Every educational institution, public or private, Ivy League or inner city, is working through a 21st century transformation that calls on each headmaster, president, provost and faculty member to re-shape their vision of what their institution should, could and must be to serve its students, parents and community exceptionally well.

Middleburg's Notre Dame Academy is no exception, and The Reverend Dr. George E. Conway, who has accepted an interim assignment as CEO of the school, is determined to work closely with the Board of Trustees to ensure that every well-qualified student in the county seriously considers Notre Dame before they enroll anywhere else.

"Acceptance at a college or university is a graduation requirement at Notre Dame," explains Conway. "Our diverse student population would be the envy of any private school in the country, our internal structure is solid and the culture of the school is trusting and confident. For parents who want a strong college preparatory program in an environment of traditional values, Notre Dame is ideal. We offer a safe, academically challenging environment in one of the most beautiful settings in the world."

August 1st was Rev. Conway's first official day on the job at Notre Dame. The retired headmaster from St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia, will spend an average of three days a week on campus when school is in session. Dr. Conway is now a senior consultant with The Education Group, a Dallas, Texas based placement, consulting and search services firm.

Conway grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, completed his BA at Wilkes College, and attended Princeton Theological Seminary and Boston University. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and began teaching at Princeton Day School in New Jersey shortly after he completed his studies. He has also been on the faculty at Hotchkiss School, Ct. and at Woodberry Forest School, near Orange. He is the author of Giving Good Gifts: The Spiritual Journey of Parenthood, published in 2001.

Parents who enroll their children at Notre Dame face one major problem. The same traffic nightmares that plague everyone in Loudoun County. "Notre Dame is a day school," Conway emphasizes. "Our parents make a tremendous sacrifice when they enroll their children here. We have increasing challenges with traffic-induced tardiness, but we work around those problems because we are totally committed to our students and they deserve every consideration."

The school was founded in 1965 by the Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, near Cleveland, Ohio, who had been given the hunt box and 200 acres of rolling Virginia hills outside Middleburg. Originally, a Catholic girls school, the school went co-educational in the 1990-91 school year when boys were admitted to the ninth and tenth grades.

In January of 1992, a local advisory board was formed in cooperation with the Sisters to assist the school in its transition to a co-ed day school and an independent Catholic school. By 1994, the advisory board had become a Board of Trustees who leased the school from the Sisters for four years. The Sisters continued to provide administrative leadership and limited staffing. In 2000, the Sisters sold Notre Dame Academy to an independent Board of Trustees.

Sister Cecilia Liberatore's legacy looms large in the history of Notre Dame Academy. She arrived at the small, all-girl boarding school in 1981 and worked originally as a dorm counselor and teacher. By 1985, Sister Cecilia was head of the school. The third child of Ray and Cecilia Liberatore of Niles, Ohio, she graduated with a BA from Notre Dame College in Ohio in 1967 and made her final vows as a nun in 1969, received an MA in religious education from the Angelicum in Rome in 1979, followed by an MA in educational administration in 1990 from the University of Dayton and an MA in history from Kent State in 1994.

Sister Cecilia's belief that "…we must be a dynamic future-oriented school because the future is where are students are going…" will be well-served by Dr. Conway during his interim appointment as he helps the trustees, faculty, students and administrative staff respond to the needs and requirements of a contemporary private education institution. "We're working closely on governance and school operations," he said. "We're committed to keeping our Catholic foundation, and to the spiritual growth of our students."

Dr. Conway understands how important it is to increase awareness of the quality education experience offered by Notre Dame. "We are not well enough known in our community. Every parent in Loudoun and surrounding counties should visit our campus before they make any decision about where their children will attend school. I want to ensure that we operate at maximum enrollment every year, because I am confident that, just as our mission statement says, every one of those students will leave Notre Dame Academy as young men and women of moral integrity who will be responsible leaders in a diverse and ever-changing world."

According to Dr. Conway, members of the Notre Dame community are justifiably proud of their students. Academically, they excel, athletically they sweep state championships on a regular basis, and spiritually, they mature in an open and dynamic learning environment in which all questions are welcomed.

Thirty-four percent of students receive financial aid at Notre Dame, and it is Dr. Conway's hope that once the Academy is better known, funding will be available to do even more. He is, however, realistic about the brevity of his tenure as interim CEO and intends to begin the search for a headmaster as soon as possible.

"At a moment when 65% of current heads of school will retire in the next five-to-ten years nationally, it is a real challenge to find the best and the brightest for important positions. The bones of Notre Dame are superb. Sister Cecilia would be proud. We have an important job to do here. We must ensure that this very fine school, with its committed and distinguished faculty, has the support it deserves as we go about educating young people to be future leaders and responsible citizens. It is my honor and privilege to play a role in this transformative process."