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21 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com through the next three years. In 11th and 12th grades, counselors focus on the college selection process to help a girl identify where she will be most successful. By the start of their senior year, all girls will have completed their common application and are well-positioned to apply Early Action or Early Decision. NDA sustains a 100% college acceptance rate. • The school's custom-designed leadership program, the Billiart Leadership Institute (BLI), is perhaps one of the greatest differentiators at NDA. Introduced six years ago by President Kenneally and led by BLI Director Christina Kappel, PhD, it uses a ladder approach to skill building. Students master a different "rung" every year, beginning in the 7th grade with communication, followed by decision-making, improvisation, debate, negotiation, and concluding with presentations senior year. • Athletics are unrivaled at NDA, with 39 State Championships – most recently in lacrosse, tennis and volleyball, as well as 30 Neil Singelais Boston Globe Sportsmanship Awards in the last 37 years. 85% of students participate in the school's 19 interscholastic sports and 45 teams. Encouragement, teamwork and positivity come above winning – resulting in well-rounded young women. Colleges know NDA produces athletes who are responsible and committed to teams first. In 2023, more than 10% of student-athletes went on to play at the collegiate level. • NDA is kicking off this school year with a new writing lab, featuring an on-staff published author available to mentor students and help develop strategic writing skills – just one of many enhancements that students will enjoy in the coming semesters. NDA is also home to a dedicated math lab. • Post-graduation, young women join an impressive NDA Hingham alumnae community that is more than 6,000 strong, and a global network of Notre Dame Academy-sponsored schools, offering a lifelong sisterhood of support. "We feel very confident that our girls are well prepared, not only to go to college and acclimate well and succeed, but also to lead and contribute to society in a meaningful way throughout and after their academic careers," says Anne Gallagher, Director of College Counseling. "Our emphasis is on developing the whole student by encouraging her to take risks, nurture her own curiosity and be open to the values and traditions of others," she adds. "The goal is to graduate confident and compassionate young women who understand that the world is inextricably linked and that we have a shared responsibility to serve and shape society." LEADING BY EXAMPLE A strong partnership of successful women leads Notre Dame Academy. President Kenneally, now entering her sixth year at the helm, has an understanding and appreciation for the NDA experience that is hard to rival. Kenneally is a 1980 NDA graduate, mother of two alumnae, and sister of an alumna. She grew up in Hingham and is the daughter of two