Latest news with #NotreDameUniversity
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fist pumps and goose bumps: Lebanon High School Class of 2025 graduates in high spirits
Friday night was an occasion for fist pumps and confetti at Lebanon High School. Class president Joe Susong led the 149th graduating Lebanon High School class into the gymnasium. Friends and family in the bleachers cheered and whistled. They waved bouquets of flowers, baby photos, and signs attached to sticks at their children who stood in black robes on the edge of adulthood. The seniors searched for familiar faces and flashed the peace sign, pumped their fists, pointed, and grinned from ear to ear. They hugged one another and waited for the band to complete 'Pomp and Circumstance.' Students who will serve in the armed forces after graduation led the standing-room-only crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and basked in a spontaneous standing ovation from their peers. Olivia Follmar encouraged her class not to ask God for easy lives but to become stronger men and women, before she led them in prayer. Principal Frank Meyer began with a Mark Twain quote, 'I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.' 'Your schooling ends tonight, but your education is just beginning,' he said. He encouraged them to take their hunger to keep learning and to be brave enough to fall short. 'Fail at something important and figure out how to do it again, better,' he said. Valedictorian Taylor O'Brien plans to attend Notre Dame University in the fall. He had a high school grade point average of 4.6, is an Eagle Scout, an academic all-star, and lettered four years in swimming, among other accomplishments. O'Brien said he doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up and assumed that most of his classmates don't know either. 'That's okay,' he told them. 'Not knowing creates the possibility for opportunity,' he said. 'The best way to predict the future is to create it.' Salutatorian Claire Boling urged classmates to enjoy the time they have left together this summer and to forge friendships and make memories with a new set of people as they move forward.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘A Day to Exhale': Supreme Court Deadlocks on Religious Charter Schools — For Now
Charter supporters and those wary of the eroding separation of church and state heaved a sigh of relief Thursday when an evenly split U.S. Supreme Court blocked the opening of what would have been the nation's first religious charter school. But the reprieve may be short-lived. Both supporters and opponents recognize the constitutional debate over whether publicly-funded charter schools can explicitly promote religion isn't settled. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'It's obviously disappointing,' said Nicole Garnett, a Notre Dame University law professor. But the decision — a 4-4 tie — doesn't set a precedent, she said. 'The issue remains alive and will undoubtedly resurface soon.' Garnett's novel legal argument in favor of charters being private inspired Catholic church leaders in Oklahoma to apply for a charter in 2023. But ironically, her long and close friendship with Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the likely reason for the split decision. As The 74 reported in March, Garnett and Barrett met as Supreme Court law clerks in 1998, both taught at Notre Dame and raised their children in the same neighborhood. Josh Blackman, an associate professor at the South Texas College of Law, and a friend of Garnett's, predicted at the time that the case 'might go to a 4-4 decision.' 'I feel bad for Nicole,' he said. 'This is her life's work.' Barrett recused herself from the case, and in a simple one-page order, the justices said the state supreme court's ruling last year to deny a charter to St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School stands — for now. Related 'It's a day of celebration and relief,' said Robert Franklin, a former member of the Oklahoma virtual charter board who voted against the school's application. 'I am not so naive [to think] that the matter doesn't find breath again at a later date, but for today, it's a day to exhale.' While the opinion doesn't say how the justices decided, experts largely suspect that Chief Justice John Roberts played a central role and sided with the three liberals on the court. Early in April's oral arguments, he appeared skeptical of the school's argument that Oklahoma didn't create or control the school. The conservative-leaning court, which has increasingly ruled in favor of expanding religious freedom, agreed to hear the case just four days after President Donald Trump took office. Roberts is the author of the three most recent opinions that Garnett and other scholars consider to be a 'trilogy' — a 2016 case over whether a religious school could participate in a state program offering playground resurfacing materials and two cases involving state funds for religious education, in 2020 and 2022. But Roberts is also known for restraint. The potential disruption to nearly 8,000 schools nationwide may have proved to be too much for the chief justice, said Robert Tuttle, a professor of law and religion at the George Washington University Law School. Related The case 'seemed to many people like a vehicle for expanding the idea of school choice as broadly as possible,' Tuttle said. But he speculated that the court — most likely Roberts — 'recognized the concerns … that this would have the possibility of killing charter schools.' He agrees with Garnett that a similar case could rise to the court, but for now, the matter remains unsettled. Even in cases of a tie, justices can issue their own opinions, something they did not do in this case. 'If it were settled, then you would have opinions,' he said. But the case presented multiple 'red flags under the Establishment clause.' Thursday's ruling, he said, means that when it comes to faith-based charter schools, the line between religious freedom and government entanglement is unclear. 'What we know is that the Supreme Court doesn't know it either.' Related The decision leaves many Catholic families in Oklahoma, especially those in rural areas, without a publicly funded faith-based option. In a statement, Archbishop of Oklahoma City Paul Coakley and David A. Konderla, the bishop of Tulsa, said that they are 'exploring other options for offering a virtual Catholic education to all persons in the state.' Days before the oral arguments, Starlee Coleman, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, warned the court and the Trump administration that declaring charter schools to be private would threaten funding for students since state laws define them as public. Others argued that a decision in favor of religious charter schools would compromise civil rights protections since many faith-based schools deny admission or services to LGBTQ students or kids with disabilities. 'Families choose public charter schools because they provide innovative, student-centered learning environments tailored to students' unique needs and because they are accountable to families and taxpayers,' Coleman said in a statement Thursday. 'That's what makes them special, and that's what we're here to protect.' The administration, as part of its school choice agenda, has heavily promoted charter schools since January by removing Biden-era regulations and increasing funding. But some experts say states might tweak charter school laws to clarify that charters are public despite being operated by private organizations. 'The fact that it was as close as it was is a signal. This is a chance to make some changes because it's going to come up again,' said Preston Green, an education and law professor at the University of Connecticut. He has recommended that states amend laws to clarify that board members for charter schools are public officials. Green recognizes that Thursday's outcome may have been a fluke. A recusal such as Barrett's is unlikely to happen again. 'There's just no guarantee that Coney Barrett is going to the side with the liberals. There's no guarantee that Roberts — or whoever it was — would come out that way the second time around.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Allegiant Air to offer $59 flights between Fort Lauderdale and South Bend, Indiana
Low-cost airline Allegiant Air will start flying directly between the Fort Lauderdale area and the Midwest city that calls Notre Dame University home. Flights between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a favorite of Palm Beach County passengers, and South Bend International in South Bend, Indiana, start Aug. 29, with one-way fares as low as $59, the company said May 21. Flights will take three hours. Bookings for these low-fare flights started May 21 and are available for flights departing by Feb. 9, 2026. No other airline at the Fort Lauderdale airport or Palm Beach International Airport is offering nonstop flights to and from South Bend. Competitors' flights cost at least $177, have at least one stop and take at least four hours and 30 minutes. "This expansion caters to passengers and communities we feel have been overlooked by other carriers," Allegiant's chief commercial officer, Drew Wells, said in a news release. "Allegiant's unique business model, connecting small-to-medium sized cities to vacation destinations, creates accessible travel options not otherwise available in what we believe are underserved markets. We know travelers enjoy the convenience of nonstop flights departing from their neighborhood airport." The Las Vegas-based airline focuses on serving small and medium-sized cities. Its fares are low, but it charges for services such as carry-on baggage and printed boarding passes. Allegiant offers no WiFi or TV shows and movies onboard. USA TODAY network writer C.A. Bridges contributed to this story. Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Allegiant Air offering $59 Fort Lauderdale-South Bend flights
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Allegiant Air to offer $59 flights between Fort Lauderdale and South Bend, Indiana
Low-cost airline Allegiant Air will start flying directly between the Fort Lauderdale area and the Midwest city that calls Notre Dame University home. Flights between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a favorite of Palm Beach County passengers, and South Bend International in South Bend, Indiana, start Aug. 29, with one-way fares as low as $59, the company said May 21. Flights will take three hours. Bookings for these low-fare flights started May 21 and are available for flights departing by Feb. 9, 2026. No other airline at the Fort Lauderdale airport or Palm Beach International Airport is offering nonstop flights to and from South Bend. Competitors' flights cost at least $177, have at least one stop and take at least four hours and 30 minutes. "This expansion caters to passengers and communities we feel have been overlooked by other carriers," Allegiant's chief commercial officer, Drew Wells, said in a news release. "Allegiant's unique business model, connecting small-to-medium sized cities to vacation destinations, creates accessible travel options not otherwise available in what we believe are underserved markets. We know travelers enjoy the convenience of nonstop flights departing from their neighborhood airport." The Las Vegas-based airline focuses on serving small and medium-sized cities. Its fares are low, but it charges for services such as carry-on baggage and printed boarding passes. Allegiant offers no WiFi or TV shows and movies onboard. USA TODAY network writer C.A. Bridges contributed to this story. Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Allegiant Air offering $59 Fort Lauderdale-South Bend flights
BreakingNews.ie
06-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish student entrepreneur hopes new maths app will be the next Wordle
A scholarship entrepreneur has devised an app to help make maths more popular. David Carr is currently studying in Indiana in the US where he has launched the Pi² app, which has reached the top 10 in the educational charts. Advertisement The self-confessed maths "geek" was inspired by the hit Wordle game which has popularised spellings. The 23 year-old from Ashbourne, Co Meath, created the app alongside fellow computer science student Chris Fakhimi while studying at Notre Dame University after securing a Naughton Foundation Scholarship. David is studying the 11-month ESTEEM Graduate Programme which is a master's programme at the American university that focuses on engineering, science and technology entrepreneurship and teaches students the skills to launch new businesses. "I'm a maths geek," he laughed. Advertisement "I used to love when my primary school teachers would give extra maths questions if we finished our work early and then I went on to study Actuary Maths in DCU so I've always been passionate about maths. "I came up with Pi² idea having tutored for five years so I understood that a lot of people don't love maths because they're afraid of maths or have low confidence in tackling maths. "I saw that the New York Times Wordle helped people love words so I thought the same concept could work with maths." The app centres around a one-minute daily quiz with six maths problems, using either division, addition, multiplication and subtraction and has a leader board that people can join, if they so wish. Advertisement There are also other areas in the app for tougher problems around algebra or calculus which could help junior or leaving certificate students and the app can also help cognitive skills in older people. "When you play the game, your mind will become sharper over time and you'll get quicker at mental maths. The simple problems attract people to the app and then they challenge themselves with more difficult areas as time goes on. "It's a great app for families to do together and challenge each other, it is suitable for all ages and it is free." Ashbourne Community School as well as two other US schools helped in testing the app between November and January when over 500 students gave feedback. Since its launch at the end of January, Pi² has reached no. 9 in the educational area of the Google Play Store. Advertisement Lifestyle Can playing Wordle boost your brain? Read More At present David is preparing to graduate from Notre Dame and with a new job in hand, he is hugely thankful to the Naughton Foundation for affording him the opportunity. "When I came out of DCU, I probably felt that actuary was great but not for me full-time as I had a passion for entrepreneurship. We all got the email about scholarships so I applied and was so grateful to be accepted for a scholarship. "I've just been offered a position with Michigan company AEBetancourt as the Director of Strategic Insights and Innovation and the company is at the cutting edge of using AI in recruiting. I'm still so young with so much to learn so I am hugely delighted and looking forward to this new challenge. "I'll still work on Pi² part-time as a start-up and continue to grow it as an app that will make people love maths."
