News & Events News
The Woman’s Place Project was originally inspired by the work of artist Judy Chicago. Sister Maureen Hilliard, SNDdeN, first viewed the exhibit in San Francisco. Moved by the powerful message of women’s contribution, Sister Maureen adapted the project for her freshman religious studies class in 1994. Over the years, the project has evolved into what it is today, an interdisciplinary study of the strength and contribution of women across time, culture and industry.
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 Raptors, Jaguars, Dragons and Basilisks continued the tradition with fun, new games including finding something in a plate of whipped cream, hurtling over pool noodles and a 'flour over the head' relay!
Notre Dame’s South Asian Student Association held a Holi celebration on campus recently to share a bit of their culture and heritage with their ND sisters. Holi is a Hindu festival originating in India where participants wear white clothing and toss colorful powders at each other. The story behind this festival of colors varies throughout India, but a common belief is that it celebrates the love between Krishna and Radha from the Hindu mythology.
Notre Dame's League of Young Women Voters leadership group celebrated Women's History Month with guest speakers Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and Isamar Garcia-Hernandez, vote 411 coordinator for League of Women Voters.
Recently Notre Dame’s Varsity and Junior Varsity Regent Collective Dance Company, as well as their dance class, presented their winter dance performance. Although these events were held in person in the past, this one took place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The performance, called “Four,” depicted the four seasons through multiple stories inspired by the natural world.
Notre Dame held its 19th annual Crab Fest on Saturday. Due to ongoing Covid restrictions, the event was virtual but our wonderful, supportive community came together to purchase more than 2,700 pounds of crab, a new record! Proceeds from this event support Notre Dame's co-curricular programs.
Facing History & Ourselves student leaders kicked off the first session of their speaker series honoring Black History Month with alum Brittany Johnson Chiles '04, board certified behavior analyst at Aspire Oklahoma. She has more than 16 years of experience in the Applied Behavior Analysis field and works with a wide range of children and adolescents with various disabilities and disorders, especially autism.
Congratulations to Valerie '25 who created the winning artwork for our 19th annual Crab Fest! We look forward to saying a distanced hello to visitors in our drive-through pick up on February 4. This event raises funds for co-curricular programs. Thank you, in advance, to everyone who has purchased crab dinners. If you haven't gotten your yet, order online at www.ndsj.org/crab-fest
Some schools have animal mascots but Notre Dame has its very own campus cat. Ben Ben is a much-loved black cat that has made ND home. He is known for stealing everyone's hearts (and attention) when he struts by during break, lunch or around campus in general.
This past weekend, Notre Dame’s Model United Nations team attended the Best Delegate Model UN Conference (BDMUNC).Model UN, a simulated United Nations for students, is an event under the Speech and Debate team. Students represented a range of countries, including Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and Mexico. This conference, the mock ambassadors participated in the UNHCR, IAEA, and DISEC committees, and debated about the refugee crisis, nuclear disarmament, and the space race.
Students in Symphonic Band and String Ensemble, Fleurs du Soleil, Regent Harmonies and Chamber Ensemble recently performed their Winter concert recently. Students performed a mix of holiday favorites alongside other pieces to explore the theme of "voice" through storytelling.
Students celebrated Christmas in Pardini Park with an ugly sweater contest, games, cookie decorating and performances by RCDC, Regent Harmonies, Fleurs du Soleil and the string ensemble/symphonic band. Pardini Park featured trees decorated by student clubs and leadership groups. The event was hosted by ASB.
Over Thanksgiving break, Notre Dame’s Janksters were hard at work, showcasing the 2020-21 competition robot Luca at several outreach events.
As a new project to bring diverse voices in leadership, Tanisha Fitzgerald, director of student leadership, and the Facing History Student Leadership Group are spearheading the creation and development of a Notre Dame Diversity Council.
Guest speaker Dr. Jyoti Lulla, a retired physician and certified speaker introduced the students to the key concepts of Hinduism. As a follow up, two students applied henna to the hands of their classmates as they learned about this beautiful cultural tradition.
Students celebrated Homecoming recently with traditional dodge ball and flag football games. They also enjoyed food and fun, filling Pardini Park with joy and laughter. The next night, ND hosted a Homecoming dance attended by almost 700 students who danced the evening away. The proceeds from these events benefit tuition assistance and were part of ND's Funding the Future campaign.
The sophomore Class of 2025 Royal Blue & Gold Dragons hosted Eighth Grade Day recently welcoming 8th grade students from schools in our own neighborhood and as far as Fremont, Gilroy and Los Altos. The Dragons were excited to meet some of the students who will be their little siblings next school year!
Notre Dame’s Latinas Unidas club led our learning community in a celebration of Día De Los Muertos this week. During lunch, the group gathered in Pardini Park to perform Folklórico, a traditional Mexican dance, after briefly explaining the significance of Día De Los Muertos. Día De Los Muertos, which means “Day of the Dead,” is a holiday originating in Mexico but that is celebrated all over Latin America and is meant to honor loved ones or important figures who have passed away.
Notre Dame’s student leadership group, Lighthouse, is bringing awareness to students’ mental health across campus. Lighthouse focuses on building community through the lens of mental health, hoping to destigmatize the topic.
Art comes in many forms, whether that be paintings, sculptures, statues, music or even dance. Recently, students in Notre Dame's AP French Language & Culture class had the privilege of visiting Stanford University’s Auguste Rodin sculpture collection.
The spirit of generosity ruled court recently as Notre Dame hosted Dig Pink, a volleyball competition between Notre Dame San Jose and Basis, to raise money in support of breast cancer research.
On October 19th, the Notre Dame chapter of the National Honor Society inducted 103 new members in a virtual ceremony. Students were selected by the Scholarship Committee for demonstrating a high standard of excellence in their character, scholarship, leadership and service.
After over a year of “quarantine” robotics, Team 1967 - The Janksters returned to the field at CalGames, a FIRST Robotics Competition offseason event hosted by the Western Region Robotics Forum! Sixteen Notre Dame students represented our team of more than 70 members at Lynbrook High School. Our motto for all 22 hours of competition - “Work hard, play hard.”
Notre Dame’s leadership group, Lighthouse, had an event called The Great Chalk Art Start during the week of October 11th. Their goal was to spread positivity and send empowering messages to the students of Notre Dame.
Since the pandemic, live theatrical productions at Notre Dame have taken a hiatus, until now. The newest production of Notre Dame San Jose, 9 Girls; a thrilling murder mystery is hitting the streets of San Jose. The play, 9 Girls, takes place in the shadow of World War II when a group of sorority sisters visit a remote cabin in the mountains.