at the San Jose State University viewing of "A Song for Cesar." The film, a documentary by Abel Sanchez and Andres Alegria, presents a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. The film tells a previously untold story about the musicians and artists – including Joan Baez, Maya Angelou, and Carlos Santana, among others – who dedicated their time, creativity and even reputations to peacefully advance Cesar Chavez’s movement to gain equality and justice for America’s suffering farmworkers.