Notre Dame High School Welcomes International Students

By Margaret Lindsey, NDB teacher--

Amid a sea of global awareness and interconnection, Notre Dame High School in Belmont is definitely riding the wave. Students and staff alike have welcomed many new faces and languages from around the world into the hallways and classrooms this year. The experience of having international students on campus is changing the way community members view their own and other cultures, adding a new lens for viewing and connecting to the world beyond these shores. Many cross-cultural friendships are developing, and global interaction is no longer an abstract idea for students.

Though Notre Dame High School has traditionally had a sizable number of students whose families have emigrated from other countries, many of our current international students have come to the U.S.A alone, without their own families. These intrepid girls are living on the Peninsula with host families, thousands of miles from their parents and friends in China, Russia, Japan, Thailand and India. They are immersed in a rigorous college preparatory program, are absorbed in the study of American culture, and are involved in the most complex course of all, “How American High School Works”. Imagine explaining how high school works to anyone who hasn’t lived through it!

“In most cases it’s been really smooth” says Mandarin-speaking Claudia Sarconi, the NDB librarian and certified ESL teacher who serves as the girls’ mentor and guide. She is part of an impressive and dedicated team who work to ensure that the girls admitted are successful, safe, and adjusting well to American life during their time at Notre Dame. Sarconi meets with the international students twice a week to help them improve conversational skills and to discuss and study aspects of American culture that might be mysterious to them. She also helps bridge the language gap between students and teachers by translating when complicated issues arise.

What is driving these students to take on such a big life challenge? According to Raena Mullan, Director of Notre Dame High School’s International Program, these hard-working and determined students are motivated by the desire to enroll in outstanding  American universities. As Sarconi says, the Religious Studies classes are even more challenging for students who have grown up in countries not predominately Christian. All Notre Dame High School students who are non-Catholic or who are born outside the U.S must puzzle through a wealth of completely new information: centuries of stories, belief systems and background details that are imbedded in American or Catholic culture. The bulk of students at the school have absorbed this information from birth. The exposure to new ways of thinking adds yet another layer to the high school experience of the international students.

The support system here at Notre Dame High School is bolstered by all faculty and staff who teach or coach the international students. The girls are integrated into regular classes and are expected to keep up with their American counterparts, and this they do well. Teachers and staff members, “have gone out of their way to help students feel supported” reports Mullan. She says the international students “are really thriving. They are doing great, and you can see it!” At Notre Dame, in addition to Sarconi’s program, Mullan sets up cultural outings for the girls, offering them the opportunity to enjoy iconic American activities outside of school.

Such varied support at the school level, combined with the welcoming student body, makes a huge difference, but it must also be noted that this is a high-caliber group of student. They have gone through a fairly rigorous process of interviewing and testing in China before they are even admitted, and must be fluent in English. The interview process is conducted in person by Mullan, and Assistant Principal Carolyn Hutchins, who travel to China for this purpose.

As Director of Notre Dame’s International Program, Mullan arranges and oversees the international students’ home visits, among other duties.  This entails regular visits with the host families, which may last 2-3 hours, and includes staying in touch with the girls’ parents back home, which could necessitate making phone calls or Skyping to China in the middle of the California night. The host families for students at Notre Dame are usually families with daughters who also attend the high school, which ensures that the international students are nurtured in an environment where the family understands their schedules, their daily needs, and the rhythms of the school year. This makes a big difference in their ability to integrate into the school and be successful, according to Mullan.

Notre Dame High School also hosts and supports several domestic International students: girls who have spent some time in the country but live here with their own families. The school also accepts and nurtures immersion students: girls who are attending a semester of high school here, for no credit, as a way of improving their language skills before they attempt the rigor of a regular school year.

The support the students receive at NDB is organic and fluid, and continually changing to respond to what the current students may need to thrive. Some of the plans for next year include adding a special summer orientation for new international students, scheduling all international students into study hall to give them more time to work on written assignments, and a big sister program composed of second-year international students who can mentor them, as well as on-going cultural outings.

For more information about the international program at Notre Dame High School,

please contact Raena Mullan, Director of International Students, at

rmullan@ndhsb.org.