History of Notre Dame Academy
In 1950, the first Bishop of Worcester, John J. Wright, invited the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to establish an Academy in Worcester. The congregation was already familiar with the city, having established St. John’s School and Ascension School in the late 1800s. In 1951, The Sisters of Notre Dame took over the Salisbury Street property known as the Ellis Estate named after its last owner, Theodore Ellis, publisher of The Worcester Telegram. Until the academic building was completed in 1955, classes were held in the convent, a 1914 residence known as Knollwood named for one of the estate’s previous owners, Lucius James Knowles.
The Notre Dame Corporation owns the school. An advisory Board of Trustees is made up of Sisters of Notre Dame, parents, graduates and civic leaders who set the basic school policies and goals.
In its first few years the Academy grew to accommodate students in grades 7-12, but in 1960 the sisters decided to focus on high school age students and the 7 th and 8 th grade program was discontinued. Notre Dame’s student body has remained consistent, numbering just over 300 students in its four grades. About one third of the students are from Worcester and the remained from as many as 38 surrounding cities and towns in Worcester County.
Commitment to excellence is what accounts for the warmth and vitality that are hallmarks of campus life at NDA. Each young woman knows that she is valued as an individual and that she is important to the life of the school. The faculty encourages inquiry, personal growth, as well as the strengthening of academic skills. Over 3200 young women have matriculated from the Academy with 98% going on to colleges and universities both in the United States and abroad.
In 1990 the Academy expanded its facilities with the construction of a state-of-the-art athletic center. Over half the student body participate in at least athletic program including field hockey, cross country, basketball, winter and spring track, softball, tennis, alpine skiing, swimming and golf. The school has an outstanding record of athletic accomplishments including state championships in field hockey in 1992, 2002, 2003 and 2005, and in tennis in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
In 1993 the Academy dedicated the Sr. Justina Daley Library, an academic center that has become the center of school activity, housing over 15,000 books, periodicals and AV materials as well as computers and Internet accessibility. The library was constructed in the space that once was the old gymnasium. Construction of the new library freed up space in the Academic building for the addition of a computer center that complements the computers housed in each classroom.
In addition to its academic program, the Academy instills in its students a strong sense of community service through the Love-in-Action program. Established in 1976, Love-in-Action is one of the oldest secondary school service programs in eastern Massachusetts. Juniors and seniors complete at least 120 hours of community service before graduation. Students volunteer in schools, hospitals, non-profit agencies, elderly sites, museums, churches, and sports programs. More than 2000 graduates have participated in Love-in-Action. Many graduates continue their volunteer assignments after graduation and many have been influenced in their career choices by their Love-in-Action commitments.
In 1989, the Academy established the Knollwood Awards to honor women whose commitment to their vocation and dedication to service of others reflects the philosophy of the Love-in-Action program. Each year two women are recognized for their interest in education, their service to the greater Worcester community and their achievement in their chosen life’s work. The St. Julie Award, named for the Foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Julie Billiart, was established by the Notre Dame Academy Board of Trustees to honor individuals who demonstrate devotion to the mission of the Church.. It is presented at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
Another vital component of Notre Dame’s academic program is its Arts Program. Since 1979 Notre Dame’s theater department has produced a spring musical each year with productions ranging from Oklahoma to Les Miserables. The theater department also inaugurated a fall production in that same year. In recent years the department has staged Hamlet, A Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest. Every other fall since 1982 the Academy has sponsored a Children’s Touring Theater. Theater students go out to 32 elementary schools in central Massachusetts over two days and perform for over 10,000 students. In 1999 an International Theater Exchange began with The King’s School in Worcester, England. Students from England spend an academic week at the Academy every other fall and Academy students attend classes at The King’s School in the spring. The Academy’s music department is composed of talented vocal and instrumental groups who present four concerts on campus during the year and perform at a variety of Worcester county events during the year.
In 1998 the Senior Project was inaugurated at the Academy. Grade 12 students are required to complete a project identifying, tracing and examining a theme from a literary work and articulating that theme in another art form. In 1999 the Academy joined other Notre Dame de Namur schools in a virtual school project. The virtual school allows our students to communicate and learn from other Notre Dame institutions in our own country and in England.
Notre Dame Academy
425 Salisbury Street, Worcester MA 01609
Phone: 508-757-6200/ FAX: 508-757-1888