welcome Dear Friends, Welcome to the newly redesigned Beyond the Academy! Within these pages you’ll find fresh voices, new features, and an updated layout. Most importantly, you’ll discover the ways Notre Dame Academy continues to redefine the high school experience and prepare young women for tomorrow’s careers. We are thrilled to preview our unique Emphasis Program, a brand new offering we’re piloting this year. The quintessential “pick your own path” for high school students, it transforms traditional secondary education with real world skills and experience. Hear from current students on page 7 about their experience of our very first community-wide symposium featuring media inquiry. In addition, on the next page, you’ll meet our freshman faculty and learn about our efforts to smooth each student’s transition from middle school to high school. Our team of expert educators helps girls from all over Los Angeles build confidence and develop strong habits of mind as they join our community of scholars. All of these efforts reflect our school wide theme “grace and grit.” As we learn and work as a community, together we grow in grace as we collaborate, give others the benefit of the doubt, and engage in meaningful conversation. And as we evaluate and refine our emphasis program, try, perhaps fail, and try again, and confidently anticipate new challenges, we develop the emotional grit essential for future success. As you learn about all that’s new at Notre Dame Academy, you’ll also see our most recent celebrations of the traditions you cherish. I hope you’ll recognize our efforts to keep NDA both timely and timeless. In Notre Dame,
Lilliam Paetzold ‘84 President/Head of School
2
Notre Dame Academy