1 The Crusader Elmira, New York Connection Get connected! July 2015 Volume 10 Issue 11 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Enjoy your summer! I recently received a letter from a friend with this inscription on the envelope, Have a beautiful summer and this is my message to you, too. Perhaps you may be traveling far, or maybe you are staying close to home, but either way you need to take time for yourself and your family take time to refresh, renew, and relax. Summer is a good time for you to pray more often, to read for enjoyment, to enjoy your family, and to find time for friends. Get off the merry-go-round, enjoy the summer and come back refreshed for school in the fall. Sister Mary Walter Hickey, RSM President Class of 2015 Guidance Dept. Advancement Team Puerto Rico Fall Sports Kudos NDHS SUMMER HOURS The main office will be open during July and August, Monday-Friday. The hours of operation are as followed: 2 5 FAREWELL AND BEST WISHES After a combined 5.5 years at Notre Dame, both Ann Koenig and Sue LaVelle have announced their retirement. Ann joined the Notre Dame Science Department in 1986. Within her 29 years of service, Ann has taught Biology, Advanced Biology, and Chemistry. As an ND teacher she has educated hundreds of students, with much success. Through her hard work and dedication, Ann has ensured the success of her students year after year. Her contributions to this school have not gone unnoticed and she will be greatly missed. Sue LaVelle, a graduate from the class of 1975, joined the Notre Dame team as the Advancement Assistant in January of 2000. Within a year, Sue was named the Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs. For 16.5 years, Sue has worked diligently to ensure the success of the school by bringing in funds, maintaining constant contact with alumni, and so much more. Sue has contributed great things to Notre Dame and we cannot thank her enough for her many years of service and commitment. From all of us at Notre Dame, best wishes to you both! Mon.-Thur. 8:0a.m. - :00p.m. Fridays 8:0a.m. - 12:00p.m. Thank you and have a wonderful summer! Don t miss out on your chance to extend the learning process through one of our many unique and fun summer programs! To see what is being offered and to register now click the image above.
Page 2 July 2015 2 Zachary Brand Valedictorian Williams College Ryan Bayne Salutatorian Cornell University For more photos: http://www.notredamehighschool.com/graduates.html
Page July 2015 FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT Class of 2015 Congratulations to all of the Seniors on their graduation we wish them nothing but the best! This year, Notre Dame awarded 1 Regents Diplomas, 22 Advanced Regents Diplomas, and 20 Advanced Regents Diplomas with Honors. Class of 2016 This summer is a perfect opportunity to refine a list of colleges that you would like to apply to in the fall. We encourage families to take some time this summer, if possible, to visit the campus of schools that hold your interest. For those of you who are ambitious and anxious to start the process, the following link includes the prompts for the required essays for the Common Application: http://blog.commonapp.org/2015/0/1/2015-2016-essay-prompts/. The Common App. officially becomes available for the 2016 school year on August 1st. Students are more than welcome, encouraged even, to get a head start on this before school starts! Be cautious of starting your account before August 1st, as you will lose any information you input before the transition and will need to start over. We will meet together in classes in September to start the application process. Class of 2017 Students going into grade 11 for the 2015-16 school year should begin compiling a list of activities to construct a resume in your Junior year. Keeping a list of activities and accomplishments will make it easier to develop the resume you ll use for college and scholarship applications. Also, set your Collegeboard.org account if you haven t already done so. Get the ACT and SAT Question of the Day apps on your phone or ipad to work on. Also, setting up a khanacademy.com account would be helpful for test prep. Summer School 2015 BOCES is offering regional summer school at the following locations and times: Grades 7-9 at Broadway Academy, July 6-August 11, Monday-Thursday from 8a.m. to 12p.m. Grades 10-12 at Horseheads High School, July 6-August 11, Monday- Thursday, from 8a.m. to 12p.m. Regents Exams are offered on Wednesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 1. Any student who wishes to retake a Regents Exam to improve their score must contact their school counselor by Wednesday, July 1. For All Students Make it a goal to read a couple of good novels this summer. Just like exercise is good for the body, reading is good exercise for the brain! Pick a book on something you re interested in and enjoy! Lastly, all students should take some time to volunteer this summer. Summer is the perfect time to find ways to help out in your community. Be sure to keep a record of what you have done to make it easier to remember later on. FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE ND s SCRIP PROGRAM CONVENIENT AND HELPS DECREASE YOUR TUITION The Notre Dame Scrip Program is an easy way for you to help raise funds for the school on items you are already going to buy: gifts, gas, hotels, gifts, and goods. You can download the updated scrip form from the ND website under the Crusader Cards tab or stop by the ND school office and purchase scrip on the spot. Plus: save money on next year s tuition. PLEASE NOTE: Scrip tuition credit for the 2016-2017 academic year runs through April 0. Scrip purchases after April 0, will be credited for the next school year. Top Ten Scrip Card Purchasers (includes purchasers from May 201-March 26, 2015) 1. Mr. & Mrs. Shawn Barkley 2. Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Keefer. Mr. & Mrs. Robert MacBlane. Mr. & Mrs. Dale Lowman 5. Mr. & Mrs. David Velasquez 6. Ms. Margie McKinery 7. Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Ryan 8. Mr. & Mrs. Michael Willsey 9. Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Bauco 10. Mr. & Mrs. Russell Woglom A Farewell Message I would like to say so long, farewell to all the families, students, faculty and staff as I begin my official retirement from Notre Dame on July 1 st. I will miss everyone and hope to keep in touch with many of you. ND will always have a special place in my heart and be a part of my family. God Bless!! Sue Underwood LaVelle 75
Page July 2015 TEAM PUERTO RICO NDHS Team Puerto Rico will be leaving for Ponce, Puerto Rico on July 11th and will return on July 18th. The team has worked hard to raise funds for their mission trip and want to thank everyone for their generous support throughout the process. Be sure to check out the Notre Dame Facebook page while they are away so you can see what they are up to! As a final fundraiser and a fun way to end the school year, Team Puerto Rico held a Faculty Dunk Bucket Fundraising event. Here are a couple of photos documenting the fun. Thank you to all of the teachers who agreed to participate and to the Administration team for making this event possible. Falls Sports All JV and Varsity sports will begin on Monday, August 17, 2015. Modified sports teams will start at a different time, please keep an eye out for those start dates. All Athletes must be cleared to participate by the nurse s office before they can practice. JV and Varsity students, and modified football candidates, who have not been cleared to participate in a fall sport before the summer must come to the nurse s office during one of the following times: Wednesday, August 12, 8:00-11:00 a.m. Friday, August 1, 12:0-:00 p.m. Monday, August 17, 12:0-:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 18, 12:0-:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, 8:00-11:00 a.m. Students must report directly to the Notre Dame school nurse s office. Any athlete may drop off/mail their documentation during the summer to the main office, if they have it ready before these sessions. If you are doing this, please ask the staff to put the documents in the nurse s mail box. Do not give paperwork (health history forms, and documentation of physical exam) to coaches. Only the school nursing staff can clear students to participate. Paperwork that must be submitted by athletes: Pre-participation health history form. To be completed and signed by parent/guardian. Documentation of a physical examination. To be done by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner on or after August 1, 201. Note: No physicals will be done at school. Athletes are responsible for getting their own physicals and bringing in documentation. The only exception is for students who are new entrants to NDHS, from a district other than Elmira, for the fall. Students who wish to try out for modified football must come to these sessions. All other modified athletes may wait until school begins to see the nurse for clearance. JOEL STEPHENS MEMORIAL PARK There are Cobblestone Blocks available to purchase in the beautiful Joel Stephens Memorial Park. The blocks are $500 each which includes the inscription of your choice. This is a great way to honor or memorialize a loved one. For more information call 607.7.2267.
Page 5 July 2015 5 KUDOS TO Congratulations to Cullen McWhorter for receiving the Phoenix Award from the Elmira Rotary Club. Meet our newest Hall of Fame inductees: Dave Daniels 01 Josh Hammer 05 Siegi Herzl-Betz 05 Elizabeth McGill 02 Lauren Tranter 0 Luke Whitteker 02 Anne Maxwell (Tuite) 99 Notre Dame Senior, Darius Garvin singed with Division II Daemen College s basketball team on June 10th. Congratulations Darius and good luck! Mark Twain Scholars On June 17th, 5 high school seniors were honored at the 1st annual Mark Twain Scholars Dinner. These students are honored because they are the top 5% of students from the graduating classes in Chemung County, Waverly, and Spencer-Van Etten. Of these 5 students honored, of them were Notre Dame students. Congratulations to Ryan Bayne, Zachary Brand and Teresa Stutts for your All Students We are so proud of each and every one of our students and we want to congratulate them for their hard work and dedication throughout the school year both in the classroom and on the playing field/court. We wish you all a happy and safe summer and we look forward to seeing you well rested and ready in the fall! This summer Beth Sarta will be participating in the Summer Pre-College Art program for high school students at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. From July 12-August 2, she will be completely immersed in the college art experience, taking foundation courses in drawing, illustration, and animation. The application process included submission of five portfolio pieces that represent her best work, as well as an artistic statement describing her artistic influences, challenges, and her career goals and aspirations. Not only was Beth accepted into this program, but she was also offered a scholarship that will cover the cost of housing. Congratulations Beth! SAVE THE DATE ND RUMMAGE SALE One Man s Junk is another Man s Treasure. The Annual Notre Dame High School Rummage Sale will be held on Friday, July 10th and Saturday, July 11th in the ND Cafeteria from 9a.m.-2p.m. Items can be dropped off in the cafeteria beginning on Monday, July 6th.