Schools

Hawaiian Princess Gifts $100K to Notre Dame High

The donation was made to the Gleason Fund for tuition assistance. The fund was established this year by the NDB Board of Directors in honor of Rita Gleason's 22-year tenure as principal.


[Editor's note: The following was submitted by Notre Dame High School.]

Notre Dame High School is pleased to announce receipt of a $100,000.00 gift from Hawaiian Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, Notre Dame Class of 1943, for The Gleason Fund.

The Princess attended Notre Dame, Belmont during World War II in 1942 and 1943 as a full-time boarder. 

The Gleason Fund for tuition assistance was established this year by the Board of Directors in honor of Rita Gleason’s 22-year tenure as Principal of Notre Dame and her tireless efforts to ensure that a NDB education is available, accessible and affordable for young women.

"Princess Kawananakoa is a devoted alumna of the school, and we are enormously grateful for her magnanimous benefaction," said Gleason.

"The impact of this gift goes far beyond the dollar amount. It inspires others to contribute and will help us achieve our goal of $500k for this year."    

"When Rita Gleason joined the school as Principal, she was tenacious and purposeful in reaching out to alumnae to reconnect with the school," said Princess Kawananakoa.

"Rita was persistent and persuasive with alumnae and always with such good purpose and utter commitment. She energized the school and institutional relations and provided an opportunity for me to feel connected to the school - a very different experience from what I had as a student. Rita inspired me to come back on campus and to continue to be a part of the growth of the school."

Ms. Gleason announced her retirement in January 2012, and she will complete her tenure on June 30, 2013. The Gleason Gala takes place on May 18 on the Notre Dame Campus and is a celebration of Gleason's service to the school and the inaugural fundraising event for The Gleason Fund. "Currently, 35 percent of the school's population receives some amount of tuition/scholarship assistance," Gleason said.

"These students would not have access to an NDB education without this critical financial support. The Gleason Fund will relieve the burden on the general operating budget and provide the gift of an NDB education to deserving young women."


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