Manteca, California, United States
Visit NDClass2029.org to learn how you can support the students at Taylor
Photo of our visit to the Golden Dome to meet with
Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins
~ September 2016 ~
About Us
ND Class of 2029 is on the pathway to college...
#NDClass2029 is the Twitter handle for a class of students at Taylor Leadership Academy, a public elementary school in the Stockton Unified School District in Northern California. Led by Dr. Allison Silva, these students have embarked on a remarkable life-changing journey, embracing college awareness in their classroom curriculum, and leading them to a special relationship with the University of Notre Dame. This is the story of their journey.
How the #NDClass2029 got connected with Notre Dame and Delta Airlines
Dr. Silva and her students chose the University of Notre Dame as their college of choice within the AVID curriculum at their school. As they researched Notre Dame and proclaimed their allegiance to the Fighting Irish on social media, the power of the Internet took over. First came #NDClass2029, their unique Twitter handle. Then a Facebook page, followed by email with campus staff, and then classroom visits by Notre Dame alumni, faculty, and former Irish athletes. As public interest in this Stockton phenomenon grew, Notre Dame sent a video crew to the classroom and started to film Dr. Silva and her remarkable students.Then came Dr. Silva's 2015 trip to Notre Dame, followed by the student's bus trip to see Notre Dame play at Stanford in November 2015. Notre Dame sent their film crew to follow Dr. Silva on her trip to the Notre Dame campus, and followed class on their field trip to the Stanford game.
Click here to view the first video:
*DEAR MS. SILVA - The Original First Time Fans Video*
The momentum within the ND Nation began to grow as word circulated about this unique group of "Domers in Training" from Stockton. Some Notre Dame alumni and staff got together and began to plan for the ultimate experience: a field trip to the Notre Dame campus. Miracles followed one after the other until the remarkable day when Delta Airlines called with the news: FREE round trip tickets for the entire class and chaperones to travel to Notre Dame for a football game weekend!
Taylor Academy Students Star in First Time Fans Video
As news about the Taylor Academy students began to hit the local papers and the web, the Fighting Irish Digital Media staff was working on a special project: filming a second follow-up documentary about the students and their trip to Notre Dame. Starting in the classroom, the video crew interviewed the students, their parents and Dr. Silva about the impact the Notre Dame connection has had on their young lives. The crew followed the group to Sacramento as they boarded their first airplane ride, continued along their journey to South Bend, and toured the campus. On Game Day they formed a tunnel as the Fighting Irish football team ran onto the field.
As part of the "First Time Fans" series, the story of #NDClass2029 was broadcast nationwide through ND Alumni clubs, email and social media. Click here to watch our video:
*ND CLASS OF 2029 - CAMPUS VISIT*
This epic adventure to Notre Dame was featured in new stories on the Internet and across the nation. Here is a link to the story that appeared in the Stockton Record:
*NOTRE DAME VISIT - A DREAM COME TRUE*
The #NDClass2029 story was also featured on the 2017 Notre Dame Day broadcast. The students spoke about their amazing field trip to ND, and gave thanks to all the trip sponsors. Then they sang their new version of "Here Come the Irish", a musical memory of their life-changing campus visit: