NDP celebrates 150 years of ‘responding to the signs of the times’

TOWSON – Two days before students attended the very first classes at Notre Dame of Maryland Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies in 1873, several School Sisters of Notre Dame lit every gas jet in the new school’s freshly constructed brick building.

The effect was “grand,” according to a diary kept by the School Sisters, attracting what another account described as carriages of onlookers from throughout the region to what was then a remote stretch of Charles Street near Govanstown.

Beyond confirming the functionality of the lighting system, the illumination of the state-of-the-art, five-story building symbolically and visibly proclaimed that the school was open for business.

The first lessons commenced Sept. 22, 1873, for 69 elementary and secondary school pupils that included some international boarding students who had previously studied at the Institute of Notre Dame. The Institute, an all-girls school on Aisquith Street, had outgrown its facilities, which precipitated the launch of the School Sisters’ second local school.

The new school, erected at a cost of $150,000 (the equivalent of $3.8 million in today’s dollars), grew steadily over the decades in size and reputation, overcoming some early financial challenges. After what is now Notre Dame of Maryland University formed in 1895, the elementary and high school shared its campus with the women’s college.

Renamed Notre Dame Preparatory School, the elementary and high school relocated to Towson in 1960. Today, it serves 830 young women in grades 6-12.

The NDP community will commemorate its founding with a vehicle procession from the original campus on Charles Street (which remains the home of what is now Notre Dame of Maryland University) to its Hampton Lane campus in Baltimore County Sept. 22.

Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate a special 150th anniversary Mass for the NDP community that same day, with other special events planned throughout the year.

School Sister of Notre Dame Patricia McCarron, headmistress since 2005, said God’s grace is what has sustained NDP over its long, storied history. Members of the community have shared a willingness to trust in God’s faithfulness, she said, “daring to respond to the signs of the times.”

“We’ve built many amazing buildings,” Sister Patricia said. “We’ve purchased land, we’ve renovated buildings, we’ve expanded sports programs, we’ve done all kinds of really great things – and they’re all really exciting. But for me, what’s most exciting is that each and every girl who leaves here is ready to go out and make a positive difference in the world.”

Among the school’s many notable graduates include Frances Benjamin Johnston of the Class of 1883, the first woman to serve as a White House photographer; Elizabeth Hoisington of the Class of 1936, the first woman to serve as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army; Catherine Byrne Doehler of the Class of 1936, the first woman on the Federal Reserve Board; Frances Litrenta of the Class of 1946, first woman to be admitted to Georgetown Medical School; Jenny ­Chuasirporn of the Class of 1995, a former professional golfer; and Anna Moench of the Class of 2002, a playwright and screenwriter.

In recent decades, NDP was recognized three times with the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon award, its highest honor. NDP now offers more than 190 courses in the Upper Level and boasts a much-touted STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) program.

Jill Noss, a parishioner of St. Margaret in Bel Air and member of NDP’s Class of 2024, said her school gives opportunities to get involved in a wide range of clubs and activities.

“The amount of opportunities in just about every field of study is just amazing,” said Noss, who serves as president of the Christian Community Awareness Program  and completed a “WIN-ternship” internship coordinated by NDP that gave her experience in social work.

Noss is part of the school’s Bette Ellis O’Conor Humanities Program and is a member of the National Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics Honor Society, and the Spanish Language Honor Society. She is also the manager of the field hockey team.

Anne Klug Coyle is a graduate of the Class of 1959 whose family connection to NDP stretches back to 1923, the year an aunt graduated. Coyle’s three daughters also graduated from her alma mater.

“The friendships and relationships and the camaraderie continue to be a big part of my life,” she said.

Coyle said NDP has historically been a “safe place for emerging women” and a haven for growing in faith.

Time-honored traditions such as the Gym Meet and wearing the school’s signature uniform that features saddle shoes and a blue dress with white collar and cuffs are beloved at the all-girls school and are earnestly embraced from generation to generation.

Looking to the future, Sister Patricia said, NDP will continue to play a central role in preparing women for the world by educating them in the spirit of the Gospel.

“This is the generation that will make the world a better place,” she said.

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

Historical Highlights

1873

Notre Dame of Maryland Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies opens, educating elementary and high school-aged girls on Charles Street. It includes international boarding students. Early in its history, it also educates some boys.

1876

President Ulysses S. Grant attends the first commencement ceremony, conferring diplomas on graduates that include two nieces.

1895

The College of Notre Dame of Maryland is established on the same Charles Street campus.

1939

The boarding program ends and the school becomes solely a day school.

1960

Now known as Notre Dame Preparatory School, the K-12 school relocates to Hampton Lane in Towson.

1982

The lower school is phased out and education focuses on grades six to 12.

1984-1985

NDP is named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, an honor it achieves again in 2012-13 and 2020-21.

1998

NDP receives its first $1 million gift.

2002

 School constructs an arched gateway, reminiscent of original iconic gateway on Charles Street.

2020

Jane Kroh Satterfield Innovation Wing opens.

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