History

Classroom (1914) (1920s) Notre Dame of Quincy Chapel Typing Class Notre Dame High School for Girls

1859
Bishop Junker of Alton invited the School Sisters of Notre Dame to Quincy when 200 children were in one classroom at St. Boniface School.

1861
S.S.N.D.'s started St. Lawrence School (now St. Peter).

1867
The Sisters bought the "Bishops Residence" ($25.00 down payment). "Convent School of Infant Jesus" opened at 8th and Vermont. Within a year the school went from 12 to 116 students.

1872
The central and north wings were added: dormitories and classrooms.

1873
The school was chartered by the state and called "Saint Mary Institute". A two year high school curriculum was introduced.

1876
The third floor was added: more classrooms.

1890
Chartered as a three year High School.

1894
Chartered as a four year High School.

1910
The school was fully accredited as "St. Mary Academy".

1928
The name was officially changed to "Notre Dame of Quincy".

1935
April - Notre Dame of Quincy accepted as member of North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.

1940
Quincy College Academy for boys closed and the boys came to Notre Dame for what was to be a "temporary stay". The boys stayed for 19 years which required equipping and remodeling the school for the influx of male students.

1952
Construction of a new gymnasium ($251,000.00). Today this facility houses the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), and Q.N.D. uses it for a practice gym.

1957
Notre Dame's enrollment had increased to three times what it was 20 years before, and plans for a new boys high school were adopted.

1959
Notre Dame again became an "All Girls School" and a new boys school was opened at 10th and Jackson streets, staffed by the Christian Brothers religious order. The school was called "Christian Brothers High School". Quincy Pastors asked their parishioners to finance the $800,000.00 cost of construction, and the local parishes responded by pledging $1,145,000.00.

1960
Presented the first graduating class from C.B.H.S.

1967
The parishes and friends of Catholic youth again responded to the financial needs of the growing new school, and an additional $175,000.00 was raised.

1969
The Christian Brothers announced they no longer had sufficient personnel available to staff C.B.H.S.

1970
Two Servite Fathers and Servite Brothers agreed to administer and teach at the boys high school. A new Quincy Corporation was formed and the boys school was converted to a locally-owned private institution controlled by a Board of Directors, which was made up of local business men and women of all faiths. The school would now be chartered as "Catholic Boys High School.

1971
Catholic Boys High School and Notre Dame High School asked the Quincy community to invest in their schools. Leaders of industry, business, and the professions, as well as Catholic and non-Catholic lay people, responded to their plea by pledging over $400,000.00 spread over a three-year period.

1975
An effort was made to provide a broader, more expanse program. Notre Dame and Catholic Boys High Schools agreed to consolidate. Once again the Quincy and surrounding communities be- came instrumental in helping the newly-consolidated school by pledging $500,000.00 over a three-year period to supplement operating cost and provide some capital improvement.

1976
The School became known as "Quincy Notre Dame High School" and is still operating under this same name today at 10th and Jackson.

1977
The Quincy Notre Dame Development Program started, under the direction and leadership of the Quincy Notre Dame Foundation, which had been incorporated in 1968. It also became apparent that substantially regular fund raising efforts were going to have to be made for the support of Quincy Notre Dame High School. Thus the annual giving program was initiated.

The Foundation Board hired an Executive Director to carry out the Foundation's business. Annual giving, planned giving, memorial , giving and alumni giving programs are a part of the overall Foundation endeavor.

Quincy Notre Dame High School is operated by a Board of Directors composed of laymen, laywomen and clergy of the Quincy Deanery. A School Sister of Notre Dame as principal and a lay assistant principal compose the administration of the school. The faculty and staff consist of-School Sisters of Notre Dame, a diocesan priest, laymen and laywomen.

The Board of Directors of the Quincy Notre Dame Foundation is separate and distinct from the Board of Directors of the high school, and the Foundation has no control over the budget and operations of the School.

Quincy Notre Dame High School has tax-exempt status under the Springfield Illinois Diocese. The Foundation, on April 23, 1968, received a letter of tax-exempt status on form L-178 from the Internal Revenue Service. It has been, and is now listed in the cumulative list of organizations described in Section 170 (c) as published by the Internal Revenue Service.