Member News

The Power of Being Brave: Students at Julia Morgan Take Inspiration from Role Models

The Power of Being Brave: Students at Julia Morgan Take Inspiration from Role Models

by Sandra Luna, former Head of School, Julia Morgan School for Girls, Oakland, California, USA

In an unsettling world, being brave takes on different and significant meanings. However, it will always mean taking a chance when we do not necessarily know the outcome.

At Julia Morgan, we asked students to do this every day. We did it purposefully and thoughtfully, knowing how critical it was for a student’s growth. If we move through our fears, we inevitably become better and stronger for it.

Whether it is an introvert taking a positive risk by raising her hand, an extrovert giving others a chance to speak, a student interrupting a hurtful conversation, or leading a march, the brave student is forever changed, as are the witnesses. What starts as a singular act quickly becomes a communal one, with each brave act growing into a building block.

By encouraging students to take positive risks in small steps, we help them not be immobilized by fear with more significant life issues.

I began an annual Women of Courage Panel in Honor of Rosa Parks while at Julia Morgan. As I taught students about her work and the fight for justice then and now, I read more about her. With every story, I became more in awe of this woman who embodied bravery from childhood. While the women we honored greatly inspired adults, the students were deeply impacted in a long-lasting way. Hearing directly from women who had taken positive risks made a significant difference. So how do we take those leaps that stretch us in ways we cannot imagine?

Career Girls offers girls around the world the opportunity to hear from hundreds of role models, engaging and empowering them to set and achieve academic and career goals and to believe in their ability to succeed. Free and noncommercial, this online platform assures girls have access to diverse and accomplished role models, connecting girls with women who can help them believe in themselves, imagine what is possible, and achieve their dreams. The site is replete with information and inspiration. The Teachers Toolkit and videos, such as the one below, are just two examples.

By supporting students to take positive risks regularly, we help prepare them to take positive risks throughout their lives. Through schools, non-profits, and community groups, we support every girl to become and be a bold and robust voice. Let us prepare them to ask hard questions, to discern the choices before them. At the core of our practices is the critical importance of assuring every girl is on the path to being the architect of her own life and, by doing so, positively impacting the lives around her.

When we need the inspiration to move forward, remember those who have shown bravery in small and bold ways, every day, and once-in-a-lifetime ways.

Remember no matter the fear, it is up to us to help girls know they can shape their future and to remember that fear is indeed an invitation to be brave.


Standing Up by Walking Out: Calgary Girls Charter School Supports Girls’ Education in Afghanistan

Standing Up by Walking Out: Calgary Girls Charter School Supports Girls’ Education in Afghanistan

Over this past school year, students from the Social Impact Lab at the Calgary Girls Charter School (CGCS) in Calgary, Alberta have partnered with CW4WAfghan (Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan) to raise awareness and advocate for girls’ education in Afghanistan. Since August of 2021, access to education for women and girls beyond grade 6 has been restricted and/or banned in many provinces under renewed Taliban rule.

Launched in conjunction with the International Day of the Girl, this multifaceted campaign began with a school walk out to support the “I’m Walking Out Because They Can’t Walk In” global initiative. The key messages of the campaign were that limiting girls’ access to education puts all Afghans at risk, that Afghan girls are powerful and self-motivated changemakers, and that speaking out and persistent global public pressure is needed to demand that the Taliban, at a minimum, reverse their ban and allow girls of all ages to freely access education. The CGSC walkout is currently featured on the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan Youth Action webpage.

CGCS students continued to raise awareness and speak out using both social media and a letter writing campaign. Letters were sent to every level of government, including the Canadian Prime Minister and the Secretary for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as Oprah and Malala, and even Queen Elizabeth. With the support of CW4WAfghan, students corresponded with Afghan girls in Kabul who are still unable to attend school.

At the local level, students have been working to welcome Afghan refugees recently arrived in Calgary. Students assembled education packages that included various school supplies and “Welcome to Canada” cards for children and further, held a winter clothing drive with community partners, the Women in Need Society, for newly arrived refugee families.

In an effort to share and inspire others to defend girls’ right to education in Afghanistan, the Social Impact Lab students presented their work to national and international audiences at the BCCIC Conference for Solidarity With Afghan Schools Conference, and the “Breaking Barriers to Education: In Calgary and Beyond Our Borders” speaker series hosted by the Calgary Chapter of ​​CW4WAfghan where students participated on a panel discussion and presented on their advocacy work to date.

Students from the Calgary Girls Charter School hope to inspire other girls’ schools to join the global solidarity movement to support the rights of Afghan women and girls and their right to an education. In response to the increased global pressure, the Taliban has recently announced plans to reinstate girls’ education programs in the coming months. Continuing to raise our voices in solidarity with Afghan women is more important than ever. Schools looking to undertake this important work are encouraged to visit  https://cw4wafghan.ca/advocatenow/ or email community@cw4wafghan.ca to find a wealth of advocacy resources including an advocacy toolkit specific to planning effective advocacy initiatives around this timely issue.


Board President’s Reflections – February 2022

Board President’s Reflections – February 2022

2/11/22 – Boundless Horizons Await

NCGS is entering 2022 ready to embrace a new name, new collaborations, and global initiatives with optimism and energy. It is an exciting time to be part of our global network of girls’ school educators that counts 320 schools in 16 countries among its membership. And we’re growing every day.

Our work extends worldwide, but I am most proud of the fact that in a decade that has been marked by phenomenal growth for the Coalition, we have never lost sight of the fact that our work is really about each of our unique and transformational schools—and even more importantly, it is about the girls who are educated and empowered within and beyond those schoolhouse walls.

As Executive Director Megan Murphy explains in this inspirational video message I’m pleased to share with you today, the time for girls—and for girls’ schools—is now.

On July 1, we will officially take on the name that more accurately and inclusively describes who we are: the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools. We’ll mark the occasion with a grand celebration during the Global Forum on Girls’ Education® III in Boston June 27-29. I hope you’ll join us.

In the months leading up to that time, Megan, my fellow Coalition trustees, and I will host a series of Membership Assemblies to describe how we’ll make the transition to ICGS. Look for invitations to these gatherings soon. We also have created a “Becoming ICGS” page on the Coalition website with links to resources and answers to frequently asked questions. Please take a few moments to review this information to learn more about how these efforts toward repositioning our Coalition will strengthen and enhance our networking, advocacy, research, and professional development offerings.

The Coalition is focused more intently than ever on providing greater global value, and at the same time, we are equally dedicated to ensuring continued regional excellence and relevance across our broad network of girls’ schools. While regional dialogue serves a critical role in supporting educators and always will, global connectivity will provide the combustible energy that lifts regional discussion to new heights, new places, and greater possibilities for the greater good of the girls we serve. We know that together, we can achieve anything.

As ICGS, we will be able to increase opportunities and programs for the schools we serve and the students we educate. This includes building teacher and student exchange programs, expanding research resources, connecting faculty on a global resource sharing platform, and convening students to form a formidable network of young global changemakers.

At no other time has there been among girls and young women such a deep sense of shared potential, purpose, and power. Girls’ schools provide unique benefits that catalyze important progress, and there is incredible strength that can be derived from our connections with one another.

It’s my honor to be in this work with you.


Paul Burke, President of the NCGS Board of Trustees and Head of The Nightingale-Bamford School


Reflections From Student Leadership Conference 2022

Every year, the Coalition has the pleasure of offering to students from member schools in their 11th or 12th grade year the opportunity to attend the Student Leadership Conference (SLC) organized by our strategic partner the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia.

This year, four students from two NCGS member schools (Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, United States and Our Lady of Tepayac High School in Chicago, Illinois, United States) attended the virtual Student Leadership Conference.

The 2022 conference’s keynote speakers included renowned US author, speaker and leadership development expert Rachel Simmons, as well as 2021 Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall and Eloise Hall, co-founders of Taboo and SLC alumnae.

These are their reflections on their SLC experience.

Faith M., Trinity Hall

I had such an amazing experience at SLC! The conference and its speakers not only inspired me to continue to aspire to be the best leader I can be in my community, but also helped me to redefine what exactly “leadership” means to me. While it’s easy to think “leadership” is merely a higher-up position that one is elected to and the power that that position entails, I’ve learned that it is so much more than that. Leadership is about connection, about influence, as well as vision and the legacy one wishes to leave upon their (in this context) school community following the conclusion of their term. Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean being perfect, or all-powerful; rather, it connotes the positive effects one can have on those around them when allowed the space and opportunity.

As the Chair of my school’s “Arts Council,” a subdivision of our Student Council, my leadership is imperative to the success of several creative events throughout the school year, such as painting events, concerts, and more. Often, I become so entangled in logistics and making sure that everything is flowing smoothly that I forget to pause and remember what being a leader to my council truly means: As long as my team is having fun and understands that I value each and every one of them as crucial to my own success, I’ve done my job.

A key talking point of one of my conference workshops was this: when given the opportunity to lead, and the power that comes with it, a true leader will build a longer table, not a higher fence. I hope to keep this mantra close to my heart as I finish out what remains of my leadership career at Trinity Hall.

Ariana M., Our Lady of Tepayac High School

I didn’t expect much from the on-demand videos of SLC because I feel that one-on-one communication is much more beneficial. But these videos are truly amazing and I felt like I had the full experience. Attending the student leadership conference was an inspiring opportunity. It made me feel as if I were actually there in Australia, surrounded by all of the wonderful students. The lessons and connections that I made with various speakers and guests was a great learning tool. One in particular being Rachel Simmons, who spoke about the importance of practicing self-compassion. Ms. Simmons taught us that taking risks is okay and how to properly take in positive and negative criticism. She also highlighted that we need to recognize our emotions before starting our day. The things she spoke about will help me in the future. I am going to make sure to practice this advice in my everyday life.

Overall, I sincerely appreciate being invited to participate in the Student Leadership Conference, and I plan on implementing many of the wonderful skills and lessons I learned in my leadership journey. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this event.

Jacqueline B., Trinity Hall

I can confidently say that I have come away from SLC feeling more confident in not only my leadership capabilities but also myself. Being able to connect with young women who have been through SLC before was inspiring. They held themselves in such a mature and eloquent manner that I strive to imitate in my own life. Hearing from the alumnae only solidified my belief that the women I shared this experience with would go on to achieve great things.

Furthermore the keynote speaker, Rachel Simmons, captured my attention with her knowledge as well as her humor. In absorbing her wisdom, I realized I need to believe in myself the way I believe in my peers. Her discussion on self-compassion was thought provoking, and I left the zoom meeting feeling empowered.

The most important thing I got out of SLC was the relationship I developed with other attendees. The overwhelming support I received from like-minded female leaders, despite the fact that I live in a different hemisphere, was overwhelming. The supportive environment built by the group of girls, who I am proud to now call my friends, gave me the confidence I needed to return to my school environment and continue to push for what I believe in. SLC truly taught me the difference between having a leadership position and being a leader and I hope to embody this value in my actions going forward.

Leslie S., Our Lady of Tepayac High School

Day 1:
What were three amazing things that happened today?

  • I set goals and hopes for SLC which I thought was very convenient, and different because we are welcoming the new year.
  • I too did the Fun fact or challenge of “ random photo in your camera roll”  and it was one that was from a while ago and I forgot about. The photo was me dozing off and I forgot I had my camera open and without knowing I took a photo of myself.
  • I got to see where my leadership skills and talents are on a basis of 1-10 with the help of leadership filled questions.

What were some key take-aways from today?

  • I got to see where my values are on a spectrum of organization and that I can develop more strategies to help with leadership.

What did I discover about my values today?

  • I discovered that between relationships and vision are my key areas of focusing, and that maybe I should focus on the others too.

Day 2:
What is one thing I can do to build my mental toughness?

  • Use a planner/ journal to write down key notes to strengthen my memory muscle.

When I need clarity and to care for myself, what are some things I can do?

  • Ask others and or ask peers. Now as for taking care of myself, I would say treat yourself with rewards such as extra episodes of your favorite show.

What did I discover about my vision as a leader today?

  • That if I want to step up my leadership skills, much still has to be learned and taught.

Day 3:
What was something that made me smile today?

  • The way how for Fun Fact or Challenge, we had to dress up as something with the letters “S”, “L” and “C”

What is the legacy I want to leave on my school?

  • The possibility of relying on one another, and reminding ourselves in times of difficulty that we can still be there and have the opportunity to grow and teach others our skills of leadership.

Board President’s Reflections

Board President’s Reflections

11/5/21—What, after all, is in a letter?

In her welcoming remarks at the most recent Virtual Educating Girls Symposium, Megan Murphy shared the NCGS Board of Trustees decision to reposition NCGS as a global organization. This includes right naming the coalition by dropping the letter “N” and replacing it with an “I.” In this case, the letter “I” amounts to over 95% of the world’s population, and for the moment no less than 28% of NCGS’ member schools. Both to reflect its current membership and programming more accurately and also to best position itself for future opportunity, the letter “I” in the International Coalition of Girls’ School is both our destination and our newest starting point.

The NCGS Board of Trustees is proud to stand with Megan and the NCGS Team at this threshold moment.

Bridge building has been a critical part of NCGS’ DNA since the very beginning and cultivating global connections through programs such as the Global Forum on Girls’ Education and the Global Action Research Collaborative has long been central to our work as a coalition.

NCGS trustees advanced this notion when we met in person to engage in long-term strategic visioning in January 2020, just before everything changed everywhere.

Six months and a lifetime later, the Board met again in June 2020. Global challenges and international opportunities no longer took the form of an abstract, or even a set of programs between and among individual schools. The moral imperative to connect, advance and advocate for all girls everywhere remained, but now a pandemic took a more slow-moving global arc for NCGS and it accelerated its pace and its need. Suddenly, there was a more evident on-the-ground, pragmatic-minded necessity to this work.

It was within that context that the NCGS trustees approved a vision that has been shared before, but perhaps worth reiterating again now: We are united in elevating women’s leadership worldwide by educating and empowering our students to be ethical, globally minded changemakers. When looked at now, substituting an “I” for an “N” amounts to nothing less than putting into action our earlier call for a more ethical, globally minded coalition. And, while national dialogues will always serve a critical role in supporting educators, global connectivity provides the combustible energy that lifts regional discussion to new heights, new places and better possibilities for the greater good of the girls we serve. The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools will generate an even greater and formidable network of strategic resource sharing. Quite simply, it is the way forward in this era.

It is important to indicate that there are many among us, me included, who have loved our “N.” For three decades NCGS has provided access to highly relevant regional resources, yet in today’s world, we also need increasing global value from our membership in this coalition. Herein lies our great opportunity.

The shared cause that unites our coalition originates from the core strength of girls’ schools to advance our cause via the sharing of knowledge and the building of relationships.

Girls’ schools have maintained and enhanced their utility by seeing opportunity in historical moments of uncertainty. We have done so because our doing so has clearly been in the best interest of the changemakers who learn and lead in our schools every day. Embracing our “I” and all that it can mean for girls’ schools everywhere is merely today’s opportunity, and it is both new and fully in line with who we are, who we have been, and who we can be.


Paul Burke, President of the NCGS Board of Trustees and Head of The Nightingale-Bamford School


Zealous Schools to Open Girls’ Campus

Zealous Schools to Open Girls’ Campus

8/5/21—Zealous Schools in Eagle, Colorado, is opening later this month a new campus for girls entering grades 6 through 8.

When considering expansion plans for a second campus, the executive team started with the reality that women around the world continue to experience discrimination. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, women won’t see gender parity for over 99 years. Women comprise half of the global population but in the U.S., for example, make up only 27% of the Congressional House Representatives and just 7% of Fortune 500 CEOs. Zealous Schools is tackling this worldwide issue head-on with the opening of its second campus in Edwards, Colorado, which will break down barriers that are preventing girls from tackling these statistics and seizing their dreams.

The new girls’ campus will mirror the mission of its sister school in Eagle, the organization’s flagship. At Zealous, students are gently guided to become healthy citizens, critical thinkers, and zealous learners. At the new Edwards campus, equal consideration will be given to each student’s emotional growth, citizenship, and compassion, in addition to content knowledge.

“Our girls’ campus will be a place for female-identifying students with a drive for learning,” said Edwards Campus Director Kelsey Head. “Our goal as a school is to guide kids in finding their voice, building their confidence, and discovering their potential in a safe and supportive environment.”


Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington Receives $1 Million Gift

Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington Receives $1 Million Gift

7/9/21—More than 500 people recently gathered to raise money for the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW)—and to try dishes from a few of the country’s most well-known chefs.

At the end of the evening, it was announced that Ken Lowe, former chairman of the Scripps Network and a founding donor of GLOW Academy, had made a $1 million donation to name a wing of the school in honor of his mother, Barbara Love Lowe.

“I have admired the mission of GLOW Academy since my friend Judy Girard first committed to its founding in 2015. I have seen how these girls are thriving and are so enthusiastically supported by the Wilmington community,” Lowe shared.

The gift capped an already-exciting fundraising event that included virtual participation by Food Network stars Emeril Lagasse and Tyler Florence, and a personal appearance by Robert Irvine, host of the “Restaurant: Impossible” television series.


Linden School Students Explore Race, Class, and Privilege in a Student Produced Play

Linden School Students Explore Race, Class, and Privilege in a Student Produced Play

7/7/21— Senior drama students at The Linden School created and performed virtually a stunning new play called Unwritten that explores the complex issues of race, class, and privilege.

This student-led production contains hard-hitting insights into the private world of teenage challenges and friendship. The play follows the stories of 16-year-old Amani, a Nigerian girl, and her new classmates in Toronto as they live through a tumultuous year shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and the intersecting forces of youth, identity, race, culture, geography, and privilege.

Unwritten amplifies the voices of students who have long resisted marginalization and oppression,” said Linden Drama Teacher Coco Lee. It does so “by challenging students whose identities afford them privileges to face the ways that they can be complicit in oppression.”

Photo Credit: Maddy O’Leary, Grade 8, Linden School


Our Sisters’ School Receives Grant to Expand Educational Programs

Our Sisters’ School Receives Grant to Expand Educational Programs

7/1/21—Our Sisters’ School was awarded a grant of over $175,000 from the Women’s Foundation of Boston to support economic, leadership, and educational initiatives that aim to advance opportunities for women and girls. The funds will be used to hire a new science teacher to increase science instruction and connect STEM and arts activities to the school’s curriculum as well as for enhancing an outdoor classroom greenhouse space.

“We are extremely proud of the work our grantee partners do to economically empower women and girls in greater Boston,” said Christina Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Boston. “These amazing nonprofits share our steadfast commitment to investing in the long-term success of women and girls. We’re excited to accelerate their growth as part of our mission to promote women and girls’ leadership and financial independence.”


Board President’s Reflections

Board President’s Reflections

6/29/21—Last week close to 900 girls’ school educators and advocates came together to learn at the 2021 NCGS Virtual Conference. We came from our classrooms and our living rooms. We Zoomed in when we were going from here to there and logged in from carefully chosen distraction-free destinations. We came with children in tow and with parents down the hall. We came with the volume turned up and our headphones on. We came from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the UK, and all regions of the US.

We came together to pursue a community of belonging.

Indeed, the ambition of this year’s conference was made clear to all of us thanks to its pithy theme, Girls’ Schools: Building Communities of Belonging. Girls’ schools are distinguished in many ways, but perhaps none more so than our insistence on belonging. After all, belonging helps to answer the why of our very existence. Our collective history is replete with people practicing belonging behaviors. In some cases, the behaviors took the form of bold acts of leadership by school founders who simultaneously highlighted exclusionary practices while presenting counter visuals for what school could look like for girls. At other times, the belonging behavior is considerably less public, but no less important: the everyday gentle nudging of a girl towards a field she never would have considered on her own or the election of a girl to the full totality of positions available at a school designed to promote and celebrate girls’ leadership.

Regardless of your school’s founding date, its reason for being inevitably had something to do with creating a community of belonging.

Given that, girls’ school educators have a heightened obligation to engage in necessary and life-affirming belonging behaviors. Last summer, students of color and Black students, along with the LGBTQIA+ schoolmates in some cases, asked for more from their girls’ schools. They were a part of a broader, far-reaching movement, but in many communities the girls’ school voices were first and were among the strongest. It is left to us, girls’ school educators, to make sure that those voices, once heard, are never unheard again.

Vision of a better day is necessary as we find ourselves grasping for belonging during a time of continued tension and discord. When I had the chance to share the NCGS Board of Trustees’ newly approved Vision Statement as part of the welcoming remarks at last week’s conference, I closed with a simple notion: “Difference and division are two very separate concepts. While difference strengthens us, division weakens the foundation of our charge.”

It is worth considering the distance between difference and division—the call for belonging within a period of polarization. Polarization is very convenient as it eschews complexity; it seeks comfort in like-mindedness by embracing friendly companions and the temporary comfort they may bring. Over the past year, one could easily find platforms for polarization in administrative offices, faculty break rooms, and even throughout professional conferences as well as on the sidelines of games, at private Zoom cocktail parties or in a media that increasingly—and dangerously—plays repeat on the song lists of their assembled loyal listeners.

That is why for NCGS to be NCGS we have to be better than our times. To do so, we need to help each other, or as we say in the NCGS Principles: “We (need to) uplift learning communities committed to diversity, equity, justice, and belonging.”

Uplifting learning communities is not about managing a moment or the people within it, but rather it is about going headfirst into the complex and uplifting work of truth seeking. As Adam Grant says in his new (and wonderfully helpful) book Think Again, “Complexity doesn’t make for great sound bites, but it does seed great conversations.” Let’s leave sound bites to others and instead continue our June 2021 conversations about building communities of belonging at girls’ schools everywhere.


Paul Burke, President of the NCGS Board of Trustees and Head of The Nightingale-Bamford School


The Spence School Announces New Head of School

The Spence School Announces New Head of School

6/25/21—The Spence School’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Felicia Wilks as the 15th Head of School. In July 2022, she will succeed Bodie Brizendine following her remarkable 15-year tenure leading Spence.

Wilks’ deep and versatile experience includes serving as a teacher, department chair, diversity director, division head, and assistant head of school in independent, Quaker, day, boarding, girls’ and coeducational schools. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Head of School and Upper School Director at Lakeside School. Previous appointments include Head of Upper School at Garrison Forest School. Wilks commitment to the mission of girls’ schools dates back to her time at her alma mater, Bryn Mawr School.

Her “demonstrated and exemplary leadership is characterized by her genuine warmth, humor, perspective, and clarity of priorities and purpose,” noted Spence’s Board Chair and the Co-Chairs of the Head of School Search Committee. Wilks will take the helm on Spence’s 130th anniversary.


Young Women’s STEAM Academy and Solar Preparatory School for Girls Receive Grants to Encourage Girls’ Engagement in STEM

Young Women’s STEAM Academy and Solar Preparatory School for Girls Receive Grants to Encourage Girls’ Engagement in STEM

6/24/21—Thanks to a generous gift from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Texas Women’s Foundation awarded grants to Young Women’s STEAM Academy and Solar Preparatory School for Girls to increase usage of the IF/THEN Collection, the world’s largest free resource of photos, videos, and biographies celebrating diverse, contemporary women in STEM careers and roles.

The funds will cover the cost of printing and displaying the IF/THEN Collection at the two schools to highlight and elevate STEM role models in order to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers. The campuses will purchase digital media to display the images outdoors for the benefit of the community as well as in the hallways so that girls can read and learn about these women as they transition classes and in large community areas, such as the cafeteria.

“The idea is to inspire our girls and young women with authentic and relatable images of women in STEM since most of the scientists they see in textbooks don’t look like them,” said Nancy Bernardino, a member of the NCGS Board of Trustee and Executive Director of both schools. “We are very thankful to Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the Texas Women’s Foundation for supporting our students in this way.”