Notre Dame achieves national honor -- again

When Brother David Migliorino spoke to the 489 students at Notre Dame Regional High School on Wednesday, they reacted in ways that normally would have gotten them a trip to the his office.

"They were jumping out their seats and screaming," Migliorino said. "It was crazy."

Instead, Migliorino, who is principal at Notre Dame, couldn't have been more pleased: "It was everything I expected and more," he said.

That's because Migliorino had just announced that the school was ranked among the top 50 Catholic high schools in the nation for the second straight year.

The Catholic High School Honor Roll, an independent project of the Grand Rapids, Mich.,-based Acton Institute, announced on Wednesday its third annual selection of the best 50 Catholic secondary schools in America. The Acton Institute is an international research and educational organization.

The designation acknowledges schools like Notre Dame maintain high academic standards, uphold their Catholic identities and prepare students to actively engage the world, said project coordinator Anthony Pienta.

"Schools like Notre Dame definitely display excellence in academics, Catholic identity and civic education," he said. "Brother David seems to be an incredible leader, very charismatic for the school."

The Honor Roll was produced in consultation with a national advisory board comprised of Catholic college presidents and noted Catholic scholars. A special group of college professors and other academics surveyed the 1,300 Catholic high schools that were asked to apply.

Migliorino called the designation a "wonderful honor" that left him feeling overjoyed and humbled.

The school stood out, Migliorino believes, because of its high ACT scores, its commitment to Catholic idealism and a strong curriculum. Notre Dame's ACT scores, for example, averaged 25.3 percent, a full 4 points higher than the national U.S. average.

The students have also gone on mission trips around the country, including working on an Indian reservation in Arizona, with handicapped children in New York City and at soup kitchens in Chicago.

"It's nice to be honored," he said. "But we'd still do that if we weren't. We don't do that for the honor. We're called to do that."

Bishop John J. Leibrecht, bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, said he was grateful that Notre Dame was commended.

"Being recognized nationally is a well-deserved honor and I congratulate the administrators, faculty, staff, students and all involved in Notre Dame who continue to make the school a great success," he said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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