User:Crislen/Crislen Sandbox

History
Notre Dame Preparatory School was founded on September 21, 1873 in Baltimore, Maryland on Charles Street by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States, presided over the first commencement as his niece, Bessie Sharp, was a student at the school in 1876. In an attempt to distinguish the prep school from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and to meet the growing demand for classroom space, the school moved in 1960 to the current Hampton Lame campus in  Towson, Maryland.

In 2010, the school celebrated its 50th Anniversary on the Hampton Lane campus with a parade of students and a Mass led by Jesuit Father James McAndrews. Students, wearing the traditional uniform including the blue dress, blazer and saddle shoes, processed into the Mass carrying each class banner the school has hosted since its move to the Hampton Lane campus. Many of the school’s oldest traditions were mentioned in the celebrations including Gym Meet, one of the oldest annual traditions, begun in 1929. . Other notable school traditions include Junior Ring Day, Penny Queen, Tree Trim, Catholic Schools Week and class retreats.

Academics
An admission test and interview is required to apply to Notre Dame Preparatory School for both the Middle and Upper Levels. Currently, the school has over 6,000 living alumni and enrolls about 750 students from grades 6-12. Class sizes average 16-20 students and the school boasts a student-faculty ratio of 9:1. Notre Dame Preparatory School offers more than 160 courses in core and elective subjects all of which are geared towards college preparation. Courses include mathematics, science, English, history, religion and foreign language, visual and performing arts, physical education and swimming. The school offers 23 Advanced Placement courses in English, language, mathematics, science and the fine arts. The school adheres to a phasing system that aims to ensure each student is learning at the level suitable for her. There are four phases, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4 and Phase 5. A student can move up or down when appropriate and can be in different phases for different subjects.

Athletics
Notre Dame Preparatory School offers over 15 interscholastic sports during the fall, winter and spring. Fall sports include crew, field hockey, cross country, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Winter sports include basketball, indoor track, soccer, swimming and winter soccer. Spring sports include crew, lacrosse, softball, golf, tennis, track and field and badminton.

The school is known for its talent and success on their field hockey, lacrosse and soccer teams. In fall 2010 the Notre Dame Prep field hockey team was the No. 1-seed in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of the Maryland A Conference. The Notre Dame Prep soccer team also competed in the 2010 IAAM A Conference game In 2003, the soccer team won the IAAM A Conference championship led by the All Metro Player of the Year, Zoey Bouchelle. In 2010 the lacrosse team was seeded No. 2 and one of its players, Covie Stanwick, was named on the 2010 Girl’s Lacrosse first team by The Baltimore Sun.

Student Organizations
Student leadership at NDP is comprised by three key organizations, Athletic Association (AA), Christian Community Awareness Program (CCAP) and Student Council (SC). Officers are elected each spring along with one representative from each homeroom. In addition, the school issues three student-led publications including Finis, the school yearbook; Esprit, the school literary magazine; and the school newspaper, The Gateway.