Alumnae mourn the loss of Institute of Notre Dame, the ‘hidden gem of Baltimore’

Hours after administrators announced that the Institute of Notre Dame would be closing next month, a small group of seniors gathered May 5 on the steps outside the historic East Baltimore girls high school feeling lost.

Alumna Nancy Longo, who graduated in 1980 and went on to become an award-winning chef and restaurant owner, joined them. And although she was crushed by the decision, she had words of hope for the young women whose senior year has already been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I said, well, ‘I can tell you something. We feel really kind of lost for you,’” Longo said of her fellow alumni. “But you don’t need a building to be a part of the IND community.”

She and other alumnae said their time at IND led to lifelong friendships and incredible bonds of sisterhood. It’s something Longo has seen in action during the past few months of the pandemic. She owns Pierpoint Restaurant in Fells Point and said she and her staff have stayed afloat because of the generosity of her fellow IND alumnae.

Since her restaurant has been closed, she shifted to feeding medical workers and the homeless.

“Because of the IND community, I’m able to sit here and continue to survive in restaurant business, which is very tough right now,” Longo said. “It is the amazing spirit that has gone through that school and a lot of women who have gone there believe in the power of generosity, especially in endeavors in the urban community.”

The School Sisters of Notre Dame, who own and operate the school, declined to comment for this article. Caelie M. Haines, the communications director for the religious community, said officials would host online question-and-answer sessions for current students and alumnae about the closure later this week.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore does not have authority over the governance of IND and was informed of its closing shortly before the public announcement. The Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Catholic Schools said it would work closely with the IND administration and would provide assistance with placement of IND students into other Catholic high schools.

In a statement, the school, which began educating girls in 1847, cited the economic downturn, declining enrollment and its aging school building as reasons behind the closing.

Nevertheless, the news took many alumnae, including Dee Walsh, a member of the class of 1965, by surprise.

“It came as a shock. I knew attendance was low there because I’ve been involved with things,” Walsh said, choking back tears. “I had so many phone calls, texts and emails. And I said to people, ‘I just never thought it would happen in my lifetime.’ I knew it would happen, but not in my lifetime.”

Walsh, a longtime member of the alumnae association, said her connection with IND goes back generations. Her grandmother boarded there at the turn of the 20th century and her mother and aunt graduated from the school in 1942.

Walsh, a parishioner of St. Mark in Catonsville, said her years at IND inspired her to become a lifelong teacher, spending most of her career with Howard County Public Schools.

“We had such a great education from the nuns, and to follow in some of their footsteps was what you wanted to do,” Walsh said.

Walsh, who worked on the school’s newspaper, said IND students were actively involved in the surrounding community, helping residents of the nearby Latrobe Homes, a low-income development, among other charitable activities.

The school was also known for its basketball team, which had an intense rivalry with fellow girls catholic school, Mercy High School. Each year, thousands would turn out for the “Big Game,” a tradition since 1967.

This January, the IND Penguins won their seventh straight against the Mercy Magic.

“It is hard to imagine that enthusiastic crowds will no longer pack the SECU Arena to watch Mercy and IND meet on the court for the Big Game,” said Mary Beth Lennon, president of Mercy High School. “I know that our Mercy alumnae will feel, as I do, a special sadness around the loss of sisterhood between our two great rival schools.”

Longo echoed Walsh, saying IND – often called “the Hidden Gem of Baltimore” – was a special place for women young and unlike any other school.

“I felt like I had a unique education from a very loving faculty. Nuns who deeply cared about you. And some of them I stayed friends with for the rest of my life. And I felt that the school did, in essence because of its urban location, continue the mission …  to take care of women, take care of the community, and to teach women to be leaders and to be great in the community,” Longo said. “So now there’s no one in the city to fill that void anymore.”

IND is known nationally for inspiring women to become leaders.

The all-girls school counts among its alumnae two of the most powerful female office-holders in the history of the United States: two-time Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Maryland Representative and Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.

Writing on Twitter, Pelosi called the closure “sad news” and said her family has been a part of the school community for years.

“Its creed – Pro Deo et Patria – is enshrined in our hearts,” Pelosi wrote, referring to the Latin phrase that means “For God and country.”

Mikulski said in a statement that when she learned of the closing, a “profound sadness” came over her.

“Baltimore is truly losing a treasured institution,” she said.

IND continues to inspire a new wave of female leaders. Nicole Harris-Crest, a graduate of the class of 2003, is currently running for City Council in District 4, which represents a portion of North Baltimore.

Harris-Crest, the daughter of former city councilman Kenneth Harris, said she chose to attend IND despite living in walking distance of Mercy High School. She said her time at IND had given her “a roadmap” to becoming a leader by emphasizing empathy and kindness.

She said she even joked about becoming a member of Congress in her IND yearbook.

“The school really instilled a value that you can do anything,” said Harris-Crest, who is chief of external affairs to the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. “And you have all of these wonderful examples of people who’ve made these achievements. And then you also have this guidance and support from the community that helps you to achieve whatever your goals are.”

Longo said of the faculty at IND, “It’s an unbelievable group of women who have gone through the walls of that place. … They were very much interested in teaching girls to be smart enough to make decisions and be community leaders.”

While no decision has been made about the school building, Longo and Walsh worried about the fate of the historic campus. Walsh recounted the smallest details of the school – a slate staircase to be used only by seniors, hand-carved wood on the fifth floor and an embroidered message at the front entrance that reads, “School is not a playground. It is not a prison. It is time. It is opportunity.”

“There was something about that place that I find amazing. It’s a very, very spiritual feeling when you’re in that building, when you go upstairs and you can see the places where women 180 years ago were,” Longo said. “For that piece of history to be lost now, it’s a big blow to Baltimore City.”

The alumnae hope the building’s rich history can remain even after the school’s closing.

“The building belongs to the sisters. So, you know, it’s their decision. But please don’t tear it down. Don’t make it a parking lot. Please don’t tear it down,” Walsh said.

Email Tim Swift at tswift@catholicreview.org

Also see:

IND, oldest girls’ prep school in Maryland, closing its doors for good

 

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