Notre Dame High School is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, all-girls school located in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri. just south of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

city, on the 43-acre grounds of the

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

of the

School Sisters of Notre Dame School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide religious institute of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Bavaria in 1833 and devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and mi ...

on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. While its roots go back to 1897, its present form and name date to 1934.

History

In 1897 the

founded Sancta Maria in Ripa (translation: Saint Mary on the Bank) High School so that girls who were considering joining their congregation could complete their high school education. This was at their motherhouse just south of the city of

. In 1925, Sancta Maria was accredited by the

North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...

as a four-year high school. In 1934 it extended its services to those not aspiring to be

religious sisters A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pra ...

, and changed its name to Notre Dame High School. Classes were held in the motherhouse until 1955 when the current school was built. Around 1960 enrollment exceeded 500 young ladies. Innovations included advanced college credit courses, more electives, and

modular scheduling Modular scheduling (also known as flex scheduling, flexible modular scheduling, or modular flex scheduling) is a system of timetabling in certain high schools in the United States. History Modular scheduling was developed by schools such as the Ke ...

. In 1977 with the closing of Notre Dame College on campus the high school acquired that building to house its science, fine arts, and counseling departments. In 1996 the high school became a part of the newly formed Notre Dame Ministry Corporation. The high school has over 7,500 alumnae in 46 states and 8 countries, and one in seven faculty members are the Sisters. All of its graduates pursue higher education.

Activities

Activity groups include: Student Council, Theater, Rebel Writers, A Cappella Group, and clubs for art, for science, for internet, and for Chinese. For outreach there are the Earth Club, Shalom Club, Library Guild, and

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

Club. There are also the National, Hispanic, and Journalism Honor Societies. The school sponsors 13 sports: basketball, softball, soccer, track, field hockey, cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball, swimming, racquetball, cheerleading, and lacrosse. Excelling in soccer, its goalkeeper was named best in the state in 2016. It also has a competitive cheerleading group.

Notable alumni

Kendra Kassebaum Kendra Kassebaum (born May 12, 1973) is an American theatre actress, who has performed in many different musicals (both Broadway and non-Broadway), and is perhaps best remembered for playing the role of Glinda in the first national tour, Broadway, ...

, 1991, theater actress most commonly known for her role as

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

in the first national tour of

Wicked (musical) ''Wicked'' is a 2003 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', in turn based on L. Frank Baum's ...

Notes and references

{{authority control Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Roman Catholic secondary schools in St. Louis County, Missouri Educational institutions established in 1934 Girls' schools in Missouri 1934 establishments in Missouri School Sisters of Notre Dame schools