“How we educate the mind will change with the times; how we cultivate the heart is and will remain timeless"
When Blessed Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, wrote these prophetic words in the 19th century, he could not have envisioned how the process of education would “change with the times.” At Notre Dame High School, we live his vision by continuing to look for innovative ways to captivate our students through innovative technologies while simultaneously providing them with a quality experience and education.
While Notre Dame offers a robust college-prep education to students, the school continually strives to be better. An area that has been identified as a current need is for a STEAM center and makerspace. STEAM is an abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math education. A makerspace is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring, and sharing. STEAM education and makerspaces have become essential components of a well-rounded education that prepares students for college and life. A STEAM-based education and makerspace with appropriate space and equipment will enable NDHS students to be more engaged with hands-on learning experiences and to translate their creativity and ingenuity into real-world solutions that would benefit the community.
One of the most important aspects in a Holy Cross Education is the emphasis on building a better society. A STEAM-centered education fosters the highly important skill of teamwork, and in doing so provides the students with the experience of working together in a disciplined environment to create positive change through the application of technology. This could include truly real-world experiences such as establishing an invention team, filing patents, writing apps, and applying for technology and engineering grants to support the process. The teamwork skills and STEAM knowledge will result in graduates who will be able to use technology to problem-solve in a collaborative environment to improve the lives of those in the community around them now and in the future.