Notre Dame High School, Easton

Notre Dame High School, Easton
SCHOOL
affiliations.
SNAPSHOT fessional
Dena Farrell has taught at Notre
Background/history: Notre Dame
opened in September 1957, but its history is traced to the former St. Bernard
School, Easton, which opened in 1909,
and subsequently the former Easton
Catholic High School, which opened in
1921.
Father David Thompson – now retired bishop of Charleston, S.C. – was
the school’s first principal. Bishop Joseph McShea dedicated a 12-room addition in 1964. An athletic annex was
built in 1965.
The graduating class of 1964 dedicated “Memorare,” the school yearbook,
to the memory of the late President John
Fitzgerald Kennedy, slain the previous
November. That yearbook is now enshrined in the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, Boston, Mass.
In 1989, directed by Principal Joseph
Kramer, the school began to experience
a period of unprecedented growth as it
repositioned itself to be an attractive educational institution dedicated to academic
excellence and committed to all students
regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or
financial capability of the family.
The school hosts Diocesan Marriage
Preparation and Catechist Courses
throughout the year. Notre Dame is being used by the diocese because of its
central location and advanced technology in each classroom.
Enrollment: Current enrollment is
570, with a student-teacher ratio of 151.
Mission: “Notre Dame is a Catholic
diocesan co-educational high school
dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Our
school community is committed to enriching the spiritual, academic, physical
and emotional development of our students. Through Christ-like behavior and
excellence in teaching, our students will
experience personal growth that embraces Christian values, intellectual curiosity, good citizenship and the power
of faith.”
Principal and teacher biographies:
Before becoming principal in 1989, Joseph Kramer was vice principal of
Bethlehem Catholic High School for 18
years. He is a graduate of Allentown
Central Catholic High School (ACCHS);
Temple University, Philadelphia; Penn
State University; and Lehigh University,
Bethlehem. He chaired the transition team
for the merger of Reading Central Catholic and Holy Name high schools into
Berks Catholic High School, Reading.
He was chair of the Committee on
Fiscal Feasibility of Catholic Schools for
the Second Synod of Allentown in 2006.
Kramer has coached football, basketball,
baseball and soccer. He is a recipient of
the John Steinbeck Award, has been a
speaker and presenter within and outside of the diocese, and has many pro-
Notre Dame prides itself
on being a school that
has a place for everyone.
Students are not just a
number, but an individual member of the
Notre Dame family.
Dame since 2011. She previously taught
at Holy Infancy School, Bethlehem;
Bethlehem Catholic High School; and
was an adjunct professor at
Northampton Community College.
Farrell is a 1990 graduate of Notre
Dame and 1986 graduate of Our Lady
of Perpetual Help School, Bethlehem.
She earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Chestnut Hill
College in 1994 and a master of education degree in math education from Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales
(now DeSales University), Center Valley in 2000.
Jason Bach, in his seventh year at
Notre Dame, teaches honors theology
courses for grades 9-12. He also teaches
courses for the Marriage Preparation and
Catechist Program throughout the diocese. He is a graduate of ACCHS and
served in the U.S. Marine Corps 199599, graduating magna cum laude from
DeSales in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a minor in
theology. Bach is finishing his graduate
degree in systematic theology at St.
Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia.
Notre Dame’s faculty includes 36
professional staff members, 17 of who
have their master’s degrees and beyond,
and one with a doctoral degree.
Special programs/technology/extra-curricular activities: Notre Dame
offers honors and advanced placement
programs. It connects with SS. Philip
and James School, Phillipsburg, N.J. via
a recently purchased PolyCom device
for distance learning in Algebra I.
Some of the Key Club’s accomplishments include Special Olympics day in
September with 52 students from Mercy
Special Learning Center, Allentown.
The school offers the Aquinas Program, and Notre Dame and Mercy have
joined in a collaborative project to link
Notre Dame’s Aquinas students and
Mercy students through technology
(Skype) and related student lessons,
activities and visitations at both schools.
The student council has led a 24 hour
mini-Thon since 2008 to benefit the Four
Diamonds Fund, which battles childhood
cancer. The active Campus Ministry organization hosts such events as a 9/11
prayer service in September and a Living International Rosary in October.
An active Theatre Department includes the Kim Gillow Black Box, housing an acting/improv class on Monday
evenings for students from the feeder
schools in grades 4-6. Beginning in February 2013 there will be a class on Mondays for seventh- and eighth-graders
focusing on acting technique. A Stage
Crew Club has also been formed.
The cheerleaders and theater/choir
members helped Easton Catholic High
School Alumni Association celebrate 100
years.
In athletics, Notre Dame was the Colonial Cup Champions – the top sports
program in the Colonial League – for
the 2011-12 school year. Many school
teams experienced successes.
The Greenhouse Club has more than
20 student members dedicated to growing organic produce for the school, as
well as beautifying the grounds and the
community with flowers and native vegetation.
There are students from China, Nigeria, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and
Vietnam in the International program. In
celebration of the Hispanic Heritage
Month, every year Notre Dame has a
Hispanic Heritage Day Celebration.
The dual credit program offers the
students the opportunity to take high
school classes with college credit
through Alvernia University, Reading.
There are four courses that students can
take with college credit.
Academic achievements and
awards: The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of
Colleges and Secondary Schools since
1965. The 2011-12 Crusader earned a
Gold Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association with AllColumbian Honors in visual design, a
first place award from the National
Scholastic Press Association, a Gold
Award from the Pennsylvania Scholastic Press Association, and a second place
award for superior achievement from
the International Quill and Scroll.
Colleges and universities students
have attended: Ninety-seven percent
of the class of 2012 is attending college. Members of the class of 2012 have
been accepted at more than 100 colleges
and universities, including Boston College, Colgate University, Purdue University, State University of New York –
Binghamton, Syracuse University and
the U.S. Military Academy.
Financial aid availability and trans-
fer grants: Immaculate Heart of Mary
Scholarships, Nancy Warner Scholarships, Kimmy Gillow Scholarships, Jeff
Dailey Scholarships, Tony Koury Scholarships, Class of ’61 In Their Honor
Scholarship, and Easton Catholic High
School Alumni Association Scholarships.
Notre Dame has given 24 transfer grants
this year. More than $1 million in scholarship/financial aid is available.
School contact information: 3417
Church Road, Easton, PA 18045-2999,
610-868-1431, www.ndcrusaders.org,
altnndhs@ptd.net.
Social
media:
http://
www.twitter.com/NDHSCrusaders;
h t t p : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
NDHSCrusaders; http://pinterest.com/
NDHSCrusaders, named “Top 3 K-12
Schools Making the Most of Pinterest”
by Ed Tech Magazine; http://
www.youtube.com/NDHSCrusaders
Easton; and LinkedIn, Notre Dame High
School Easton, PA Group http://
l i n k e d i n . c o m . /
groups?gid=4045329&trk=hb_side_g;
subscribe to school newsletters via the
ND Alumni Page.
School tours: Offered seven days a
week in the morning, afternoon or
evening. Contact Cheryl Muller-Fenton,
610-868-1431,
ext.
108,
cfenton@ndcrusaders.org.