Development

Strategic Vision

During the 50th Anniversary celebration of Notre Dame High School from 2004-2006, NDHS completed the first comprehensive strategic planning process in its history. This summary report will provide you with the synthesized findings of the feedback received throughout this far-reaching process. More than 350 members of our school community participated in visioning sessions, task teams, screening and rating sessions and interviews. All of these groups have provided a tremendous amount of valuable input regarding how we will ensure our young men receive a first-class, Holy Cross education for the next 50 years and beyond. In short, we are proud so many came together to chart the course for Notre Dame's future. Our vision certainly contains the imprint of all who have participated.

Participants

  • Alumni
  • Alumni Parents
  • Community leaders
  • Holy Cross religious
  • Educational experts
  • Feeder school principals
  • Marketing experts
  • Chicago Archdiocese secondary school principals
  • Faculty/staff
  • Board of Governance
  • School administration
  • Parents
  • Prospective parents
  • Students

Deliverables

  • Vision and High Level Strategic Plan
  • Marketing Plan
  • Comprehensive Financial Plan
  • Campaign Plan

Values

  • We believe every young man is important and deserving.
  • We believe educating young men is a unique challenge.
  • We believe in the Holy Cross model of excellence for secondary education providing student-centered education, focusing on individual student needs and adapting our programs to best serve the student and family.
  • We believe in building respect in all of our relationships.
  • We embrace diversity and will strive to reflect our diverse society.
  • We believe education is a partnership between students, parents, families, faculty and administration.
  • We believe in adapting and remaining flexible as our students and communities change and grow.
  • We believe in being good stewards by taking care of what is ours and what is trusted to us and living within our means.

Pillars


E.P.I.C. Story

It is your support support allows the Notre Dame High School community to continue to write our EPIC story. For more than 50 years now, the Holy Cross commitment to Excellence, Preparation for College and Life, Inclusiveness and its Charism have touched the mind and hearts of countless Dons, allowing them to reach their true potential.

Excellence

Notre Dame works with each student and his family to help him maximize his potential. We offer a compelling, inspiring spirit, second to none, that draws out of the most talented of students even greater gifts and coaxes out of the shyest and most uncertain of students real hope and determination. These great gifts develop in the classroom in which we are dedicated to hiring, developing and retaining the highest quality faculty and implementing innovative teaching methods.

Preparation for College and Life

In partnership with the student and his family, Notre Dame provides a student-centered education amidst a challenging college preparatory academic program. The individual attention given to each young man during these formative years ensures he graduates from Notre Dame not only ready to be a college student but also a husband, a father, a civic leader, a good friend and much more. Notre Dame prepares young men to grow in their faith and to uphold strong morals and values. Our partnership with families begins during high school but lasts for a lifetime.

Inclusiveness

The doors of Notre Dame swing wide open to everyone. At our core, we are here to serve all. We accept young men with a wide range of academic abilities who also have a serious desire to pursue excellence. All who enter Notre Dame on a daily basis offer great promise. We are committed to fulfilling that promise, regardless of a student's racial, ethnic or socioeconomic background.

Charism of Holy Cross

Education is at the heart of what Holy Cross does best. Since founding Notre Dame in 1955, Holy Cross has encouraged and mentored students to become well-rounded young men searching for the deepest longings in their lives. Working side-by-side with lay faculty and staff, Holy Cross leaders develop our young men to be leaders in faith, scholarship and service. Notre Dame not only promotes and supports the value of an education where faith is explored and lived, but is a leader among its educational peers in creating such a culture.


Comprehensive Vision for 2006-2011

  • In 2011, Notre Dame High School (NDHS) will be a College and Life Preparatory High School of 850 young men. The diverse student body will reflect the socio-economic, ethnic make-up and academic abilities of the communities it serves. Specifically these communities are the City of Chicago and its north and northwest suburbs.
  • NDHS will distinguish itself from other public and Catholic schools by working with each student and his parents to develop a "Personal Growth Plan" (PGP). The PGP will be a customized four-year plan for each student outlining specific goals in all dimensions of his life - academic, spiritual, athletic, service and experiential programs, with ongoing measurement and feedback. This PGP will result in high standards of accountability throughout the school.
  • To fulfill this vision, NDHS will focus on developing and maximizing its most important resources-its leadership, alumni, parents, faculty and its unique relationships with the Congregation of Holy Cross, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Portland.
  • These partnerships will assist in providing the technical advice and wherewithal necessary for NDHS to implement its strategic objectives with special attention to volunteer leadership development, enrollment, annual fund, alumni engagement, scholarships, facilities, technology, teacher compensation and a new multipurpose athletic and performing arts facility.
  • As a result of a comprehensive marketing and communications plan, NDHS' visibility in the Chicago area will be exponentially higher and the school will be perceived as a secondary education model providing student-centered education and the highest quality programs for all of its students.
  • Finally, and most importantly, NDHS in 2011 will be an exceptional example of the living actualization and embodiment of the philosophy of Fr. Basil Moreau and the Holy Cross charism of education.

What are the objectives of this strategic plan?

  • Increase enrollment to 850 by 2011.
  • Implement PGP with 100% of students by 2008 with 100% of students attaining PGP goals by 2011.
  • Increase annual development goals an average of 10% annually.
  • Strengthen membership and duties of Board of Governance by 2011.
  • Expand course offerings in areas of spiritual development, and the Moreau program by 2011 to help expand Life Preparation.
  • Develop innovative formal partnerships with University of Notre Dame, University of Portland, local colleges, the Archdiocese and other secondary schools to provide web-based courses, video-conferencing courses, visiting instructor opportunities, mentoring and tutoring partnerships, along with potential research projects on issues affecting young men.
  • Integrate technology into all areas of the curriculum by 2008.
  • Upgrade plant to ensure energy efficiency, competitive facilities and reflection of mission by 2011.

Capital and Operational Funding Priorities

  • Faculty Compensation
  • Scholarship Support
  • Technology Upgrades
  • Infrastructure Improvements (windows, HVAC, etc.)
  • New multi-purpose facility for athletics and performing arts
© NDHS 2006 - Notre Dame High School For Boys • 7655 West Dempster Street, Niles IL, 60714 • 847.965.2900 • Fax: 847.965.2975