Chez News
Notre Dame School
of Manhattan
December 2019
Letter from the President
                               Christmas 2019

Dear Notre Dame,
 
   Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. As I write this, I can hear the Notre Dame chorus singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain." I invite all of you to come hear them tomorrow night, Thursday, December 19 at 6 p.m. 

   Earlier this month, ten students and four faculty went to El Paso, Texas for a service immersion trip named The Encuentro Project . The project was inspired by the call of Pope Francis for a "culture of encounter.” Upon their return home from El Paso, at the base of the Franklin Mountains, the students shared highlights of their experiences which were filled with a sense of God’s presence in their midst. More details are included in this Chez News so I encourage you to read on.

    Christmas celebrates God’s desire to be Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus became human so that our understanding of God can be one where we experience that God accompanies us on our life journey, sustains us in hope and gives us the promise of joy and life everlasting.

    It is my hope and prayer that during this special season of Christmas, each one is blest with an encounter with Jesus, truly God and truly human. Wherever these encounters may occur, may they remind us of God’s unconditional love and God’s invitation to us to share that love with families, friends and those in need.

    Thank you for all your support of Notre Dame. Only through the generosity of our benefactors does Notre Dame have the ability to offer our students so many transforming life experiences. We use this December edition of Chez News as our version of “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
 
Warm regards,
Dr. Virginia O’Brien, SU
President
Justice Journeys
Ignatian Teach-In Participants, Washington DC.
Encuentro Service Trip Participants, El Paso, Texas
In previous issues, Chez News has reported on ‘The World Coming to Notre Dame', highlighting the many inspirational people and groups who have visited campus to present to our students. This issue focuses on our girls going out into the world instead, bringing the ND mission of faith in action to distant places. In recent weeks, groups of students had the opportunity to work side by side with other activists through two impactful field trips. These journeys of justice illustrate the power that people can have when they join forces to do God’s work.

Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice – Washington, DC - Sat., Nov. 16- Mon., Nov. 19.

As is well known, Anne de Xiantonge's spirituality, inspired by St. Ignatius, is the essence and the foundation of a Notre Dame education. St. Ignatius Loyola emphasized the need to put faith into action. The ND students take this to heart in all that they do, but had the chance to focus their efforts in this regard on a recent opportunity in the District of Columbia. From November 16 to 18, 2019 nearly 2,000 young individuals gathered for the 22 nd annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. The yearly gathering addresses timely social justice issues in the context of Catholic faith tradition—this year with a primary focus on racism and immigration. Known as the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the Teach-In attracts many young people ages 16-22, representing over 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, and El Salvador.

Initiated in 1997 in Columbus, Georgia, the Teach-In commences yearly in mid-November to commemorate the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and their two companions were murdered on November 16, 1989 for speaking out against the country’s tumultuous civil war. The Teach-In relocated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 2010 in response to the growing interest in legislative advocacy and accompanying educational opportunities.

Fifteen Notre Dame students attended this year’s Teach-In with faculty members Dr. Tim Dooley, Mr. Kevin McDonald, Ms. Elizabeth Davenport, and Ms. Dashea Hickson, . Leaving on an early Saturday morning, the group took a train with students from Xavier High School and arrived to their destination by late afternoon. After settling into their hotel, these eager participants jumped right into a hectic schedule of speakers and break-out sessions.

The keynote speakers set the tone with their passion and initiatives. Dr. Marcia Chatelain was one. She is a Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University, and she focuses her research on race and ethnicity in America. Sr. Peggy O’Neill, S.C., was another keynote speaker and a perennial favorite. She has been living in El Salvador for the past 30 years, during which time she was an active member of the Pastoral Team at Santa Lucia Parish Suchitoto. She is the director of   Centro Arte para la Paz (Center of Arts for Peace) , a regional educational cultural center promoting peace through dance, art, and theological reflection, in Suchitoto, El Salvador. Sr. Peggy founded this healing space in 2006 and works toward building a culture of peace using the arts as a vehicle. The third speaker was Reyna Montoya, the founder and CEO of  Aliento . Reyna was born in Tijuana, Mexico and migrated to Arizona in 2003 fleeing violence. She is a social entrepreneur, community organizer, educator, and dancer. She is a  2016 Soros Justice Fellow , which enabled her to start Aliento. She is also a founding member of the first  Teach for America  DACA Advisory Board. She currently serves as a member of the Leadership Council of the  ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation
Notre Dame goes to Capital Hill
Ignatian Teach-In participants in break-out sessions
After being inspired and motivated by these three powerful speeches, the girls had choices of different break-out sessions and seminars on a variety of challenging social issues. The Teach-In offered more than 50 such sessions, presented by national and international speakers, including Fr. James Martin, S.J., bestselling author and editor-at-large at America Magazine; and Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, along with prominent student activists for immigration reform and racial justice. The students involved stated that some of the conversations were difficult. They met face to face with former convicts, displaced peoples and undocumented immigrants, and teenagers who had been abused, neglected, and homeless. It was the ND students’ willingness to truly listen to these victims’ stories with empathy, that allowed them to appreciate the experience and come up with action plans to help.

The Teach-In culminated with what is estimated to be the largest Catholic advocacy day of the year. Nearly 1,400 individuals proceeded to legislative advocacy meetings with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to enact immigration and criminal justice reform.

The participants returned to campus full of stories, energy, and ideas. It is impressive that our students took the time to attend and participate in this intense weekend of understanding global issues in the first place. What is even more impressive, however, is how they took it to the next level when they returned. First, these students spoke to a small group of faculty, debriefing them on the trip; then to the entire school at last week’s Anne’s Values Assembly. Not only did they articulate the social issues they faced with knowledge and confidence, but they offered constructive ways to remedy them, which showed a depth of insight and analytical reasoning– all intellectual skills that make up a ND girl. And the subjects were not easy for anyone to embrace. Racial Wealth Gap, Mass Incarceration, Immigration, and Racial Injustices, were just a smattering of the subjects that our ND students grappled with.

“For more than twenty years, the Teach-In has invited the Jesuit network and broader Catholic Church to reflect on the realities of injustice facing our country and global community,” says Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “The Teach-In forces us to dig deeper into the realities of racial injustice, inhumane migration policies, and other challenges of our times.” The Notre Dame students manifested this depth of introspection in their participation, their commitment, and the ideas they brought back for the school to implement to continue to effect a positive change.
Participants in the Encuentro Project outside Casa Encuentro with Sr. Mary Dolan: Devon Neville '21, Shi Yin Ge '21, Cecelia Horrigan '21, Charlotte Sandler '21, Brigid McCabe '21, Alexandra Held-Villasenor '21, and Francesca Little '20 (participants not shown are Maeve Shanks '20, Taylor Whitfield '21, and Shaun Bates '21)
Encuentro Project – El Paso, Texas - Wed., Dec. 4 – Mon., Dec. 9

Notre Dame School has a strong commitment to helping those less fortunate in the community and in the world. Immigration is one issue that ND decided to address specifically as a school during the year. With this in mind, Sr. Mary Dolan, SU, researched various opportunities for students to be exposed to immigration issues. The Encuentro Project was an initiative that truly spoke to what the goals of the school were, and she organized a trip to its location, El Paso. El Paso is in the far western part of the state, right on the border of Mexico, where the strongly contested border barriers are being erected. The Encuentro Project was inspired by the call of Pope Francis for a “culture of encounter”, to address the fear and indifference that marginalizes migrants and refugees. It is a new collaborative and inter-congregational ministry involving the Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern Province, the Marist Brothers of the United States and Mexico, the Hope Border Institute, and numerous other organizations on both sides of the border. This ministry of encounter launched in December 2018.

The Encuentro Project offers programming and lodging to groups from high schools, universities, and parishes for border immersion experiences. Its goal is to help participants gain a greater understanding of the complex history and present reality of migration in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border community, and inspire participants to challenge the borders in their own communities that push immigrants to the margins.

Notre Dame took full advantage of this immersion opportunity, and on an early December morning, ten students and four faculty departed for Texas, for a trip that would transform them dramatically. After a safe flight to El Paso, they loaded their 15 passenger van, and travelled to Casa Encuentro, what would become their home away from home. 

After a solid night’s sleep, their mission began. The first day began with a look at the border and some of the Wall, as well as the bridge where Customs and Border Patrol stops migrants from entering the US to apply for asylum. The girls said that it was truly a memorable experience to actually see in person what they had only read about or had limited exposure to.

The group subsequently visited the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services Center, Inc. (DMRS). A ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, DMRS began providing legal services in 1987 to Central and South America refugees fleeing their war-torn countries and undocumented immigrants needing legal assistance. At the center, the ND team listened to a powerful presentation on the work they do by Anna Hey, Esquire, Assistant Director of the center.

Not stopping to rest, the Notre Dame activists then attended an orientation required for their upcoming work in a migrant shelter. They needed this overview to be prepared for the day they spent volunteering at a refugee center, Casa de los Refugiados. Casa de los Refugiados is a newly opened 500 bed migrant shelter built by Annunciation House. Annunciation House is an immigrant advocacy group that coordinates network of temporary shelters which house newly arriving migrants after they are processed and released by US Immigration authorities. A converted 125,000 square foot former warehouse, Casa de los Refugiados can serve up to 1500 refugees. It is estimated that about 1,000 migrants are being released daily in the El Paso and Las Cruces areas, after being processed by U.S. immigration authorities. As a result of this staggering number, an increased number of facilities to assist these immigrants is critical. Their day there was the most powerful, where they got to work with and assist families who were desperate to start fresh and to feel a sense of belonging again.

Even into the evening, the group never stopped learning. Coming home to Casa Encuentro, Father Mike Gallagher, a Jesuit priest and Vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in El Paso, gave the group a presentation after dinner on the Movement of People Globally. Sacred Heart is the oldest parish in El Paso and is mostly made up of immigrants who have a host of needs and challenges which are directly related to their being uprooted. Founded in 1893, the Church is an anchor in the neighborhood known as “Segundo Barrio” (or Second Ward.) After such sessions, the evening would finally end with prayer and some sharing of their emotional thoughts of the day.

In following days, their ceaseless activities included a tour of Sacred Heart Parish Church and Parish Center and the barrio around the church where the Jesuits have served for two centuries. The students walked from there to see one of the bridges that crosses from El Paso to Juarez. They were able to go directly to the actual border and met with two Border Patrol Agents. They reported that it was such a sobering sight to see the fence and the Rio Grande right behind this formidable barrier. Fr. Rafael Garcia, SJ, the Director of the Ecuentro Project, accompanied them to the border fence and enlightened them on the goals of the Encuentro Project and his hopes for the future of it.
Speaking with border patrol at the wall
Prayer and reflections on the day in Casa Encuentro
It is apparent that this trip was emotionally and physically exhausting, offering valuable insights to the polarizing issues of immigration in this country. The participants reported that the whole experience was enlightening, demoralizing, and hopeful, all at the same time. It was enlightening because there were so many more layers to this issue than meets the eye, and that media gives a limited and skewed perspective of the realities of the situation. It was demoralizing, because so many aspects of the crisis are heart wrenching, and the suffering that these families face is indescribable. But finally, it was hopeful to see the work that the Ecuentro Project, as well as so many other advocacy groups and activists are doing, that things are changing for the better and will continue to do so. Our Notre Dame group is a part of that positive movement and the school is very impressed with their faithful commitment.

The travelers returned safely to campus, and presented their journey to the faculty and staff at a special meeting last Friday, December 13. Their emotional stories moved the entire group of teachers. These young activists articulated their experiences and how they tried to grapple with critical immigration issues. Despite their youth, these students are role models for the faculty and students alike. These girls were adamant that change is possible, but it requires all of us to do our part.

The below letter by Bishop Mark Seitz, Bishop of El Paso, sums up the hope and possibilities that lie ahead for those who continue to work towards it. And Notre Dame is proud of these young women who did just that on their challenging justice journey.
An evening of peace and hope in El Paso, Texas
Our Unique Border Identity

God has richly blessed our border community. We reject narratives that paint
our border as a place of chaos, violence and mayhem. As a community deeply
shaped by the reality of migration, we celebrate our strengths and unique
identity, as well as its safety and security, even when others would belittle the
contribution of migrants and falsely portray the reality of the border. Our border brings together cultures, peoples and countries. We are united in family, fiesta and faith. As one of the largest bi-national border communities in the world, migration is a part of our DNA. The vast majority here have strong ties across the border in Mexico, particularly in Ciudad Juárez. With our brothers and sisters across the bridge, we speak the same language. We wake up each morning to the same beautiful mountains, we dance to the rhythm of mariachis, and we share burritos and champurrado. With San Juan Diego, we stand together under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Bishop Mark Seitz
The Fantastic Finish to Fall Sports
Soccer team at awards banquet
Notre Dame’s fall sports season has ended with great success! There were nearly 100 Notre Dame athletes who participated in one of the sports teams this fall. The strong caliber of the 2019 season was evident in the many accomplishments of each of the teams. The athletes enjoyed a wonderful banquet celebrating their achievements on December 3, where accolades and personal bests were honored. Below are the coaches’ proud summaries of the seasons:

SOCCER

VARSITY SOCCER:
Head Coach:  James Fowler P'12 and P'14                            
Assistant:  Kevin Dinkins P'20       
JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER:
Head Coach : Lucy Wedge   
                       
Both Varsity and JV Soccer Team had their best year competing in the highest division of CHSAA soccer. The Varsity team finished very strong with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in the month of October. The only loss was in the playoff game against St Joseph by Sea with a close score of 2-1.

The JV team competed well throughout the season, highlighted by a 1-1 draw with St. Francis Prep, which was the eventual JV City Champion. The program has grown successively stronger each year. What is remarkable is that the players have developed a terrific balance of the student/athlete model - girls competing at the highest level, while maintaining a high standard in the classroom.

Nice job, ladies!


 VOLLEYBALL
      
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL 
Head Coach:  Melissa Dominguez                    
JUNIOR VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Head Coach:  Keydrick Segurk   
                                
The volleyball program has grown through the years and the new JV squad has evolved and strengthened exponentially. Their power was evident in their huge accomplishment this year in their first win against St Joseph by the Sea, a traditionally tough opponent!.
Players on both teams worked diligently to hone their skills, including developing set positions and understanding the 5-1 Rotation. As a team, they bonded through team-building exercises and made great advances in collective mental strength. When times were tough throughout the season, they pushed through and came together as a cohesive unit.
This hard work and commitment paid off as the volleyball team earned 4 th place in The Girls Catholic High School Athletic Association, a huge move ahead from last year.

Congratulations, ND Volleyball!
ND Cross Country Team
VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
Head Coach:  Daryn Johnson
Assistant: Shannon Hester

This third year truly has been a “charmed” one for the Cross Country team. These athletes had the best season ever, at every level, freshman through seniors. In addition to racing and placing in the top half of bigger invitational meets in Long Island and New Jersey, outside of their league home course in the Bronx, they also raced in a number of longer races of 5,000m at Holmdel and Foot Locker Regionals.

The freshmen team of Lily Roemischer, Nella Craft, Annie Piscitelli, Suzanna Malshyti, Lucia Snajdr, and Faith Lam only placed lower than 5 th  once all season at any of their CHSAA league meets (and there are 19 teams in the CHSAA). Notably, they were 3 rd  at the Relay Carnival, which was their best finish yet at that meet, which includes teams from all over New York State and New Jersey; and 3 rd  at the Sectional Championship, also their highest finishing place ever.

The sophomores, who were almost all new to Cross Country, got a taste for distance running during the track seasons, and earned a hard-fought 1 st  in the Manhattan Championship and 3 rd  in the City Championship. This was the highest that the second year runners have ever placed. 

The Varsity squad did not finish with as many top-five performances, but did feature the individual race winner, Brigid McCabe '21, in 7 of the 9 regular season meets. Brigid also won her heat of the prestigious Manhattan College Invite; is the Catholic State Champion (missing the course record by 6 seconds); and just missed 2 nd  Team All Northeast after finishing 21 in a field of over 200, from Virginia through Maine. (And this is just her junior year!). As a team, the top seven regularly featured a number of our standout sophomores, including Brianna Martinez-Burns (also a State Meet qualifier), Annika Hegde, Catherine Bourke, Helena Stuhr, and Olivia Heredia, as well as juniors Charlotte Sandler and Emely Abreu, and seniors Isobel Stanger and Anike Mosaku. They also had their best season as a team, with a number of personal records set, capped with 5 th  at Sectional Championships and 8 th  at Catholic State Championships. 

The coaches all agree that this was the best season yet. ND athletes keep getting stronger, and the best is yet to come!
GO DRAGONS!
Basketball star athletes Desiree Dinkins '20, Marie Cari '21, and Jade Dinkins '20
AND THIS JUST IN!!!!!……. The winter season is well underway and the Dragons are continuing to dominate! ND’s Basketball team has just won the 2019 Martin Luther School Invitational Basketball Tournament in the 43 rd Lady Cougar Invitational. Held on December 8, the girls did an outstanding job dominating the game and the tournament, taking the championship with a win over Martin Luther School, 59-42

2019 Martin Luther School Invitational Basketball Tournament Results

43 rd Lady Cougar Invitational Basketball Tournament
Notre Dame School of Manhattan 44    St. Agnes, CP 13
Martin Luther 38    Loyola 35
Championship
Notre Dame School of Manhattan 59     Martin Luther 42
MVP: Maria Cari – Notre Dame School of Manhattan
All Tournament
Des Dinkins, Jade Dinkins – Notre Dame School of Manhattan

AWESOME JOB, NOTRE DAME!
National Honor Society
Seniors Charlotte Symons, Maeve Shanks, Maureen Heaney, Emma Bala, and Bridget Wood, enjoy "Friendsgiving" sponsored by the NHS
The National Honor Society is an organization that was established in 1921 through the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Under the leadership of Dr. Edward Rynearson, principal of the Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh, the NHS grew from one chapter to more than 1,000 chapters by 1930. This new student organization quickly developed into one of the country’s leading educational groups.

Today, it is estimated that more than one million students participate in NHS activities. NHS chapters are found in all 50 states, Canada, and around the world. Chapter membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service.

As such, NHS chapters and students are in schools that care not only about student achievement, but also community engagement. NHS students and their peers volunteer in their communities at the highest rates and make connecting with and serving within the community a priority.

Of course, Notre Dame School is already known for its outreach and social justice projects. The school’s mission is to promote academic excellence for girls, an awareness of God in their lives, and engagement in the world around them. All students are required to do a minimum of forty service hours throughout their four years at Notre Dame. Most girls do far more than that with the opportunities to go out into the community and make a difference. Notre Dame’s National Honor Society adds an extra component to global awareness and service. NHS has had a chapter at Notre Dame for more than 70 years. 
The criteria for membership into NHS is rigorous. Students can begin to apply in March of their junior year. They must prove that they uphold the four pillars of the NHS. These are Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service. The pillar of Scholarship requires them to have a 92 average or above. The Leadership pillar requires them to have leadership roles in school activities (i.e. Anne’s Leaders, Clubs; sports teams, etc.). The pillar of Character mandates that every student is a responsible and caring member of the school community, as well as a solid, hardworking citizen in their local communities. And the pillar of Service requires that each member fulfills an additional twelve hours every quarter on campus. 

As one can see, it is a challenging criteria, but our Notre Dame students, who are always striving for the 'Magis' (the more), are excited to be a part of the Aquinas Chapter. Each year, there are approximately 40 juniors who are selected by a special faculty committee to move forward in this process. This group of students then begins their NHS membership at the start of their fourth quarter junior year. Even then, their status is provisional. They are called ‘candidates’ throughout this time, fulfilling the requirements of the NHS until March, when they are inducted into the National Honor Society in a formal ceremony.
Emma Hanks '20, Natalie Misyak '20, Erin Pender '20, and Kathleen Kilcommons '20, writing letters to Santa for Make-a-Wish Foundation
Vice Principal Ms. Vargas and Physics Teacher Ms. Donose are the faculty moderators of the Notre Dame Chapter of the National Honor Society. Ms. Vargas stated that the group selected is dedicated to all of the tenets of the NHS, and represent the best of a Notre Dame student. The focus of ND’s NHS is both internal and external. The group gathers two times each month. The first is a formal meeting where members brainstorm on ideas for future community service projects and campus activities. The second gathering is the actual event that was organized. And these events are truly inspirational! Each event focuses on an aspect of school or community life. In October, the NHS hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness event. This was a gathering where students had the opportunity to learn about this disease; and to make and then sell special ribbons, raising funds for breast cancer research. In November, the ND Honor Society hosted “Friendsgiving”, where the student body was invited to share delicious sweets, make crafts, and enjoy some holiday fun and conviviality! December’s event was focused on helping children suffering from terminal illnesses. The NHS hosted a group of interested students who wrote letters to Santa Claus for Make-a-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish is an organization that makes critically-ill children’s dreams come true (whether it be a vacation, a sporting event, or meeting a famous celebrity). Every year, Macy’s helps support this cause by encouraging anyone to write a letter to Santa on a child’s behalf. For every letter Macy’s receives, Macy’s will donate $1 (up to $1 million!) to Make-A-Wish. Their efforts will allow these children to have a joyous Christmas season! And plans are already in place for January’s “Cram-Fest”. “Cram-Fest” is ND’s annual tradition where the NHS members take time to help tutor, teach, and support their classmates preparing for mid-term exams. Not only does it exemplify the mission of service, it is a saving grace for many students stressed about these looming tests!

The National Honor Society is a vibrant organization that contributes much to a needy world, and demands a great deal of its members. And the Notre Dame Chapter lives up to these expectations. The ND students involved epitomize the four pillars of NHS - Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service – and have a profound impact both on campus and in the local community. The Notre Dame community is proud of their efforts and look forward to them continuing to shape a changing world.
Notre Dame Takes Manhattan
Seniors visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage
If visitors were to enter Notre Dame’s campus on any given day, they would witness the buzz of activity that permeates the school. Whether it be discussions in Global Inequalities and Theology classes, or analysis of experiments in science lab, or conversations of students in the Commons, there is always a collaborative, familial interaction. During this past month, however, the ND students have taken this energetic learning, enthusiasm, and buzz outside the classroom to the NYC community in a variety of field trips that covered the gamut of disciplines.

Right before Thanksgiving, the 9th and 10th graders got the chance to see the film Harriet , a new biographical film about the slave-turned-abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. It was a powerful retelling of the life of this incredible woman, and the students enjoyed the experience immensely.

While the younger students were riveted to the story of this early civil rights pioneer, the seniors had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Located in Battery Park City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is a living memorial to the Holocaust. Currently, the museum is home to a special exhibit about Auschwitz. The most significant site of the Holocaust, Auschwitz was not a single entity, but a complex of 48 concentration and extermination camps. This exhibition has more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world. The students were given private tours of this special gallery with guides who had personal connections to Auschwitz. The ND students stated that it was an incredibly moving day, and their visit brought the traumatic history to life in an emotional way.
ND students excited for the movie Harriet !
And speaking of live experiences, the history and English classes were lucky enough to attend various theater productions in the city. Mr. Stordeur recently took his classes to the Broadway show, Great Society, a play capturing Lyndon B. Johnson’s passionate and aggressive attempts to build a great society for Americans during his term as president. Mr. Vasey had his senior English students attend a production of Halfway B…s Go Straight to Heaven, at the Atlantic Theater on December 3. This was a premier play by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis about the harrowing, humorous, and heartbreaking inner workings of a women’s halfway house in New York City. Both productions resulted in powerful conversations on pivotal historic events as well as ongoing challenging social issues.

Finally, the AP Government students recently had the unique opportunity to spend a day at New York Law School. As this advanced placement curriculum focuses on the U.S. Constitution and the political systems of the United States, this visit was very applicable to their studies. The ND girls were actually asked to be the jury for a mock trial and got to experience our justice system in action firsthand.
AP Government class at NY Law School
Senior Retreat Team at Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck
These experiential opportunities do not just happen in the academic realm, but in the spiritual realm as well. In late November, a group of seniors responsible for the planning and implementing spiritual retreats throughout the year, had a retreat of their own in Rhinebeck, New York. This team of student leaders went to the Linwood Spiritual Center, a stunning 50-acre facility nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, owned and run by the Sisters of St. Ursula, (the community to which Sr. Virginia and Sr. Mary belong). Theology teacher Mr. McDonald led these students through prayer and reflection, giving them inspiration in the creation of future retreats for their classmates.

Janet Eyler, a well-known educational researcher, states that “Experiential education, which takes students into the community, helps students both to bridge classroom study and life in the world and to transform inert knowledge into knowledge-in-use. It rests on theories of experiential learning, a process whereby the learner interacts with the world and integrates new learning into old constructs.”

This pedagogy is consistently apparent in the field trips and opportunities that the ND students have off campus throughout the year. They are enriched by these experiences, and as a result of them, are becoming knowledgeable, global citizens with practical skills to have a positive impact in the world. 
The Reason for the Season
The liturgical calendar lets us know that it is the third week of Advent, and the spirit of Christmas is in full swing. Families are preparing for the season by baking cookies, decorating their houses, and putting up their trees. While people certainly enjoy these festive activities, many have forgotten the true reason for the season. But not so for our Chez Nous family. Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation - preparing our hearts for the com ing of Jesus. It is a time to live more deeply the Gospel message of service to others. And the ND students take this message to heart. As is apparent in many of the articles in this issue, ND students go above and beyond putting their faith into action in service to others. Part of this service includes the  Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy . These are actions Catholic Christians perform to exemplify God's compassion and mercy. Corporal Works are hands-on, practical ways to make a difference for others; whereas Spiritual Works are more prayerful and intrinsic ways to help those in need. Both are valuable and essential for affecting a positive change.

It is heartening and inspiring to witness the ND Community embrace this true meaning during this Advent Season, as they have found a multitude of ways to encounter Jesus through Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy both on and off campus.

Corporal Works of Mercy:
Every fall, Board Member Virginia Dolan donates materials and comes to teach the students how to create warm blankets for needy individuals during the winter months. The students made more than 150 blankets that were then folded and packaged up for donating. Earlier this month two students, Gracie Hastings '20 and Sophia LoPinto '21, traveled with Vice Principal Ms. Vargas and Ms. Grote to Mercy Center . Mercy Center is a community center in the Bronx that offers classes and social services for underseved women and families. There, Ms. Vargas presented half the blankets for distribution. Ms. Paula Sarro, Associate Executive Director of Mercy Center gave a tour of the facility, and the ND group had the opportunity to work with some of the children with activities and projects for a short time. Ms. Grote stated that it was really inspiring to see such expansive resources available for these families in need.

The other half of the blankets were given to Hour Children, an organization whose mission it is to change the lives of families impacted by incarceration. Students involved from previous years have stated that they have seen their blankets being used by some homeless throughout the city, and they feel as though they have made a small difference in helping those in need.
These good works have manifested themselves in other organizations as well. ND Cares is a club whose focus is on specific ways to help those in need through service projects and hands on interaction. In the past, they have done food drives, coat drives, and recently volunteered for the NYC ZERO Prostrate Cancer Walk. Their next mission is to reach out to the growing homeless community in the city as well. Their plan is to distribute care packages to those in need in the neighborhoods around the school. These care packages will include items such as travel size soap, travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, lip balms, combs, hand warmers, snacks, socks, gloves and hats.

ND Cares has placed bins in each of the homerooms for any and all students to donate new or nearly new hats, gloves and socks. The club will be purchasing all of the other items with the money raised from their dress-down fund raisers.

Of course, two very powerful examples of our students’ corporal works of mercy were their participation in the Ignatian Teach-In in Washington, as well as the recent service trip to El Paso, both reported above.
Students making blankets for those in need
Santa and Mrs. Claus with ND faculty
Spiritual Works of Mercy:
While practical deeds and corporal works of mercy are constantly being carried out in the ND community, spiritual works of mercy are evident as well. Advent has been a fundamental focus of the religion classes during these past several weeks, and the religion faculty are teaching the students about the importance of the saints of the seasons and their place as role models for all Catholics. These include the charity, service, and sacrifice of St. Nicholas, St. Lucy, and St. Stephen, to name a few. Such religious study and reflection is offered to adults as well as students. Dr. Tim Dooley hosted a ND Adult Advent Evening earlier this month. Open to parents and friends of the school, it was a spiritual evening of religious reflection and pizza (what a great combination!) Sister Mary Dolan SU, led the yearly Advent Faculty Meeting just last week, where she gave Advent insights on how to keep the season holy; as well as an overview of the recent service trip to El Paso that she chaperoned.

And certainly, the Feast Days that are celebrated at the school during this special time of year strengthen the spiritual core of Chez Nous . These included the Feast of the Immaculate Conception honored Monday, December 9, as well as a beautiful community liturgy celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe last Thursday, December 12. Such celebrations unite the ND community the school, and deepen the students’ faith journeys during this season of Advent.

Of course, in addition to these wonderful corporal and spiritual works of mercy, the ND girls know how to have pure Christmas fun as well! Ms. Kane’s seniors created their second annual Christmas Book Tree, an amazing structure built layer by layer entirely of books! This year the 9 th graders added lights to the ‘tree’ (Are they now required to read all of these books, Ms. Kane?) Anne’s Leaders Winter Festival was last Thursday, December 12. This favorite school tradition included candy and hot chocolate stations, Christmas games, cookie decorating, and of course a visit from St Nick himself! And the special Christmas Choral Gala will take place this week before the school closes for vacation.
“For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten son…” (John 3:16)

Notre Dame School embraces the essence of this holiday - God came for us. And He came because He loved us. Our girls have allowed him to permeate all that they do in their corporal and spiritual works of mercy. And the results are astounding. Notre Dame illuminates the light and love of the Lord, and the students share that light and love with the world in all that they do.

Our wish for all of our families and friends is that you let Jesus love you this Advent. Let Jesus show you God's own heart, and let God transform yours.
Ms. Kane's annual book tree
Arts and Crafts at the Winter Festival
Our Notre Dame Community
wishes you all a
Joyous Christmas Holiday
filled with
Peace, Hope, Light and Love!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Contact Information
Elizabeth Bixenman
Director of Development &
Alumnae Relations
(212) 620-5575, Ext. 317
bixenmane@cheznous.org

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ANCHORING LIVES for GENERATIONS