Mission in Action...From a Distance

MISSION IN ACTION...FROM A

DISTANCE

By Jennifer Broccato Caine ’86 Advancement Communications Specialist

Mrs. Maria Purcell Boote ‘86’s virtual Spanish class

NDP donations to area University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center

At Notre Dame Preparatory School, we are “are rooted in tradition and contemporary in education.” At the time of publication, NDP, like the rest of the world, was facing unexpected and unimaginable changes in mission delivery because of COVID-19. Academics, spiritual growth, and social justice, a mission rooted in nearly 145 years of tradition, took on truly contemporary execution as our community moved from a face-to-face to a virtual learning environment overnight.

Faced with the pandemic, as well as a mandate to educate the students of Notre Dame Prep both academically and spiritually while serving those in need, administrators and educators pivoted from traditional education delivery methods in as little as 48 hours. Realizing the impending crisis facing the world with COVID-19, NDP administrators began planning and practicing for virtual learning. Beginning March 16, 2020, gone were the days of morning advisory, classroom instruction, hands-on labs, and more. The planning strategy paid off, as academic schedules were defined, technology kinks were ironed out, and teachers and students entered the world of virtual learning relatively smoothly.

“We went into this challenging period in history with determination. We wanted our girls to continue their growth and education as seamlessly as possible,” said Sister Patricia McCarron SSND, Ph.D., headmistress. “It wasn’t going to be easy, but we had and continue to have the right people in place to implement the important work of educating young women to transform the world, no matter where that education takes place.”

Having a technologically advanced curriculum allowed NDP to enact virtual learning better than many other schools. Faculty quickly converted lesson plans, originally formatted for face-toface instruction, and learned tech tools such as Zoom, which facilitated instruction and helped maintain classroom connection and community. Assignments, which were posted on the school’s PrepNet portal, were completed asynchronously by students in

“WE WENT INTO THIS CHALLENGING PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY WITH DETERMINATION. WE WANTED ” OUR GIRLS TO CONTINUE THEIR GROWTH AND EDUCATION AS SEAMLESSLY AS POSSIBLE. - Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, Ph.D. Headmistress

sweatshirts and leggings instead of their well-loved and wellworn uniforms. Comfy socks became the norm: the saddles would have to wait.

Sophomore Shehan Baird, whose mother Lizzy (Mann) graduated from NDP in 1995, said she was ready for the change. “I feel NDP has really prepared me for this shift from the classroom to virtual learning. All of my teachers are open to hearing our suggestions about the workload and how they can better help us understand the material.”

Algebra and history classes carried on in unprecedented ways. The sciences took on a life of their own as hands-on labs that simply could not take place became lecture and lesson. “Nothing can replace the time spent with the girls in person; that is its own kind of heaven,” shared Tom Peri, NDP’s veteran science teacher. “The texture and art and magic are hard, maybe impossible to duplicate on-line. Having said that, virtual learning is working, and our amazing girls are as engaged as ever.”

Other pillars of mission—spiritual growth and service— continued to be addressed despite the hands-off nature of virtual school. Each day started and ended as all days at NDP do, in prayer. Student Campus Ministers created audio file prayers that were shared with the community in the morning, and Sister Patricia recorded the SSND closing prayer at the end of every day. Libby Geraghty Keady ’98, Upper Level campus minister, offered “micro-retreats” for students to attend virtually, and faculty and staff held prayer meetings via Zoom. Religion classes took on an even larger role of helping students reflect on the times when the schoolwide theme of “Faith is the Foundation” seemed more necessary than ever.

Although direct service programs, a hallmark of an NDP education, were temporarily halted, NDP was able to continue its service mission in other ways. To assist the doctors, nurses, first responders, and caregivers on the frontlines of COVID-19, many of whom are our beloved alumnae, NDP was able to share resources, including 3D printers. Our intrepid facilities crew, just about the only members of our community permitted on campus, cleaned out the shelves of usable products in our newly opened Innovation Wing. Thousands of latex gloves, lab googles, tissues, and wipes were donated to our partners at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. Sister Barbara Brumleve, the coordinator of mission integration, led a community effort to create facemasks. And students in their homes are serving as best they can through volunteerism, letter writing, phone calls to loved ones, and prayers.

Notre Dame was able to continue to practice the tenets upon which it was founded—academic excellence, spiritual growth, and the practice of justice—because it was ahead of the curve from the beginning. Thanks in great part to donors, as well as alumnae and the greater community, NDP will remain at the forefront of educating girls—whether in the classroom or virtually—serving those in need, and building on a solid faith foundation. It is this mission that has touched the lives of more than 7,000 alumnae and that continues to inspire the young women of today to change the world of tomorrow.

After more than 40 years of service to NDP, Maggie Ward, English teacher and Drama Program director, said her current students give her great hope. “These girls have hearts that are a mile wide and as deep as the ocean. They will be the generation that will heal our broken world. They will do it by embracing change, A sign of solidarity with our community on bravely tackling Hampton Lane unknown challenges, and compassionately reaching out to others.” g