New as of 2012, the Notre Dame Commons is a place for our students to enjoy breakfast and lunch, chat, rehearse for a play or dance, study, and cherish their time Chez Nous. The Commons is a shared gift to the students, a place where all have the responsibility to live the Notre Dame values outside the structure of a classroom setting and, in turn, build up the ND community. The walls are reminders of all that makes up Notre Dame. On one wall is our mission, both in paragraph form and in a word cloud that takes the shape of Manhattan Island. On the next wall are select scenes of Anne de Xainctonge’s life, drawn by Notre Dame students. Further along this wall is an illustration of colored ribbons, each of which represents one of Anne’s values. The Manhattan skyline spans the third wall in creative depictions of famous NYC locations. On the fourth wall are three words, “enjoy,” “flourish,” and “learn,” which capture the spirit of the ND Commons.