ND’s 8th Grade Day: A Tradition Throughout the Years

8th Grade Day traditionally falls on Veterans Day, but this year, because Veterans Day fell on a Tuesday, 8th Grade Day was postponed to Friday Nov. 21. 

In the past decade, Notre Dame’s 8th Grade Day has structurally stayed the same. Bright and early at 8am, 8th graders arrive on campus with their parents for the opening assembly. After some welcome speeches, a lovely serenade from our choir, and a skit from ASB, the future ND students split up into small groups and get ready to head to their first class. In order to expose students to as many aspects of the academic life at ND as possible, all of the 8th grade students are given a STEM class, a Humanities class, and a VAPA class. After the first two classes, the prospective students get to spend their break exploring the campus, talking to upperclassmen about clubs and co-curricular activities, or bond with their future peers. After their last class, everybody heads back to the gym so the next class of Notre Dame can experience the magic of an ND rally.

What is so special about 8th Grade Day is that this is the only admissions event that is not run by student ambassadors. 8th Grade Day is also when the entire sophomore class gets to harness their leadership skills and leave a lasting impression on all the students that chose to come. 

During 8th Grade Day, lucky parents that signed up early enough get to experience a part of our Parent Program, which helps the parents of future ND students understand what it means to be a student of ND, along with the logistics. Presentations on academic programs, co-curricular activities, and their own personal rotations to meet teachers leave a lasting impression, and many parents have expressed that they wished they had come to ND. But, spots are limited, and oftentimes there is a waitlist filled with parents that want to learn more. 

Parents also get the chance to talk to a Senior and Junior panel of ND students to learn more about student life at ND. 

Sophomores help end the day by writing postcards expressing thanks that these 8th graders chose to come to school even when they didn’t have to. They help pass out gifts to the 8th graders, and this year’s gift was pretty spectacular. 

8th Grade Day is a tradition that introduces prospective students to the magic of ND – and it’s why so many people are proud to be a part of it.