IIn a much anticipated announcement this evening, Head of School Meredith Essalat revealed that NDB had reached its $8 million capital campaign fundraising goal, making it possible to begin construction on the new STEM wing on the school’s second floor.
A large crowd gathered in the Father Downey Garden to hear the news that had been teased on the school’s social media over the past few days. Essalat first acknowledged the contributions of many community members that made the project feasible, including several generous donations totaling $5 million.
She continued to share the next steps for the project, including obtaining permits, working with a contractor and communicating with a construction company. The NDB board hopes to move forward with physical construction in December and expects the facilities to be completed by August 2026.
The new addition, which Essalat describes as a place to “meld mission with the sciences,” will replace NDB’s current science classrooms and provide upgraded equipment, laboratories, and technology.
“I’m so excited for our incredible science and math teachers [and] our STEM department to have this space because their education is unparalleled … I think it’s going to be like a think tank that our community really needs,” Essalat said.
Capital campaign co-chair Kristen Degnan was one of the main drivers behind the successful fundraising.
“Phase One is what we’re doing right now: The STEM wing,” Degnan explained. “Right now, we’ll do planning, and then we’ll do construction … But, in the meantime, we’re always building a capital campaign and trying to get money for [the] endowment.”
Senior Maggie Blanchard, a member of the school’s TigerBots robotics team, expressed her excitement about the upcoming changes. “It’s so exciting, particularly as an all-girls school, to have such a strong STEM program. We already have such amazing STEM teachers, and it’s so great now that we’re going to have such nice facilities.”
Many NDB families who attended the announcement were excited not only about the opportunities that it would provide their daughters, but also instilled confidence in NDB’s community engagement and support.
Christie Costa ‘92, mother of a current freshman, said that her initial reaction was a mixture of happiness and shock over the resources that the project would provide her daughter and the rest of the community. “Chills. Chills up my arms. Just for so many people to donate to Notre Dame – They deserve this. They really do.”
Further reflecting on this evening’s announcement, Degnan concluded, “I think it’s going to be a big opening for Notre Dame in terms of trust and growth.”
