Massachusetts Department of Education Recognizes Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Oct. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Ipswich, Mass. – The Massachusetts Department of Education recently awarded a five-year grant to Notre Dame Education Center in South Boston, sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. This grant for adult education benefits primarily English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and GED high school equivalency programs at the Center.  Funds were also awarded to the Center’s ground-breaking distance learning program, in which students participate in ESOL classes via the Internet. In a city where more than 4,000 students typically wait months and possibly years for an available slot in an English language classroom program, this funding was especially welcome.

“Learning English is essential to locating a job and supporting a family,” said Sister Margaret Lanen, Distance Learning Program Founder at the Notre Dame Education Center. “Waiting is not an option.”

In addition to the monetary award, the State-sponsored grant stipulates that Notre Dame Education Center staff oversee 11 other ESOL distance learning program providers in the Commonwealth.

“That the State of Massachusetts recognizes our commitment and expertise as educators and administrators is high praise,” said Sister Leonore Coan, the international Congregation’s Director of Mission Support. “It also helps us continue to live out our mission of standing with impoverished and abandoned people everywhere – even in one of the most affluent and sophisticated cities in the United States. ”

A premier adult basic education center for the past 20 years, Notre Dame Education Center provides a full range of services to immigrants, adults who have failed to graduate from high school and young adults at risk. The Center recently graduated 48 students from its GED and High School Diploma Program, the latter designed specifically for students under 21 who have dropped out of school and need a limited number of credits to graduate. Graduates of the Center’s high school programs have been accepted into Salve Regina University, Northeastern University, Boston College, Brandeis University and the University of Massachusetts.

“With the help of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, I’ve travelled what I call my ‘crooked road to success,’” said Alex Ponte-Capellan, one of the Center’s recent high school graduates who plans to continue his studies in architecture at Northeastern University.

For more inside stories about the Sisters’ work at Notre Dame Education Center, visit http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103923442549/ar...

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are an international Congregation of women religious, founded by St. Julie Billiart (1751-1816) in Amiens, France in 1804.  The Congregation is committed to making known God’s goodness through education in a variety of ministries. Sisters serve on five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, and work to change lives by a “fundamental commitment to stand with our sisters and brothers who live in poverty and accompany them in their struggle.” Offices/centers are located in Rome, ITALY, Namur, BELGIUM and Ipswich, MA, USA.  Visit our web site at: http://www.sndden.org.