West Of The Field Of Dreams

March Updates (3/25/10)

The soccer field has been tested and proven true by several games of the King Tournament a few weeks ago. That NDA has opened the field first to the tournament is due to an agreement with Town and Country Sports and Health Club of Wilder. They allowed our soccer team to use their field for practice for several years, so an opportunity to repay their generosity was welcomed. Our students have begun to practice lacrosse, giving us a chance to find out what the game is all about.

The field itself? Temporary fencing is still at each end, however, the D zones have been seeded, and a tall fence skirts the track at the east end above the steep slope to yards on St. Joseph Lane. Other signs of progress: aluminum bleachers are positioned on either side of the field, and portable toilets are now available. The next big step will be a field house that will have rest rooms (won’t that be nice!) as well as concessions.

All of the surrounding slopes have been seeded. It is to be noted for those who don’t get to actually see the field that it is not at parking lot level. It lies about nine or ten feet below that, and is, therefore, surrounded on three sides by sloping land. Only the east end of the site slopes downward away from the field, giving evidence of how much dirt had to be packed into the gulley. Very impressive. Blogger was told that thousands of tons of dirt were transported to the site back in the spring and summer of 2008. She has on her computer desktop a photo taken from the floor of the gully in early March of that year. In the early years after the school’s construction, the gully had a rugged loveliness that was cherished by the nature lovers among us. Now just a memory. But today’s progress dictates other values for the school. The loveliness once possessed by the gully will, in future years, be enjoyed in the wetlands still under development.

Depression at Dusk (Dawn, Too)

You will recall from the last posting, that the Detention Basin West was constructed to absorb the water that collects in it. That water is coming from the ground surfaces around the basin, including the neighboring property to the west of NDA’s, and the parking lot--quite a lot of water, as you can see. The filtration through the grasses and other plants that are being added to the sides and bottom of the depression is in full swing with all the rain we've been having. Kenton Water District is pleased. In fact, they have been on board in the project for several months, being also interested in, and instrumental in, the rain garden off the main parking lot. Yea for our teams! It’s so good to be ecologically effective; our good earth deserves this, at least.

Depression At Dusk

Actually, it’s there at dawn, too. We’re speaking here of the physical sort that has the technical name of Detention Basin West (“Dusk”)—what you have read about here before as the detention pond. What you will see in this posting and the one to come is the basin in process. As you will recall, the basin has been in place for months just west of the theater, waiting its turn for attention. (The Muses would say, “First things first.”) And attention has not been wanting in the last few months. The first step shown here was the spraying, if that is the right word, of a very fine top soil to the necessary depth, begun on August 18th. and taking several days. Next came the rolling out of seed “carpets” that were stapled to the sides of the basin. The placing of various plants to aid in the absorption process was the next step. It’s all in the knowing! Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of “Depression at Dusk (Dawn, Too)”.

Prop The Imagination

The theater is all about creating a world, usually one or a few persons' little world. A visit to the prop storage room reveals that the masters of illusion there are busy creating Annie's little world. So here's a peek. Amazing, isn't it! Our prop creators are masters indeed. The Muses are pleased.

If you wish to see more and haven't marked your calendar yet, here's a compelling reminder. Performances for the public are Oct. 9, 10, and 11. The three evening performances begin at 7:30, and Sunday afternoon's performance begins at 2:00. You won't see the Muses, but they will be in rare form (literally) for certain during those days.

Dedicated To The Glory of God

At last the big day comes--August 23, 2009: Dedication of NDA's Fine Arts Center and Fitness Center. While much went into the preparation of the event (a later posting), let's look at the event itself. The weather was amazingly cooperative, given its recent disposition. The principle actors were in good form. The supporting cast was very supportive. The crowd was large and enthusiastic. What more could we ask?

Principal actors: Bishop Foys, Ordinary of the Diocese of Covington; Sr. M. Shauna, President; Sr. Marla, Provincial of the Sisters of Notre Dame; Sr. Elaine Marie, Principal; Fran Carlisle, major donor, and Ann Buenger, another major donor, represented by Mike Keating. Board members, department chairpersons and support staff of the school, and Student Council representatives were also on stage, as God's favors were reviewed, the benefactors thanked, the contractors commended, the Sisters of Notre Dame along with the faculty and staff praised, and finally God's blessing on the new facilities invoked. It was a heady hour, but a glorious one for all who have worked so hard in the past few years to see these facilities realized. All this was graced by the NDA-CCH band performance and the choral renditions by the Singing Dames, as well as the display of art works by alums seen in the Alumnae Hall.

PRAISE TO OUR GOOD AND PROVIDENT GOD!

Formidale Partnership

Our newest completed feature on the NDA campus is the fountain garden dedicated to St. Francis in honor of Frances Catherine Carlisle, a great friend of Notre Dame. The "formidable partnership"? Why St. Francis, of course, with his partner--Mother Nature!

The development of the garden is shown here in photos. In the last posting you can see a very early stage with the construction of the fountain. Here we pick up with the delivery and planting of trees. Next comes the planting of flowers. On the very day this last operation is completed, the saint arrives and advances to his new station. Talk about timing! He's rather stern looking, signaling that he takes his mission of supporting Mother N. very seriously. With these two we're holding an insurance policy in effect. Now if we just had a little more control over the Mother.... (By the way, St. Francis is just to the left of the fountain in the photo of the finished garden.)

What Is In A Name...?

Plenty, if one traveling I75 has been wondering what the school is that's been so clearly visible on the expressway for the last several months. Of course, there have been signs for those who can read quickly, but the "real thing" is in place now adding a new polish to the theater and the school. The first photo shows a worker drilling holes in the brick using a paper template as a guide. The second, of course, shows the finished sign.

One would have to come onto the campus and drive close to the theater to really appreciate the new feature in the theater yard--a fountain. Life-giving water has become a repeated aspect of the academy expansion, evidenced in the retention pond being developed near the Sisters' cemetery, the rain garden off the parking lot, the soon to be developed larger rain garden in the depression near the theater. Aside from greatly pleasing the Water District, these areas will serve to educate our students in wet-land value, and as a laboratory for the sciences. In addition, they can remind us that just as water provides physical life, learning provides life for the the heart and mind. Nature is ever a master teacher.