By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Student leaders Sophia Anilus, a senior, and Dukensley Raffael, a junior who came to Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School in January after the earthquake in Haiti, welcome the new group of Curley Knights, the largest freshman class of the past several years, during orientation activities prior to the start of the 2010-2011 school year.
MIAMI � Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School ushered in its 57th freshman class, and welcomed the first group of students to its new middle school, during a series of ceremonies and activities Aug. 20.
The new 6-7-8 Brother Rice Honors Academy is for a select group of at or above grade level students. The program will not exceed 30 students within all three grades. As well as studying enriched math and science courses, the middle school�s unique curriculum will include learning a musical instrument and one or more world languages including French, Spanish, Latin, and Arabic.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Curley Notre Dame�s commitment to inclusiveness. In 1960, the once separated schools Curley High (for boys) and Notre Dame Academy (for girls) admitted their first African-American students. Miami-Dade County Schools were not fully integrated until a federal court order was imposed in 1970.
With the continued admittance of students in need, such as those sent through Operation Pedro Pan and, most recently, displaced Haitian students following January�s earthquake, Curley Notre Dame has continued to grow and develop as a school committed to its mission of fostering acceptance and appreciation of students of different cultural and economic backgrounds.
This year, Curley Notre Dame also is implementing Kasa, which stands for Knights: Attention, Scholarship, Aspiration. In addition to the traditional grouping of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, there will be four Kasa groups that encompass an equal proportion of students from each of the four grade levels. This vertical organization will enhance student engagement and create opportunities for students to develop Christian leadership skills and foster the Edmund Rice commitment to community.
The members of each Kasa will work together to promote a sense of belonging and a spirit of collaboration. The student government has organized a point system to encourage competition between the Kasas in terms of spirit, academic excellence, attendance, and school culture as well as engagement in the clubs, teams, performing arts groups and the community service projects of the school. At the end of the year, the Kasa group that exemplifies the most commitment to the school�s mission will receive the Kasa of the Year Cup.
Curley Notre Dame also invites its alumni and benefactors to gather with faculty and students for the opening school Mass on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. in the school�s cafetorium. Archbishop Thomas Wenski will preside. The media and community are welcome at this event.
More information about the schools events and programs can be found at www.acnd.net.
