Notre Dame High School (Batavia, New York)
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Notre Dame High School was founded in 1951 and is dedicated to educating young men and women in a safe, faith-filled and family oriented environment. Notre Dame prides itself on its Christian family atmosphere that allows the school to provide a caring and supportive learning environment that meets the needs of individual students on a spiritual, intellectual and social level. The school serves a student body of diverse cultures, faith traditions and abilities.
Our objective is to prepare each student spiritually, intellectually and socially to meet the challenges of a diverse and ever changing world. We accomplish this through our extensive academic program that promotes critical thinking and clear communication skills. Through our spiritual program, we seek to cultivate an appreciation for worship and a commitment to service. Finally, through our extracurricular and athletic programs, we seek to develop not only talents and social skills, but also a sense of community and fair play.
We pride ourselves on providing a comprehensive program, challenging each student to reach his or her God-given potential. We provide a challenging college preparatory program, extensive co-curricular activities and a commitment to service in the community.
The Notre Dame family inspires in students the values of Christian citizenship, a love of learning, and a responsible expression of their unique talents and ideas.
[edit] History
The History of Notre Dame
Notre Dame High School, the only Catholic secondary school between Buffalo and Rochester, was the vision of Msgr. Edward J. Ferger, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish and former editor of the Diocese of Buffalo monthly newspaper. Ground-breaking for the $550,000 three floor school was held May 6, 1951. That September, the first class of 58 students – taught by two Sisters of Mercy - began in temporary quarters at St. Anthony’s parochial school.
The present school on Union St. opened on schedule September 3, 1952 when nuns of the Holy Cross order greeted 200 students, nearly half in upper grades from the city’s public schools. The faculty was almost-all religious, Diocesan priests, Consolata fathers, and Felician nuns would teach a family values-based curriculum that included religion, even for the 15-20 percent of students who were not Catholic.
The school, which has graduated nearly 4,000 young men and women, remains steadfast and faithful to its mission as it moves into its second half-century. Since 1991, the former diocesan school, losing students and heavily subsidized by the Diocese of Buffalo, had its future secured when the operation and fund-raising were taken over by a local Board of Trustees, and a NDHS Foundation, both bodies served by local volunteer business and professional men and women.
