Notre Dame Prep Unveils New Student Commons

Notre Dame Preparatory School (NDP) opened the Huffman Commons, a state-of-the-art student center which replaces the campus’ original 1960s-era cafeteria and creates a hub for community school life, at a ceremony on August 28. This new, 12,300-square foot space culminates the $8.4 million Common Ground: Building NDP’s Future, the school’s briefest fundraising campaign which garnered unprecedented community support, highlighted by two landmark $1 million leadership commitments.

The entire school community, including 816 students, employees and special guests, gathered in front of school for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing, over which Dr. Angela Allen, head of school, and Rev. Steven Roth, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, presided. Event highlights included student musicians, guest speakers, ceremonial ribbon-cutting and first-time access to the new space for the community.

Replacing the school’s original cafeteria, the Huffman Commons is a multi-use space supporting student and school life, including community events, service activities, collaborative work and projects, daily lunch, study time and more. Given its central location on the school campus, the space is destined to be the nexus for students, employees, families, alumnae and visitors to NDP.

“Intentionally designed as the vibrant heart of campus life, the Huffman Commons embodies a shared commitment to connection, collaboration and belonging,” said Dr. Allen. “I am deeply grateful to our Board of Trustees, whose vision drove this project as an investment in our mission and community, and to those generous donors who helped bring it to life.”

Among the earliest champions of the Commons were Dawn and Richie Huffman, parents of Addison ’26, whose $1 million leadership gift was made before renderings or final designs existed. Additionally, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, founders and sponsors of NDP, made a $1 million gift to the Commons, the largest single commitment the order has ever made to the Prep.

Highlights of the Huffman Commons include a student lounge area, interactive technology, 24/7 vending area for grab-n-go eating, flexible seating, a new employee lounge and dedicated employee patio. The original kitchen has been replaced with an open servery featuring customized food options, a gas-fired pizza oven, reusable dishwashing station, all new operation systems and state-of-the-art equipment to minimize waste and maximize efficient food service. In an act of environmental stewardship, NDP reused much of the materials from the former dining room/patio for the Huffman Commons, including Butler stone for the façade and slate for the outdoor patio.

In addition to the capital support for the Huffman Commons, the Common Ground Campaign raised $1.5 million to strengthen The Fund for Notre Dame Prep, the school’s annual fund which supports daily operations. It is NDP’s sixth capital campaign effort, following campaigns in 1992, 1999, 2005, 2012 and 2018, which collectively raised $28.9 million. More information about the campaign may be found on the school’s website at notredameprep.com/common-ground.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School

Founded in 1873 and sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Preparatory School is a Catholic, independent college preparatory school of 816 girls in grades 6–12. NDP dedicates itself to a three-part mission of academic excellence, spiritual growth and the practice of justice to educate young women to transform the world. The school offers more than 190 courses, including 26 Advanced Placement courses and specialized programs in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), humanities and global languages. Students may participate in 14 interscholastic sports, more than 70 clubs, class retreats, community spiritual practices and a robust “Women In (WIN)” internship program. For more information, visit notredameprep.com.