Stories from Our Schools - Featuring Notre Dame Collegiate
There are great stories unfolding in CTR schools every day. By sharing them with you, we hope to give you an inside look at the beautiful moments of faith, belonging, learning and community happening every day in our classrooms and schools.
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From Our Schools | Notre Dame Collegiate | High River
At Notre Dame Collegiate in High River, greatness is often found in the small things. A student spending a spare helping in the library. A classmate encouraging someone through a difficult day. A quiet act of service that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through its “Made for Greatness” campaign, NDC is helping students recognize that faith is lived not only in prayer and liturgy, but also in the way they care for and support one another.
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Faith in Action: NDC Students Show They Are Made for Greatness
At Notre Dame Collegiate (NDC) in High River, greatness isn’t just measured by marks, medals, or major accomplishments. Sometimes, greatness at NDC looks like spending a spare organizing books, helping a younger student, or being the encouragement someone needs to keep going.
As Catholic Education Week approaches from October 17-23, NDC’s “Made for Greatness” campaign demonstrates a meaningful example of what faith in action looks like within a Catholic school setting.
The campaign celebrates students, staff and community members who demonstrate humility, perseverance, kindness, service and leadership every day. It is a reminder that faith extends beyond prayer, liturgies and religion classes. It can also be seen in how people serve, encourage and care for those around them.
One of the most meaningful parts of the campaign is that anyone in the school can submit a nomination, and often it is one student recognizing the actions of another.
One past recipient regularly used his spare periods to help in the school library organizing books, assisting students with technology, carrying textbooks and willingly completing whatever other tasks were needed. His reliability and willingness to serve helped make the library a more welcoming place for everyone.
Other students have been recognized for treating others with respect, persevering through challenges and positively influencing those around them. Still others have been recognized for leading with humility, compassion and encouragement while helping classmates and teammates grow in confidence.
By highlighting these moments, NDC encourages its students and the wider High River community to notice and appreciate the good happening around them.
“What makes these recognitions special is that students are often the ones noticing the good in each other,” said Principal Jodi deKlerk. “They are learning that greatness doesn’t have to be something big. It can be how you choose to treat someone every day.”
The “Made for Greatness” campaign reminds students that they each possess unique gifts that can be used to help others. That culture is also reflected in NDC’s Faith Survey results, with more than 90 per cent of students, parents and teachers expressing satisfaction with the school’s ability to live out Catholic Social Teaching each day.
“Made for Greatness” puts faces and stories behind those results, showing how students help create that culture through their everyday actions. During Catholic Education Week and throughout the year, students are encouraged to recognize the gifts they have been given, discover what greatness looks like for them and put those gifts into action through faith, character and care for others.
