The Gates ACADEMY of NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR VILLANOVA, PA
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The Gates ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR VILLANOVA, PA Vol. XLV No. 1 Fall 2010 Neverland at Notre Dame The Mother-Daughter By Kerri DelCollo, ‘13 and Morgan Sanei, ‘13 Picnic On September 25th, Notre Dame was By Haley Curtin, ‘13 transformed into Neverland, complete with The annual Mother-Daughter picnic was a crocodiles and pixie dust. Fifty-one boys and huge success yet again! The picnic is always the best girls from the Gesu School in Philadelphia filled way to open up the new school year and this year the Cuvilly gym, where they received their own was no different. It’s a great chance for new students pair of fairy wings and a Big Sister with whom to get to know each other, and for all of the moms to spend the day. The children, ranging from to meet one another. The DJ played great music and kindergartners to third graders, ran all over cam- students had fun dancing and laughing with their pus participating in various activities. A moon friends. The class of 2011 wowed everyone with their bounce, face painting, and arts and crafts were group dance and managed to stand still long enough just half the fun! In addition to the games, they for a group photo. The Shamrock Shop was stocked received great prizes and a filling lunch, thanks to the donations of the Notre Dame with many new items and the lines in Launfal were community. The kids also enjoyed a visit from Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, who wan- out the door. The picnic is a lot of work and everyone dered the campus all day. By the end of the day, the children were all smiles as they who worked so hard to keep this great tradition alive made their way back to the gym for the closing skit. deserves our thanks and gratitude! By the looks on the children’s faces, you could tell that they were ecstatic about being at ND and were so comfortable with all the girls. As students, we drive through the gates every day, and after a while we get so used to it, not realizing how magical our campus can be to the people who aren’t here as often as we are. The gleam in the children’s eyes when they pulled in seemed to scream, “Wow, you go to school here?!” But it wasn’t just the magic of Notre Dame’s campus that made it Neverland to them; rather, it was the love and patience of every girl here that made the experience worthwhile. Each one of the kids became attached to their Big Sister. Some didn’t even want to leave! The Gates Introduces the Archives! By Kaitlyn Bowman, ‘12 As Notre Dame is starting off a new school year, The Gates is welcoming a new section, The Archives. Our school is fortunate enough to have a rich history because it was founded in 1856 at West Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. Over time, an immense amount of history has formed, leaving behind archives for our generation to study. Due The Gates to the dedication of our very own Dr. David Califf, our archives are more organized than ever before. Dr. Califf has spent countless hours organizing, studying, identifying, and Editor-in-Chief Kristen McNeill teaching about the archives of Notre Dame, which has greatly benefited our whole com- Managing Editor Rachel Rodden munity. Features Editor Katie Dolan Currently, a third floor room of the mansion on Notre Dame’s campus is dedicat- Sports Editor Alana Stoczko ed to the restoration and safe keeping of the archives. This air-conditioned room (im- Moderator Mrs. Alice Levine portant for the preservation of the materials) is now home to the history of Notre Dame. Even though so much has been done already, there is still much to do. For that reason, there is a new club that meets on Wednesdays during activity period: The Archive Club. In this issue: This club is lead by Dr. Califf and he allows students to work with the archives, help- - ND’s New Schedule ing them to develop a better knowledge of the history of our school. The Archive Club - The Lice Epidemic welcomes any students and can always use more members. Sorting through the past newspapers was the first goal ofThe Gate’s Archive - Tips for Freshmen staff. The discoveries that were made will fill a future edition. With the school year just - Advice Column beginning, we look forward to all the information to come about the history of Notre Dame. - Michael Vick Fun facts from the Archives - ND Classifieds By Kaitlyn Bowman, ‘12 - And much more! • Notre Dame used to have a Glee Club, which was led by Mrs. Vera Suppa. • Notre Dame had a mascot named “Polycarp,” who was a penguin (stuffed ani- mal). • In 1957, Notre Dame’s Newspaper was called The Standard for one year before going back to the original name, The Gates. • In 1957, 16 of the 28 graduates went on to college. • No boys were allowed in school plays, so girls played every part in the shows. • When Elvis was extremely popular, a poll was taken at NDA and most of the girls were in favor of his music, but not his style or dancing. • Moore College of Art was one of the first colleges to offer a scholarship to a Notre Dame student. • Notre Dame used to have a cheerleading squad. • Notre Dame handed out demerit slips for bad behavior, such as talking in a study. Dr. Califf hard at work in the Archives Fall 2010 Features Page 2 Cafeteria Poll By Lindsey Santerian, ‘13 For better or for worse? By Tracey Merz, ‘13 One of the most controversial changes made at Notre Dame this year is the new schedule. When it was first announced, students were in an uproar. The remark “How dare they try to lengthen our school day!” seemed to be as common a statement at Notre Dame as “Hey, I don’t know you, but you have brownies and I’d like one.” Musicians and singers rubbed their hungry stomachs and agreed that an extra lunch period would be great, while athletes bemoaned about having to miss extra periods for away games. Students and faculty alike wondered how the new schedule would affect the school day. The 2010 – 2011 school year arrived, bringing with it the new schedule. An 8:15 start time, 5 day rotation, 3:01 dismissal time, 44 minute classes, and a shortened homeroom were all ready to be imple- mented. On the first day of school, girls were seen happily discussing the multiple free periods on their freshly printed schedules. Quickly, opinions about these changes began to form. The school day start time, for one, gave heavy sleepers something to com- plain about. Students who live far from NDA also wished to start school 15 minutes later. In addition, the 44 minute class schedule set off both teachers and students. “No one ever knows what time class ends,” said a student, “and teachers sometimes seem frustrated when they start teaching something and the bell rings unexpectedly.” Some students also question adding an activity period once a week for clubs. One girl says, “A 9-period day feels long, but having 10 periods on Wednesdays makes the days seem like they go on forever. Also, classes on Wednesdays are so short we can’t get anything done!” Costume Fun at Do all these complaints about the new schedule warrant it a failure? Not exactly. Students who wish to take an extra academic class Fall Fling now have the time to do so. Those who play an instrument or partici- pate in chorus now have a period for lunch. Another major benefit of By Kristen McNeill, ‘11 a 9-period day is the high number of studies each student has. Having more free periods can allow students to meet with teachers, make up tests, and get ahead on schoolwork. Only time will tell if NDA’s new schedule is a positive change for the school. For now, all we can do is adjust, and get to class on time! From the Desk of Dr. D As we near the end of the first quarter (it’s difficult to believe, but the calendar pages keep turning), my first task is again to welcome every- body to another school year, which I hope is going well so far. The spirit of Notre Dame is certainly alive and well. For the teachers and administra- tors, seeing our students enjoy their school experience is the best reward for our work. In the beginning of the year, I tried to emphasize compliance with the uniform dress code. I am happy to report that most of you are doing what we have asked. I would like to reiterate why it is important. Our uni- form – any uniform – is a sign of a group’s identity. It is one of the ways you identify yourself as belonging to this school and its traditions. Anyone who has played sports understands the idea of the uniform as emblematic of being on a team and the pride athletes have in wearing it. The Notre Dame uniform is the outward sign of the Honor Code, the spiritual empha- sis of all we do here, and the school’s long and storied history. Wear it with pride. We’ve also asked that you obey the cell phone rules and not have them on or on your person during the school day. Again, almost everyone is following this rule.