Our History
The present Notre Dame High School was opened in 1957. Ground was broken on a 37 acre tract in the Green Pond area of Bethlehem Township by His Eminence John Cardinal O’Hara, Archbishop of Philadelphia and former President of Notre Dame University. Given both the variety of areas which the school would serve and the Archbishop’s former ministry, Notre Dame was the selected as the name for the school.
Notre Dame has always been a co-educational institution. It was designed to accommodate 750 students and opened its doors to 413 students in September 1957. The first principal was Rev. David B. Thompson, who became Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, SC in 1989 and was
elevated as its Bishop in 1990.
With the formation of the Diocese of Allentown in 1961 (due to a substantial increase in population) Father Thompson was appointed as Chancellor and Reverend Henry Hynes became the principal of Notre Dame. The population of the school grew to 957 by 1962. This prompted then Bishop Joseph McShea to authorize construction of a new 12 room wing which was dedicated in 1964. By this time, Reverend Henry Strassner was principal.
Notre Dame was accredited by the Middle States Association of colleges and Secondary Schools in 1965, an honor which has been maintained to the present day. Also, in 1965, ground was broken for an athletic annex designed to house athletic offices and to provide additional space for physical education classes and intramural sports activities.
In 1976, Mr. R. Kirkwood Colton was appointed as the first lay principal of Notre Dame. His tenure (1976-1988) was marked by development of a strong and lasting association between the school and the community which it serves. At the time of his retirement, the school’s population had dropped to below 300 students. Unwilling to close the school, the acting bishop, Bishop Thomas J. Welsh, took decisive steps to financially and spiritually support the school’s continued operation.
In 1989, at the direction of principal Mr. Joseph R. Kramer, Jr., Notre Dame began to experience a period of unprecedented growth. It repositioned itself to be an attractive educational institution dedicated to spiritual guidance and academic excellence with a commitment to all students regardless
of race, creed, ethnicity, intellectual ability, or financial status.
In 2003, Notre Dame became the first diocesan high school to institutionalize a course of studies and support strategies for students with learning disabilities. In the fall of 2003 approximately 60 students
were enrolled in the four year Aquinas Program with additional students included on a consult basis. Certified special needs teachers and aides were hired to facilitate the program and to assist the faculty and staff with understanding and satisfying the educational needs of the participants.