The school was founded in 1869 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is administered by Roman Catholic priests and brothers. It adopts an educational approach that enhances the development of intellectual capability, spirituality, and of physical ability within a dynamic and favourable environment. Originally a boys-only school, it decided to allow female students in 1982 in grades 7 and 8 and then progressively became completely co-educational. Music, sports, theatre, and other extracurricular activities help create a healthy and balanced environment. Through all the years, the school is considered one of the best French schools in Quebec and is one of the top schools in Montreal, coming in first place but with a few other schools sharing that same position. In recent years, the institution has come into the public eye for a multitude of sex abuse cases and cover-ups spanning the better part of the second half of the 20th century.
Uniform
Since its inception, school uniforms have been compulsory at Collège Notre-Dame and must be worn at all times on school property. The dress code consists of a white or blue polo shirt and marine pants and/or a blue kilt for girls. Older polos might be colored yellow but these polos are not tolerated anymore since they are considered too marginal. The collar of the polo is coloured blue with yellow and royal blue stripes, which was the uniform until 2012. Since then, the polo is fully white, with a marine logo, and the marine polo now has white horizontal stripes. The gym uniform consists of a grey or blue T-shirt and a pair of blue shorts or cotton sweat pants; all have the school's emblem printed on them.
Values
To respect others, the environment and yourself
To persevere and to strive for excellence
To be responsible
To participate and contribute to the community
Former l'esprit, le coeur et le corps
Facilities
The school library has over 20,000 books of all genres. It has three student-played orchestras. The computer labs have over a hundred computers. Teachers can use technology to teach in every single class. In some classes, there are touchscreen boards. Every class has computers. An indoor hockey arena, which seats around 400 spectators, is located behind the school and an auditorium. In addition, it has an indoor swimming pool, a football field,a soccer field, 2 fitness rooms, a race track and indoor and outdoor basketball courts. The school now wants to build another gym worth approximately $10 million. . The school is composed of 3 buildings, the old building, the C building and the P building. The old building is 5 floors, the C building is 5 floors and the P building is 5 floors. Also, the C Building has 2 huge study rooms full of desks. The rooms are used for the study period.
Athletics
The school's sports program is one of the most developed in the Province of Quebec. Collège Notre-Dame has five mandatory physical education classes on a six school days schedule and teams in a dozen of different sports. The football team, the Cactus, was created in 1958 and is playing in Quebec's AAA league. It has won fourteen provincial championships and is largely regarded among football analysts to be one of the great dynasties in Canadian Football. There are other sports teams, such as flag football for girls, broomball, basketball, cheerleading, hockey, soccer and volleyball.
Music
Music classes are mandatory in grade 7 and grade 8. The class lasts 5 months, which equals to a semester and is then replaced by ERC for the second semester of the same school year. Students can choose from wind instruments, percussion or double bass. Students playing the bassoon, oboe or double bass will benefit from one private lesson per week with a specialist, since those instruments are particularly difficult for beginners. Depending on their performance, they can participate in a music concert at the end of the semester. Those who would like to enrich their music skills can register their name at the Music Department, take private lessons with an expert and play in the different orchestras depending on their school level and technical/musical abilities. Usually, the director of the department, Marc Deschamps, who is also the conductor, takes students from grade 9 to grade 11 in his orchestra, the Wind Orchestra of College Notre-Dame. They play harmony music of level 3 or higher. An interesting fact about the conductor is that he has filled this position since the age of 19. Today, he is 54 years old. Every year, the different orchestras participate at the Festival des Harmonies et des Orchestre Symphoniques du Quebec held in Sherbrooke. There, the OAV plays different pieces and they are graded according to the orchestra's level. Musicians can also participate in the Concours Solistes et Petits Ensembles from the FHOSQ in Victoriaville. If they achieve a greater distinction mark, they win a prize, usually a certain amount of money for a specific music summer camp.
Improvisation
Collège Notre-Dame has an improvisation team in the ligue d'improvisation scolaire. It has won the Calembour cup twice. The school is represented in the "Cadet" category by the CoiNciDence, which has won the regional championship in 2013 and the "Juvenile" category by the inCaNDescence.
