They 'got in' Haverhill students among first Notre Dame High grads

HAVERHILL — When Ashley Farnsworth, Jennifer Reyes, Karen Santacruz, and Isimely Vargas walk to the podium to receive their high school diplomas, they will all be making history — twice.

The teenagers will become the first in their families to attend college. And the Haverhill residents will be members of the first graduating class of Notre Dame High School in Lawrence on June 7.

Each senior has been accepted into a four-year college. Among the schools they will be attending are Fairfield University in Connecticut; Hofstra University in New York; Bucknell University in Pennsylvania; and Suffolk University and Boston College, both in Boston.

"A lot of us are the first in our family to go to college and with that motivation we were able to get through school," said Farnsworth, who will attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in the fall. "I'm just so proud."

To celebrate the start of their college years, the Notre Dame grads have received t-shirts displaying the words "I got in!"

The careers they are pursuing include engineering, medicine, culinary arts and teaching.

Notre Dame Principal Steve Mook said the Class of 2008 is special not only because it is the first to graduate, but for what class members have accomplished.

"By being the first class, (they) had a sense of ownership over how the school developed," Mook said. "The Class of 2008 has shared in and experienced almost every facet of the school's growth, whether it was the development of the athletic programs, the elective programming or the expansion of the school's college-preparatory curriculum."

Mook said the students got to know each other in a team-building activity that involved climbing on high ropes as a group.

"Their teamwork in that activity four years ago is symptomatic of who they are as a group: Close-knit, concerned about each other, more like family than classmates," he said.

"As the vanguards of the school, the class of 2008 leaves a distinct sense of leadership and direction," Mook said. "They are dedicated students and they know how to set goals and achieve them."

Jay Robie, director of the corporate internship program at Notre Dame, is just as impressed.

"They not only had a lot of firsts, but significant firsts including achieving the American dream of going to college," Robie said.

"It's just an amazing and fantastic thing to get 100 percent of the class into school," he said of the students moving on to college. "We thought we were going to do well, but it's just been great. Being the first class, they took a chance on us and we took a chance on them and with faith, hard work, it all worked out."

"I'm extraordinarily excited to say the least," she said. "Our goal was to take them on to college."

White led a class in college writing, taught kids to write resumes and polish essays, took students on college tours and talked to parents, many of whom were new to the college experience.

Karen Santacruz, 18, of Haverhill said they heard the college message loud and clear, and heeded it.

"From day one, they pushed us to think about college, that's what really got us into it," said Santacruz, who is headed to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.

Seniors credit their teachers, the AP classes and their work study program as reasons why they were able to succeed.

In addition to their strong academics, the seniors also bonded as a class to raise money to buy solar panels in Africa and had a food drive and clothing collection for classmates who were victims of the South Lawrence fire in January.

They also took part in a park cleanup in the city and played bingo with residents at M.I. Nursing and Restorative Center.

"We are like a community because we all came together to make Lawrence a better place," said Vargas, 18, one of the Haverhill graduates who will attend Barry University in Florida.

"We're like a family because our parents are involved in the school and our education and try to make it a better place," said Reyes, who is attending Rivier College.

Notre Dame High School opened its doors in 2004 at 207 Hampshire St. as part of the Cristo Rey Network. The school combines college prep courses and a work-study program to help students pay for their tuition and teach them professional skills.

The school is sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the same group of religious women who came to Lawrence on Aug. 20, 1859, to teach the children of immigrants.

There are 240 students and 19 teachers. Tuition at Notre Dame is $9,600 annually, but 80 percent of students receive financial aid to help them pay for the portion of tuition their corporate internship job does not cover. Students hold entry-level positions in 62 businesses, including insurance companies, hospitals and investment companies.

Braulio Rodriguez, 18, of Derry, N.H., said that at Notre Dame learning was not limited to the classroom.

"They taught me that talent without hard work means nothing," said Rodriguez, who will study engineering at Fairfield University.

Jinelly Urena, 17, of Lawrence said she is proud of the legacy the Class of 2008 is leaving to future students. She plans to study biology at St. Peter's University in New Jersey.

"We were like the experimental class because we had to deal with the unknown about college and other staff," she said.

Photos

Ashley Farnsworth, 18, left, Jennifer Reyes, 18, Karen Santacruz, 17, and Isimely Vargas, 18, all of Haverhill, are among 51 students that makes up the first graduating class at Notre Dame High School. The teenagers are the first ones in their families to go on to college. Staff photo