THE COALITION CONNECTION
October 23, 2015
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Dear NCGS Community,
"Network" was the word in the air at the October NCGS board meeting. Preceded by a successful Educating Girls Symposium in Los Angeles (see more below in "Listening and Learning Tour"), trustees were inspired by the impressive energy of the heads and senior administrators of our LA member schools. The sunshine of southern California and the glitz of nearby Beverly Hills added delightful warmth and sparkle to our Sunday evening dinner where trustees learned first-hand of the successes girls' schools are experiencing throughout the LA area, where the local lens of "wellness and mindfulness" is fostering programming effectively balancing IQ and EQ. We also welcomed Wanda Holland Greene, an NAIS trustee and head of Hamlin, who flew down from San Francisco just for the dinner to revel in NCGS energy, as the trustees took our strategic questions "on the road" to listen and learn from our West Coast contingent.
This backdrop and these experienced voices served the board well as we considered three critical elements of our strategic visioning process:
- Refining our mission, vision, and values into a purpose, principles, and practices to focus our efforts and resources in a world of possibilities;
- "Storming" the opportunities available to NCGS as we become a more globally connected network of schools; and
- The whys, wheres, and hows of creating signature gatherings that enhance the power of our network and the excellence of the work we do for and with girls.
Throughout the course of our meetings, we returned again and again to the real value-added of NCGS: a mindset of connectivity, a commitment to authentic support, a belief in collaboration. We noted repeatedly that we are a "coalition" and not an association. The language is intentional, and our strong and growing membership list is a result of that intentionality. We found ourselves in a place of gentle tension; we contentedly articulated the benefits of our networking, even as we pushed ourselves to imagine how we could leverage our globally-engaged web of schools to further support our "cause" -- the empowerment of girls.
We cannot wait to share our emerging ideas with you and to hear your insights. The plans call for us to do precisely that at the Global Forum on Girls Education in New York (February 7-9, 2016) where we will enjoy the world of possibilities our network inspires, designs, and creates for each of us, for our schools, and, most important, for our girls.
Trudy Hall
NCGS Board President
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NCGS Members Celebrate International Day of the Girl
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October 11 marked the 4th annual International Day of the Girl (IDG). Several NCGS member schools across the globe recognized and celebrated this important day in their own unique ways. Here are just a few highlights:
Columbus School for Girls (OH): The Lower School celebrated IDG by ensuring students understood the importance of what it means to be a strong, educated girl. At the beginning of October, students brought in t-shirts showcasing strong messages about girls, which were displayed at the school's entranceway. The Lower School Counselor shared with all the classes how IDG became a globally-recognized celebration. The students explored pictures of other girls around the world in school and learned about the five barriers that keep 62 million girls out of school. The five barriers originated from the Food for Hunger organization and included the following: - she doesn't have school supplies or a uniform,
- she can't walk that far,
- she can't afford the time away from work,
- she is a girl, and
- no one thinks she can succeed.
These ideas provided thoughtful discussions and an outpouring of support from each CSG girl to girls all around the world.
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Columbus School for Girls
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Kent Place School (NJ): IDG festivities have become an annual tradition at Kent Place. Each year, divisions hold activities to celebrate girls and young women and to raise awareness about the obstacles many women face all over the world to receive an education. In the Primary School, students celebrated by having a special assembly and participating in the #62milliongirls campaign, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama. The girls
created their own paper "tweets" with their teachers that described what school has taught them and how #62milliongirls won't have the opportunities they have had. One student wrote, "In school I learned how to read and write. #62milliongirls won't have that chance."
Trinity Hall (NJ): Students' worldviews were expanded by highlighting unique cultural traditions from around the world. Among a line up of guest speakers and various activities, the day included workshops in Indian culture, Latin dance, global games, Irish step dance, and Korean 101. There was cultural cuisine, music, and two workshops devoted to each one. The day ended with the global Cardboard Challenge where each advisory group was asked to create a game or toy from recycled products such as cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, left-over materials, etc.
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Harpeth Hall's Center for STEM Education for Girls Offering 3D Spatial Skills Workshops
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The Center for STEM Education for Girls at Harpeth Hall is partnering with Dr. Sheryl Sorby to provide a series of 3D Spatial Skills Workshops. Dr. Sorby is a professor in the Engineering Education and Innovation Center at The Ohio State University and a Professor Emerita of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University.
The workshops include two main elements:
- A review of the relevant research findings regarding the impact of spatial skills training for improved STEM outcomes.
- Hands-on instruction with the curriculum developed by Dr. Sorby that is designed to help students develop their 3D spatial skills.
Participants will learn key strategies for helping their students develop their 3D spatial skills. These strategies can be readily implemented in K12 and university classrooms to help students, especially females, improve their 3D spatial skills.
The first workshop in the series will be held at Harpeth Hall in Nashville on December 2 and 3, 2015. Please register by November 24. Click here for more information.
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Meet Our Global Forum Strategic Partners
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YWLN supports two life-changing programs that empower students to break the cycle of poverty through education: The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS), a high-performing network of all-girls public secondary schools, and CollegeBound Initiative (CBI), a comprehensive college access and success program for young women and men. NCGS is thrilled to continue its longstanding partnership with YWLN, who co-presented the National Conference on Girls' Education with NCGS in 2012 and 2014. We are also proud to have YWLN sponsor a dedicated Public School Symposium at the Global Forum on Sunday, February 7, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the founding of its flagship school, which changed the landscape for all-girls public education in the U.S. We are grateful to YWLN for for inviting Gloria Steinem whom we will all enjoy as the Global Forum opening keynote.
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Highlights from the NCGS "Listening & Learning Tour"
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NCGS team members have been crossing the country -- and even the globe -- over the past several weeks. Here are reports from the road:
The Minister of Education in Azerbaijan extended a special invitation to NCGS to present at its educational reform conference in Baku earlier this month. NCGS founding co-director, Meg Moulton represented our network of 200+ all-girls schools and presented on NCGS research and best practices for teaching girls.
Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development Jen Shakeshaft was fortunate to meet Jason and Jenni Doherty, co-founders of Daraja Academy in Kenya, during their recent visit to Chicago. They shared information about Daraja's groundbreaking WISH (Women of Integrity, Strength, and Hope) program as well as plans for future expansion. Daraja Academy is interested in working with other NCGS member schools about developing an ongoing relationship between and among their students. Please email Jenni Doherty, if you are interested.
Nearly 150 educators from across the U.S. -- and one from the U.K.! -- came together last week at Marlborough School in Los Angeles for the second in a series of regional Educating Girls Symposiums addressing the topic of "Developing Leadership through Wellness and Mindfulness." Rachel Simmons delivered an informative, engaging, and thought-provoking keynote address that began a day of enthusiastic learning and sharing of best practices. It was clear from the robust conversations taking place during the diverse range of breakout sessions - as well as in the hallways and at the lunch table - that attendees were making the most of their time together. Many thanks to our gracious hosts at Marlborough and to all of our dedicated presenters. Click here to see photos of the event, and be sure to mark your calendar for our next Educating Girls Symposium on April 15, 2016, at the Madeira School in McLean, VA!
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Rachel Simmons Addresses LA Educating Girls Symposium Attendees
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While in Los Angeles, NCGS hosted a regional professional development program and dinner for area Heads of School and administrators. Made possible by Elizabeth English, Head of Archer School for Girls, the evening featured speaker, Dr. Robin Berman, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the author of Permission to Parent. Attendees represented the following NCGS member schools: Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Archer School, Girls Academic Leadership Academy, Hamlin School, Marlborough School, Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child Jesus, Westridge School, and Yeshiva of Los Angeles Girls High School.
Executive Director Megan Murphy and Program AssociateEliza McGehee toured Westridge School and enjoyed learning about some of the school's student-led programs. In the Performing Arts Center, girls prepared for a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream set in 1970s San Francisco. Not only are students the actors for Westridge's performances, but the girls also participate as costume and technical crew, box office staff, stage managers, and directors. The Green Guerillas, which meet in the Platinum LEED-certified Upper School Science & Mathematics Building, is a student organization dedicated to ensuring the community maintains and models environmentally-friendly practices.
Director of Strategic Communication & Research Olivia Haas had the pleasure of attending Laurel School's Center for Research on Girls (CRG) amazing 2015 Symposium. The theme of "The Second Curriculum: Deepening Girls' Social and Emotional Intelligence" tackled challenging yet vitally important topics such as teaching girls about depression, interventions to counter eating disorders, and educating girls about relationships and consent. Head of School, Ann Klotz, summed up the value of the Symposium's programming, "When girls are healthy and well, they do better in all aspects of school."
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