In an effort to continually improve the school's approach to diversity, Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy's Board of Trustees has approved a diversity statement to complement NDPMA's mission of developing Christian persons, upright citizens and academic scholars:
"Notre Dame, guided by the spirit and teachings of the Catholic Church and Society of Mary, actively seeks students, families, faculty, staff and trustees of diverse backgrounds who are committed to the formation of a community of inclusion that respects the dignity of every individual.
"Notre Dame believes that teaching students to advocate for justice is essential to their development as Christian persons, upright citizens and academic scholars. We believe members of our community should work to eliminate prejudice and be a voice for those pushed to the fringes of society on the local, national and global level. Therefore, Notre Dame challenges our community members to battle discrimination against any person or group, including, but not limited to discrimination on the basis of age, creed, gender, race, national or ethnic origin, socioeconomic status or religion."
Throughout its history, Notre Dame has looked for opportunities to grow in the area of diversity. Most recently Notre Dame has expanded the dean of diversity role to manage internal and external diversity programming, and increased its commitment to financial aid awards, which include a new diversity scholarship along with partnering with organizations committed to helping high-achieving students with limited means gain access to the finest education in our area.
Kala Parker, who is Notre Dame's associate dean of admissions, also serves as its dean of diversity. She says the school "continues to empower students to reconfigure the goals of its multicultural student group, which creates cultural awareness within the student body."
According to Parker, Notre Dame's administration also has partnered with organizations that provide international and foreign exchange students with an opportunity to gain an educational and cultural experience at our school.