Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California

Sherman Oaks is an affluent district in the San Fernando Valley area of the city of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout...

, is a co-ed

Coeducation

Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...

 Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 college preparatory high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross

Congregation of Holy Cross

The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....

 in 1947. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...

, Notre Dame is known for an outstanding college-prep academic program, championship athletics, and award winning fine arts program. NDHS has been honored by the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...

, and is especially known for its academic program, band, and football team. Its newspaper is The Knight, a member of the High School National Ad Network. Notre Dame was founded as an all-male school, and became a co-educational school in the 1982-1983 school year. The Class of 1986 is the first graduating class to include females. The Class of 1987 included the first full-term (4-year) female students.

Irish Knight Band

Notre Dame is famous for its Irish Knight Marching Band. The band, led by director John Combes, has performed in over 450 consecutive football games and has won several awards at prestigious band reviews, performing in numerous band review competitions throughout Southern California. The band has not missed a varsity football game since the 1967 season. It has also been a part of the Notre Dame High School tradition since 1947, making it the oldest extracurricular activity on campus. For many years, the NDHS Irish Knight Band supported the University of Notre Dame by performing at football games when the Fighting Irish were in Los Angeles to play USC.

The Irish Knight Band (IKB) has performed in competitions across the country, and in 1979, participated in the Fiesta Flambeau parade in Texas, performed at Alamo Stadium, and marched through the streets of downtown San Antonio. That competition was marked by a sniper taking shots at other bands marching in the parade. The band has performed at:

• The Tournament of Roses Parade
• The Fiesta Bowl Parade
• The Holiday Bowl Parade
• The Calgary Stampede Parade
• The Hollywood Christmas Parade

In 1980, in honor of Brother Eugenio Casano,CSC, the school created the "Brother Eugenio Casano Musicianship Award", which is presented at graduation ceremonies to the school's finest musician. Patrick J. D'Arcy ('80), became the first ever recipient of this award. John Merlino ('81) was the second recipient of the award and the first percussionist to win it; he is now the drummer for the Star Trek influenced rock band Warp 11

Warp 11

Warp 11 is a rock band from Sacramento, California that performs original songs with lyrics entirely about Star Trek. Warp 11 music covers a range of styles including alternative, classic rock, punk, country and blues. Their lyrics are humorous and sometimes profane. Warp 11 was interviewed in the...

.

Academics

Notre Dame offers a college preparatory curriculum with honors and advanced placement courses in Art, English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science, Computer Science, and Social Studies. The school also offers elective courses covering a wide range of topics. There are 93 faculty members and administration, with 64 holding master's degrees and 2 with doctoral degrees. Advanced Placement courses are available to students in grades 10-12.

Graduation Requirements

As of 2009-2010, the course requirements of each student are:

• English 4 years
• Religious Studies 4 years
• Mathematics 3 years (4 years recommended)
• Social Studies 3.5 years
• Science (laboratory) 3 years (3.5 years to 4 years recommended)
• Modern and Classical Languages 2 years (3 years recommended)
• Visual and Performing Arts 1 year
• Computer Science 1 semester
• Physical Education 1 year

Each student is also required to perform service hours in order to graduate:

• Freshmen: 20 hours of service within the family
• Sophomores: 20 hours of service at the parish or the place of worship
• Juniors: 30 hours of service either at Notre Dame High School or in the community outside of school
• Seniors: 30 hours of service to the outside community

Notable alumni

• Jim Auten - (Class of 1975) Professional baseball U.C.L.A. Baseball-All American
• Ed Begley Jr.
  Ed Begley, Jr.
  Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
  
   - actor/environmental advocate
• Rachel Bilson
  Rachel Bilson
  Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...
  
   - (Class of 1999) actress
• Brian Beauchemin - Head Basketball coach at Glendale Community College for 29 years
• John S. Boskovich
  John S. Boskovich
  John S. Boskovich was an artist, writer, filmmaker, and teacher. An only child, Boskovich was raised in the San Fernando Valley and attended Notre Dame High School....
  
   - (Class of 1975) Artist, writer, filmmaker, lawyer, and teacher (d. 2006)
• Nick Cassavetes - Director
• Gordy Ceresino
  Gordy Ceresino
  Gordon Joseph "Gordy" Ceresino is a former professional American football linebacker who played one season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979....
  
   - (Class of 1975) American football player, CEO Harris Bretall Sullivan & Smith LLC
• John Cicuto - former head football coach at Glendale Community College current Athletic Director and Prep All American
• Chris Dickerson
  Chris Dickerson (baseball)
  Christopher Charles Dickerson is a Major League Baseball left fielder for the New York Yankees.-Early career:...
  
   - Major league baseball player for the New York Yankees
• Jamie Dixon
  Jamie Dixon
  Jamie Dixon is an American basketball head coach. He has served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team since 2003. In 2009 he was the head coach for the FIBA Under-19 2009 gold-medal winning United States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009 USA...
  
   - Class of 1983, men's basketball coach at University of Pittsburgh
• Maggie Dixon
  Maggie Dixon
  -External links:****...
  
   - Class of 1995, former women's basketball coach at the United States Military Academy (d. 2006)
• James P. Docherty - (Class of 1975), former president of Hachette Filipacchi New Media, founder of Great Atlantic Trophy Company
• Daniel W. Donahue - Donahue was a member of the Board of Trustees and past Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers, which represents 35,000 shopping center professionals worldwide. Projects including Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California; Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California; The Market Place (formerly Tustin Market Place) in Tustin, California; Galleria at Tyler
  Galleria at Tyler
  The Galleria at Tyler, formerly known as the Tyler Mall, is a regional shopping mall located in Riverside, California, United States. Initially a single story facility, with three two-story anchor tenants, the mall was renovated in 1991 to add a second level and a fourth anchor tenant, Nordstrom...
  
   in Riverside, California; and numerous other major shopping centers throughout California. (d. 2003)
• Terry Donahue
  Terry Donahue
  Terry Donahue is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as...
  
   - Former University of California, Los Angeles football player and coach
• Kirsten Dunst
  Kirsten Dunst
  Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
  
   - (Class of 2000) American actress
• Justin Fargas
  Justin Fargas
  Justin Fargas is an American football running back who is a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
  
   - (Class of 1998), American NFL football player, currently Oakland Raiders running back
• Nick Folk
  Nick Folk
  Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
  
   - American football player, kicker for the New York Jets
• Maureen Flannigan
  Maureen Flannigan
  Maureen Osborne Flannagan , credited as Maureen Flannigan, is an American actress noted for her role as teenager Evie Ethel Garland TV sitcom Out of This World, which ran from 1987 to 1991 and also starred Donna Pescow. She began acting professionally in 1985.-Personal:She attended the University...
  
   - Evie in Out of This World
• Tim Foli
  Tim Foli
  Timothy John Foli , nicknamed Crazy Horse, is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and New York Yankees from to...
  
   - major league baseball player;first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in 1968
• Taylor Fry - (Class of 1999), Actress best known for her role on the TV show "Kirk"
• Donald Gibb
  Donald Gibb
  Donald Gibb , sometimes credited as Don Gibb, is an American actor with an imposing 6 ft-4in frame, best known for his roles as the hulking, dimwitted fraternity brother "Ogre" in several installments of the Revenge of the Nerds film series, and as Leslie "Dr...
  
   - Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds
• Pat Gillick
  Pat Gillick
  Lawrence Patrick David Gillick is a retired American professional baseball executive. He was the general manager of four Major League Baseball teams, and guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: in 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with...
  
   - Hall of Fame; General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Dan Goossen - Boxing Promoter, president of Goossen-Tutor
• Greg Goossen
  Greg Goossen
  Gregory Bryant Goossen was an American catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball, playing from 1965 through 1970 for four different clubs in the American and National leagues...
  
   - major league baseball player/actor
• Devon Gummersall
  Devon Gummersall
  Devon Ryan Gummersall is an American actor, writer, and television and film director, perhaps best known for acting on the cult classic television show My So-Called Life.-Life and career:...
  
   - actor - My So-Called Life
• David Hanna - President, CEO, or Director of more than 15 high technology companies. He is Chairman of the Board of Blue Coat Systems and Tropos Networks, and is on the Board of Directors of Handmark Inc. Chairman of Hanna Ventures.
• Eric Harper
  Eric Harper
  Eric Tristram Harper was a New Zealand sportsman, who is most notable for playing rugby union for the New Zealand national rugby union team and in 1905 became one of the Original All Blacks when he toured Britain and Ireland with Dave Gallaher's team.A keen athlete, Harper was a hurdler at...
  
   - Director/Writer
• Jimmy Hawkins
  Jimmy Hawkins
  James F. Hawkins , known as Jimmy Hawkins, and later, Jim Hawkins, is an American actor and film producer whose career began as a child actor to such Hollywood stars as Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, and Donna Reed...
  
   - Actor - It's a Wonderful Life; The Donna Reed Show, Petticoat Junction, Annie Oakley
• Brett Hayes
  Brett Hayes
  Brett Gregory Hayes is a professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins.-Personal:...
  
   - Major League Baseball Player
• Richard Keith
  Keith Thibodeaux
  Keith Thibodeaux is a former child actor and musician, best known for playing "Little Ricky" in the I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour television shows.-Career:He is credited for those series as Richard Keith...
  
   - Actor - Little Ricky "I Love Lucy"
• Myles Helm - (Class of 1975) President DAUM Commercial
• James H. Herndon - orthopaedic surgeon, president of an orthopaedic surgery organization
• Spencer Johnson
  Spencer Johnson (writer)
  Spencer Johnson is known for the ValueTales series of children's books, and for his 1998 motivational book Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, which recurred on the New York Times Bestseller list, on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover nonfiction list...
  
   - Author - "One Minute Manager", "Who Moved My Cheese"
• Travis Johnson
  Travis Johnson
  Travis Johnson is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
  
   - American football player, defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers
• Staci Keanan
  Staci Keanan
  Staci Keanan is an American actress. Keanan is best known for her roles in the television series My Two Dads and Step by Step .-Life and career:...
  
   - played in Step by Step (TV series) and in 1980s TV series My Two Dads
• David Kopay
  David Kopay
  David Marquette Kopay is a former American football running back in the National Football League who in 1975 became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay....
  
   - American football running back, one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay.
• David C. Lane
  David C. Lane
  David Christopher Lane is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mt. San Antonio College, in Walnut, California. He is most notable for exposing Eckankar as a cult and its founder, Paul Twitchell, as a plagiarist in his book The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul...
  
   - professor of philosophy and sociology/author
• Harper LeBel
  Harper LeBel
  Brian Harper LeBel is a former professional tight end. He played ten seasons for the Seattle Seahawks , the Philadelphia Eagles , the Atlanta Falcons , the Chicago Bears , and the Baltimore Ravens . He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California....
  
   - American football player
• Marcus M. Maassen - Professor/Doctor - University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, Dept. of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
• Rami Malek
  Rami Malek
  Rami Said Malek is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the gay teenage next-door-neighbor, "Kenny" on the FOX comedy series The War at Home; for his role as Merriell "Snafu" Shelton in the HBO miniseries The Pacific; and for his role as the pharaoh Ahkmenrah in the feature films...
  
  - Actor
• Arash Markazi
  Arash Markazi
  Arash Markazi is an Iranian-American sports journalist currently writing for ESPN.Markazi, who is of Iranian decent, was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Los Angeles, graduating from Notre Dame High School. He attended Arizona State University and later University of Southern California...
  
   - journalist, writer for Sports Illustrated
• Rich Marotta
  Rich Marotta
  Rich Marotta is an American sportscaster in Los Angeles, California. He was the color analyst for the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL alongside Bob Miller, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL, and Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. He currently calls boxing on Fox Sports Net television, pay per...
  
   - KFI sports reporter and award-winning boxing commentator
• Jerry Mathers
  Jerry Mathers
  Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
  
   - Beaver in Leave It to Beaver
• Jack McDowell
  Jack McDowell
  Jack Burns McDowell is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, McDowell won the American League Cy Young Award in 1993. He was nicknamed "Black Jack."...
  
   - major league baseball player, 1993 Cy Young Award winner
• Stephen McEveety
  Stephen McEveety
  Stephen "Steve" McEveety is an American film producer. The son of Joseph McEveety, and nephew of Bernard McEveety and Vincent McEveety, Hollywood film directors/producers, he has over 30 years experience in senior positions in the entertainment industry....
  
   - Hollywood producer
• Katharine McPhee
  Katharine McPhee
  Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
  
   - Singer and American Idol season 5 runner-up
• Bob Moretti - Speaker of the California State Assembly 1971-74.
• Nigel Miguel - U.C.L.A. Basketball/Actor
• Michael Minkler - Oscar Winning Soundman
• Michael Mullen
  Michael Mullen
  Michael Glenn "Mike" Mullen is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral, who served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2011. Mullen previously served as the Navy's 28th Chief of Naval Operations from July 22, 2005 to September 29, 2007...
  
   - Class of 1964, a four-star admiral in the United States Navy and the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Dave Navarro
  Dave Navarro
  David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...
  
   - guitarist Jane's Addiction
• Devon Odessa
  Devon Odessa
  Devon Odessa is an American actress and film producer most famous for her role as Sharon Cherski on My So-Called Life....
  
   - Class of 1992, actress
• Stephen Perkins
  Stephen Perkins
  Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....
  
   - Drummer for Jane's Addiction
• Jim Piechocki - Developed and wrote Re-Mission, the world's most prominent serious game aimed at kids with cancer [3]
• Jorge Piedra
  Jorge Piedra
  Jorge Moises Piedra is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent In English, his name means George Rock....
  
   - (Class of 1997), major league baseball player
• Brendan Ryan
  Brendan Ryan (baseball)
  Brendan Wood Ryan is an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. While he has typically fielded at shortstop in his professional career, Ryan has been known to play at second and third base and has dabbled with pitching.-Early and personal life:Ryan was born in Los...
  
   - infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (baseball)
• Steve Sailer
  Steve Sailer
  Steven Ernest Sailer is an American journalist and movie critic for The American Conservative, a blogger, a VDARE.com columnist, and a former correspondent for UPI. He writes about race relations, gender issues, politics, immigration, IQ, genetics, movies, and sports.-Personal life:Sailer grew up...
  
   – paleoconservative pundit and film critic for The American Conservative[2]
• Bill Seward
  Bill Seward
  Bill Seward is an award-winning member of the staff at KNBC-TV, as a sports anchor for the Channel 4 News, with additional appearances on MSNBC, CNBC and “Early Today” on NBC...
  
   - NBC-TV sports anchor, CBS radio sportscaster and Dodgers postgame show host
• Lindsey Shaw
  Lindsey Shaw
  Lindsey Marie Shaw is an American actress. She is known for her starring television roles as Jennifer "Moze" Ann Mosely on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and as Claire Tolchuck on Aliens in America.-Career:...
  
   - actress on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
• Dave Sitton - UA Rugby Head Coach. Fox Sports Commentator for UA Football and Basketball. 2005 Tucson Man of the Year
• Frank M. Sontag - disc-jockey, news director, sportscaster,
• Michael Stanton
  Michael Stanton
  Giancarlo Cruz Michael "Mike" Stanton is an outfielder for the Miami Marlins.-Early life:...
  
   - Professional baseball player for the Florida Marlins. One of the top rookies in the Major Leagues in 2010. One of the top home run hitters in 2011.
• Tad Stones
  Tad Stones
  Tad Stones is an American animator, screenwriter, producer and director best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003...
  
   - American animator, screenwriter, producer and director best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company
• Mary Strong
  Mary Strong
  Mary Strong is an American sports journalist. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where she was a full scholarship athlete on the women’s Division I volleyball team, and later spent time on the AVP pro-beach volleyball circuit....
  
   - Sports Broadcaster Fox Sports Net
• Barry Stubblefield - (Class of 1975) Owner Mount Waterman facility (d. 2005)
• Paul Sunderland
  Paul Sunderland
  Paul Benedict Sunderland is an American sportscaster based in Los Angeles, California.Over his broadcast career, Sunderland has covered almost every major sport played in Southern California...
  
   - Sports Broadcaster; 1984 United States Olympic volleyball team that won the gold medal
• Michelle Trachtenberg
  Michelle Trachtenberg
  Michelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
  
   - American actress
• Guy Tobin – (Class of 1973) – Homebuilder (d.2008) is listed in the national 'Who's Who of Homebuilding,' as spearheading the revitalization of the 35,000+ acre, planned community at Rio Rico, Arizona. The Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona honored his many efforts by dedicating the Rio Rico Trailhead to Guy Tobin.
• John Vella
  John Vella
  John Vella is a former offensive tackle who played for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League between 1972 and 1979.-Professional career:...
  
   - former USC and Oakland Raiders offensive lineman
• Robert Edward Williams - (Class of 1960) - mathematician, architect, and designer. He is known for books on geometry for scientists and designers (The Geometry of Natural Structure), the development of theoretical principles of Catenatic Geometry (The Kiss Catenatic: The Introduction of Catenatic Geometry and its Environs), and the invention of the Ars-Vivant Wild-life Protector System for repopulating the Western Mojave Desert in California with desert tortoises
• Andrew Eben Woodward - author of "Prettiest World I Know"
• Dennis Zine - Los Angeles City Councilman. Zine represents the city's 3rd District (Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Reseda, West Hills, Winnetka and Canoga Park).

External links

• Notre Dame High School website
• Notre Dame Irish Knight Band website
• Notre Dame High School Official Facebook Page