The document is an open house brochure for Academy of Notre Dame, an independent all-girls Catholic high school. It highlights research showing benefits of single-sex education such as girls outperforming boys on SATs and feeling more comfortable speaking up. It provides statistics about the school's academics, extracurriculars, and college admissions outcomes. Throughout are quotes from studies, teachers, parents and students about how an all-girls environment helps students to develop leadership skills, self-confidence, and find their voice.

1. Academy
of Notre Dame
Open House | Weekly
Tours
September 2009

2. Did You Know?
• The Catholic Schools Foundation has
recently compiled independent research
(new and pre-existing) that validates the
benefits of an all-girls’ Catholic education.
Among the many highlights:
 Women who attend single-gender schools
tend to outperform their coeducational
peers on the SAT 1.
 When boys are taken out of the classroom,
girls are more likely to take risks and
speak up in class, even when not sure of
the answer.
 An all-girls’ setting seems to provide girls a
comfort level that helps them develop
greater self-confidence.

3. What is Notre Dame?
• An independent college preparatory school
for girls in grades 9 – 12
• Founded in _____
• # of students
• X# students in class of 2009
• Headline of school charism

4. Notre Dame by the Numbers
• Student/Teacher ratio—10:1
• Typical class size—15 students
• Interscholastic sports—15
• Student clubs & organizations—20
• Notable facts:
 Xx sports championships
 Xx avg # students in campus ministry
 Xx alums in elected office/in the public eye
etc

5. Who is she?

6. She’s Prepared
Class of 2009 College Admissions
• X# AP classes
100% of our graduates
• Advanced AP Scores attend four-year
• X# National Merit colleges upon
Semifinalist
graduation.
• X# National Merit
Commended
• X# National Hispanic
Scholar

7. College Admissions
• Art Institute of Chicago • Harvard University • Smith College
• Babson College • Haverford College • Stanford University
• Bates College • Johns Hopkins University • Stonehill College
• Bowdoin College • Johnson and Wales University • Syracuse University
• Boston College • Macalester College • Trinity College
• Boston University • MIT • Tufts University
• Brown University • Merrimack College • Tulane University
• Colby College • Middlebury College • University of Chicago
• Mount Holyoke College
• Colgate University • University of Dallas
• New York University
• College of the Holy Cross • University of
• Northeastern University
• Connecticut College Massachusetts
• Northwestern University
• Cornell University • University of Notre Dame
• Oberlin College
• Duke University • University of Pennsylvania
• Pepperdine University
• Fairfield University • Princeton University • University of Richmond
• Fordham University • Providence College • University of Saint Andrews
• Franciscan University • Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute • University of Virginia
• Georgetown University • Rhode Island School of Design • Vanderbilt University
• Hamilton College • Rhodes College • Villanova University
• Saint Anselm College • Washington and Lee
• Saint Francis Xaviver • Wellesley College
• Williams College

8. She Speaks Up
• Quote from respected teacher on his/
her perspective on students engaged in
the classroom and/or quote from
student(s) on their perspective of
comfort level in all-girl setting
When boys are taken out of the classroom, girls are more likely to take risks,
speak up - even when not sure of the answer - and participate in athletics.
(Parker & Rennie; Williams)

9. She Challenges
Herself
• # of years above public school average
your students take math
• # of years above public that your
students take science
• Notable facts:
 Robotics team
 Science awards
 Computer labs
• Other ways in which students
academically push the envelope,
particularly in ways they don’t in other
schools.

10. She’s Aware
• List and talk about programs that
your school offers, e.g., Students
Against Destructive Decisions, and
others.
• Quote from parent re: the growth they
have seen in their daughter
• Quote from student re: finding their voice
• Quote from head of guidance on
strengths of students

11. She’s Self-assured
• Advising programs
• Signature classes offered on morality/ethics
• Mentoring programs
• Peer leadership programs etc.
“All-girls’ settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them
develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they
approach adolescence.”
(Dr. Rosemary C. Salomone, Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling)

12. She’s Spiritual
• Headlines on Campus Ministry programs
• Service programs
• School liturgies
• Retreats
• Quote relating to charisma of school
Religious 12th graders in the US have significantly higher self-esteem and
hold more positive attitudes about life in general than their less religious
peers. (NSYR)

13. She’s a Leader
• Co-curriculars that your
school offers to build
leadership skills
• Recent accolades
• Recent championships
• Community leadership
awards for students
“At all-girls’ schools, girls enjoy not just equal opportunity, but every
opportunity. All the speakers, players, writers, singers, team captains,
community organizers and leaders are girls.” (NCGS)

14. She’s Independent
• Profile recent alum
• Profile alum more than 10 years out
• Profile notable alum
95% of recent girls’ school
graduates said that a career is very
or extremely important to them.
78% added that it was very or
extremely important that they hold
leadership positions in their
professional lives. (NCGS)

15. She’s Confident
"As a college professor I could
identify students from girls'
schools with a 90% accuracy rate
on the first day of class. They were
the young women whose hands
shot up in the air, who were not
afraid to defend their positions,
and who assumed that I would be
interested in their perspective."
Robin Robertson,
National Coalition of Girls’ Schools Research 2006

16. Who Is She?
She’s a Notre Dame student
Thank You!