Notre Dame Junior Senior High School (Utica, New York)

Notre Dame Junior Senior High School
Address
2 Notre Dame Lane Utica , (Oneida County) , New York 13502 United States
Coordinates	43°5′37″N 75°16′55″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1959
Superintendent	William Crist
President	Vincent Gilroy
Principal	Roy Kane
Grades	7-12
Enrollment	Approx. 600 (2008)
Color(s)	Navy blue and old gold
Athletics conference	Tri-Valley League
Mascot	Juggler
Website	notredameutica.org

Notre Dame Junior Senior High School (NDJSHS) in Utica, New York, is a co-ed Roman Catholic high school. Notre Dame includes grades 7-12. Notre Dame's current Principal is Mr. Roy Kane, assisted by Sr. Jacqueline Johnas as the Vice Principal. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

Background

The school mascot is the Juggler. Morning announcements are generally made via the daily "Morning Show", a student run news channel broadcast to mounted televisions in each room. Popular segments on the "Morning Show" include birthdays, the day's lunch, a news segment called "One Nation Under God" and other, more entertainment based segments. (Previous segments which were primarily meant for entertainment included the "Fact of Earl", sports segments, and various other short pieces.

Extracurricular activities

The school is home to several extracurricular activities such as athletics, chorus and drama. The school also has a Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC); Chief Petty Officer Brian Jaynes of the United States Navy currently administers the program. The NJROTC program is active in the community, holding regular fish fries at the American Legion Post 229, sending cadets to volunteer at nursing homes, marching in parades, as well as providing volunteer service for the community as a whole. The program also possesses several drill teams, such as trick, silent, NS1 basic, unarmed platoon drill, armed platoon drill, as well as academic and inspection teams and the color guard.

Sports teams include Soccer, Tennis, Lacrosse, Cross Country, Basketball, Hockey (through other schools), Cheerleading, Bowling, Golf, Softball, Baseball and Football. Clubs include Drama, Choir, Mock Trial, Rotary Club, Campus Ministry, National Honor Society, Senior Ball Committee, Yearbook Staff, "The Morning Show," Chess Club, "Tech Squad", and Student Council.

The land that the school was built on was the former location of a military hospital. Initially, the school owned the land currently occupied by the business park, but sold it off, giving the current boundaries.

Education

Notre Dame holds a variety of classes. Foreign language choices are limited to French or Spanish, which are begun in seventh grade and required. A standard selection of mathematics is available, including pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and statistics. The sciences offered include living environment, physical sciences, earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Standard business courses are also offered in lieu of foreign language. There are several courses which broach the topic of fine arts. Social studies include basic American history, world history, US history, and various government classes. Students must take physical education (P.E.) unless enrolled in the NJROTC program, which is a class in itself. Standard English classes are offered and generally mandatory for all students, as well as the option for Honors English in eleventh grade. Theology classes are required for all students, including those not of the Catholic faith. Computer classes are mandatory for all seventh and eighth graders, and students can join Tech Squad, which maintains the school computers. Basic classes are also offered in all subjects for those unable to cope with Regents work . Through a joint program with Mohawk Valley Community College, several college courses are available. Also, several AP courses are offered, including World History, US History, Biology, Calculus AB and English. An optional "tenth period" is held on Tuesday to Thursday for students to go to a teacher for extra help. A library is also maintained with a selection of recently published books.

Foundations

Notre Dame was established in 1959 by the Xaverian Brothers. It was originally just a high school, but in 1994 both local Catholic junior high schools merged and moved to the high school building.

Noted alumnus

• Mark Lemke - Popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves
• Shelly Pennefather - basketball player
• John Zogby - prominent pollster

External links

• Notre Dame Jr/Sr High School website