WELCOME TO THE INSTITUTE
OF NOTRE DAME

Welcome to the Institute of Notre Dame!  We have designed our website to serve guests, such as prospective students and families, as well as our constituents, who include current students and families, faculty and staff, alumnae, and friends.  On these pages you will find links to our history, academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and opportunities to support our school, as well as other information.  If you do not find what you need on our website, please let us know through contacting our website manager.

Our educational mission is to enable young women to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals in the holistic tradition of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.  With an emphasis upon the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—our students are challenged in a loving, caring environment.  Our Catholic community of culturally diverse students, located in Baltimore City, provides an atmosphere that encourages integrity, self-confidence, personal responsibility, and leadership with a global view of society.

While we appreciate your visit to our website, we are eager to receive you in person on our campus.  Come see why the Institute of Notre Dame has a reputation for providing such an extraordinary value in college preparatory education.  You are always welcome.

Charisse Fenari Wernecke
President

Mission Statement

The Institute of Notre Dame, rooted in the values of the Catholic faith and the educational vision of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, is a college preparatory school for young women.  Located in the city of Baltimore, IND is a culturally diverse community which educates its students to become women of discernment, active leaders, lifelong learners, and responsible citizens of the world.

A Brief History

During the 1840’s a steady stream of immigrants came to the United States from the countries of Europe.
Since many of the immigrants of German extraction settled in Maryland, a small group of School Sisters of Notre Dame left their Motherhouse in Munich, Bavaria, in 1847, and settled in Baltimore.  The first permanent school established by these Sisters was the Institute of Notre Dame, located at Aisquith Street and Ashland Avenue. 

When the Institute of Notre Dame opened in 1847, the school accepted both day and boarding students. On July 24, 1864, the first class graduated in a public ceremony. The original building was demolished to make way for the new St. James Church and Rectory.  The oldest remaining building was constructed in 1852 and the first addition was constructed in 1862.  At this time the school was known as the Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies.  Additional sections were added to the school in 1885, 1894, 1926, and 1992.

The course of instruction during the post Civil War period included etymology, rhetoric, composition in prose and poetry, logic, reading, and elocution, mental philosophy, arithmetic, bookkeeping, astronomy, geography, sacred and profane history, physics, botany, chemistry, physiology, German, French, Spanish, plain needlework, vocal music, and drawing.

In the years that followed, the Institute emphasized cultural subjects, but did not fail to follow practical trends.  Thus, it was among the first schools in Baltimore to recognize the value of instruction in business subjects.  An academic-business course was listed in the course of studies as early as 1896. 

The graduates of the Class of 1923, 12 in number, were the first to complete what is known as a four-year standardized high school course.  The Institute was placed on the Maryland State Department of Education list of approved non-public secondary schools on February 27, 1924.

Over her long years of service, IND has maintained a high regard for both the practical and cultural in education.  Throughout the years, she has kept pace with educational trends and has adopted that which was deemed consistent with the spirit and objectives of the school.

Philosophy

The Institute of Notre Dame is a girls’ Catholic high school committed to a philosophy of education inspired by the foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Blessed Theresa of Jesus.  Believing that each person is a unique image of God, we strive to enable every young woman to develop to the fullness of her potential.  We challenge her to grow in her ability to become self-directed, to reach out to others, and to make responsible choices.  Committed to Gospel values, we encourage each student to develop a Christian conscience by which she can guide her life and contribute to building a more just and loving world.

We create an environment that enables students to understand and accept themselves and others as persons of dignity and worth.  We educate our students to become lifelong learners equipped with the skills and knowledge that will allow them to be successful in a rapidly changing world.  We provide opportunities to study and experience other cultures and nations, educating students to recognize and respond to world issues.