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National Coalition of Girls' Schools Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
Conference on Coordinate Education Sessions
NCGS Members Celebrate International Day of the Girl
Orchard House School Symposium
Highlights from Megan Murphy's "Listening and Learning Tour"

NCGS MISSION

The National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS) is a leading advocate for girls' education with a distinct commitment to the transformative power of all-girls schools. The Coalition acts at the forefront of educational thought, collaborating and connecting globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to empowering girls to be influential contributors to the world.
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IN THE NEWS

Reports: 


Benchmarking Women's Leadership in the United States 

University of Denver, Colorado Women's College


Generation STEM: What Girls Say About Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Girl Scouts  

Articles:


Scheckelhoff: Educating Girls - Transforming Society 

Richmond Times-Dispatch

   

The Huffington Post 

    

Malala Reminds Us That Leadership Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Forbes

 

Gail Kelly: We Must Help All Girls Get an Education  

Brisbane Times

 

The New York Times    

 
Christy Turlington Burns and Monique Villa: Girls are Leaders, Not Liabilities - Stand Up for Them 

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THE COALITION CONNECTION
October 21, 2013
Dear NCGS Community,
  Trudy Headshot
I was at the 2013 induction ceremony for the National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) in Seneca Falls, NY, on October 12. Two things became clear to me throughout the inspiring festivities of the weekend. The first is that our girls have extraordinary role models among the 256 American women who have been honored by the Hall since it first opened in 1969. The second is that the work of ensuring equal opportunities for our girls as they head into the real world is, sadly, still not done. Not by a long shot. I am biased, but I believe this is the work girls' schools do best.

 

The speeches of the weekend were filled with determination, confidence, and courage. Nancy Pelosi gathered a contingent of congresswomen on the stage as she was inducted, pointing proudly to the equal opportunity legislation sponsored by those women and noting the need for more. Bernice Sandler was there to be celebrated for her landmark work on Title IX, even as she shared statistics of progress yet to be made. Kate Millett, the author of Sexual Politics, was inducted as an influential feminist writer. She eloquently chided us with the frustrating truth that feminism has yet to be embraced by the next generation. Julie Krone was lauded for her "ride" into history as the first female jockey to win, among other racing firsts, a Triple Crown event, but she admitted that breaking rules was the only way she could show the world her true talent. The life stories of these women and all the NWHF inductees need to be the stories our girls hear often. And they can be. Check out the women of the Hall and remind yourself of the heroines whose hard choices, commitment, and vision created the world we live in today. 

 

As important is our job to help our girls identify gender bias when they see it. More so, it is our responsibility to teach them effective strategies to address it when experienced. Perhaps in a generation or two, such conversations will no longer be necessary. Until then, we need to be mindful of the opportunities we have in single-sex schools to engage girls in dialogue about the gender bias they will surely discover "out there." We need to equip them with vocabulary that they can use when the playing field needs leveling. They need the sensitivity to become leaders who are cognizant of supporting equal social, political, and economic rights for all. It is my firm belief that girls' schools offer learning environments that make it safe to have risky debates about such critical topics. We owe it to our girls to use the girls' school advantage to their advantage.

 

As the president of the NCGS Board, it is my good fortune to visit many superb girls' schools and see their students in action. These take-charge girls "get" the power of a single-sex education. For sure we are educating future NWHF inductees in our schools.

 

I can't wait to see you all at the National Conference on Girls' Education  in Philadelphia in February when we can share the stories that inspire us in our work.

 

Trudy Hall

NCGS Board President and Emma Willard School Head

 

P.S. Help NCGS honor our own heroines who are making extraordinary contributions to the Coalition and our member schools. Please nominate a colleague for The Ransome Prize. Click here for details! 

Conference on Coordinate Education Sessions

The first-ever Conference on Coordinate Education is only three weeks away! It will be held November 7-8, 2013, at National Cathedral School and St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.    

 

Conference sessions will be co-facilitated by a girls' school and a boys' school representative, including Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson, Head of National Cathedral School; Susanna Jones, Head of Holton-Arms; and Cathy McGehee, Director of Upper School of St. Catherine's. The range of topics include: 

  • A student panel discussing The Real Deal on Coordinate Education
  • Coordinate Academics: The Classroom 
  • Coordinate Programs in the Co-Curriculum 
  • Getting Ahead of the Game: Promoting Respectful and Healthy Relationships 
  • Finance, Management, and School Services: Opportunities for Coordination

Click here for full session descriptions.

 

It's not too late to register, and the discounted hotel rate has been extended through October 23. Click here to register for the Conference on Coordinate Education today!

NCGS Members Celebrate International Day of the Girl


October 11 marked the second annual International Day of the Girl. Several NCGS member schools across the globe recognized and celebrated this important day in their own unique ways. Here are just a few highlights:

 

St. Catherine's School (VA): More than 1,110 students, faculty, and staff joined together on campus in celebration of the International Day of the Girl to form the traditional female gender symbol. Everyone wore light blue to symbolize that "the sky is the limit" for girls' education. This event was the culmination of ten days of curriculum, speakers, movies, and books focused on the importance of educating girls. 

Kent Place School (NJ): Two days of activities included the Upper School club GLAM'D (Girls Learning and Making a Difference) leading a discussion about women's rights and a special assembly to view the video of Malala speaking in front of the United Nations. The Primary School girls were given a drawing of an outline of a bird and were instructed to write inside the bird how they would like to change the world. Responses ranged from having excellent manners to wanting to build schools for girls who do not have a school to attend.

 

Columbus School for Girls (OH): Different grade levels came together for cross-divisional collaborations. Younger grades worked on an art project about what it means to be a strong girl and then created sculptures of "strength." Older students had a group discussion about five barriers that limit girls from receiving an education. They then broke into small groups to film one-minute videos about what it means to be "Strong Girls, Strong World."

     

Castilleja School (CA): Students were given badges to wear or to display on their lockers, computers, or notebooks with inspirational quotes and fill-in-the-blanks. The girls also added their thoughts to a communal bulletin board with the prompt "Girls + Education =", and the library displayed books that helped students learn more about girls around the world through fact and fiction.

 

York House School (BC): Students in the Globe Leaders' Group recognized the day by setting up a pledge table in the cafeteria during lunch. Staff and students signed pledges that stated: 

  • I am committed to improving the lives of children around the world.
  • I recognize that investing in girls around the world is key to eliminating global poverty.  
  • I want to help create a brighter, safer future for girls and their communities.  
  • I believe in the "Because I am a Girl" movement.  
  • I can help change the world one girl at a time.

Orchard House School Symposium


 

Orchard House School will host a one-day National Symposium on Connection entitled Global Girl: Thriving in the Age of Contradiction, in Richmond, VA, on March 4, 2014. This event will examine the challenges facing educators and families in today's culture, focusing on leadership and vision, pace and connection, mindfulness and meaning, and education and technology. Among the featured speakers will be the internationally acclaimed authors and speakers Sally Heglesen and Carl Honor�.

 

Click here for additional information. 

Highlights from Megan Murphy's "Listening and Learning Tour" 

Last week, Megan visited member schools in the New York metro area and Virginia. Here's what she shared from the road:

 

Thank you to NCGS Trustee Paul Burke, Head of Nightingale-Bamford, for hosting and to Claire Leheny of the  National Network of Schools in Partnership for facilitating a roundtable meeting of New York City school leaders and the NCGS Board to discuss opportunities for innovative public-private school partnerships between NCGS members. In addition to representatives from the NCGS Board, school leaders in attendance included:  

While at Greenwich Academy, I learned about the GAINS scholar network, a virtual meeting place for girls and women interested in STEM fields and topics to connect with each other through posts, blogs, and group discussion.

 

At The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, I was impressed by service-learning programs integral to the school's mission and reflected in the words inscribed on the school ring: 'Ac fui,' meaning 'I was there, I was a part.'

 

Mikayla, a member of the founding 7th grade class at TYWLS Bronx, gave me a superb school tour, which included insight into the paper chain [pictured at right] that "binds together" the students at this tightly-linked new school. This symbolic representation of the student body is constructed from hand-written student sentiments.

 

While at The Hewitt School, I learned about their ambitious MAKERS Day, a student-run initiative designed to launch a multi-faceted and on-going conversation about feminism from both an historic and current perspective focused around the PBS documentary, MAKERS: Women Who Make America.

 

I was honored to be a guest at the annual YWLN (Em)Power Breakfast, where I was inspired by honoree Malala Yousafzai. Just a year ago, Malala was shot by Taliban assassins while on her way to school. Rather than silence her, the attempt to kill her strengthened her voice for girls' education. Standing only a few inches taller than the podium, Malala's promise to 'raise my voice' for girls' education loomed large in the hearts and minds of everyone in attendance. Click here to view video testimonials from the honorees, Malala Yousafzai, Tory Burch, Abigail Disney, and Jordan Roth.

 

At Foxcroft School I enjoyed spending time with Head of School and former NCGS Board member Mary Lou Leipheimer to learn about the school's very strategic and successful Centennial Celebration.