Veteran educator Julia Derucki did something few in her profession get to experience: In 2005, she was part of the faculty who launched a new school concept.
“I came in when this building had tape on the floor that said this is the first-grade classroom, this is where the media center will be,” she recalled. “We were picking out paint colors and desks. It was a leap of faith, especially for our parents who saw a building in a business park that was pretty much nothing but cubicles.”
On Nov. 10, the public is invited to see what that fledgling school grew to be. Notre Dame Academy in Duluth hosts an open house that day where Derucki will greet visitors in her new role as head of school. The position caps her career at Notre Dame that includes dean of students, assistant principal and first-through-eighth principal.
“Not many educators can rise from being a classroom teacher, where I started when I was 20, to head of school,” she said. “But it’s the faith of those first parents that will always stay very tender with me.”
Opening a Catholic school steeped in Marist educational principles in a business park filled a niche, Derucki said. “At the time, Catholic schools were overcrowded, but we weren’t just starting a private school. We are Marist Catholic, and we offer the International Baccalaureate.”
That combination has fueled the school’s growth. The first classes ranged from 2-year-old preK through eighth grade, but a high school was added five years ago. That inaugural group of 20 graduated in the spring.
Two years ago, Notre Dame merged with Sofia Academy, a small, independent school that worked with students experiencing processing difficulties due to autism, dyslexia or other diagnoses. Under Notre Dame’s Father Colin Program, about 50 students receive small group instruction and counseling. The school’s total enrollment is now close to 460.
“In the beginning, we were very sought out for being Catholic, but you don’t have to be Catholic to come here,” said Derucki. “We have about 33% non-Catholics. Everyone is welcome to talk about their faith, and there’s a richness to that.”
For parent Stephanie Waters, the International Baccalaureate program and the school’s smaller classes were important for her two sons who both enrolled at Notre Dame as kindergartners.
“It’s an inquiry-based, world-based program that’s very different from the memorization and regurgitation education I had,” said the Peachtree Corners resident. “I also liked the intimate nature of the school. Students are well-known by the teachers, administration and the community. And statistics have shown that students in small learning environments excel spiritually, intellectually and emotionally.”
When Waters’ oldest son started attending 10 years ago, the facilities were bare bone. “We now have an athletic facility and football field, but the strength of the community and the academics has always been there. The collaborative, creative style of learning has always made up for any shortcomings that we’ve now overcome.”
Information about Notre Dame Academy and the Nov. 10 open house is online at ndacademy.org.
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Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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