Important+Documents



CATHOLIC SCHOOL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

“From the first moment that a student sets forth in a Catholic school, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illumined by the light of faith and having its own unique characteristics, an environment permeated with the Gospel spirit of love and freedom….”

The Religious Dimensions of Education in a Catholic School, #25. Catholic schools in the Diocese of Peoria are established to assist the Bishop and Pastors in the transmission of the faith to the young people of the diocese. We welcome non-Catholic students into our schools who wish to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Catholic education. Every school must have as its main goal to help each student develop a personal and ecclesial relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). The principles, practices, and beliefs of the Catholic Faith must be fully integrated throughout the school’s curricula, service projects, cocurricular activities, and culture.

Students in our Catholic schools are reminded of their dignity as children of God through the study of Catholic doctrine, frequent opportunities for personal and communal prayer, and active participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Together with parents, the primary educators of their children, our Catholic schools pursue academic and spiritual excellence by helping students to develop their intellectual abilities, foster wholesome friendships, practice discipleship, strengthen their daily prayer life, grow in virtue, and become leaders through serving others.

All personnel that work in our Catholic schools must have at heart the promotion of the educational mission of the Church, and live as visible role models of faith within the parish/school community. Catholic doctrinal, moral and social teaching is an integral part of each school. Therefore, all faculty, staff, administrative, and volunteer personnel must support the teachings of the Church, actively practice their faith in daily life, and be loyal to the Church’s Magisterium. Our Catholic school personnel share this educational mission and its various commitments and responsibilities with parents and the local Church communities.

“It is crucial that the policies and procedures of Catholic schools reflect that primary purpose and that the Catholicity of the school 8 and its faithfulness to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church (Magisterium) are not compromised.” Sister Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN, J.D., Ph.D.



GENERAL HISTORY of PND

Peoria Notre Dame High School is named in honor of Our Lady, Mary, the Virgin Mother of Christ. Notre Dame means Our Lady in French.

The first Europeans to explore and settle in the valley of Illinois were Frenchmen. Father Jacques Marquette celebrated the first Mass in Illinois in Peoria in 1673 and dedicated this first Mass to his patron, Our Lady, Mary.

In the spring of 1988, the Peoria Area Pastors Board unanimously recommended that the Peoria area Catholic high schools consolidate. Bishops Edward O'Rourke and John Myers decided that the new school, Peoria Notre Dame High School, would be located at the north Sheridan Avenue site of the former Bergan High School. Peoria Notre Dame High School opened its doors in the fall of 1988 with students attending classes on both the downtown campus, the former site of the Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute and the north site campus, the former site of Bergan High School.

Peoria Notre Dame High School proudly treasures the heritage of its forbearers: the Academy of Our Lady, Spalding Institute, Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute, and Bergan High School.

Catholic Secondary education has been present in Peoria for over 140 years. In 1863, at the invitation of Bishop John Lancaster Spalding, the first Bishop of Peoria, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived in Peoria to establish a secondary school for girls. The convent school soon became too small and the Sisters of St. Joseph opened the Academy of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1874.

In 1898, Spalding Institute was opened to educate young men across Madison Street from the Academy under the direction of Bishop Spalding. Spalding Institute was named for Bishop Spalding’s brother, Reverend Ben J. Spalding. In 1950, the Spalding Gymnasium was opened for use by the Catholic youth of Peoria, and the Catholic Youth Center (CYC) became the cornerstone of students’ social lives.

In the 1960s with the population expanding in the north of the city of Peoria, Bishop John B. Franz authorized the opening of Bergan High School named for the Most Reverend Gerald T. 9 Bergan, a distinguished son of Peoria and Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska. The first four-year class at Bergan High School graduated in 1967. Bergan High School was originally built as a co-institutional high school with separate classes offered for the young men and women. Within the first years of Bergan High School’s existence, the instructional program became coeducational and for the first time in Catholic Secondary Education in Peoria, young men and women attended classes together.

Through the years, the academic departments of the Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute shared faculty and facilities. In 1973, the two schools joined under one administrative and academic structure. The new school, the Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute continued until the consolidation of Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute and Bergan High School in the fall of 1988. Peoria Notre Dame High School operated from the Sheridan Road campus and Madison Avenue campus until the fall of 1989 when all classes were located on the Sheridan Road campus.

Today Peoria Notre Dame High School has created its own culture and values that reflect the long-standing commitment of families to Catholic Secondary Education. Our Peoria Notre Dame High School values include, Catholic faith, Individual Dignity as a Gift from God, Family, Service to Others, Responsibility for Self, Teamwork, Love of Learning, and Tradition.



MISSION STATEMENT (Approved by Board 7/20/88; Revised 8/95; Approved by Education Commission 8/00 & 8/02.)

Peoria Notre Dame High School, a Roman Catholic High School under the pastoral direction of the Bishop of Peoria, provides a Catholic Secondary education for the young men and women of the Peoria area.

The purpose of Peoria Notre Dame High School is to nurture the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of our students by:

• Teaching the Catholic faith and leading students to be Disciples of Christ

• Teaching the arts and sciences in a climate of academic inquiry10



STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY (Approved by the Board 7/20/88; Approved by the Education Commission 8/00 & 8/02.)

We, as a generation, presently commit ourselves to a sacred trust. We have received the revelation from our ancestors in the Faith and seek to pass the revelation to our descendants in the faith. This is the reason why Peoria Notre Dame High School invites the families of central Illinois to charity through commitment in the name of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The family is the central and indispensable cornerstone of the Church. The family forged in the image of Christ radiates His presence in the world. It is the sanctuary for the actualization of the gift of grace. Individuals form their consciences through the nurturing of the family. Here we have the first and most influential forum for the conversion to Christ.

The Church has long recognized the central role of the family in the propagation of the faith. This has led the Church to offer assistance to the family through Catholic education. The Church of the Diocese of Peoria is deeply rooted in this tradition. Our first Bishop, John Lancaster Spalding, was a national leader in the development of Catholic education. This commitment to Catholic education has been a hallmark of the succeeding Bishops of Peoria. Peoria Notre Dame High School was created to continue to assist families in the propagation of the faith by offering the finest Catholic education.

We ask a special commitment of the families who join our community because we are more than a school. Our Heavenly Father has asked us to be a Church as well. So that we may accept His invitation, we impose on ourselves and each and each other these principles to strengthen our resolve to steward well the revelation that is entrusted to us.

Peoria Notre Dame asks the families who join in our community of faith, in a spirit of charity to:

• Honor the sanctity of human life and to strive toward what is life giving and beneficial and away from what is life taking and harmful.

• Honor the sanctity of the individual and to strive for what is spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy for every person.

• Honor the sanctity of God and to strive toward union with God through Jesus and His Church.

• Honor the sanctity of the mission of Peoria Notre Dame High School.11

• Strive to develop our school community and each person in it.

Together with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, let us seek to be His sacrament in the world through the intercession of our patroness, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.



VISION STATEMENT

This vision is a statement of direction for the future of Peoria Notre Dame High School. Peoria Notre Dame High School accepts the challenge of this vision and encourages all to work with vigor and commitment to bring this dream to fruition. Peoria Notre Dame High School, in service to families and parents, is an educational institution centered in Christ and founded on the principles of a Catholic, value-based curriculum. Peoria Notre Dame High School teaches students to imitate Christ to:

• Think critically

• Communicate effectively

• Act justly

• Draw from the richness of Christian heritage

• Respond with compassion to their peers, their family, and their community.

Preparing students to live in a complex, dynamic, global society, Peoria Notre Dame High School provides a superior academic challenge commensurate with students' abilities, realistically reflecting the future educational goals and needs of the individual student. Peoria Notre Dame High School also provides an extensive program of activities that foster the physical and emotional development of its students.

The faculty and staff, a community of shared vision, possess exceptional professional preparation and excel in the performance of their professional responsibilities. Peoria Notre Dame High School calls upon participating parents and the entire Catholic community to make a responsible, honest and sacrificial commitment to the financial needs of the school.

Peoria Notre Dame High School further challenges the greater Peoria area to be supportive of the school's many contributions to the community. Standing as an example of social justice informed by the community's common good, Peoria Notre Dame High School appropriately supports its faculty and staff and ensures the attendance of all desirous students regardless of ability to pay.