This past week, I have been looking forward to an exciting weekend when St. Clement’s School will begin hosting the first internationally-held National Coalition of Girls’ School’s (NCGS) Trustees meeting from Sunday to Monday. In addition, our Heads of NCGS Ontario girls’ schools will gather for dinner on Saturday night to connect, catch up, and celebrate our important common purpose of educating and preparing girls for the future.
Prior to the weekend Helen-Kay Davy, Principal of Havergal College; Karen Jurjevich, Principal of Branksome Hall; and I, attended a lunch hosted by The Empire Club at which Deryn Lavell, Head of The Bishop Strachan School, spoke about Women and Education in Canada: How Far We’ve Come and How Far We Have to Go. Both The Empire Club and The Bishop Strachan School are celebrating their 150th birthdays. It was a wonderful opportunity for us as girls’ school colleagues to be together to hear Deryn’s words–ones that resonate with us all.
Deryn said, “It is tempting to believe that in being a girl today, the path is clear. The reality is that there are still too few females at the top and there continue to be issues with pay equity.”
We are, at our girls’ schools, afforded the opportunity to challenge our girls academically but also to foster resiliency, confidence and perseverance. The result is that, when they leave our schools, they can not only deal with complexities, but also become the path-clearers and carvers. Yes, we have come a long way as women, but we have potentially, an equally long way to go. As girls’ schools, we have the distinct privilege of contributing significantly to our girls’ and young women’s journeys.
