Notre Dame Academy 'hiirMS ii t.»»>• -»Ig«»w(/1h »>»g«■■ DHUN!«"« ilKi jVofre D ^jwe Academy, grades 1-12. extras besides. Music was a special feature of this great institution and its choirs were renowned for their accomplishments. At its heart were committed sisters whose lives inspired it all. In 1971 Notre Dame Academy gracefully phased itself out as an educational institution. Since then it has remained a convent for large numbers of sisters, many of whom are still active in a variety of services and missions. In 1857 Bishop Bernard MacDonaid issued an invitation to the Congregation of Notre Dame in Montreal for sisters to conduct a school for girls in Charlottetown . The invitation was quickly accepted and that same year the first of the Congregation's private schools in the diocese began in a small building on . In 1870 the magnificent new four-storey brick Notre Dame Academy opened next door. Because of its great size and ideal location in the city it welcomed large numbers of boarders and day students alike and for over a century was an educational gem of highest standing. Notre Dame Academy remained a school for girls throughout its long existence. Within its walls it eventually offered a complete academic and moral education from first grade through high school with many Other Notre Dame Sisters' Schools Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame began conducting private schools in the following locations: Charlottetown , Notre Dame (1857) and St. Joseph's (1863); Miscouche (1864); Summerside and Tignish (1868); Souris (1881) and South Rustico (1882). Being excellent teachers they conducted equally excellent schools. In those early years times were generally poor and keeping these schools open meant many sacrifices by the sisters and parents alike. Eventually the burden became too great and decisions were made to move these private schools into the public school system. Notre Dame Academy St. Mary's Convent Chapel, Summerside 18 ♦ Educational Institutions