Alumni Stories

Are you an SSND Alum? Please enjoy our slide shows and photos from the halls of the schools you attended!

If you were taught by SSNDs, or your life was otherwise somehow influenced by them, we would love to share your stories as well.

How did getting to know an SSND affect your life?

Please join us in this project and in celebrating the lives of the amazing women who have answered God’s call to become School Sisters of Notre Dame.

We will be collecting and sharing your stories here as we go. You can email your story or questions to comm@amssnd.org (photos are also appreciated)

A Model Nun

The 1960s were a time of transition both inside and outside the institutional walls of Catholic schools and convents. We saw our SSND teachers change from the more voluminous and starched veil framing their faces to the closer-fitting headgear. One face in either style was unforgettable...

How One Woman's World Opened Up

It was 1983, and Velma Sampson and her mom were touring the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Velma was anxious. "I was not ready to leave home and stay on a campus of women from all walks of life. In fact, I was called a hermit at home. But when I stepped into a French class taught by Sister Theresa Lamy, my world changed."

An Afternoon To Remember - A Slideshow!

Over 200 alumni, benefactors, and friends - including 33 SSNDs - attended "An Afternoon To Remember" held May 5, 2024, in Bridgeport, CT.

An Afternoon to Remember

Over 200 alumni, benefactors, and friends - including 33 SSNDs - attended "An Afternoon To Remember" held May 5, 2024, in Bridgeport, CT. A good time was had by all! Many attendees were reunited with former teachers and classmates.

Academy of Holy Angels Alumnae Weekend

On Alumnae Weekend 2023, the Academy of the Holy Angels’ Classes of 1948, 1968, 1973, 1978, and 1983 reunited for landmark anniversaries. The two-day celebration also drew enthusiastic alumnae from many different classes and several states.

Alumna Sends Fond Greetings

Hello to all at the School Sisters of Notre Dame. My name is Marguerite Manganaro Marett. I attended St. Anselm's from 1st to 8th grade. I was in the graduating class of 1964. My 8th grade teacher was Sister Margaret Mary Collins, formally Sister Constantia. She was an amazing teacher and a wonderful person. We stayed in touch until she passed away. I've attached a copy of my diploma and 8th grade graduation class.

St. Michael's Alum Praises SSND Teachers

We were lucky because we were a terrifically diverse heritage assembly with German, Italian, Spanish, Irish, and African American girls. Some from the south side and some from Cabrini Green joined the girls from the immediate neighborhood.

Antoinette Cirillo - St John The Evangelist

Antoinette Cirillo graduated from St. John the Evangelist, Leonia, New Jersey, in 1968. She wrote recently to thank her Sister teachers!

Mary Ann Holota (Scheub) Class of 61- St Michaels Central HS

My sisters and I attended St. Alphonsus grade school and then went on to St. Mike's HS. I remember dreading summer vacations because I no longer had the daily guidance of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. I thank God that I was so blessed throughout my school years!

Alumnus Wayne McDonnell Shares about Saint Benedicts

Thanks to the Sisters for all they did for me, my sisters and my wife’s family and so many of our friends. May God continue to bless those both living and deceased.

An Empowering Memory from St. Joseph's

What do I recall from my days at St. Joseph's in Garden City, NY? One recollection was recently prompted by the death in 2022 of a great figure, Sidney Poitier.

Alum Story - James O'Neill Jr., MD

Thank you to James O'Neill Jr., MD, for sending us his recollection of the SSND Sisters who influenced him and nurtured his academic growth as well as his personal values at St Joseph school, in Long Island, NY. Also, thank you, James, for all you do for children in your work!

The Impact of SSNDs: Rachel Ridley, IND alumna

The Sisters taught more than literature, history and other school subjects. They taught us how to be women of faith, women of courage, women of love, women of action.

She Believed She Could, So She Did!

Mary Pamela Crawford, NDMU Class of 2018, details her 30-year quest to earn her degree.

A New Job Was the Path to Old Friends

“What a wonderful surprise to be reconnected with Bishop Walsh SSND faculty after almost 40 years!"

Memories of SSNDs at Madonna/Our Lady of Fatima, Ft. Lee, NJ, 1944 – 1953

I am ever grateful for the education, example, and friendship of so many School Sisters of Notre Dame. Sister Florentine (Madeline Mary) Linehan was principal when our class hosted a graduation party for the 1952 eighth grade. She led the conga line and the bunny hop!

It’s all about commitment - SSND Associate Lisa Benson

When I was invited by SSND Associate Mary Anne O’Donnell to share a personal reflection at the associate covenant ceremony in Baltimore this June, I wanted to say, “Nope – not me…” But something happened when I opened my mouth to respond to the invitation.

A Musical Friendship By Mary Jane (Buchek) Boyle

I was given organ lessons in seventh grade by Sister Mary Alvin, now Arline Jaeger, at Saints Peter and Paul School in Gary, Indiana in 1950.

Grateful for the Guidance of Inspirational Women by Licinda Mytych Peters

I am an alumni of St. Augustine’s Catholic School in Elkridge, Maryland. I attended first grade through seventh grade there and was taught by a bevy of wonderful teachers and nuns who inspired and mentored me into becoming the strong woman I am today.

Sisters played vital role in education at Notre Dame Academy By Louise Ann Caravaggio, writer and alumna

The last reunion of Notre Dame Academy is slated for Sunday, June 10 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the former Waterdown school, which was established in 1927 and operated by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

2018 Reunion for Notre Dame Academy Alumnae: 1927 - 1983 By Sister Joan Helm

On a sunny Sunday afternoon on June 10, former students of Notre Dame Academy in Waterdown, eagerly arrived with yearbooks in hand, wearing their graduation rings and Notre Dame Academy pins. Teachers greeted the now, adult women, and, for some, checked name tags.