TOWSON, Md. — It’s a sacred ceremony.
WATCH: Towson school embracing change while honoring its traditions
An annual rite of passage for students here at Notre Dame Preparatory, a Catholic, all-girls’ school in Towson.
Every year, sixth-grade students entering middle school here and ninth graders entering high school walk through the gateway that leads to the school’s entrance. A symbolic step into the journey that these girls are about to take.
“It’s really welcoming them into something that’s bigger than themselves,” says Dr. Angela Allen, head of school. “Into a sisterhood that is grounded in faith and leadership and service. And again, it’s an opportunity to say, “Welcome, and you belong.” It’s beautiful.”
This year’s gateway ceremony also represents a new journey for the 152-year-old school founded and run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Dr. Allen was appointed here on July 1 after a national search. She’s the first head of school who is not a member of the sisterhood but a layperson.
“It’s a legacy that, and a privilege and an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously,” Dr. Allen says. “I have the support of the SSNDs around me. I stand on the shoulders of some really beautiful, strong women who have done wonderful things in our community.”
Dr. Allen came to NDP from the Archdiocese of Richmond, Virginia, where she served as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. She’s also been the associate head of school for an Episcopal school.
And she’s a girl mom… married, with a daughter in college.
“I know the twists and turns of raising a young woman in our world today,” she says. “And the importance of building them into strong, contributing citizens, girls with voices for good, that know themselves and can go out and really make a difference.”
While the School Sisters of Notre Dame will still operate the school and teach, it’s admittedly a transition for both the school and its new leader.
So, on Wednesday, Dr. Allen led this year’s classes under the arch and through the gateway.
As she and the school embrace the future.
“It’s a privilege to be able to walk through with the girls and to experience what they experience, and I think it is a symbol also of new beginnings,” Dr. Allen says.
