The Cardinal Newman Society released the list of schools recognized by the Catholic Education Honor Roll as 2014 Schools of Excellence today and Cape Girardeau’s Notre Dame Regional High School made the cut.
Since 2005, Notre Dame High School has been honored as one of the Top 50 Catholic High School, but this year a new distinction came along. The Cardinal Newman Society restructured their program, identifying the Top 5% in the nation and Notre Dame is part of it.
“We are known as a 2014 School of Excellence,” said Tony Buehrle, development director at Notre Dame Regional High School. “That’s the new distinction for the Top 5% in the nation.”
This is a two years award that will go until 2016, and to be considered in the program, Notre Dame had to fill out an application.
“We had to identify our Catholicity, our spirituality, how our academics are, and how is our community service,” said Buehrle.
He added that one of the things that impressed the Cardinal Newman Society representatives is that, while Notre Dame does not require their students to have Christian services, a significant number of students work services hours when they do not have to.
Buehrle said this distinction brings prestige to the school and to the community. The award shows that they have an effective education system.
“It’s a good honor, not only for Notre Dame Regional High School, which is a regional school, but also identifies the values that this part of the country provides to their students and the amount of interest we put on education,” said Buehrle.
He said that the key to keep bringing such distinctions to Notre Dame is hard work.
“We continue to press upon our faculty, our staff, our students, and their parents and our alumni, the importance of what we believe Catholic education brings to our students and that’s what you have to do. You just have to keep trying, to keep pushing to maintain that level,” Buehrle concluded.
Notre Dame is one of 71 schools out of 1300 to receive the distinction. Catholic schools in Perryville, Festus and St. Louis joined Notre Dame on the list.