On Friday, Aug. 23, Notre Dame Catholic High School announced that the school’s name will be changed to Notre Dame Prep of Sacred Heart University, along with a revised logo.
This announcement was made in a statement by Notre Dame Principal Dr. Christopher Cipriano, which was sent out to the “Notre Dame Community” via email.
“What has changed is the use of ‘Prep’ instead of ‘High School’ and the addition of Sacred Heart’s name to reflect our direct association with the university,” Cipriano said in the email.
This announcement comes nearly seven months after SHU and the Diocese of Bridgeport reached an agreement to purchase Notre Dame for $15 million on Feb. 1, as The Spectrum previously reported.
“As you can see, the name ‘Notre Dame’ remains unchanged – as it always will. Our Lady will continue to guide us, and our strong Catholic faith remains a cornerstone of all that we do each and every day,” Cipriano said in the email.
“We believe this logo honors our past and celebrates our future as we begin a new era with Sacred Heart,” Cipriano continued in the email. “The logo revisions and the use of ‘Prep’ reflect our relationship with a Catholic institution of higher learning.”
Notre Dame High School preparing to change their name to Notre Dame Prep of Sacred Heart University, along with a new logo.
Source: George Triebenbacher, Assistant News Editor
Brendan Williams ‘24, former Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum, attended Notre Dame prior to coming to SHU and said that the proximity between the schools played some role in his decision to attend SHU.
“I always knew it was a possibility being that it was the college right across the street, and I had some opportunities as a student of Notre Dame to explore Sacred Heart more and learn what was available to me,” said Williams, citing the communications programs as something that interested him about SHU.
According to Williams, rumors of a potential SHU purchase of Notre Dame persisted for many years, dating back to when his older sister attended Notre Dame, but there was always skepticism on whether it would occur.
“I remember talking to my friends and people who also went to Notre Dame, and everybody was a bit shocked when the news came out at first,” said Williams. “For it to actually come to fruition and be announced, it was a bit of a surprise when it actually came true.”
Cam Connelly ‘23, who also attended Notre Dame, said that he wasn’t surprised by either the purchase or the name change.
“It was always in the rumor mill, especially as Sacred Heart grew, around here at least,” said Connelly. “It was really just a matter of time until it happened.”
Connelly said that he believes that these developments will help propel Notre Dame going forward.
“I see this as the next logical step in Notre Dame’s evolution,” said Connelly. “Having Sacred Heart as the overarching entity is nothing but positive for the future.”
Junior Dylan Brown said the fact that the name’s overall theme remained constant is positive.
“I like how they still honor the core values of the school; they kept the name and didn’t change it too much,” said Brown. “I feel like it’s good that they’re still honoring it, but it’s interesting that they put Sacred Heart University in the name.”
Brown said that he wonders about the exposure that Notre Dame students will get to SHU going forward, comparing it to the dynamic between Fairfield Prep and Fairfield.
“I feel like [Notre Dame students] are going to be more informed in classes about what Sacred Heart has to offer, and they might offer classes that can give you [college] credit,” said Brown.
On July 2, SHU President Dr. John Petillo announced that the purchase of Notre Dame was finalized on July 1.
Notre Dame is directly across from SHU’s campus on Jefferson St.
For more information about the SHU purchase of Notre Dame, visit https://www.shuspectrum.com/archives/news/shu-to-purchase-notre-dame-high-school-for-15-million/.
