Notre Dame had its first “ND Day” in two years May 12, a day dedicated to the students, where we all participated in fun games to celebrate the end of the year with an abundance of school spirit. This was our first ND Day since Oct. 25, 2019, and we were so happy to bring the celebratory day back.

With a lot of planning and dedication, the school’s Student Council brought this day to life. Each grade from freshmen to seniors volunteered a color for their class shirt, and on ND Day we all were dressed in our designated attire. Freshmen wore red; sophomores wore turquoise; juniors wore purple; and seniors wore neon orange.

Unfortunately Mrs. Jaclyn Friel, our principal, was unable to run her half marathon back in April due to being sick. But now that she is back in good health, on ND day she successfully ran her 13.1 mile challenge that she missed, and at the beginning of the day the whole student body gathered in front of the building to say a prayer and cheer her on as she left the starting line to begin her difficult challenge. Students and teachers also volunteered to run alongside her for one mile each, swapping out for someone new every mile but still carrying on the motivational school spirit with her.

After Mrs. Friel began her run, the first major activity of the day was the thrilling Senior vs. Staff volleyball game, which had the school roaring with cheers and excitement as we watched our favorite classmates face off against our beloved teachers. Once the game ended, the student body enjoyed a quick snack and donut break, and then went outside to gather around the front of the building and cheer Mrs. Friel on as she crossed the finish line. Soon after, we all enjoyed our first Talent Show in two years, which featured students competing with their astonishing talents for a winning cash prize, and it ended with a surprising dance performance by our teachers.

Following the entertaining show were the class games, the activities that all of the students were waiting for. These games included pie eating, scooter races, hula hooping, a relay race to see how many layers of clothes a student could get on, and many more. After winners of each grade were declared, we all sat down for lunch and watched Notre Dame’s famous Powder Puff game, where the junior girls and the senior girls played each other in football, all coached by none other than the actual football players themselves.

This day had been long awaited by the entire student body, and we are all so glad to finally bring it back and participate in this fun day dedicated to our school and our students. It was a great day to be a Crusader.