The Gates, Winter 2026 Issue II

Letter From the Editors

By Calleigh Newbert ‘26 and Meredith Rinaldi ‘26 Dear Readers, Thank you for all of your thoughtful feedback on our first issue of The Gates! This Gates issue offers some timely work surrounding the holidays and winter season with articles celebrating recent Thanksgiving and Friendsgivings, articles reflecting upon the season of Advent and Christmas traditions, a reflection on the mother daughter luncheon, and more seasonal work!

The holiday season is a time of a great range of emotions: from hope and anticipation of Jesusʼ birth, to great stress concerning overwhelming school events and assignments, to a sense of renewal and rejuvenation in the New Year. It is our hope that the Notre Dame community had a restful break, and is adjusting well in the New Year.

Thank you for taking the time to read the second issue of The Gates! We would also like to thank everyone who contributed to this second issue: your hard work does not go unnoticed!

With Gratitude, Calleigh Newbert and Meredith Rinaldi

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Winter 2026

The Legacy of Advent Angels A Reflection By Creighton Czajkowski ‘27, Margot Lilley ‘27 Creighton: Advent Angels has been an ongoing and loved tradition here at ND for many years. It is a week to show the people around us some love and cheer, with an element of surprise. I have participated in Advent Angels every year since I came to Notre Dame in sixth grade. This tradition is my favorite thing we do as a community of sisters to show our appreciation for each person around us. Advent Angels is a special way to make the last week of school before Christmas break something really special and fun that everyone will remember in years to come!

Margot: As someone who has participated in Advent Angels every year since sixth grade, it is a very special tradition at Notre Dame that I look forward to and cherish each year. Advent Angels is a perfect reflection of the strong sisterhood at Notre Dame. The excitement students feel after receiving their Advent child demonstrates the friendship and love that Notre Dame girls have for one another. The thought and care that girls put into selecting and creating their Advent childrenʼs gifts is meaningful to spread Christmas cheer and show kindness to their sisters. The joy and anticipation each day of Advent Angels brings each day helps the students get into both the Holiday spirit and the spirit of giving. Overall, Advent Angels is more than just an activity; itʼs a tradition that brings the Notre Dame community closer together and reminds us of the importance of generosity, kindness, and sisterhood during the Christmas season.

Every year, all of us girls get so excited for each gift a day, even if it is a small candy or card, it is the thought that counts. One member of the class of ‘98, Lauren Rinnier, said “That element of surprise was a big part of the excitementˮ and “ not even knowing who your advent angel was but getting thoughtful and sweet gifts was the best way to get into the Christmas spirit. Another member of the class of ‘98, Michelle Jackson Scharff, said that she loved advent angels and “finding nice things to say or do for a classmate that maybe wasnʼt one of your best friends makes you think of how to make others happy/smile even though you donʼt know them the best.ˮ The week of random acts of kindness lights up everyone's days. Michelle also said that “The world could use more advent angels!ˮ and we totally agree!

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Winter 2026 Faith and Festivities

By Celestia Nutt-Romero ‘28, Clare Tuohey ‘28

No one does holidays better than the Academy of Notre Dame! At Notre Dame, the winter season is packed with activities and opportunities to build Christmas spirit while also growing in faith. Community is a main priority of this season, as seen in almost every one of our traditions. Through service, giving, and the hallmark of this year, God’s goodness in all that you do, we see where Notre Dame’s sisterhood thrives and the joy that it brings. Although the holidays are filled with fun, gifts, and excitement, Advent and the meaning behind the season are just, if not more, important.

An excellent way to keep the Lord present during this busy time is to attend the weekly Advent Masses; they act as a calm way to reflect on your week and start your day in the presence of Jesus. Every Friday at 7:30, many members of the Notre Dame community gather in prayer and connect through their shared appreciation for their faith. Advent is a season of hope and love, and these Masses are a wonderful way to express what the meaning behind Christmas truly is.

Along with keeping our faith active in our traditions, there are also other engaging and fun traditions that ND practices during the holidays. These other traditions include Advent Angels, Cookies and Cocoa with Santa, the Winter concerts, the mother-daughter luncheon, and many more. One tradition that is especially significant to Notre Dame is the Christmas Collection for Laurel House. During the Christmas collection, every grade is called to donate food or necessary items that are needed for the holidays. These donations are then given to Laurel House, which is a domestic violence agency that serves individuals or families with counseling, aid, emergency shelter, and mental health services. By participating and donating to the Christmas collection, you are actively serving people who are experiencing hardship during a usually joyful time. During this season filled with joy and gifts, giving to others serves as an expression of care and connection between our community and others.

All in all, the holiday spirit is alive and bright at Notre Dame. It is seen in prayer, community, traditions, and academics. The faculty, staff, and students show their dedication to others in making it a time for all to feel welcomed.

Both keeping our faith active and celebrating as a community represent what the Christmas season at Notre Dame is all about. Holidays are truly the best at ND!

The Gates - Staff Editors in Chief: Calleigh Newbert ‘26 and Meredith RInaldi ‘26 Staff Writers for Issue #2 Mallory Dubois ‘28, Alina Tuwalski ‘27, Meredith Rinaldi ‘26, Calleigh Newbert ‘26, Celestia Nutt-Romero ‘28, Clare Tuohey ‘28, Creighton Czajkowski ‘27, Margot Lilley ‘27, Kennedy Wilson ‘28, Jane McNevin ‘27, Chloe Tomaszewski ‘28, Cayden Smith ‘28 Newspaper Games Contributor: Ella Bidez ‘26

Email cnewbert@ndapa.org or mrinaldi@ndapa.org for Gates features or to participate in the paper!

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Winter 2026

How To: Advent Angels

By Mallory Dubois ‘28 Advent Angels is a treasured and beloved tradition at Notre Dame. Itʼs an opportunity for all at Notre Dame: Middle School, Upper School, and Faculty. Itʼs a way to give Christmas gifts and create Christmas cheer for the week leading up to Christmas Break. It's also an opportunity to create connections with others outside of your grade or with people you may not had the chance to meet.

For Advent Angels, you first fill out a form sent out by Ms. Mackey. In the form, questions are asking about your favorite things (i.e., color, food, animal). Then, after you submit the form, you are assigned a person.

You are supposed to give your Advent Child a thoughtful gift and a little note, which corresponds with the theme of the day, telling them a little about you. You leave your gift in your personʼs locker, so they donʼt know who their Advent Mother is. You look in your own locker for your own gift.

This year, the theme for Advent Angels was SANTA. Each of these letters is a part of an acrostic, where every letter is a theme. S stands for Stocking Stuffers, A stands for Activities during the Christmas season, N stands for Night Before Christmas, T stands for Tree, and the last A stands for A day to celebrate! Every day, when you are giving a gift, you write a little note to your advent child to know more about you.

Every year, on the Friday before Christmas break begins, the reveal for Advent Angels happens.

Instead of leaving your gift in your Advent Childʼs locker, you hold the gift for them all day and wait for the reveal. At the end of the day, everyone meets in the Cuvilly Gym to celebrate Advent Angels.

Before the reveal happens, Dance Company and Womenʼs Chorale usually perform for the school.

Then, Ms. Mackey counts up from each grade, starting with middle school and ending with seniors, telling each person to give their gift to their Advent Child.

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Winter 2026

Black Student Union Friendsgiving: A Moment of Connection

By Alina Tuwalski ‘28, Kennedy Wilson ‘28 On November 21st, the Black Student Union BSU hosted its first Friendsgiving in the Global Learning Center. This event was organized by Ms. Webb and Mrs. Williams, and the goal was to foster a sisterhood within the Notre Dame sisterhood and to get to know one another better.

Members brought in homemade dishes like mac and cheese, stuffing, cornbread, and jollof rice– as well as desserts, such as cookies, brownies, and pie. Everyone was able to enjoy every dish, and some took a plate to go.

Ms. Webb created a beautiful atmosphere with decorations on every table. Each seat had its own tableware in festive fall colors. Leaf garlands lined the unused tables, along with candles scattered throughout.

The setting was nice and cozy with music in the background.

During this event, the conversations that were held were about classes, extracurricular activities, and more. People in the affinity group got to know each other better through the middle school students and high school students.

In the future, the BSU hopes to hold more events such as this past Friendsgiving. The next main event that is being planned is the Black History Month Board Decorating and Breakfast. During this event, members will decorate the large bulletin board outside the Cuvilly gym with a specific theme.

Afterwards, a breakfast will be held with different types of food.

The Black Student Union strives to live Hallmark 1 not only through events such as Friendsgiving but also through everyday actions and words.

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Winter 2026

Model UN - A Day at DELMUN

New Year, Old News

By Jane McNevin ‘27

By Calleigh Newbert ‘26

On December 6th, I had the opportunity to go to my first high school Model UN conference. I had done Model UN in middle school, but this was very different, and I was very nervous about how it would go. Our school was assigned three different committees, and I was in the Contemporary Crisis Committee along with two other ND students. We had to rebuild the U.S. after splitting into three different factions during its decline in the year 2040.

As we transition from 2025 to 2026, I feel a

When we arrived at Salesianum, we gathered for opening ceremonies and quickly split into our separate committees to get started. As the committees started, everyone got straight to work. Everyone was very hardworking and dedicated to proving their points. We all talked about different subjects having to do with our committee, sent in crazy crisis notes that changed the entire course of the conference, and even put a state on trial. As the committee came to an end and everyone shared their ideas for a new constitution that the declining U.S. could thrive off of, we all came to a collective agreement and voted on one, which happened to be created by my faction!

At the closing ceremonies, we heard from chair members of the Salesianum Model UN, and then they gave out awards. Although I myself didnʼt get an award, an ND student earned Honorable Delegate!

Post-awards, our day was over, and we headed back to school. It was overall a very fun day, and it was so interesting to hear other peopleʼs points of view, their ideas on how to fix certain matters, and learning how to work with people youʼve never met until that moment.

sense of both the old and the new. For the class of ‘26, it is now our graduation year: a change marking the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. On the other hand, I take the same courses, have the same friends, and go to the same neighborhood party to celebrate the New Year. Most relevant of all, however, is the familiar desire change ourselves on January 1st through a New Year's Resolution.

The concept of New Yearʼs Resolutions is far from new, and dates back as far as Ancient Roman and Babylonian civilizations, dedicating the transition of years to a “god of new beginnings.ˮ Spending the day with my friend's family visiting from China, I received a red envelope, or Hongbao, to attract luck in the coming months. For centuries, people across the world have used the new year as a commitment to improvement, renewal, and responsibility, which has transformed it into the “fresh startˮ we observe today.

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Winter 2026

New Year, Old News, Continued Sitting in my room in late December, I began to compile the same list as millions around me: to limit my screen time, to get eight hours of sleep, to use the gym five times a week. In essence, the ideal version of myself. Nevertheless, I still felt the same sense of déjà vu. None of these goals were new; in fact, they were nearly identical to the resolutions I had made in previous years. And despite the effort that was exerted on them during the initial period of the New Year, they remained largely unrealized.

The irony of the situation struck me: are we in fact motivated to change in the new year, or do we simply rely on the notion of change to make a difference in our lives? As a high school senior, I feel that in a way, the answer is both. Despite the inconvenience it may cause me, I am a chronic procrastinator who tends to overestimate my abilities before a test (especially in physics). Although I make myself a plan of how to improve my habits after each assessment, my lack of a comprehensive approach or the willingness to implement those differences leads me to the same conclusion each time. For many people, the cultural phenomenon of the New Year may be the only time that they feel genuinely empowered to recognize and work on their flaws; however, they begin to fall into what feels normal once the excitement subsides.

As graduation approaches, my classmates and I are inching closer and closer to the unknown. With that in mind, having a realistic New Year's Resolution is important not only to be attainable, but to help overcome that fear of change that so many of us experience. For me, that may mean starting with one goal, or making a list of small changes that I can implement consistently. Becoming an adult means that we will all face uncertainty, and it is by prioritizing our own well-being that we can work towards independence. In the end, the New Year does not celebrate perfection in our pursuits, but reflection and intentional actions that will grow us into successful women.

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Winter 2026

Thanksgiving Reflections: Chloe Tomaszewski

Thanksgiving Reflections: Cayden Smith

By Chloe Tomaszewski ‘28

By Cayden Smith ‘28 In my opinion, the first few months of the school year are

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite

truly the best. There are so many upcoming holidays to

holidays. The warmth and presence of my family

look forward to. Out of the many holidays, Thanksgiving

members allow this season to have so much love.

is one of my all-time favorites for one big reason.

Like every other family, my family has a big dinner, but we do it twice. In the morning, we start off the day at my grandma‘s house on my dad‘s side. As a family, we have a meal, which usually ends with

Thanksgiving means not only lots of food but lots of family time. Having a big family means round-trips to everyoneʼs houses to get lots of food. My personal favorite foods to eat are mac and cheese, sweet potato pie, and I canʼt forget the buttery mashed potatoes. Made

watching a movie on the couch. Later in the

with lots of seasoning and especially a lot of love, every

evening, my parents, brother, and I travel to my aunt

year I am always left stuffed by the end of the night.

and uncle‘s house on my momʼs side and have another meal.

Although this holiday tends to be fixated on food, I always tend to end my night with lots of gratitude for my

Overall, the food is not what makes Thanksgiving special for me. For me, it is the people. The people that I surround myself with overtop any meal. Most of all, I am so thankful for my family for providing me with a caring and loving household that always

family, too. All the memories we make at the tables and the laughs we share are always the best part of the holiday for me. A mix of heartwarming and hilarious, everyone at the table gets to share stories and memories that are going to be remembered and cherished forever.

Therefore, aside from being a holiday that gives us a day

supports me. And, I believe that that is the true

off from school, itʼs also a day filled with love, which Iʼm

meaning of Thanksgiving.

so grateful to experience every year!

Join Us!

Reach out to cnewbert@ndapa.org or mrinaldi@ndapa.org with ideas, articles, and photography for our future issues!

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Winter 2026

Prepping for Professional Life: DECA

By Calleigh Newbert ‘26 Considering my involvement on the DECA leadership team, I realize that I may hold a bit of bias when it comes to this club; however, it is crucial to find passion in what excites you!

In the fall of my sophomore year, I was still in the process of finding belonging as a transfer student to Notre Dame. To me, being recruited to ‘25 graduate Grace Corriganʼs newly established business club felt like a gateway to the discovery of both myself and others in my community.

DECA is a business and entrepreneurship club that prepares emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe, which allows the next generation to be academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders. While prepping for the competition, we learned how to present professionally, write a formal pitch paper, and think critically about real-life business issues on the spot. I was able to connect with my peers over our shared interests, late-night karaoke sessions at Hilton Hotels, and exploration of Hershey during our stay at the state conference.

Nevertheless, it became apparent to me that the world of finance and entrepreneurship remains predominantly male-dominated upon entering the doors of our first state career conference in my year.

During the opening ceremony, the organizers failed to introduce our chapter of five girls while welcoming well-established all-boys chapters from across Pennsylvania. Even as I sat in the competition corridors, preparing to pitch the online start-up company created for my event, I considered that my time could be better employed outside of business. However, it is through that experience that I met a variety of intelligent girls from across the state, and overcame my fear of public speaking. The imbalance left me stunned, yet the realization of how few girls across the nation have any economics education catalyzed the passion for DECA I have today.

In our meetings this year, we have attempted to integrate key financial principles into our lessons and help our members to not only succeed in an event, but also apply their experiences to real-life. Since starting our DECA chapter in 2024, we have grown our membership from 5 to 50, attended two state career development conferences, recognized 7 state finalists, and expand our competitive season to local and regional events. This year, we were able to attend a district conference in King of Prussia and a business ethics competition in Malvern, and we are now preparing to attend our next state event. The Notre Dame DECA chapter promotes curiosity for girls interested in any form of entrepreneurship or business, and we look forward to seeing the club continue to grow in the future.

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Winter 2026

Women’s Chorale

By Meredith Rinaldi ‘26 Over the course of the fall and winter, Womenʼs Chorale has been hard at work, with a schedule busier than ever before. This fall, the Womenʼs Chorale performed at their inaugural Fall Concert, featuring works such as “Does the World Say?ˮ by Kyle Pederson, “Joyful, Joyfulˮ from Sister Act II, and “Sisi Ni Moyaˮ by Jacob Narverud. At first, there were reasonable doubts about how this concert would measure up for a few reasons. First, the Women's Chorale lost five strong singers, and welcomed a large group of many new singers that had never sung together as a group. It was also the first time the Womenʼs Chorale had to learn that many pieces in such a short amount of time.

Although stressful in moments, all our work ended up culminating with a smooth, strong performance, and a new Womenʼs Chorale tradition.

After the fall concert, there was a quick turnaround, and preparation for the winter concert began instantly. We had more pieces to learn in a shorter amount of time, not even accounting for the several other Christmas events we had to prepare for. Along with our concert, WoCo also sang at Christmas in King in Malvern, sang carols with the elderly at Holy Child and WC Rehab, and also performed at several other events. After a little over a month of preparation, the concert went extremely well and was a great showcase of our hard work.

These two concerts do not mark the end of WoCoʼs busy schedule this year, and the group has many more events to look forward to, including the Leadership Reception, a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, and the Spring Concert. With this year already being marked with great success, I am so excited to see what comes for Womenʼs Chorale throughout the remainder of the year.

When I first enrolled in Womenʼs Chorale my freshman year, I joined a group of thirteen other girls, performing at a few events a year. As I have continued to grow through high school, it has been an absolute pleasure to watch Womenʼs Chorale grow with me. With thirty girls in WoCo now, a packed calendar of events, and many great milestones and achievements, I am so excited to see how Womenʼs Chorale flourishes in the future.

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ND Word Search - Ella Bidez ‘26

Winter 2026