Fr. Bill Sangiovanni, Chris Cipriano and the entire faculty and staff of Notre Dame wish everyone a very blessed Easter holiday. We hope the weekend is prayer-filled, restful and a time well spent with family and friends. Happy Easter from the entire Notre Dame Fairfield family.

... the following students who were named Students of the Month for March: Megan Pace '12, Matt Coppola '15, Christian LaCroix '14, and Jasmin Williams '13.

Financial aid forms are now available for the 2012-13 school year. All families must re-apply for financial aid annually. Forms must be submitted by April 15, 2012. Late applications will not be considered. To download a form, click here. Forms can be submitted as soon as your 2011 federal tax returns are completed.

Members of the freshmen and sophomore classes will be headed to New York City on Tuesday, April 24. Payment and permission slips are due by April 11. To view the freshman trip itinerary and print a permission slip, click here. To view the sophomore trip plans and obtain a permission slip, click here. 

Pre-College Program Offered  

Skidmore's Pre-College Program is a summer experience for highly motivated and talented high school students. The 5-week program offers students the opportunity to engage in college-level study in the liberal and studio arts with distinguished Skidmore faculty. Students can:

• Earn college credit
• Take a liberal arts course, a studio arts course, or one of each
• Live in a college residence hall
• Join a vibrant summer community of artists, writers, and scholars
• Meet students from across the country and around the world

Recognized nationally as a new Ivy League college, Skidmore is a highly selective liberal arts college in upstate New York. The Pre-College Program runs from Saturday, June 30 through Saturday, August 4, 2012. Applications should be submitted by May 15. The financial aid application deadline is April 16.

For detailed information including course and program descriptions and application materials, visit the Skidmore Pre-College Program at www.skidmore.edu/precollege or email Michelle at: mpaquett@skidmore.edu 

The Bridgeport Public Library is having a series of zombie survival workshops that will take place in the Teen Café of the Bridgeport Public Library beginning in April. This fun and informative program is open to teens in grades 7-12.

Members of the Classes of 2013 and 2014 are invited to apply for Sacred Heart University's Pre-College High School Summer Program this July. Fifteen college credit courses in subjects ranging from Financial Accounting to Marketing in Fashion to Effective Speaking are being offered. Each course is $1,035. Click here to download additional information.

Patriotism Billboard 

There is no greater moment to reflect on the meaning of America than on the Fourth of July. Mindful that it is upon the shoulders of the next generation to be guarantors of America's freedom, high school students in Fairfield County are being challenged to create a billboard that will depict the meaning of patriotism. The winning billboard will be displayed along Connecticut highways in time for the Fourth of July, 2012.

The requirements for the contest are as follows:

1. Design a billboard that visually honors America.

2. The theme: belief in the "Red, White, and Blue."

3. Entrants are to submit a detailed drawing of their design using original artwork and a patriotic essay of up to 250 words, describing the entrant's motivation for the design.

The winners will be rated on the sincerity and clarity of their statements of theme and the creativity and execution of their design. Monetary prizes in the form of U.S. Savings Bonds for 1st [$500], 2nd [$300], and 3rd [$100] place winners will be awarded.

Click here for complete information, including links to resources that will aid you regarding American history, writing help, and basic guidelines for creating visual designs.