This year’s 2021 Notre Dame Prep Gateway Ceremony carried on one of the school’s most beloved traditions. This ceremony leads with welcoming speeches from the faculty, as well as one from one of our sisters. The tradition proceeds with each freshman walking individually through the Notre Dame Prep archway. It symbolizes the introduction to the new NDP life ahead of each student.

The purpose of this ceremony is to welcome the incoming freshmen of Notre Dame Prep into the school. It is their finalized acceptance into the NDP community. It is a very special day for everyone at the school, and one that each freshman class will never forget. This is because it is the first big step into entering the school and being a part of everything it has to offer.

The Gateway Ceremony is special because we are the only school that does it. It is a tradition we have made our own, which allows it to hold a special place in all of our hearts. It is a ceremony that has taken place even long before most students were alive. It is a very long-lasting tradition that will hopefully last many more years. What made this year so much more special is that it is NDP’s first year back from COVID-19. The school has been able to bounce back from these setbacks and uphold our dear tradition. It is so different to have the entire community supporting one another, than having to do the ceremony without it. This year, Notre Dame Prep was extremely blessed to be able to come together as one to welcome the freshmen after such unfortunate conditions.

If anything at all, what one should take away from the famous Notre Dame Prep Gateway Ceremony tradition is that once you walk through that arch, you are a part of something bigger than yourself. You are a part of a larger community with people who want to support you and be there for you every step of the way. You now have people who will affect your life for the better. You are now subjected to your future life-long friends and to an education that will shape your life. Most importantly, you should take away that you are loved. You are now a part of so many more lives than could be imagined. Notre Dame Prep’s Gateway Ceremony is just the start to all the opportunities life will give you. It is the start of the rest of your life.