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20 EMPOWERMENT. SUPPORT. SUCCESS. Three critical elements we want for our daughters. But how do we ensure our girls enter adulthood equipped with the tools, knowledge and adaptability to navigate this demanding world? Notre Dame Academy in Hingham offers an independent Catholic school experience that draws on strong faith to challenge students and inspire the best in them. More than 200 years ago, Saint Julie Billiart founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to educate girls – believing if she could uplift them, they in turn would uplift the world. "This is still our model today – still our mission – to educate and empower the next generation of women leaders to be a force for good in the world," explains President Annemarie Lynch Kenneally '80. "We focus on developing girls' extraordinary potential, educating their minds, hearts and souls so they have the confidence, wisdom and will to lead throughout their lives," she adds. At every touch point – in classrooms and labs, on stage and on the playing field, in clubs and in their communities – students are emboldened to take the lead. At NDA, they develop the skills and courage to use their voices, take risks, think critically and globally, and engage collaboratively. Students discover a safe, supportive, nonjudgmental environment where they are surrounded by peers, allowing girls to be girls as they build the skills, strengths and confidence that will make them lifelong learners and successful women with a network of connections and support. "Notre Dame is not simply a school you attend. Our girls are part of a sisterhood of pioneering women who embrace education, service and faith to create meaningful change," says Kenneally. THE NOTRE DAME DIFFERENCE From the moment a new student arrives at the beautiful 68-acre campus at NDA, the first all-girls day school in Massachusetts, she will feel supported thanks to a program that assigns her a peer mentor to help guide her and ease her transition. "It's a critically important moment for every new student, so we want to welcome them, let them know we're here to help them navigate this incredible new world, and to introduce them to a supportive school community that they now belong to," explains Amanda Adamczyk '93, Vice Principal of Student Life. THAT'S JUST THE START • Community building continues at dedicated orientations and retreats. From the beginning, NDA helps students and their parents create a plan that reflects a girl's academic goals, personality and interests, and exposes her to new experiences, providing a roadmap to guide her from the first day of school to graduation. • Academic excellence is at the heart of the NDA experience. Attaining knowledge is only a piece of the process. Girls learn how activism inspires change. • Customized college counseling begins in 9th grade and continues Written by Robin Young, photography by Lucie Wicker Hingham's Notre Dame Academy Equips Girls for Life S E 2014