Head of School
An NDA education is a sacred gift -- an opportunity to strive for excellence as a scholar; to develop heightened empathy and global awareness; to grow as a leader; to imagine and dream; to deepen faith and fortify values; and most importantly, to mature from a girl to a young woman.
I’m both humbled and grateful to be the first NDA alumna tapped to lead Notre Dame Academy Schools of Los Angeles as president. Notre Dame Academy has been a second home and an important part of my family history since the 1960s. In fact, my youngest niece graduated from the Class of 2021. She is the last in a long line of proud Regals. As of this year, we can finally say that our family has worn every one of the NDA class colors (and purple is the best!) The spirit of NDA lives in our hearts, and we carry the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame in the friendships we made and the lessons we learned.
Central to that charism is the Sisters’ emphasis on the human dignity of each person as the image of God. That principle continues to inform our community as we value every student and prepare her to explore uncharted territory so as to write the maps of tomorrow. With this in mind, our dedicated and mission-oriented team of teachers, administrators, and staff recognizes that our methods must continually, intentionally evolve.
What remains unchanged is our focus on the development of the whole person – spiritual and social, academic and artistic. Caring relationships with teachers and mentors enable students to nourish the vision to dream big along with the tenacity and skills to achieve excellence and bring even the most remote aspiration to fruition.
Although high school is just four short years, it marks an incredible evolution for each of our students from tentative teenager to confident, capable young woman poised to make a difference in her world and our community. We are honored to partner with you to nurture and fuel that transformation.
Lilliam Paetzold '84
