Empowering Girls for Leadership, Growth, and the Real World

Discover how the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur empowers every student to pursue her passions, find her voice, and authentically prepare her for life in global society.

February 15, 2022

Since 1856, the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur has educated, empowered, and inspired young women for a lifetime of compassionate leadership and service. A Catholic, independent, all-girls’ academy on the Main Line, Notre Dame is devoted to the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional growth of young women.

Located on a 39-acre campus in Villanova – which includes the recent addition of the Riley Center for STEM Education in 2019 – Notre Dame challenges students in grades 6 through 12 to think creatively, to ask hard questions, to confidently express their opinions, and to strive for excellence in the classroom, on the stage, and on the field.

“The future and necessary direction of education should include collaboration, empathy, problem-solving, and effective preparation for the world beyond our gates,” says Tyler Gaspich, the Director of Information Resources and Technologies and supervisor of the STEM Scholars program. “Every day, we are challenging our students to take academic risks, to question, and to imagine what the future of education should look like.”

As part of the STEM Scholars program, which involves a combination of coursework and co-curricular activities akin to a minor in college, students can choose specialized classes like STEM ethics to couple with beyond-the-classroom requirements, such as attending lectures and writing a major research paper. Much of this learning occurs in the Riley Center for STEM Education, featuring technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) environments with eight science laboratories, three lab prep rooms, eight mathematics classrooms, a design thinking and entrepreneurship classroom, and labs dedicated to design and innovation, robotics, and coding.

At Notre Dame, young women explore their passions while preparing for college and discovering their role in a global society. The school’s unique, intellectual curriculum is highlighted by Scholar Programs devoted to STEM, Arts, and Global Citizenship; college-level courses in multiple subject areas, including Physics and History; and exciting specialty courses like Biomedical Engineering, Design Thinking & Entrepreneurship, Inorganic Chemistry, Mandarin, Macroeconomics, Neuroscience, and Robotics & Coding.

Notre Dame graduates are well-prepared to take on the challenges that await them. Elevating the tech proficiency of its young women and teachers, Notre Dame has twice been named an Apple Distinguished School, recognized for its innovation and implementation of technology in pursuit of educational excellence. Associate Head of School Dr. Liz Willis explained, “Our Apple Distinguished School status signals our faculty’s expertise in utilizing technology, which directly influences our students’ fluency on a daily basis. The distinction also provides Notre Dame access to a robust assortment of professional development resources.”

In practice, this could manifest as producing a video instead of writing a report, as Notre Dame students are encouraged to develop alternate methods for thinking and learning, to build self-confidence, and to leverage technology to meaningfully interact with teachers and peers.

“In all-girls’ schools, girls’ voices are amplified, which builds their confidence and expands their sense of possibility. Students engage deeply in community with a sense of belonging and partnership fortified by friends and faculty,” shares Dr. Laura Hotchkiss, Head of School.

Notre Dame empowers every student to pursue her passions, find her voice, and authentically prepare her for life in global society. Schedule your daughter’s Student Visit Day and Entrance Exam, or schedule a personal tour of Notre Dame’s 39-acre campus. The ND Admissions Office looks forward to speaking with you and your daughter about her dreams for the future!