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THE COALITION CONNECTION
December 4, 2015
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Dear NCGS Community,
Under Concepcion's visionary leadership, Marymount girls are truly living the school's mission to "challenge, shape, and change the world." Concepcion embodies the spirit for which this award was created. The Ransome Prize is presented annually in honor of NCGS co-founder Whitty Ransome. Recipients reflect the traits that characterized Whitty's own commitment to NCGS: a pure devotion to a higher cause, joyfulness in serving others, and the grace and generosity in allowing others to take credit for good work. The Ransome Prize is awarded to a woman who has made outstanding contributions to the Coalition and one of its member schools to further the NCGS mission to be "a leading advocate for girls' schools, connecting and collaborating globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to educating and empowering girls."
A graduate of NCGS international member Miriam College (formerly known as Maryknoll College), Concepcion has dedicated her life's work to supporting the growth of young women in every area of their lives. She was appointed the first lay Headmistress of Marymount School in 2004, where previously she had served for 13 years as Director of Admissions, three years as a head teacher, and 16 years as the Director and Supervisor of Marymount Summer.
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Concepcion R. Alvar, recipient of the
2015-2016 Ransome Prize,
with Marymount School of
New York students
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With the belief that students learn best by doing, Concepcion chose to invest in maker education during its infancy as an educational movement by creating the first Fabrication "Fab" Lab in a K-12 independent all-girls school. As engagement and the initiative soared, Concepcion also created a Tinker Space, an IDEA Lab, and a STEAM center at Marymount's other two campuses.
As Marymount became a leader in maker education, Concepcion wanted to share the school's expertise with other educators locally and nationally. Sponsored in part by a grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, Concepcion established the "Making and Learning Institute," a professional development community serving over 200 teachers from 75 different schools in 11 states. The Institute promotes a maker culture in schools and offers immersions into innovative teaching practices, design thinking, and digital learning.
We will recognize Concepcion on Monday, February 8, in New York City during the 2016 Global Forum on Girls' Education: Creating a World of Possibilities. Please join us then to honor this remarkable member of the NCGS community!
Best wishes,
Megan
Megan Murphy
Executive Director
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Meet Our Global Forum Strategic Partners
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In part three of our series, we introduce you to two more organizations from our international contingent:
Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) is a community of independent schools exploring and pursuing exemplary  leadership, training, research, and international standards of educational excellence. As of September 2013, CAIS includes over 90 schools in Canada, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, and Switzerland. All CAIS schools commit to undergoing a reflective and collaborative school improvement process, meet National Standards, and participate in research and professional development.
 The European Association of Single-Sex Education (EASSE), is a non-profit organization headquartered in London that brings together people and educational institutions of more than 16 European countries interested in the development and promotion of single-sex education. Currently, EASSE has 231 schools associated in different countries of the EU with more than 200,000 students enrolled. 
Don't miss out! Early bird registration rates end TODAY (Friday, December 4)! Given the busy time of year, we are giving everyone a couple of extra days to take advantage of the discount by leaving the early bird rate open on the online registration form through Monday, December 7.
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Reminder: CFP Open for Educating Girls Symposium
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It's not too late to submit a proposal to present at the one-day Educating Girls Symposium being held on April 15, 2016, at The Madeira School in McLean, VA (DC-Metro Area). The Call for Proposals is open through December 14, 2015.
NCGS Educating Girls Symposiums are professional development opportunities for educators to convene and exchange best
practices for teaching and working with girls. Developing
 Leadership Through Wellness and Mindfulness is the current topic with dialogue revolving around the intersection of leadership, resilience, and wellness. Featured speaker Rachel Simmons will discuss why we must define girls' leadership in a way that is directly linked to the practice of self-care and self-compassion. She will encourage attendees to examine how and why this critical link is too often overlooked or ignored in educational and extracurricular settings. Participants will explore these concepts further in peer-led breakout sessions and brainstorm strategies to incorporate a more expansive vision of "leadership from within" into their day-to-day work with girls. We invite you to submit a proposal to present on your expertise within the areas of leadership, wellness, and/or mindfulness. Click here for the Call for Proposals overview, guidelines, and instructions. To access the online application, click here. The symposium will combine theory and practice to help schools enhance the educational journey for girls in girls' and coed schools, thereby improving the experience for all learners. The event is for all educators -- heads of school, administrators, faculty, counselors -- who work with girls in grades PK-12.
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Starting a Public Girls' School Workshop
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Starting a public all-girls school? This workshop is for you!
If you are opening or interested in starting a public all-girls school, attend this two-day workshop to start forming a cohort of leaders for support, share resources and ideas, and hear about successes, secrets, and snafus in public girls' education. The goal is to get you ready for that critical first day of school and thereafter.
When: January 14-15, 2016
Cost: $250
Topics will include the following:
- Mission statement
 Branding- Admissions
- Fundraising
- Curriculum
- Faculty
- Traditions
For more details and to register to attend, email Ann Richards School Principal and NCGS Trustee Jeanne Goka.
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NCGS Seeking New Trustee Nominations
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 The NCGS Board of Trustees is currently accepting nominations for Trustees to serve on the Board beginning July 1, 2016. For more information and details on how to nominate one of your colleagues, please click here.
The deadline to submit nominations is January 25, 2016.
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Highlights from the NCGS "Listening & Learning Tour"
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Last week NCGS Board President Trudy Hall and NCGS Executive Director Megan Murphy traveled to Newport, Wales to attend the annual conference of heads of the Girls' School Association (GSA). Here's what they said from across the pond:
"We were delighted to be guests at the 'Reach Further' conference hosted by our friends at the GSA. Along with 150 heads of the elite girls' schools from across the UK, we explored themes of 'reaching further' to achieve better outcomes for girls in the areas of health, wellness, and leadership.
Dr. Felicia Kirk, who hails from Maryland, received the Sheila Cooper Award given in recognition of significant contribution to the GSA by a recently appointed leader. Felicia's school, St. Mary's Calne, a member of NCGS, is establishing an exchange program with fellow NCGS member, The Bryn Mawr School (MD).
As a highlight of the conference, student musicians from St. Gabriel's School performed 'Child of the Snows' by Philip Tebbs, commissioned expressly for the voices of middle school girls by GSA president and head of St Gabriel's School, Alun Jones. Alun invites all NCGS schools to perform 'Child of the Snows' by clicking here to download the sheet music."
To learn more about the GSA conference, please read the Global Articles media coverage from the UK included in this issue's IN THE NEWS column.
Director of Strategic Communications & Research Olivia Haas road-tripped to Chattanooga to visit area member schools. Here's what she said from the Volunteer State:
"I had the pleasure of touring the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) with Bess Steverson, Director of Advancement and Fund Development for the Young Women's Leadership Academy Foundation, the founding sponsor of CGLA. I met several students preparing to present their latest PBL (Problem Based Learning) project. All of CGLA's 325 students have been working in teams since the start of the school year on PBL projects ranging from explaining pollution impact to stimulating animals in captivity.
Across the Tennessee River at Girls Preparatory School, Head of School Dr. Autumn Graves and her team are busy planning the second annual Mad, Bad, and Dangerous women's symposium for March 2016. This free, two-day community event is a place where girls and women can discover the inspiration, power, and tools to become bold entrepreneurs."
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