School Traditions

Heritage Day is our annual celebration of community. This joyful, school-wide tradition takes place in the fall and recognizes what it means to be part of the NDA community. This event is marked by smiles, laughter, and friendship. The day begins with our NDA community gathering for a liturgy. Afterward, each class — dressed in their class color — participates in service projects and community-building activities. While activities change each year, fun and friendship is a constant.

A strong sense of community builds confidence in each girl. Each year, our Peer Mentors — NDA juniors and seniors — are selected to help create a sense of connection and belonging. Peer Mentors welcome new students to the NDA. They accompany younger students during our orientation program and meet with them throughout the year in Advisory. Peer Mentors answer questions, give advice, and plan fun activities to help younger students make lasting new connections.

Each year in February, we celebrate Founders’ Day, the anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. This day honors St. Julie Billiart’s vow, made in 1804, to prepare girls for life. This remarkable day of faith, celebration, and community service speaks to our values and the mission of our school.

At Baccalaureate Mass each spring, we present our graduates with the Notre Dame Academy medallion. This has been a tradition since the school began in 1853. The cross, engraved with the school’s name and the student’s initials, is a symbol of the graduate’s growth in her faith in God, her commitment to the ideals of St. Julie Billiart, and her academic accomplishments. As each graduate is presented with her medallion, she is forever linked with all the Notre Dame Academy graduates who came before her and all who are yet to come.