Notre Dame Academy's Board of Trustees recently voted to change the school's name to Middleburg Academy. The new name will be phased in over the coming months and fully implemented by the end of the coming school year.

"This is an important step in establishing our school as a leading independent coeducational college preparatory high school, serving the families of Northern Virginia," said Head of School Elizabeth "Libbi" Murray. "It is another piece of welcome news, following the success in our recent lawsuit which validated our right to move to an independent, nonsectarian school, and the new name better describes our desire to serve all segments and faiths in our diverse community."

Notre Dame was founded as a girls boarding school many years ago by the Sisters of Notre Dame, a Catholic religious order. Over the years it shifted to a co-educational day school, and eventually to independent status under a lay Board of Trustees.

As the name "Notre Dame" is used by the Sisters for many of their schools, when the school's Trustees adopted a new vision, they also believed a new name was appropriate. "Middleburg Academy describes where we are and what we do, and is totally in harmony with our vision of what the school will become. We considered and discussed a lot of other names, but none seemed as good a fit. Now our job is to build the school as an asset recognized, valued and 'owned' by the community it serves," said Board Chairman Mark Rossi.

Murray pointed out that "You cannot change a school's name overnight; legal documents need to be revised, signage and stationery replaced, uniforms altered. The list goes on."

But she urged the students not to worry: "Our colors will remain blue and gold, and our mascot will still be a dragon. As we change in some ways more appropriate to our vision for the future, it is important to retain the best of the traditions of the past, not just colors and symbols, but academic excellence, which will retain a religion education component. The climate of ethics, respect for others, service and love that have characterized our school for so many years will remain."

Middleburg Academy has a 100% college admission rate. Recent graduates have been accepted to some of the nation's best colleges and universities including Yale, Notre Dame, and The Naval Academy.

For more information about Middleburg Academy, please visit www.notredameva.org.