Marymount Publishes Book on Transformative Teaching and Learning
2/6/17 — The Making and Learning Institute at Marymount School of New York recently published its first book, From Prototype to Pitch: New Pathways in Design, Maker and Entrepreneurship Education. The book features contributions from several independent school educators, including faculty from NCGS member schools Harpeth Hall, St. Catherine’s School, and Sacred Heart Greenwich.
The book “celebrates the best practices, exemplar projects, ideas, and frameworks that schools are exploring at the leading edge of design, maker, and entrepreneurship education as well as the emerging paradigm of transformative teaching and learning in the 21st century.”
Marymount recently announced it is now accepting submissions for chapters to be included in Volume 2. Submissions should be sent to Eric Walters, Director of STEM Education at Marymount School of New York.
Bay View’s Robotics Team Wins FIRST® Lego® League State Championship
1/24/17 — Bay View Academy’s robotics team S.M.A.R.T 2.0 recently won the Rhode Island state FIRST® Lego® League championship competition for the second time. The team not only qualified to compete in the international FIRST® Lego® League World Festival in April but the ten students on S.M.A.R.T 2.0 also won individual $20,000 scholarships to Roger Williams University as a result of this win.
Each year, FIRST® Lego® League sets a theme for the competition, referred to as the Challenge. This year’s theme was “Animal Allies.” For S.M.A.R.T. 2.0’s project, they set about enhancing GPS for blind users by outfitting seeing eye dogs with a vest that tells them which direction to turn. S.M.A.R.T. 2.0’s project presentation included a book they created, “Once Upon a Tail,” in which a blind princess is granted a dog trained with one of the vests.
As Bay View’s robotics program continues to attract students, curriculum and extra-curricular offerings have expanded. Bee S.M.A.R.T. Jr., a third-grade after-school robotics program, began in fall 2016 as part of FIRST® Lego® League Jr., while in the Upper School, two new Advanced Placement Computer Science classes have been added to the course offerings.
Hamlin Dancers Perform at City College of San Francisco
1/10/17 — A group of Hamlin School 8th graders recently took the stage with the Ultimate Alliance Dance Company on the campus of San Francisco’s City College. They performed for a 100-person audience.
One dance focused on “All Lives Matter” while another piece recreated a West Nigerian folktale. The experience gave Hamlin students the chance to be exposed to a variety of dance genres along with diverse cultures and body types.
“I was really impressed by the Hamlin students’ enthusiasm and commitment,” shared Hamlin faculty Kirstin Williams who prepared the students for their performance. “They rehearsed during recess, extra time, and lunch. Their dedication was incredible.”
Saint Mary’s School Appoints New Head of School
12/6/16 — The Saint Mary’s School Board of Trustees has named Brendan O’Shea as new Head of School, effective July 1, 2017. O’Shea will serve as Saint Mary’s 14th Head appointed over the course of the school’s 175-year history. He comes to Saint Mary’s from Charleston Day School where he has served as Headmaster since 2004.
In his letter to the Saint Mary’s community, O’Shea shared, “Saint Mary’s is purposeful, providing a top-notch education while instilling important character traits in the girls it serves. As one of the oldest Episcopal boarding and day schools in the country, Saint Mary’s is uniquely positioned to champion the strengths and advantages of an all-girls educational experience.”
“Brendan holds a deep appreciation for and commitment to single-gender and boarding education and envisions a compelling future for our school that both honors our traditions and culture and places us on the forefront of modern education,” said Chair of Saint Mary’s Board Ted Bratton. “These attributes, and others, left us all with the conclusion that Brendan would be the ideal leader for our school at this point in its history.”
Baltimore Leadership School Featured in 2017 Sundance Film Festival Documentary
12/12/16 — The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is set to show Amanda Lipitz’s documentary STEP, featuring the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women (BLSYW). The film was selected from 13,782 submissions, including 4,068 feature-length films and 8,985 short films.
STEP was produced by Ann and Andrew Tisch, founders of the Young Women’s Leadership Network of which BLSYW is an affiliate member school. The film chronicles the lives of BLSYW seniors on the step team as they strive to make their dancing a success while also working to become the first in their families to attend college.
The Young Women’s Leadership School of Brooklyn Builds “Wall of Inclusion”
12/9/16 — Over the past few weeks, teachers at The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Brooklyn wrote 500 inspiring messages and affirmations on post-it notes for students. Each note was placed on a locker. In response, students used their school assembly time to write their own notes on paper “bricks” highlighting what they bring to the school community to strengthen it and make it safer. The bricks were combined by the students and teachers to create a “Wall of Inclusion,” which now hangs in the hallway of the school for all to see and feel supported.
NCGS member school TYWLS of Brooklyn is part of the Young Women’s Leadership Network.
Melbourne Girls Grammar Principal Recognized for Leadership and Innovative Programs
12/8/16 — Catherine Misson, Principle of Melbourne Girls Grammar School (MGGS), was recently featured in The Educator’s 2016 Hot List, which recognizes individuals who have dedicated their careers to improving the Australian education system. Misson was acknowledged for her leadership and efforts to challenge the status quo of educational paradigms. This has included the design of new and innovative school programs, which provide new ways to imagine time, new roles in schools, and new ways for young people to take control of their learning.
Misson has also worked extensively on creating an educational narrative that champions the development of an enterprising mindset, so as to equip today’s girls with the skills necessary to work and live in the digital age. Misson established the Centre for Educational Enterprise in 2015 and in 2016 took the agenda international, launching the Enterprising Schools Network earlier this year in order to connect like-minded educators.
Marymount School Students Host Summit on Feminism and Gender Equality
11/30/16 — Marymount School of New York’s Women in Our World (W.O.W.) Club recently hosted its inaugural W.O.W. Student Summit—an all-day event led by inspirational and influential women from various occupations and walks of life. The summit was open to all girls attending independent schools, especially girls’ schools. The day included keynote speakers, discussions, presentations, crafts, and performances. A variety of topics were explored including “Women, Girls and Leadership,” “Women, Broadway and the Arts,” and “Building New Labor Strategies for a New Economy: A Girl Power Journey.” The goal of the event was to creatively teach the true definition of feminism and to give female students the confidence to use their voices to promote and achieve gender equality.
The Hockaday School Names New Head of School
11/22/16 — The Hockaday School has named Dr. Karen Warren Coleman, former Vice President for Campus and Student Life at the University of Chicago, as its new Eugene McDermott Head of School. On July 1, 2017, Coleman will become the 13th Head of School since Hockaday’s founding in 1913.
At the University of Chicago, Coleman oversaw several campus departments, which included 350 staff members and a budget of $80 million. Robert Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago, said, “Karen was the most important person in helping me interact with students. I depended on her to understand what was going on with them and to deal with people on a one-on-one basis. She is gracious, calm, and always extremely professional.”
“I am excited about all-girls education and the opportunities to help these young women become leaders in our community and our world,” shared Coleman. “Hockaday girls must learn how to navigate today’s world and understand how to use information to make well-informed decisions, to be resilient, moral, compassionate, confident individuals who are capable of making positive contributions to the community and of defining success on their own terms. I look forward to navigating this journey with everyone in the Hockaday community to ensure a fulfilling and lifelong experience for our students at Hockaday.”
The Hutchison School Appoints New Head of School
11/21/16 — The Hutchison School has appointed Dr. Kristen Ring to serve as the 7th Head of School, effective July 1, 2017. Ring comes to Hutchison with more than 20 years of school experience. She served as Head of Upper School and most recently as Provost at Bayside Academy in Daphne, Alabama, where she led four division heads and 70 faculty.
Ring has demonstrated strengths in admissions, communications and marketing, strategic planning, recruitment of faculty, and benchmarking of student learning. As a professional development facilitator, she has steered initiatives at Bayside as well as presented at the national level.
“Hutchison is an extraordinary school where young women are empowered to lead and serve while building the skills and capacity to impact the world,” shared Ring. “I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to join this talented team of effective educators, and I look forward to becoming part of the Memphis community.”
Sacred Heart Greenwich Alumnae Speak to Students About Broadcast Journalism Careers
11/17/16 — Alumnae of Sacred Heart Greenwich returned to the school to speak about their TV news careers and the school’s Broadcast Journalism Program with current students. “To see that these girls who are in the broadcast program now are able to create these films…it’s really incredible. This is the same level of professionalism and quality that we see now working in news on a daily basis,” said Kate Rayner ’05, a News Anchor for NBC Connecticut. “The girls here are really at such an advantage,” added seven-time Emmy award-winning NBC Investigative Producer Erica Jorgensen ’04.
The keynote speaker was Melanie Bloom, the widow of NBC News Correspondent David J. Bloom, the namesake of the school’s David J. Bloom Broadcast Journalism Program and father of three Sacred Heart Greenwich students. Sacred Heart’s Broadcast Journalism Program has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2001, with more than 680 students from the Lower, Middle, and Upper schools participating in 2015. In particular, the Upper School elective, which produces the news show “Today from the Heart,” has grown from seven students when it began to 73 today.
Sacred Heart filmmaking students have won more than 276 awards from local, national, and international competitions. At least 32 alumnae work in TV news, communications, filmmaking or social media.
Archer School for Girls Featured on The TODAY Show
11/15/16 — Elizabeth English, Head of School at The Archer School for Girls, along with three of Archer’s students, recently appeared on the TODAY show to share their perspectives on the results of the 2016 election. “Although our country is in a divided state at the moment, we can still find ways to look past this and … encourage each other,” shared one student. “I think the message has been very much you are worthwhile, you are important, [and] your voice matters,” added English.
In conjunction with this interview, English sent an email to Archer’s families titled “Leaning In Together After the Election,” where she noted Archer students had watched Hillary Clinton’s concession speech “and took pride in her dignity and graciousness.”
“Today our faculty and staff were heroic as they tried to put their own emotions aside and create a safe and hopeful space for your daughters,” she wrote. “Little could have prepared us, even as educators, for the waves of emotion that swept the school first thing this morning. We gave the girls time and space to process their feelings and fears, regardless of their position.”