Winter 2021
MRS. KEIDEL TAKES THE STAGE
DOUGLAS BENEDICT, ACADEMIC IMAGES
Mrs. Sally Keidel takes the stage at a socially distanced ceremony officially welcoming her as the 14th Head of The Agnes Irwin School on October 16, 2020. Mrs. Keidel began her tenure on July 1.
From the Head of School
EDITOR Amanda Mahnke Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
CONTRIBUTORS Samantha Amadio Marketing & Communications Specialist
Megan Boyle Flinn ’87 Contributing Writer
Shelly Hillman Marketing & Communications Storyteller
Camille Seals Assistant Head of School for Academics & Inclusive Excellence
DESIGN Melodee Dill Stephens PHOTOGRAPHY Samantha Amadio Douglas Benedict / Academic Images Shelly Hillman Amanda Mahnke Donna Meyer THE AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL Ithan Avenue and Conestoga Road Rosemont, PA 19010-1042 agnesirwin.org Grades PreK–4 Tel: 610-801-1340 Grades 5–12 Tel: 610-801-1869 FRONT & BACK COVER These images represent 151 years of The Agnes Irwin School.
Building Our Legacy in Year 151 Welcome to the Winter 2021 issue of Agnes Irwin Magazine. When The Agnes Irwin School ushered in its celebratory sesquicentennial year in Fall 2019, we knew that it would be a year like no other — we just had no idea just how historic Agnes Irwin’s 150th year would turn out to be. No one could have anticipated how our lives would change just a few months later, as a pandemic swept our nation, followed by a racial reckoning that spurred deep reflection and action across the country — in communities, in government, in business, and at educational institutions, including our own. Last summer, significant investments in technology, staffing, facilities, and curriculum ensured we were able to make a safe return to campus. We’ve employed new approaches in our classrooms — from 1:1 coding kits throughout our Lower School, to the outdoor garden project taking place with our 8th grade ecologists, to take-home art and ceramics kits for our middle and upper school artists — so that whether our students are learning in-person or virtually, our teachers are prepared to create a vibrant learning environment for every girl, every day. We’ve bolstered our equity and inclusion initiatives, centering this work at the core of our school — and we are energized and motivated to do the work that is still ahead. In the midst of a pandemic, we’ve worked hard to develop creative ways to continue our beloved traditions in ways that bring our community together. We invite you to learn more in the following pages. I am confident that as we look to the future, we will continue to bring this energy and creative spirit to all we do at The Agnes Irwin School, keeping what is best for girls at the center of our decision-making. This issue of Agnes Irwin Magazine is both a look back at our school’s first 150 years, and an introduction to the good work underway in our 151st school year and beyond. No matter the circumstance, we remain committed to our mission of empowering every girl that walks through our doors to learn, to lead, and to live a legacy.
Sally B. Keidel
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In Memoriam
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ennifer Emmi Fiorini ’97 was a beloved colleague and alumna, who served in a variety of roles over the course of 13 years on Agnes Irwin’s faculty. As a student, she was a “firecracker” with a great sense of humor, according to History Department Chair Wigs Frank. “She was always energized and not without a little mischievous behavior.” Jenn graduated from Agnes Irwin in 1997, after giving the student address at Commencement as the class-elected speaker. She went on to earn a B.A. from Georgetown University in Literature, Literary History, and Theology. After spending five years in advertising, her passion for education drew her back to the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a master's degree in education. It was “fate” that brought her back to Agnes Irwin, Jenn once said. As she was nearing the end of her student teaching experience, she ran into longtime Middle School Director Mrs. Gormley, who asked if she would consider interviewing at her alma mater. Jenn joined the AIS faculty in Fall 2005 as a Middle and Upper School English teacher and Middle School Lacrosse Coach. During her tenure at AIS, Jenn also served as an Upper School Advisor, Class Dean, Director of Service Learning, Dean of Students, and ultimately, as Upper School Director, before taking a leave of absence in 2018 as she continued her treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Jenn had a strong commitment to mentoring students. “My favorite parts of the day were working with students on figuring out a leadership path, or working on a personal growth problem, or helping a family support their daughter,” she shared in Agnes Irwin’s Spring 2017 magazine. That passion also extended to serving for five years as a deeply respected mentor in the University of Pennsylvania’s school leadership master’s program. Agnes Irwin’s Class of 2016, in their yearbook dedication to Ms. Fiorini, said: “You have taught us how to be brave, how to be resilient, and how to be leaders. You have demonstrated to us that things might not always go the way they are planned, and that’s okay; if we just keep pushing through, we can achieve anything we set our minds to. … Through both good and bad, you have been there rooting us on.”
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Contents
| A LOOK BACK: CELEBRATING 150 YEARS |
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Sesquicentennial Events Learn about the ways we celebrated Agnes Irwin’s 150th Anniversary.
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Timeline: Agnes Irwin Through the Years Discover major events in Agnes Irwin’s history.
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Celebrating Our Newest Alumnae Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
| A LOOK AHEAD: AIS 151 AND BEYOND |
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Welcoming Sally Keidel The AIS community gathered virtually to officially welcome our new Head of School in October.
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Teaching, Learning, and Community Building During COVID-19 Learn how our faculty have adapted instruction for the 2020-21 year.
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Learning and Leading: Equity and Inclusion Work at AIS Read about DEI initiatives at AIS this year.
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A Look Back
Celebrating 150 Years
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SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2019
Founder’s Day Weekend CELEBRATING LEGACY, LEADERSHIP, AND 150 YEARS OF GIRLS’ EDUCATION
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n September 2019, hundreds of students, families, faculty and staff, alumnae, and friends gathered to kick off The Agnes Irwin School’s Sesquicentennial year with Founder’s Day Weekend. Two days of familyfriendly events led up to Founder’s Day Convocation on Sunday, Sept. 22 — 150 years, to the day, that Miss Agnes Irwin first opened the doors to her school. The excitement kicked off at Friday’s Founder’s Day Festival with face painting, bouncy houses, and an AIS-themed scavenger hunt through the school, before fourth and fifth graders brought school history to life in Agnes Irwin: The Musical. Written by Murray Savar, Agnes Irwin music teacher of more than 40 years, the Hamilton-style performance provided a retrospective on the life of our founder and the history of our beloved institution, with students embodying important figures such as Agnes Irwin herself, her sister Sophy, and even Benjamin Franklin, the Irwin sisters’ great-great-grandfather. Saturday began with activities celebrating 150 Years of Girls in Action, before families and alumnae cheered on the Owls in tennis and soccer competitions. The entire AIS community and guests — in all, representing 10 decades of Agnes Irwin girls — gathered on Sunday for Founder’s Day Convocation, highlighting the life and legacy of our founder and those who continue to embody her values. Ginny Sharp Williams ’88, chair of the Board of Trustees, welcomed the audience on this momentous occasion and highlighted the character of girls past and present. “Just as our founder intended, you can tell an Agnes Irwin girl in the classroom, in the workplace, or out in the world,” she said. “She is smart, confident, [and] ready to tackle the next problem and make a difference — not just for herself but for others.” 6
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Top of page: Students in the Class of 2029 celebrate on Founder’s Day, prior to Convocation. Bottom: Students gather on Sept. 20, 2019 for Founder’s Day Festival.
Row 1: Founder’s Day Festival on Sept. 20, 2019 included the premiere of Agnes Irwin: The Musical, written by music teacher Murray Savar. Row 2 & 3: Saturday’s events celebrated girls in action, beginning with family yoga led by Kim Coulson ’89 P’18, ’22, ’26. Row 4 & 5: Scenes from Sunday’s Founder’s Day Convocation. Exhibits at the event included Agnes Irwin uniforms and Commencement dresses through the years.
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1-4. At Founder’s Day Convocation, student speakers Shaina Bijlani ’28 (1), Middle School Student Council President Clara Laveran ’24 (2), Cheney Williams ’20 (3), and Upper School Student Body President Taylor Carter ’20 (4) shared their remarks on life at Agnes Irwin. 5-8, 11. Students enter the gymnasium for Convocation. 9. Dr. Pat McPherson ’53 receives the inaugural Agnes Irwin Medal. 10. Board Chair Ginny Sharp Williams ’88 welcomes guests. 12. Students perform Agnes Irwin: The Musical at Convocation. 13. Neveen Mahmoud ’07 offers an invocation at Convocation. 14. Keynote speaker Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78 takes the stage.
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that spools out, conferring benefit throughout its A highlight of the Convocation ceremony was the awarding of the inaugural graduates’ lives.” Ms. Klotz encouraged the Agnes Irwin Medal, given by Head of School Dr. Wendy Hill to Dr. Mary Patterson community to continue building on the strong McPherson ’53. This award recognizes individuals who have placed the same foundation that Agnes emphasis on inspiring or empowering girls to become Irwin established. “Agnes leaders in a global community as did Miss Agnes Irwin, Irwin’s pulse is thrumming continuing the legacy of the school’s founder. Dr. McPherson, through us all, inspiring us who served as president of Bryn Mawr College for nearly 20 The entire AIS to learn, to lead, and to live a years prior to serving as vice president of the Andrew W. community and guests legacy.” Mellon Foundation, “has done so much to advance girls and Before closing the women in the field of education,” Dr. Hill remarked. — in all, representing 10 ceremony with the singing “Through her leadership, dedication, and many decades of Agnes Irwin of the alma mater, Dr. Hill accomplishments, she is an inspiration to us all.” girls — gathered on took the stage, reflecting on As she accepted the award, Dr. McPherson recalled M i s s A g n e s I r w i n ’s influential figures during her time at Agnes Irwin — including Sunday for Founder’s commitment to girls’ English teacher Ms. Marietta Lent and history teacher Day Convocation, empowerment and Florence Irish — as well as her respect for “the rare, highlighting the life and education, as well as the admirable, and very brave women who insisted on the right powerful heritage and of girls and women to have a serious, fulfilling, and pleasurable legacy of our founder mission that the school education that men had enjoyed for so many decades.” and those who continue continues to draw on. “This As keynote speaker Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78 took the stage, to embody her values. is a time … to think she led the audience in a cheer for The Agnes Irwin School’s imaginatively and 150th birthday. As applause died down, she began: “The first courageously, tapping into the collective wisdom of thing I want to tell you is that underneath this academic robe, I am wearing a dress our community — a community that has been a that has a pattern of morse code on it that says 'the future is female' — because, it source of strength for our students and alumnae,” is. And you, ladies, are the future. And Miss Agnes knew it, and I know it.” she said. Dr. Hill also challenged faculty, staff, During her remarks, Ms. Klotz, Head of The Laurel School in Shaker Heights, parents, and students to “embrace your inner Agnes Ohio, recounted the story of Agnes Irwin, as well as her own years as a “lifer” at — to think boldly and creatively as we work towards AIS and the impact of her time here. “An Agnes Irwin education has never been The Agnes Irwin School that is yet to be.” limited to a girl’s college acceptance,” she noted. “It is a way of thinking and being
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1-2. Agnes Irwin students prepare to process into Convocation. 3. Seniors hear from keynote speaker Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78. 4. Bel Cantos perform at Convocation. 5. From left, Head of School Dr. Wendy Hill, Dr. Mary Patterson McPherson ’53, Ann Laupheimer Sonnenfeld ’77, Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78.
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OCTOBER 12, 2019
Discovering Your Purpose Conference As part of Agnes Irwin’s Sesquicentennial activities, parents, students, faculty members, and alumnae explored the powerful role that purpose plays in our personal, intellectual, and professional lives at the Discovering Your Purpose Conference, presented by Agnes Irwin’s Center for the Advancement of Girls. Students in grades 7-12 and parents and educators participated in dual tracks during the Oct. 12, 2019 event. Students heard from successful women about discovering a sense of purpose, direction, and calling in life through thought-provoking discussions on everything from entrepreneurship to developing purpose through verbal and non-verbal expression. Meanwhile, parents and educators engaged in small group discussions about how best to empower girls to discover a sense of purpose — and the importance of modeling it as parents and mentors. The two groups came back together to hear from keynote speaker Patrice Banks, founder of Girls Auto Clinic and former DuPont engineer, who emphasized the importance of dreaming big, overcoming fears of the unknown, and embracing confidence in order to bring those dreams to fruition. Banks ended the conference with a charge to find success through the practice of kindness, vulnerability, empathy, and authenticity. “That authenticity is what brings the magic.”
At the conference, both students and adults engaged in breakout sessions focused on helping girls develop their sense of purpose or find their passion. Speakers for students included Phaidra Knight, attorney and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee; Angelina Keeley, founder and executive director of nonprofit Ready to Run; Suzie Welsh ’07, founder of women’s health company Binto; and Jean Mason ’07, associate designer at Stitch Fix and designer of the AIS’s 150th Celebration signature print and textile collection.
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FALL 2019 AND WINTER 2020
Regional Events In celebration of Agnes Irwin’s Sesquicentennial, in Fall 2019 and Winter 2020, alumnae across the country organized Owls Unite gatherings in Agnes Irwin’s biggest alumnae hubs to reflect each city’s unique spirit. Six decades of AIS women celebrated their alma mater and their current hometowns with pride in New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. A fourth event, planned for the spring in Boston, was postponed due to the pandemic.
More than 90 AIS alumnae gathered for the New York “City Confidential” event, which showcased the myriad ways that our NYC-area alumnae express creativity and hustle through their work and play. Thirteen designers, entrepreneurs, photographers, writers, producers, and business leaders shared pieces of their work with fellow Owls and provided a unique centerpiece for meaningful conversations.
Alumnae in Washington, D.C. held an Alumnae Panel moderated by Wigs Frank on “Making Your Mark.”
San Francisco area alumnae engaged in a workshop on design thinking.
Core Values Scroll Signing In honor of the Sesquicentennial, our community recommitted to the school’s core values of Excellence, Character, Community, and Respect. As a part of our recommitment, and as a way to leave our physical mark of having celebrated this milestone together, every student, faculty & staff member signed a scroll proclaiming their collective investment in and adherence to these shared values in January 2020.
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Timeline
150 Years of Empowering Girls 12
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THE TIMELINE YOU WILL FIND ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES REPRESENTS MAJOR MILESTONES OF THE AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL’S FIRST 150 YEARS. Research produced more events than could be displayed here, but the ordinary days between may be the most remarkable — days in which Agnes Irwin girls worked and played together, preparing for the opportunities and challenges of their time. The Agnes Irwin School historical timeline would not be possible without the 150th Anniversary Displays & Exhibits Committee. We are especially grateful to the following individuals for their dedication to this important retrospective: Elise W. Artelt ’60 Andrew D. Connally John B. R. Faust Laura Wheeler Golding ’64 Polly J. Staples ’78
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1885 Bryn Mawr College opens its doors as a liberal arts college for women.
1868 Ulysses S. Grant is elected 18th President of the United States. 1869 The Transcontinental Railroad is completed. 1874 The first zoo in the United States opens in Philadelphia.
1876 America marks 100 years with the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the first World’s Fair held in the U.S. Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone.
1881 James Garfield is assassinated; Chester A. Arthur is sworn in as 21st President of the United States. Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross.
1880 Two of Agnes Irwin’s students, Harriet Ashurst and Caroline Lewis, take Harvard’s new exams for women who want to teach; the tests are said to be more difficult than Harvard admissions tests. Both girls pass “unconditionally.” 1875 Penn Square is chosen as the future site of Philadelphia’s new City Hall, and West Penn Square Seminary moves to a new location at 1834 Spruce Street, a building once owned by Agnes Irwin’s brother.
1881 Agnes Irwin decides her expanding school needs more space, and moves it to a large brick building at 2011 De Lancey Place, keeping Spruce Street as her home.
1875 Agnes’ younger sister, Sophy Dallas, joins the faculty. 1875 West Penn Square Seminary is renamed Miss Irwin’s of Philadelphia.
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1880 1877 At the behest of the Women’s Centennial Committee, Agnes Irwin and Sarah Butler Wister curate a series of essays about notable women titled Worthy Women of Our First Century. This is the pair’s second writing collaboration, the first being a novel titled Brisée that they authored anonymously at 21 and 27 years old, respectively.
Agnes Irwin
1869 Miss Agnes Irwin, the greatgreat-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, is 27 years old when she assumes the leadership of Philadelphia’s West Penn Square Seminary for Young Ladies. The first day of school is held September 22, 1869 at 5 Merrick Street in Philadelphia.
1865 Two years after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and just days after the Union declares victory in the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated; Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes 17th President of the United States.
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1889 Mary Channing Wister, President of the Class of 1889, decides that the class needs a day of fun after all the hard work. On the first-ever Class Day — a tradition that later became Class Night — they award witty gifts such as a rattle for the “class baby” and a watch for the “10 o’clock scholar,” and perform a farce. Among the graduates is Agnes Irwin, Jr., the niece of Miss Agnes, who would head to Bryn Mawr College.
1879 Two years after inventing the phonograph, Thomas Edison invents the lightbulb.
1883 Agnes Irwin is sent a brochure about a new college for women opening in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with strict educational requirements. In order to meet them, she restructures her school’s curriculum, adds a college preparatory program, divides the school into grades, and holds the first graduation ceremony (for the Class of 1883, pictured). From this time forward, the girls think of themselves as graduates of a certain class year.
1886 The Statue of Liberty is unveiled in New York Harbor.
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1898 Spanish-American War; the U.S. annexes Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam.
1903 The Wright Brothers design and fly the world’s first successful airplane.
1897 Elizabeth Elliott, Class of 1892, issues an invitation to graduates — and following a unanimous motion, the Agnes Irwin Alumnae Association is born. They adopt the motto Non Sibi Sed Aliis: “Not for ourselves, but for others,” suggested by Miss Agnes. True to their motto, the group focuses on needs in the Philadelphia community, as well as more global causes.
1898 The first issue of The Irwinian is published. In her first editorial, editor-in-chief Margaret Wister writes that the goal of the student publication is “to encourage school spirit and amity, with the hope that the classes will take more of an interest in each other.”
1894 After 25 years as Headmistress of her own school, Agnes Irwin is recruited to serve as the first dean of Radcliffe College, Harvard University’s recently incorporated institution for women. When Agnes departs Philadelphia for Boston, sister and teacher Sophy Dallas Irwin becomes the new Headmistress of Miss Irwin’s School of Sophy Dallas Irwin Philadelphia.
1891 Basketball is invented by James Naismith. 1896 The Olympic Games are revived in Athens.
1912 The Titanic sinks; among the 2,200 passengers are several prominent Philadelphia families.
1905 The school begins to be referred to as The Agnes Irwin School on school stationery, a change initiated by Miss Sophy in honor of her sister — but the name does not become official until after the Irwin sisters die.
1898 Through the years, The Irwinian features news about school happenings and sports, a joke column, an alumnae notes section, and advertisements — and also provides a venue for budding writers to share their stories or poems.
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1890s The “Gibson Girl” illustrations debut, setting fashion trends for the next 20 years.
1908 Henry Ford’s Model T introduced, the first affordable car to be mass produced.
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1910 Anne Shirk, Class of 1911, founds the Agnes Irwin Athletic Association, and names Sarah Elizabeth Putnam, Class of 1910, president. The motto is Bene Vincamus, Bene Vincamur: “Win well, lose well.” The group forms two teams, the Blues and the Golds, and holds relay races.
1914 Agnes Irwin dies of pneumonia in December 1914, at age 73.
1910 1913 The Class of 1913 publishes the first school yearbook, later called The Lamp. Prior to this, the June issue of The Irwinian celebrated the graduating class.
1904 With more than 200 students in a single building, the school expands to 2027 De Lancey Place. Miss Sophy moves into the upper floor opening up the first floor for younger students. 2011 De Lancey is dubbed the “Big School,” and 2027 De Lancey the “Little School.” Within a decade, 2025 De Lancey is added to increase school space. 1901 President William McKinley is assassinated; Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as 26th President of the United States. Five years later, Roosevelt becomes the first American president to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
1909 Agnes Irwin retires from her post at Radcliffe College and returns to Philadelphia. She assumes a new role as President of the Headmistresses Association of the East, which she holds for three years.
1906 During her tenure as Dean of Radcliffe College, Agnes Irwin is awarded three honorary doctorates: in 1895, an LL.D. from Western University of Pennsylvania; in 1898, a Litt.D. from the University of Pennsylvania; and in 1906, an LL.D. from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. 1914-1918 World War I
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1915 Sophy has been ill frequently from 1910-1914. She writes her will in June 1914, in which she details arrangements for the school’s continuation. She dies in January 1915 after a fall — just one month after her sister, Agnes. 1915 As detailed in Miss Sophy’s will, Josephine Natt is named third Headmistress. A Board of Trustees — comprised of 14 women, 11 of them alumnae — is formed to oversee the school, and the school is incorporated as The Agnes Irwin School.
1920 The 19th Amendment is passed; women win the right to vote.
1923 The school purchases 3.5 acres in Bala Cynwyd for athletic use, which includes two hockey fields, three tennis courts, and a locker house. The facilities are overseen by Agneta Powell, an English athletic director who worked at AIS for 15 years.
Josephine Natt
1915 The Alma Mater is created. The Class of 1915 choose the tune, an old German air, and Marjory Taylor, Class of 1915, writes the accompanying words.
1929 The first Student Government writes the bylaws for its “Constitution.” There are four departments: Publicity, Traffic, Study Hall and Lunchroom. The students are assigned committees to help keep other students quiet and orderly.
1926 Alumnae Association president Eleanour Biddle Barnes, Class of 1889, is adamant that she will solve the problem of Agnes Irwin teachers having no retirement fund. In 1918, she arranges an invitation for the school to join the Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA). By 1926, the school board and Alumnae Association raise the $75,000 necessary to join; in the future, each teacher will be required to contribute 5% of their salary to the fund, which the school will match.
1915 Miss Natt designs The Agnes Irwin School emblem, inspired by an old bookplate of a Mediterranean oil lamp that had belonged to Miss Sophy. The insignia also contains the new school motto, a quote from Dante’s Inferno: Se Dio ti lasci lettor prender frutto di tua lezione (“May God allow thee, reader, to take the fruit of thy reading”). The insignia is embossed on letterheads, plaques and other official documents.
1920 1918 Miss Natt requires all students to join the Athletic Association, after she hires a full-time athletic coach, Miss Arnold.
1922 First Student Council and the Cercle Français 1921 In March 1921, the Board of Trustees buys both 2011 Delancey and the house next door, 2009, and an architect is hired to merge the two buildings into one schoolhouse.
1917 Miss Natt decides that the curriculum needs more extracurricular activities, and the first choir and orchestra are formed. Over the next few years, other activities start. 1916 Class rings of varying designs first emerge in 1910, but in 1916, Miss Natt and the sophomore class introduce a new class ring that represents the school as a whole: the rings, bearing the new school insignia, are still the same design that sophomores receive today.
1921 The first scholarship is awarded to Nancy Pritchett, Class of 1924, the daughter of the architect who reconfigures the new school building, perhaps for partial payment for tuition. 1920 First Art Club
1919 The Agnes Irwin School celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
1917 Several Irwin’s alumnae, including Dora Kelly Lewis, arrested in front of the White House while peacefully advocating for women’s right to vote. Leads to “Night of Terror.” 1918 The 1918 influenza pandemic (“Spanish Flu”), one of the deadliest epidemics in human history, hits Philadelphia especially hard.
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1919 First Debating Club
1928 After not missing a day of work in 38 years, Josephine Natt retires. Bertha Laws Bertha Laws, Agnes Class of 1897 Irwin Class of 1897 and Bryn Mawr College Class of 1901, succeeds Miss Natt as Headmistress, according to the stipulations laid out in Miss Sophy’s will. Laws is the first alumna to become a Headmistress of the school. 1927 Charles Lindbergh completes first solo transatlantic flight.
1929 Stock market crashes; Great Depression begins.
1931 Empire State Building is completed; for the next 40 years, it is the tallest building in the world.
1947 Cold War begins, continuing until 1991.
1939 World War II begins with German invasion of Poland.
1944
The Agnes Irwin School celebrates its 75th Anniversary.
1944 After 16 years as Headmistress, Bertha Laws retires. Beloved teacher Edith Murphy and Anne Bartol become Associate Headmistresses. 1934 A formal uniform is introduced in four colors: blue, green, maroon, and a “dreadful brown,” as one alum describes it. The latter two unpopular colors are discontinued, and the school retains blue and green as choices. Later, the uniform becomes variations of blue and yellow, eventually evolving to include white and plaid.
1942 The first May Fair is held to raise money for a war orphan through the Foster Parents’ Program.
Edith Murphy
1948 Edith Murphy retires; Anne Bartol becomes sole Headmistress. Under Anne Bartol’s leadership, the senior talks that began as an offshoot of the drama curriculum become the research-based Senior Assemblies that continue to this day.
1935 Mrs. W.W. Montgomery (Fanny Brock, Class of 1899) purchases the Clothier Estate for The Agnes Irwin School, putting the school in a secure economic position. 1935 AIS assumes the management of Kyneton, a small school in Villanova that is a feeder school for AIS, and runs it as its Lower School.
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1939 With the school’s enrollment increasing, Mrs. Helen Dechert, Class of 1917, purchases the Eugene Thayer Estate in Wynnewood for AIS. Thanks to the expanded facilities, in Fall 1939, The Agnes Irwin School is able to offer continuous K-12 education for the first time. Elizabeth Lukens is named the first Lower School Headmistress.
1933 The school moves to the suburbs. In Fall 1933, the school rents “Ballytore,” the Isaac Clothier estate, in Wynnewood. The contractors complete their work Sept. 16; Miss Laws has the equipment and books moved from Delancey on Sept. 20; and on Sept. 25, The Agnes Irwin School opens its doors for the first time outside of the city. 1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Nazis come to power in Germany. The following year, Hitler becomes chancellor and the first concentration camp is opened. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) is elected 32nd President of the United States; he is reelected in 1936, 1940, and 1944. 1933 Prohibition is abolished.
1943 Through the purchase of war bonds and stamps as part of the “Schools-at-War” campaign, the school community raises enough money to finance the purchase of three jeeps, four “quacks” (amphibious jeeps), and three grasshoppers (observation aircrafts) in support of the war effort.
1950 Lucetta Sharp Alderfer, Headmistress of the Lower School since 1947, establishes the first maypole dance. She makes long streamers out of ribbon strengthened by carpet binding, and dyes them blue and gold. The tradition of weaving the maypole at May Fair continues to this day.
1943 Partial scholarships are awarded to students whose fathers are in the armed forces. 1940s Yellow and navy uniforms become the custom. 1941 Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, spurring US entry into WWII. 1945 World War II ends. 1946 The first mass produced television set called the RCA 630-TS is sold.
1950-1953 Korean War ends.
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1959 Hawaii and Alaska become states, making an even 50.
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis heightens tensions between U.S. and USSR.
1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed into law, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. 1 965 US officially enters the Vietnam War.
M id-1960s Women’s Liberation Movement emerges in the U.S.
1964 The school begins receiving foreign exchange students as part of the American Field Service. The first student to come is from South Wales.
1955 A nursery school is added at Remington Road at the request of numerous parents. Sally Orcutt leads the nursery program until 1958 when plans for the school’s move to Rosemont necessitate its closure due to space constraints. 1963 Patty Pittman, Class of 1963, approaches Anne Lenox with the idea of creating a school mascot in order to sell stuffed animals at the Christmas Bazaar. The owl is first pictured in the 1963 yearbook and is eventually dubbed “Gus.”
1958 The Lower School moves from Wynnewood to the Grace Estate at Ithan and Conestoga Roads in Rosemont, where it remains to this day. The Grace Estate is an old Revolutionary War inn, first called the Horse and Groom, and later, the Sorrel Horse Tavern. It is said that George Washington and General Lafayette had “often” stayed there.
1967 Agnes Irwin’s a capella group, the Bel Cantos, is formed — preceded in the 1950s by “The Special Group” and in the 1960s, “The Agnes Irwin Chorale Group.”
1960 1961 The Upper and Middle Schools officially open in Rosemont in Fall 1961, which marks the first time that the entire school has been on the same campus.
1966 Janine Stewart, Class of 1973, is the first African American student to enroll in the school. She is elected president of her 5th grade class.
1960 Ground is broken for a new building on the Grace Estate in Rosemont, which will house Grades 5-12. 1956 The township plans to build a road through the upper field on the Wynnewood campus, which necessitates moving the school. The Charles B. Grace Estate in Rosemont is obtained as a partial gift on behalf of his second wife, Patricia Taylor, Class of 1934.
1962 Mrs. Bartol retires halfway through the school year. Anne Lenox becomes Headmistress, with Adele M. Griffin Sands, Class of 1937, serving as Associate Headmistress.
1954 Brown v. Board of Education rules that racial segregation in public schools is illegal. 1 957 Launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union begins the space race between the U.S. and USSR.
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1968 Mimi Ogden, Class of 1968, studies abroad in India as the first AIS student to participate in the American Field Service Program. 1968 American Studies Program begins with Independent Study, limited to 16 seniors. The next year, all seniors participated in the Program. Anne Lenox
1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivers “I Have a Dream” Speech at Lincoln Memorial. John F. Kennedy is assassinated; Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as 36th President of the United States and is elected to a full four-year term in 1964.
1968 Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. 1969 The Stonewall Riots; the gay rights movement takes shape in the U.S. Apollo 11; Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon.
1969
The Agnes Irwin School celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
1969 The school celebrates its Centennial. Joanne Neel documents the school’s first one hundred years of history in Miss Irwin’s of Philadelphia, and the school successfully completes a $1.45 million fundraising campaign to undertake capital improvements.
1973 Supreme Court rules in Roe v. Wade. 1 974 Two years after Watergate break-in, Richard Nixon resigns to avoid impeachment; Gerald Ford is sworn in as 38th President of the United States. 1981 Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first female Supreme Court Justice.
1970 The school holds its first Grandparents’ Day, in which students bring their grandparents to school for the day. 1978 Lower School fathers team up and build a playground for the Lower School students.
1970 The Stengel Study Center opens and includes the Upper School Library, as well as classrooms and seminar rooms.
1972 First Volleyball Team
1970
1980 Agnes Irwin is included at the top spot in the bestselling cultural phenomenon The Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach. She describes the school as having straight arrow behavior, “Where the idea of good time is not sneaking cigarettes, but singing school songs.” Birnbach added, “Field hockey team plays for blood.”
1980 1971 Parents’ Council’s first Winterfest is held. The fundraiser includes dinner and dancing, with an auction and drawing for special prizes. Adele M. Griffin Sands
1969 Senior Core Program started, becomes a signature interdisciplinary learning program at the school. (Pictured: The Class of 1978) 1969 The school gets its first computer, and students are introduced to computer basics.
1971 The first Medieval Day, conceived of by history teacher Mary Poor, is held in the Upper School courtyard. Two legs of lamb are cooked on a spit, and the food is consumed without utensils. Parents and students alike dress in medieval costumes and enjoy skits, juggling and tumbling. This tradition eventually becomes Medieval Night, which continues to this day.
Class of 1937
1981 Anne Lenox retires; Adele Sands, Class of 1937, becomes Headmistress, having already worked as an administrator at AIS for 18 years. She is the second alumna to become headmistress of the school. 1981 The Lenox Arts Center — with theatre, gallery, art and dance studios, music rooms, and photography laboratories — is completed.
1971 The first Special Studies Program (SSP), conceived of by Adele Sands for the sophomore and junior classes, takes place the two weeks following midterms. It is “designed to offer students an opportunity to plunge themselves into a single activity,” whether it be a trip, an Outward Bound experience, or shadowing someone in a possible job interest area.
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1988 Space Shuttle Discovery takes off, the first launch since the Challenger Disaster. 1989 A series of revolutions in nearby countries cause a chain reaction in East Germany, ultimately resulting in the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1986 Full day kindergarten begins 1986 Community Service Program initiated 1983 First Middle School Stars and Stripes Competition, still held to this day. 1983 The Inter-Academic League for Girls is founded and The Agnes Irwin School joins, along with peer institutions, in interscholastic competition.
1991 The Agnes Irwin chapter of the Cum Laude Society is formed, joining the national organization of secondary schools in honoring scholastic achievement; 11 seniors are inducted in the first year. 1986 Headmistress Adele Griffin Sands retires; Mary Kesler becomes 8th Headmistress.
1991 School’s first Multicultural Day Mary Kesler
1986 Major campus enhancements are undertaken: Lower School expansion includes an art studio, fully equipped science lab, and new classrooms. The Sands Computer Center also opens in the Middle/Upper School, with student and faculty workrooms and computer-equipped classrooms. 1991 First Squash Team 1986 First Swim Team
1993 First Crew Season
1990 1988 Faculty sabbatical program is created; Dr. George Barnett is chosen as the first participant.
1982 The science facilities in the Middle and Upper School are renovated; black lab tables are added for comprehensive science work.
1988 Mary Kesler retires, and Penney Moss assumes leadership of the school, changing the title from Headmistress to Head of School. Penney began her tenure at AIS as an English teacher in 1966 and served in various roles over the years, including Associate Headmistress. M. Penney Moss
1987 The school launches Summer Session, a co-ed summer program. 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after take-off, killing seven crew members on board. Agnes Irwin science teacher Kathy Bartuska had been a finalist in the program that sent a science teacher on the mission.
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1994 Lower School addition is completed, adding three new classrooms, the O’Neill Music Music Room, a computer lab, and the Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion. 1994 The Middle School Library and Arts and Science Center are renovated. 1990 First 100th Night Dinner is held. The event, which had previously been a luncheon sponsored by the Alumnae Board, begins in its current form, welcoming the current Senior Class into the Alumnae Association with a celebratory evening. 1990 The World Wide Web is formed; the internet changes life as everyone knew it. Four years later, the school installs a schoolwide WWW computer network to introduce internet and email.
1991 Cold War ends.
1999 Y2K hysteria hits public consciousness as the year 2000 draws closer. 2001 9/11 terrorist attack on U.S. soil; President George W. Bush declares a War on Terror. U.S. troops invade Afghanistan in search of those responsible for the attacks.
Events at Columbine High School shock school communities nationwide.
1998 The Laurel Society, comprised of individuals who have included the school as a beneficiary in their estate plans, is established by Annabelle Pierson Irey ’53 and Pat McPherson ’53.
2000 First school website is launched
2008
1998 Upper School Library undergoes a renovation, and is renamed the M. Penney Moss Library in honor of the current Head of School. 2001 The first robot designed at the school is built as part of the F.I.R.S.T. Robotics program — affectionately named Penney II after Head of School Penney Moss.
2002 The Varsity Field Hockey team commemorates the one-year anniversary of 9/11. The Flag was donated by the Class of 2002 as their senior gift.
2000 1994 The school celebrates its 125th Anniversary. Just as the school had celebrated its centennial with an ambitious fundraising campaign, the 125th Anniversary is marked by generous support from the community that enables major additions to both the Lower and Middle Schools and a renovation of the newly named M. Penney Moss Library.
2001 Students gain access to wireless internet on campus. “No more moving to the library or computer lab to research a project on the Internet,” one campus publication wrote excitedly.
2003 Fourth graders present the first Women in Wax Museum. An ongoing tradition, the project invites girls to identify a notable woman from history, research her life, and perform first-person monologues — in costume! — to peers and families.
1994 2018
The Agnes Irwin School celebrates its 125th Anniversary.
2003 The first Kindergarten Invention Convention is held, an annual event during which kindergarteners present their prototypes that solve a problem they or their peers face — from tunic zipper-uppers to automatic pet feeders.
1995 First Cross Country Team 1997 The film Titanic is released, as is the first book in the Harry Potter series.
2013
2017
2003 U.S. invades Iraq.
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2010 Instagram launched 2011 Snapchat launched
2007 First iPhone introduced Nancy Pelosi is elected the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
2004 Arts and Science Center renovated
2011 Agnes Irwin launches its Center for the Advancement of Girls, which infuses relevant girl-centered research into the Agnes Irwin educational experience. The launch is celebrated with fanfare at the newly opened National Constitution Center.
Mary Seppala 2004 Agnes Irwin’s Athletic Hall of Fame is launched, with nine inductees in the first year.
2009 Mary Seppala becomes 12th Head of School.
2013 “Open the Door” Celebration marks completion of a new school expansion, funded by the largest fundraising campaign in school history ($40M). The campus expansion includes a new entryway, lobby named after 6th Head of School Anne S. Lenox, an expanded dining and Student Life Center, and a 55,000-square foot Athletic Center complete with squash courts, meeting rooms, and rowing tanks. Outside of the Athletic Center, four new tennis courts, a new turf field, and a new softball field flanked the additional buildings. 2013 Peer Active Listening (PAL) begins, pairing upper schoolers with lower schoolers for ongoing mentorship.
2010 2005 Penney Moss retires; Martha C. Cutts becomes 10th Head of School, and is the first to live in the newly acquired Head of School House.
2014 Mary Seppala retires; Dr. Wendy Hill becomes 13th Head of School.
2006 First PreKindergarten class
2007 Martha Cutts retires; Helen Marter (pictured below, center) becomes Interim Head of School.
2012 Groundbreaking for major campus expansion is held on May 11; seniors sign a beam to be installed in the new addition.
Martha Cutts
2005 AIS/EA Day is launched, bringing the school community together to root for the blue and gold! 2008 Financial crisis in the U.S. leads to the Great Recession, affecting markets worldwide. 2004 Social media platform Facebook is launched, and is at first only open to select university students.
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Barack Obama is elected 44th President of the United States, the first African American to be elected to the presidency.
Wendy Hill
2019
2015 The school acquires 672 Conestoga Road, a Trumbauer estate, and moves administrative offices to free up space for academic use. “672” has become home to a variety of school-related events, including the Laurel Society Brunch, rAISe, and student traditions such as the Senior Class Commencement Brunch. 2015 The Junior Coating Ceremony is established: in the spring, every member of the junior class receives a navy blazer embroidered with the school seal, symbolizing their growing leadership role in the Upper School.
The Agnes Irwin School celebrates its 150th Anniversary.
2019 The school celebrates its Sesquicentennial with festivities on campus and around the country. On September 22, 2019 — the exact day that Miss Agnes Irwin opened the doors to her school 150 years ago — 10 decades of Irwin’s women gather on campus to commemorate this milestone. The Convocation Ceremony includes remarks from keynote speaker Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78, the awarding of the inaugural Agnes Irwin Medal to Pat McPherson ’53, and a selection from Agnes Irwin: The Musical! written by music teacher Murray Savar. Sally Keidel 2020 Wendy Hill retires in June; Sally B. Keidel becomes 14th Head of School, ushering in the school’s 151st year. In her first 100 days, Sally leads a large campus undertaking to ensure a safe and successful reopening of Agnes Irwin’s campus for in-person learning in Fall 2020.
2020 2016 A balloon parade, featuring the creations of the second grade class, becomes a joyful annual addition to the All-School Thanksgiving Assembly.
2020 In March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Agnes Irwin transitions to all-virtual school for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Major milestones, including 4th Grade Moving Up Day, 8th Grade Closing Ceremony, and Commencement, move to creative hybrid formats.
2019 The Upper School Triple Crown is launched, combining the existing traditions of the Hallway Competition and Field Day with the newly minted Super Bowl Flag Football games.
2016 Upper School CommUnity in Action Day is established, during which students, faculty, and parents lead workshops that promote meaningful conversations around the themes of community, understanding, diversity, and inclusion.
2016 Donald Trump is elected as the 45th President of the United States.
2020 In July, Agnes Irwin hosts its Summit on Racial Justice, a threeday virtual gathering of faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumnae focused on strengthening the community’s collective commitment to anti-racism. The Summit ended with a Rally for Healing and Walk for the Lives of Black Women, led by middle and upper school student leaders.
2017
2020 Joseph Biden is elected as the 46th President of the United States; Kamala Harris becomes the first female vice president elected in U.S. history.
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The Archivists of the Sesquicentennial Four volunteers emerged as Sesquicentennial archivists to enable a written history detailing the origins and growth of The Agnes Irwin School, the timeline in the preceding pages of this magazine, as well as the many displays and anecdotes that helped make the celebration memorable.
T
he archives room at 672 Conestoga Road was a hive of activity in the months leading up to Founder’s Day Weekend 2019 as Elise Artelt ’60, John Faust (son of Jean Wike Faust ’49), Laura Wheeler Golding ’64, and Polly Staples ’78 dedicated hundreds of hours to research, editing, fact-checking names and dates, and scanning photos. Their knowledge, extensive before this process, only grew throughout the process as they excitedly uncovered little or unknown parts of the school’s history. They rallied alumnae to scour their attics for AIS memorabilia at a History Harvest, which resulted in a memorable “Commencement Dresses through the Decades” Display during Founder’s Day Weekend. They pinpointed significant moments, traditions and time periods throughout the school’s history to provide details for the timeline displayed for Convocation. As they worked to fact-check Agnes Irwin’s history, Elise Artelt and Neveen Mahmoud ’07, Sesquicentennial Production Manager, ventured to the Free Library of Philadelphia to find maps of Delancey Street. Their work also informed the treasured commemorative hardcover book, The Agnes Irwin School: 150 Years, which builds on two written histories marking earlier AIS milestones, the Centennial and the Quasquicentennial. At the time of the Centennial, Headmistress Anne Lenox enlisted history teacher Dr. Joanne Neel to author Miss Irwin’s of Philadelphia, the first written history of the school. Twenty-five years later, in honor of the Quasquicentennial, Head of School Penney Moss supported alumnae Elise Artelt and Sandy Stafford P’96, ’99 in their creation of a 125th Anniversary edition of the beloved Winterfest book. These earlier tellings of the school’s history were invaluable assets in producing both the timeline and the 150th book. Elise Artelt felt passionately that each class should be included in the record of this newest milestone, and so produced the booklet that accompanies the 150th book, which includes the class or commencement photo of each class from 1878 through 2020. As is quoted in the Quasquicentennial Winterfest book that Elise also co-produced, “May (the book) provide both a stroll down memory lane and a zest for the road ahead!” The community owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to these individuals, each of whom has a multi-generational commitment to Agnes Irwin, for their tireless work documenting the legacy of the school.
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“The first ‘aha’ moment for me was that Agnes was alive during the Civil War. The Golden Spike completing the first Transcontinental Railroad was driven the same year our school was founded. When the Wrigley Company began selling chewing gum in 1891… I wondered, did Miss Irwin allow students to chew gum?” LAURA WHEELER GOLDING ’64
From left: AIS archivist volunteers Polly Staples ’78, Laura Wheeler Golding ’64, Elise Artelt ’60, John Faust
THE AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL: REDISCOVERED! Below, find a few reminiscences and interesting discoveries our archivists made in the process of researching the 150th timeline: “ I discovered reading old alumnae surveys that Lucy Pritchett, Class of 1924, was granted the first scholarship to Irwin’s in exchange for her father’s architecture work combining 2009 and 2011 DeLancey into one building, achieved through the design of the up and down staircases.” ELISE ARTELT ’60
“ It was not until I saw the … early class photos one after another, that I noticed what must have been a tradition of the Class President seated in the special chair in the middle of the front row.” POLLY STAPLES ’78
in and Tonic, Mrs. Bartol’s dogs, accompanied the G Headmistress everywhere. “ A generation of alumnae remember those cute corgis tap-tap-tapping down the halls! They were beloved unofficial mascots, way before Gus was on the scene.” LAURA WHEELER GOLDING ’64
A researcher at PBS delivered Neveen’s favorite AIS fact when he emailed the school looking for information on Agnes Irwin, Dean of Radcliffe. “ In research for the documentary, PBS had discovered that Miss Irwin oversaw Helen Keller as a Radcliffe student, and paid out of pocket for her exam proctors. Agnes Irwin had the honor of signing the diploma presented to Helen Keller when she graduated with honors in 1904.” NEVEEN MAHMOUD ’07
T HE BEST PART OF THE PROCESS, the archivists agree, was getting to know each other. Despite
decades — or even a campus — separating their AIS experience, they cite the strength of the alumnae connection as being a source of great fulfillment. What is currently called resilience and empowerment, Elise deemed the “spunk” she developed at AIS. The words may change, the curriculum evolves, but the spirit and pride are constant.
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2019-2020
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Last School Year in Photos
Last School Year in Photos | 2019-2020
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2019-2020 | Last School Year in Photos
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Last School Year in Photos | 2019-2020
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Commencement JUNE 4, 2020
| CLASS OF 2020
A
pandemic couldn’t put a damper on graduation exercises for the ever-resilient Agnes Irwin Class of 2020, who celebrated Commencement over the course of the first week of June! Thanks to some creative planning, the 65 members of the senior class received their diplomas in small, sociallydistanced celebrations by advisory before coming together on June 4 for a surprise send-off from cheering faculty and staff and, later that evening, a special online Commencement ceremony. This year’s Commencement speaker, Sandra Moser ’94, began her address by acknowledging the unique circumstances faced by the Class of 2020, but noted that uncertainty is not an inherently negative concept. “Although it can prove a challenging state of being — one difficult to navigate even in the best of times — it’s also something to be embraced as you take those next momentous steps toward adulthood and independence.” Moser is an experienced trial lawyer and a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, where she co-chairs the firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement, and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice. Prior to her current position, Ms. Moser served for more than 12 years in the Department of Justice; at the time of her departure, she was chief of the white-collar crime criminal Fraud Section in Washington, D.C., which handles many of the world’s most significant foreign corruption and economic crime cases. In her keynote address, Moser also encouraged graduates to hold firm to the strong foundation that The Agnes Irwin School
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helped provide. “I know firsthand that it has taught you strength of character, of conviction, and to have confidence in your abilities and views — and most vital for young women, to stand up and share those views and convictions,” she said. “You can know yourself, your worth, your strength without knowing all the answers.” Moser urged graduates to be bold and ask ‘why’ as they move forward, “because you are the ones who will be positing the suggestions, the proposed resolutions, the ways to make it better.” “[As] difficult as all the uncertainty we have been living through might be, I have a feeling you’re not just surviving,” she added. “You’re thriving. … All of us could not be more proud of you or eager to watch you go out into the world with the question ‘Why’ on your lips. On this day, of that, you can be certain.” Before Moser spoke, student-elected speaker Madison Thompson ’20 addressed her peers, remarked that the Class of 2020 is one that has experienced numerous firsts. “The Class of 2020 has truly proven what it means to be an Agnes Irwin girl,” she said. “We have proven ourselves flexible and persistent even under these circumstances.” “We represent 150 years of resilience and determination and as the world around us fills with fear and uncertainty … and we wonder if we’ll begin our new lives in the fall as we’ve always dreamed of, I now know that home is where the heart is,” Madison said. “... Know that no matter where you are in this moment, and the many moments to come, we are together in spirit, and forever will be.”
CLASS OF 2020 | Commencement
Over the course of several days in early June, seniors and their families visited campus to receive their diplomas in a socially distanced ceremony with their advisory. Seniors received their diplomas from their families, then walked across the Commencement stage to congratulations from Upper School Director Lisa Webster and Head of School Dr. Wendy Hill.
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Commencement | CLASS OF 2020
Traditionally, the Commencement processional and the reception afterwards is a time for seniors to say goodbye to beloved teachers and staff. This year, that tradition was reimagined in a safe, socially distanced way with a surprise Senior Drive-Around, held the morning of Commencement, in which AIS faculty and staff cheered on seniors as their parents drove them around the campus loop!
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CLASS OF 2020 | Commencement
Top and bottom left: Scenes from the Senior Drive Around on June 4, 2020. Bottom, center: Student-elected Commencement speaker Madison Thompson ’20 addresses students in a pre-recorded speech. Bottom, right: Sandra Moser ’94 speaks to students in a pre-recorded Commencement address that was streamed live to families the evening of June 4. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
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Commencement | CLASS OF 2020
The Owls are taking flight
to America’s most prestigious colleges and universities Our 65 graduates received
279
offers of admission from 138 institutions of higher learning
100
1
%
of the class accepted in early acceptance round
98
%
are attending one of their top college choices
20
%
2
3
1. Eight members of the Class of 2020 were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program. 2. The Class of 2020 was the first-ever PreK class at AIS. Pictured are the Class of 2020 “lifers” in 2006 with that year’s “lifers” from the senior Class of 2007. 3. Thirteen Agnes Irwin seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society at a special online Upper School ceremony on May 26. In rows from top left: Asiyah Ball, Elizabeth Carlson, Colette Cavazos, Lia Della Porta, Elizabeth Dixon, Eve Frankel, Katherine Glaser, Leann Luong, Rachel Mashek, Natalie Pansini, Ciaran Scott, Caroline Shaver, and Mara Zwilling.
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are recruited athletes who are playing their primary sport in college
11
%
are attending an Ivy League school
Katherine Curran Anderson Franklin & Marshall College Asiyah Ball George Washington University
Colette Rose Cavazos Duke University
Evin Qin Goodwin American University
Rongzhe Chen Haverford College
Ella Madison Haines George Washington University
Kayla Imani Clowney Valdosta State University
Isabella Leanne Bennett Spelman College
Molly Grace Cordray Gettysburg College
Peyton Witherspoon Bond Dartmouth College
Natalie Reynolds Corkran University of Richmond
Anna Julia Bottin Wake Forest University
Catherine Reed Costin George Washington University
Anne Deeter Braithwaite Fordham University Jeanette Elizabeth Breck Syracuse University Emma Elizabeth Brown Nottingham Trent University (England) Julianne Janus Carey Davidson College Elizabeth Sara Carlson University of Virginia Taylor Dior Carter Franklin & Marshall College Caroline Mariam Aracelli Casey Muhlenberg College
Juliana Watts deLehman Loyola Marymount University
Ellis Taylor Herz Parsons/The New School Kacy Ellis Hogarth University of Maryland, College Park Brianna Samantha Jaffe Oberlin College Rachel Ellen Kelly University of Limerick (Ireland) Parker Caroline King Temple University
Lia Kathleen Della Porta University of Pennsylvania
Amelia Grace Leyden Lehigh University
Lucienne Eliza Dionne Syracuse University
Christina Louise Lowther Southern Methodist University
Elizabeth Fielding Dixon McGill University (Canada) Hadley Ann Evans Miami University, Ohio Waring Cutler Fleitas Wake Forest University Eve Heidi Frankel University of California, Los Angeles Katherine Annika Glaser Princeton University
Leann Hue Luong University of Pennsylvania Rachel Lyn Mashek Brown University
Sarah Dawson McConnon Saint Francis University
Caroline Elizabeth Shannon Boston College
Grace Elizabeth McNelis Fordham University
Caroline Renee Shaver University of Michigan
Courtney Carrigan Naylor Indiana University Bloomington
Yanqiao Shu New York University
Avery Alleva Niedland Franklin & Marshall College
Dayna Lynn Thomas Furman University Madison Lea Thompson American University
Natalie Sophia Null University of Richmond
Sophie Elizabeth Urban Temple University
Katherine Evans O’Brien College of Charleston
Olivia Jean Walsh University of Virginia
Natalie Elisabetta Pansini Princeton University
Phoebe Magill Weintraub University of Pennsylvania
Tarah Rochelle Paul University of Pennsylvania Elizabeth Theresa Pendergast Hamilton College Caitlin Kim Regan University of Notre Dame
Shreya Mathawan Northeastern University
Talia Elsie Schley University of Colorado Boulder
Kaitlyn Ann McCarthy Auburn University
Ciaran Patrise Scott Northeastern University
Olivia Kathryn Weise Bucknell University Nyra Ashlei Wells-Anderson Point Park University Cheney Sterling Williams University of Richmond Jordan Sanaa Williams University of Miami Colby Elizabeth Yoh James Madison University Mara Rose Zwilling Pennsylvania State University
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Celebrating Our Retirees
It’s hard to say goodbye! Now halfway through a new school year, we look back at retirees from 2019-2020, whose combined 70+ years of leadership and service to AIS taught us the very foundations of learning, the beauty of words, and the importance of service — lessons that will reverberate for many years to come.
Cindy Hooper Bell ’79
ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND WELLNESS TEACHER
An AIS alumna, Cindy truly embraced our mission every day. After graduating from AIS, Cindy attended G ett y s b u r g C o l l e g e before serving as the varsity tennis coach at Bryn Mawr College. Cindy had a long history of involvement at AIS, spanning more than 30 years, most recently as Assistant Athletic Director and Middle School Physical Education teacher. Cindy served on the Agnes Irwin Alumnae Board for nine years (including five years as board president), before joining the Board of Trustees in 1997. During her 13 years of leadership to the school as a trustee, she saw the creation of the Laurel Society and the launch of the school’s PreKindergarten Program in 2005. In 2010, she transitioned from the boardroom to the school building, serving as the Co-Director of Alumnae Relations, in addition to coaching softball and tennis. In 2016, her passion for learning and teaching compelled her to move into her Assistant Athletic Director role, teaching in the classroom and on the field. Her colleagues described her as “the kindest, most genuine person” they know, with a demonstrated love and enthusiasm for the school. Cindy was a competitor, a teacher, a friend, and a colleague who embodied the Agnes Irwin mission and treated every girl like they were her own daughter. She gave her time, talent and treasure to the school as trustee, teacher, coach, administrator, parent, and alumna and epitomizes learning and evolving — all while modeling that for her students every day.
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Molly Bergh
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Molly knew how students learn best! She was a master teacher who taught students across ages and stages since she began her teaching career. In 2007, she joined the AIS community as a PreK teacher, later moving into Kindergarten, where she filled the girls’ days with joy from the start! In her time as a Lower School teacher, she supported girls as they built their academic foundation to ensure success as students at Agnes Irwin and beyond. A role model to many in the school, Molly cared deeply for her colleagues and for her students, always offering a kind word, listening ear, or a warm embrace. In addition to her work in the classroom, Molly served as a member of the Equity & Inclusion Committee, representing the school at the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color & Student Diversity Leadership Conference, while teaching her colleagues and advocating for students and families. Molly was committed, both inside her classroom and in the wider community, to do her part to help AIS achieve our highest levels of inclusive excellence. She was warm, compassionate, and a sensitive and generous leader who didn’t shy away from modeling vulnerability for her students and colleagues.
Lisa Webster
UPPER SCHOOL DIRECTOR
Dan Slack
UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER
Dan is the type of educator young teachers strive to become. A dedicated teacher and leader, Dan contributed to the rich and rigorous learning community that characterizes the Upper School at AIS. Dan began his teaching career at Lawrence Country Day School, later moving to Kent School, before arriving at The Haverford School, where he served as a teacher and Dean of Faculty. He joined the AIS community as a long-term substitute teacher in 2015 before becoming a full-time faculty member in 2016 as an Upper School English teacher. Dan was an inaugural member of the Edward E. Ford Foundation funded Legacy through Leadership Fellowship, a signature program at AIS. Through this program, he launched the Personal Interest Project initiative, expanding his curriculum to allow students in his course to spend 20% of their time on projects inspired by their hearts. This opportunity, rooted in student voice and choice that we know is best for girls, inspired us to think differently about our academic schedule, and in some ways influenced the creation of our seminar blocks, which have reaped tremendous rewards in experiential learning opportunities for our girls. It was no surprise that Dan was an impetus for change in this way, as he was known in the community to be a ‘man of many hobbies,’ a lifelong learner always willing to take on a new challenge! Fluent in French and skilled in woodworking, hiking, furniture restoration, and cooking, Dan could guide you through the terrifying writings of Edgar Allen Poe and build you a rocking chair all in the same week! As a father of an AIS graduate, Dan saw firsthand the impact of the work he and his colleagues did every day in the lives of girls. Kind and supportive, Dan brought an encouraging optimism to the school each day.
Over the course of 21 y e a r s, h u n d r e d s o f students benefited from the counsel, guidance, and support of Lisa — affectionately known as “Webby” to her many students. She joined the Agnes Irwin community in the Mathematics department, ultimately serving as a Middle and Upper School Math Teacher, Department Chair, Dean of Students, and most recently as Upper School Director. During her tenure, Lisa taught math for every grade from 5th to 12th, served as Director of Community Service and Student Activities, and expanded the community service and clubs programs. Always seeking the best way to empower girls, she regularly invested her lunch hour in students, conversing with her advisory group about their lives and learning experiences — and excitedly prepared her office for such visits via seasonally appropriate decorations. Her warmth and kindness impacted the lives of students and their families — and her keen wit and humor enhanced the community. Lisa was described as a “magnificent teacher, administrator, and colleague,” praised for her dedication to helping students achieve their full potential, while simultaneously empowering faculty members to teach at the highest level. School spirit was important to Lisa, who made a concerted effort to cultivate it in students — be it through taking 9th and 12th graders out for a bowling bonding experience, overseeing the annual prom, and more. In addition to her work at AIS, she proudly participated as a parent in Radnor’s prom planning, football, and crew booster clubs and performing arts councils; and served on the board of Family Support Services for many years. Lisa’s love of the water and beach was well known among her colleagues and students, and she — always the educator — spent her summers running youth sailing programs near her family’s vacation spot in Penobscot Bay, Maine.
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A Fond Farewell Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Wendy Hill, 13th Head of School AS WE CONCLUDE OUR LOOK BACK AT THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR, WE TAKE A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE THE LEGACY
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OF DR. WENDY HILL, WHO ENDED HER TENURE AS THE 13TH HEAD OF THE AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL ON JUNE 30, 2020.
hen Dr. Wendy Hill arrived in July 2014 to serve as 13th Head of The Agnes Irwin School, she brought with her a teacher-scholar style of leadership, a deep appreciation for the sciences, and an impressive 25 years of experience as an educator and administrator at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Her six-year tenure at AIS, which concluded in June 2020, was marked by expanded campus space and programming that supported academic excellence and innovation; a reimagined curriculum and schedule; a deeper commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion work; and last spring, saw the introduction of a virtual learning experience that embraced flexibility while maintaining the Agnes Irwin School’s hallmark communal feel. From the moment of her arrival, Wendy set out to ensure that AIS would move forward in innovative ways, while honoring the traditions and culture that characterize the Agnes Irwin experience — including a recommitment to the Core Values of Excellence, Community, Character, and Respect. Alexandra Fergusson Powell ’00, Alumnae Association President, praised Wendy’s dedication to upholding the school’s history so beloved by AIS graduates. “As alumnae, the visit — which included assemblies, small group AIS history is part of who we are, and the safeguarding of that history is vital,” meet-and-greet receptions, and an evening lecture Powell remarks. “During her six years as Head of School, Wendy carried that attended by more than 1,000 Agnes Irwin torch for us.” community members — also launched the school’s That love of tradition inspired Wendy to revive beloved practices from the past, yearlong theme of “Hope for Humankind,” with such as the distinguished blazer (given during the Junior Coating Ceremony), as conservationist and humanitarian themes woven well as to develop a few of her own. Wendy emphasized community with a throughout academic and co-curricular activities. Welcome Back picnic for the entire school and honored the graduating class with Ginny Sharp Williams ’88, a special Senior Class Commencement Brunch. She also Chair of the Board of Trustees, instituted a plaid tunic uniform for the school’s youngest referred to Wendy as “the learners — one that used the same plaid as the Upper “Dr. Hill understood quintessential educator,” and School kilt, and that also served as a visual message the importance of We n d y f o u n d c o u n t l e s s communicating unity of the school’s divisions. Dr. excellence in girls’ opportunities to engage Kareema Levetter Gray ’90, who first encountered personally with the students. Wendy while attending Lafayette College, notes that “Dr. education, and she For example, she was often Hill understood the importance of excellence in girls’ understood the value deeply engaged in the science education, and she understood the value that AIS places that AIS places on our classrooms, teaching Special on our longstanding traditions. I believe that in her work Studies Programs on the at AIS, she honored both very well.” longstanding traditions. cognitive neuroscience of For Wendy, a key component of empowering girls to I believe that in her work memory and the neuroscience learn, to lead, and to live a legacy was to bring exemplary at AIS, she honored and legal ramifications of the leaders to campus — beginning with anthropologist, opioid crisis, leading a sheep primatologist, and environmental advocate Jane Goodall both very well.” brain dissection, and teaching in Fall 2015. Wendy met Goodall the year prior while DR. KAREEMA LEVETTER GRAY ’90 in the Lower School about the serving as provost at Lafayette College, and wanted to life cycle of chicks (where she bring that inspiring energy to Agnes Irwin. The historic 38
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Clockwise from top left: Dr. Hill dissects a sheep brain with students; speaking at Commencement; with Ann Vauclain Klotz ’78 at Founder’s Day Festival; talking birds with Lower School; singing in the Lower School Concert; receiving her very own Agnes Irwin senior blazer at Commencement 2020; with Jane Goodall during her Fall 2016 visit; imparting some wisdom to our kindergarten “Head of School for the Day” in 2019.
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A Fond Farewell | REFLECTING ON THE LEGACY OF DR. WENDY HILL
was known for her ability to “hypnotize” baby chicks). “There is never an intellectual challenge too great for Wendy Hill,” says Mariandl Hufford, former Assistant Head of School and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Girls. Bringing Miss Agnes, the person, to proverbial life for students was one of Wendy’s early goals. She often challenged students and faculty to “channel their inner Agnes,” and kept the ideals and spirit of Miss Agnes in mind while overseeing the development of a bold new Strategic Plan. This fiveyear framework bolstered the holistic education of each Agnes Irwin girl by providing enhanced opportunities to ignite curiosity and expand creativity; empower educators to explore new ways to teach girls; honor and develop the individuality and diversity of thought of each community member; and secure the school’s financial future. During her tenure, Wendy also oversaw the development of a Campus Master Plan, which included the purchase of 672 Conestoga Road and 400 South Ithan properties and allowed for additional classrooms, new technology and meeting locations, and housing for essential campus offices. It also led to the creation of the Lower School iWonder Lab and Upper/Middle School STEAM Studio, both designed to create enhanced opportunities for academic exploration. Under Wendy’s leadership, the school also raised funds to establish campus spaces honoring the lives and memory of both longtime English Department Chair Sharon Rudnicki and student Naya Summy ’21. The Sharon Rudnicki Writing Center offers enhanced writing programming, while the Class of 2021 Piano Lab and Naya Summy Composition Room expands music programming, singing, and songwriting opportunities at AIS. Solidifying innovation as part of the academic process was a critical component of Wendy’s vision, and she worked with the faculty to form the iTeam — a trio dedicated to integrating technology and creative learning approaches into every classroom and cross-disciplinary project. “Establishing the iTeam was a bold move on Wendy’s part,” notes Hufford. “Whereas other schools might have opted for one person and dipped their toe in the water, she went at it fully. It was visionary and innovative.” Wendy championed the iTeam both on and off campus, even advocating in person at the Edward E. Ford Foundation to help secure a prestigious grant. That funding was used to found the Legacy Through 40
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Leadership professional development program, which empowered faculty members to explore, create, and collaborate on new learning opportunities for students — a key element of the Strategic Plan. Incorporating innovation into the classroom also meant re-envisioning the school’s curriculum and schedule, emphasizing project-based, student-centered learning that prepares graduates for college and beyond. This enhanced schedule, which was implemented in the 2019-20 school year, featured special intervals that allowed teachers and students the opportunity to delve deeper into select topics, often through immersive learning experiences — and, perhaps most importantly, was co-created with students and faculty. “AIS didn’t just go find a school with a schedule that they liked and then try to make it work,” says Donna Lindner, former Director of the Lower School. “Rather, we used a design-thinking approach and built a schedule from scratch using the school’s values and philosophy to guide the work — which is pretty unheard of in many schools across the country.” Under Wendy’s guidance, the Center for the Advancement of Girls restructured and refocused its work to positively impact each girl, every day through new programs and partnerships, such as the AthLEADs student-athlete leadership series that extends classroom and extracurricular learning into real-world experiences for students. She also oversaw three years of the Center’s Sharing Solutions: Advancing Girls in STEM conference, aimed at identifying and designing actionable steps and partnership models that will advance girls and women in STEM fields. Ever the proponent of hands-on learning experiences, Wendy also identified a unique partnership with the Small World Initiative, which provides laboratory and field research opportunities to high school and university students around the world as they engage in discovering new antibiotics. Thanks to donor support, the School was able to purchase new Biosafety Level 2 Lab instrumentation and equipment, and Wendy drew on her connections at Lafayette College to secure biosafety cabinets to help make this opportunity a reality for the school’s new Research in Microbiology class. Dr. Pat McPherson ’53, former president of Bryn Mawr College and a member of the Head of School search committee that selected Wendy, remarks that “As a first-class scientist, Wendy brought to the School a commitment to engaging more women in science and helping students at every level achieve comfort in STEM fields — [something] not always emphasized as critical in girls’ education.”
Dr. Hill in royal garb with middle schoolers; with former Heads of School Mary Seppala and Penney Moss.
Dr. Hill and Gus greet students on the first day of school.
Dr. Hill cheers at AIS/EA Day.
engage in conversations about equity and inclusion at Agnes Wendy also promoted the Irwin. “SEED is an extraordinary program,” notes Hufford. school’s existing Living “Establishing the iTeam “The fact that we were able to implement it for our parent Leadership in the Lower community, and that continues to be in place, is an School Program and the was a bold move on exceptional feature of the Agnes Irwin community — and an Agnes Irwin Leadership Wendy’s part. Whereas exceptional legacy that Wendy has left.” Toolkit© — a physical toolbox other schools might that focuses on nine key With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring attributes of a 21st-century of 2020, Wendy embraced the challenge of moving the AIS have opted for one leader, making abstract experience to a vibrant digital format. She led the person and dipped concepts tangible for young community through the launch of AIS Online, the school’s their toe in the water, learners. Under her guidance, first virtual community, presenting a dynamic educational the Center studied and platform that remained rooted in the rich traditions that she went at it fully. published about the impact of define the school’s sense of community and sustained It was bold, visionary, the program and presented at growth. Wendy’s determination to maintain that communal and innovative.” national conferences. These experience infused AIS Online, where she visited the attributes continue to be Lower School Special Guest Assembly, moved her Senior MARIANDL HUFFORD, FORMER reinforced in the curriculum, Lunch tradition to a virtual format, joined in classes, and ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL on the playground, during communicated with students to welcome their feedback assemblies, and throughout and gauge their well-being. Her leadership, along with the Lower School life. tireless efforts of faculty and staff, resulted in a learning experience that emphasized not only academic excellence, but a genuine Wendy’s vision of a vibrant AIS community also investment in each student’s emotional and physical health. centered on increasing the presence of diversity, But perhaps the hallmark of Wendy’s time at Agnes Irwin was her dedication equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at the highest levels to fostering that sense of belonging and community. On any given day one might of the school’s leadership. She took a fresh look at the have found Wendy working on a robotics project with a group of 6th graders, or role that administrators play in this critical effort and taking time between classes to talk with students and faculty members as they restructured the Assistant Head of School position to moved throughout their day. Lower schoolers will forever remember Dr. Hill reflect the philosophy that DEI priorities should be donning a plaid tunic to sing about how she would not grow up, not ever. Athletes present in every aspect of school programming and were assured of her avid cheers during AIS/EA Day, while performing artists created a distributive leadership model with DEI could count on her presence at concerts and theater productions. Younger Coordinators for each division and one for faculty and students excitedly awaited the spring Head of School for the Day, where Wendy staff. Agnes Irwin’s commitment to DEI deepened shared administrative duties with one of their classmates — including the signing with the launch of the Parent Seeking Educational of a proclamation declaring a free dress day for their division. Equity and Diversity (SEED) Program, which brings After six years of preparing AIS girls for success, supporting faculty a cohort of diverse Agnes Irwin parents together to development and creativity, and engaging with parents and the community, engage in meaningful discussions that transcend race, Wendy has transitioned back to the faculty at Lafayette College. While her socioeconomic status, political affiliation, and other vivacious intelligence is missed, she remains connected to Agnes Irwin as a parent differences. Agnes Irwin has partnered with SEED for of senior Maisie. So we can count on seeing Wendy at school events as she more than seven years, and the program continues to continues to support not only her daughter, but the entire AIS community. thrive, fueled by parents and guardians eager to
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A Look Ahead
AIS 151 and Beyond
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Welcoming Sally Keidel
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ith just a few honored guests gathering in Students from all three divisions presented Mrs. Keidel with person and hundreds of AIS students, gifts on behalf of their respective student bodies. Sidney ’29 faculty, and alumnae nationwide watching offered a framed photo from Mrs. Keidel’s first day with the Lower via livestream, the Agnes Irwin community School, as well as a Lower School tote bag embossed with the nine officially welcomed Sally Keidel as the 14th leadership attributes found in the Agnes Irwin Leadership Head of School on Oct. 16. Toolkit©. Gabrielle ’25, vice president of the Middle School The festive but socially distanced occasion was as much a Student Council, bestowed an official monogrammed Middle homecoming as a formal welcome for Mrs. Keidel. Her story School backpack, remarking that “Now you’ll be able to show your intertwines with Agnes Irwin, where she served as Director of AIS pride in style!” Upper School Student Body President Ayanna Admission and Financial Aid from 2007-2014 and as Assistant ’21 presented Mrs. Keidel with her very own Irwin’s Blazer, a Head of School from 2012-2014. symbol of leadership in the school Steven Lisk, Head of Lancaster Country presented to students during their junior Day School, opened the ceremony with an year. Ayanna referenced the glowing “As we begin the next invocation, followed by a welcome from praises from the Board of Trustees’ official Ginny Sharp Williams ’88, Chair of the Board appointment announcement, adding that 150 years of Agnes Irwin of Trustees. “From the beginning of our “No one could have imagined then how history, the optimism is search for a new Head of School, Sally’s much we would come to depend upon your palpable and the desire to return to our community was a vision, leadership, and love for our confidence those around constant theme,” Mrs. Williams noted. community in a time of crisis.” “Towards the end of the process, Sally Following a special virtual performance you share in your ability to reminded us of her passion for our school and by the 2020-2021 Bel Cantos — directed lead us forward is what her belief in the transformative power of an by Murray Savar, who also served as makes me proud to say, on Agnes Irwin education.” Addressing Mrs. the faculty and staff speaker — the AIS behalf of the Board of Keidel directly, Mrs. Williams added “As we community shared well wishes for Mrs. begin the next 150 years of Agnes Irwin Keidel’s success in her new role. Nissa Trustees, welcome home.” history, the optimism is palpable and the O’Mara P’22, ’24, President of the Parents’ GINNY SHARP WILLIAMS ’88, confidence those around you share in your Council, presented a trio of dogwood CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ability to lead us forward is what makes me trees, while Alumnae Association proud to say, on behalf of the Board of President Alexandra Fergusson Powell Trustees, welcome home.” ’00 offered a watercolor collage depicting
From left: Steven Lisk, Head of Lancaster Country Day School, gives the invocation; Ginny Sharp Williams ’88, Chair of the Board of Trustees, welcomes attendees; Upper School Student Body President Ayanna Dunlop ’21 presents Mrs. Keidel with her own Irwin’s blazer.
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Maggie Keidel ’27 (top left) provided familial insight during the ceremony, stating that a list of professional credentials “cannot tell you how warm and caring my mother is. … She puts her all into everything she does, and it really inspires me. She has shown me that I can accomplish anything I want, as long as I work hard for it.” Clockwise, from top left: Music teacher Murray Savar; the Bel Cantos perform virtually; a gift from Parents’ Council; Dr. Steven Piltch gives the keynote address; Mrs. Keidel with members of the AIS administration.
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Left: Sally and her family: son Charlie, husband Phil, daughter Maggie ’27. Right: Sally with her sister, Elizabeth B. Abrahams.
each of The Agnes Irwin School’s physical locations over the past community — and to formulate a vision and a future for our school 150 years. that we can commit to together because it comes from all of us.” She recalled her previous years at Agnes Irwin, and how the Dr. Steven Piltch, Director of the School Leadership Program at experience exposed her to leadership challenges, enrollment the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, took possibilities, and creative problem-solving skills. Mrs. Keidel the podium to honor Mrs. Keidel. Mr. Piltch, former Headmaster admired the community’s willingness to dialogue about social at The Shipley School and a long-time colleague of Mrs. Keidel, justice, adjust to COVID-era classrooms, reflected on several of their interactions over and more, adding that “I have worked with the years before imparting his observations administrators who have dedicated of Mrs. Keidel’s character. “I am here today to draw themselves to what is right and best gift for “Bright, humble, and thoughtful, Sally upon the strengths and girls — all day, every day, in every deals with issues of all kinds with great care circumstance.” and effectiveness, and seems to do her best aspirations of this Bolstered by her dedicated team of work when issues are particularly complex community — and to educators and administrators, Mrs. Keidel and challenging,” he remarked. formulate a vision and a expressed optimism for the opportunities Mr. Piltch praised her commitment not future for our school that and challenges ahead. “We are called to only to the mission of the schools she served action in making Agnes Irwin a place where at, but her dedication to acknowledging each we can commit to every girl feels loved, supported, and voice — while not allowing personal together because it respected every day,” she remarked. “As achievement to overshadow collaboration comes from all of us.” students venture out from AIS, they do and community. “She will stress the importance of getting to know others … and so with the strength of character and SALLY B. KEIDEL, treating others with respect, understanding, scholarship they developed on this campus, HEAD OF SCHOOL and compassion,” Mr. Piltch added. Smiling and it sustains them to be successful knowingly, he concluded his address by in college and beyond. The lessons and noting the importance of working together and coming from a place skills they learn here empower them to seek out ways to get of goodwill and trust. “This is the way Sally Keidel lives her life. This engaged and to become leaders quickly wherever their future is the way she will lead the school. And this is the reason that, years endeavors take them.” from now, you will look back on the appointment of Sally Keidel as She concluded her remarks by circling back to the school’s the 14th Head of this storied and wonderful school as the best and founder, who called for each girl to conduct a self-assessment at the most important decision that was made as Agnes Irwin moved into end of each day, and ask what they did to make a difference. Mrs. its second 150 years.” Keidel beamed as she declared, “We have a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of each and every girl enrolled at AIS Finally, it was time for the woman of the hour. As Mrs. Keidel and I am honored to be part of this great calling. As I reflect on my took to the stage, she thanked her colleagues past and present — work, I will reference the question of Agnes Irwin and endeavor, including former Head of School Dr. Wendy Hill — remarking that every day, to make a difference for the girls.” “I am here today to draw upon the strengths and aspirations of this
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Q&A W
with Sally Keidel
hen Sally Keidel, 14th Head of The Agnes Irwin School, began her tenure on July 1, 2020, it felt very familiar to many people. Sally spent what she called “a tremendous seven years” at Agnes Irwin from 2007-2014 as Director of Admission and Financial Aid as well as the Assistant Head of School in her last two years. She left AIS to become the Head of The Montgomery School, a PreK-Grade 8 school in Chester Springs, PA. During her six years as Head of School there, Sally embraced the leadership opportunities and challenges inherent in heading a school, leading Montgomery through a visionary strategic plan, implementing a faculty evaluation system, and working closely with the Board of Trustees on a tuition-lowering initiative that led to significant enrollment growth. Sally, who holds a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, has enjoyed success in a variety of roles throughout her nearly 30-year career in education — from teacher, to director of residential life, to admissions director. She earned her bachelor’s degree in French from Dickinson College. Sally and her husband Phil moved into the Head of School Home this summer with their children Charlie (The Haverford School, Class of 2024) and Maggie (The Agnes Irwin School, Class of 2027), and their new puppy, Bailey.
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What drew you to the field of education?
I wanted to be a teacher at a very young age. I set up my imaginary classroom in my basement and I worked hard teaching classes, assigning homework, and grading papers. When I was in middle school, my parents recognized that I would benefit from an independent education and I enrolled at the Tower Hill School from 6th-12th grade. My desire to be an educator increased in 10th grade with an inspirational math teacher. Mrs. Griffin invested in me that year, not only as a math student, but also as a person. Prior to being in her class, I did not have a lot of confidence, but that year, she got to know me. The way she stuck with me, encouraging and supporting me, enabled me to discover a confidence I did not know I possessed. It was transformative. After graduating from college, I took my first teaching position in Southern Virginia and was only four years older than the oldest students in the dorm where I lived. I felt fulfilled by the opportunity to give back and honor the teachers who had made that investment in me. When the opportunity to move into admissions work presented itself, I jumped at the chance. I loved the way in which admissions work really helps to shape a school, and also the possibility of watching students come into a school eager to learn and leave having discovered themselves. I would go on to work in admissions at four schools, the last of which was Agnes Irwin. In
we are as an institution and where we are going. Then how can my perspective and the perspective of the leadership team enhance and refine that vision; how can we articulate the vision, enhance it, and then move it forward. You cannot create vision without first understanding.
You’ve often said that your guiding principle is “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.” What does that phrase mean to you?
two of my leadership positions, I was the first woman, which is an interesting part of my journey and something I think mirrors the steps an Agnes Irwin student takes to become the best version of herself.
Colleagues at Agnes Irwin recall you as a collaborative leader, and use phrases like authentic and listens to a variety of voices. How would you describe yourself as a leader?
When I first started working in education, I did not envision myself as a Head of School, but admission work gives a unique perspective on an institution and what the possibilities are. Once you see those possibilities and what could be, the best way to make change is to become a head. It was not the path I had foreseen, but my colleagues and people around me had seen in me something I had not seen in myself. I gradually realized the possibilities open to me, and it looked exciting. As a Head of School, I could serve an institution and move it forward while protecting the heart and core, something Pat Bassett, former Head of NAIS and someone I greatly admire, describes as “talking about what will remain constant with what will change.” That has always impacted me. I am a collaborative leader and believe that our vision needs to be a shared vision. My plan is to spend time understanding where
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One of the challenges in our society is that people listen in order to speak, rather than listening to understand. I try to live by the philosophy of listening to understand: seeking out a variety of voices and points of view, asking questions, and working to understand where each person is coming from — then using those perspectives to help inform a framework for where to go. This is especially important at this moment where we really want students to expand their minds and listen to others. One of the lessons I love is when teachers ask students to debate a position contrary to their own beliefs and see the learning that happens from understanding another’s point of view.
Do you have short-term goals for this first year as you work to develop a longer-term vision for the school with your team?
In line with my guiding principle, I plan to spend this year getting to know the community. I am eager to be a presence in the lives of our students and families and really live into our core values. How do we make sure that every day, every girl feels known, cared for, and respected? What is the framework that exists to make sure we are an institution that does what is best for our girls, with layers to ensure there is equitable transparency, consistent application, and that stumbles and discipline issues are restorative opportunities for growth? We need a vision and a future we can commit to together, one that comes from all of us. I have great excitement and optimism because of our shared belief in all that AIS stands for.
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1 and 3. Mrs. Keidel welcomes students to school in Fall 2020. 2. Mrs. Keidel visits Lower School, pre-pandemic.
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Q&A | WITH SALLY KEIDEL
This is a remarkable moment in this world. How has the pandemic influenced your transition to Agnes Irwin? Is there anything you hope students take away from this time?
The convergence of navigating a pandemic and the plain need to address questions of social justice have created challenges, but also opportunities. We have been called to action to ensure that AIS is a place where every girl feels cared for, loved, and nurtured every day. What I have found is that students and alumnae are eager to engage in important conversations; and that faculty give tirelessly of themselves, all day, every day, and in every circumstance. We are committed to doing the sustained work to make lasting change in the school. One of the biggest challenges of returning to Agnes Irwin in the midst of the pandemic was that there were hard decisions to be made from the second I had boots on the ground as Head of School, with the information on hand. My focus was to open school in the safest way possible, in order to stay open as long as possible, and my gut and my values drove that. I heard a consultant speak at the end of my first year at Montgomery, and he said, in schools, there are problems, and then there are dilemmas. Problems have a clear solution. As a Head of School, you are delivered the dilemmas — there is no clear answer; there is no direct solution; and you must make the hard decisions don’t have the ability to look six months down the road and see if the decision you made is the right one. What we found during the pandemic is that community and connection to each other are more important than ever. AIS is more than a place, and yet people really missed being in the place. There was a lot we could recreate as we navigated remote learning, but physically being together was important. I also knew it was
necessary to intentionally build communities with classrooms and advisories that would be strong if we are not physically together at some later point in the school year. We had to create a safe learning environment this fall while working to hold on to the essence of who we are despite the pandemic. What I witnessed immediately was how delighted the girls were to be together and learning with each other. Their appreciation for their community was amplified by last spring’s remote learning.
You are in a unique position returning to Agnes Irwin after your 2007-2014 tenure. What struck you the most about how the school had changed in the intervening 6 years?
I have worked at independent schools for three decades, and one of the greatest delights is the opportunity to be part of students’ lives in their formative years. Since returning to AIS, I have remembered many happy memories and the students, colleagues, and mentors I met along the way. What I love about AIS has remained strong but it is exciting to see how it has changed. This is a place where girls love to go to school. This is where they find their voice. It is how the educators stoke the fire for learning and the program intentionally focuses on girls, keeping academics slightly out of reach — aspirational, but attainable, to inspire that ever-present zest to learn. Powerful things happen here because of the relationships between the educators and girls. The adults see possibilities in girls, and encourage the students to expand their horizons, venturing into things they might not otherwise have tried because of the teachers who inspire them. The core values of excellence, community, character, and respect consistently permeate the approach to daily life.
Sally speaks at an all-school assembly in Fall 2020; Sally visits with lower schoolers, pre-pandemic, in February 2020.
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As you look to graduate the school’s 151st class in May, what do you believe are two or three essential qualities of an Agnes Irwin graduate?
in Maine where we spend time as a family. It is a place to slow down and retreat, as it does not have many of the modern day conveniences: no electricity (we collect rainwater for washing dishes and taking showers), and have the chance to be by the ocean and the rocky shoreline. Cell service is limited so we slow down and tune out the noise and that is when the creativity comes.
When I was working in Admissions at Agnes Irwin, I told parents that girls here have a competitive spirit — not that they are competitive against each other, but that they possess a competitive spirit within that inspires them to achieve. Girls here are motivated You shared your guiding principle. Is there a and want to be in an environment where students are engaged and philosophy you use with your own children? care about things, to be around peers who are excited about Being a Head of School, doing this kind of work is a family initiative. learning. We work hard to create a culture where girls are My values correlate to how Phil and I parent. We want our children supportive of each other; where everyone wants to do well, to live with integrity, to give them the best we recognizing that there are as many definitions can, but not at all costs. We are trying to raise of success as there are students. There is no one good people. path to success and we see girls pursuing their “I am a I like the message that it sends to our children passions and taking responsibility for their own that I can do this work as a Head of School, just collaborative leader learning and journey. as I know they have pride in me for doing it. It As students venture out from AIS, they do so and believe that our is a constant push and pull, the work of being a with a strength of character and scholarship vision needs to be a Head, and having a supportive spouse is they developed on this campus. Once an Agnes shared vision.” incredibly important. As parents, we experience Irwin graduate enters college, she gets involved. the same struggle all parents do as they watch It is something we hear from colleges and SALLY B. KEIDEL, their children navigate difficulties. I feel something we see ourselves: girls use the voice HEAD OF SCHOOL strongly that you cannot eliminate the they developed here when they get to a bigger challenges and some of the pain of adolescence, setting. We work hard while they are here to that my own children, Charlie and Maggie, will ensure that girls will thrive when they land. have to walk through it just like all of our students. The hardest part of being a parent is watching children What do you do for fun or in your downtime? learn by going through difficulty; we can love them and support I like to be creative for fun. I love photography; love to knit and them but ultimately they need to walk through that journey to get needlepoint; love to read — pleasure read. My favorite time is spent to the benefit on the other side. with my family, which includes our new puppy, Bailey. I love being
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Teaching, Learning, and Community Building During COVID-19 Kindergarteners search the playground in a scavenger hunt. Eighth grade Earth scientists create a raised garden bed. And upper schoolers receive their class rings in a ceremony under circus-style tents next to the Alumnae Walkway. Fall at The Agnes Irwin School has been unlike any other. But despite the girls wearing masks, spending part of each day in outdoor classrooms, and utilizing every part of the campus outside and in newly created indoor spaces — we are figuring out a way to be together as they learn, grow, and play somewhat apart.
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Top: Fourth graders learn to code their Ozobots to complete various directional tasks. Bottom: Kindergarteners take on a scavenger hunt outside the Lower School.
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hile the campus looks different this year with necessary safeguards in place,” Head of School Sally Keidel shared in an email to alumnae in October, “the excitement and enthusiasm of the girls remain constant, and the return to campus, and to one another, has been marked by joy.” Student Council President Ayanna Dunlop ’21 notes that although it is hard not being able to hug her senior classmates, “What feels the same this year is how close my grade is. ... I appreciate the changes and additions made to the school with the help of our staff. I know this was not easy and I am so grateful for all that happened to make on-campus learning a possibility.” Following a spring spent in remote learning, the return to campus in September 2020 was especially meaningful. Leading into the fall, preparation was the name of the game, as teachers engaged in professional development around best practices in remote instruction, and designed a curriculum they knew might need to pivot on a dime. “It has been challenging to figure it out, but in some ways, the problem-solving has been really energizing and exciting,” shared Lower School science teacher Julie Haines. This summer as part of a professional growth grant, Haines developed personal science lab kits for students in grades 1-4 to augment her instruction. “A big part of science at Agnes Irwin is the hands-on nature of our lessons,” Haines explained. “Faced with the possibility of teaching online again at some point in the fall, I wanted students to be able to continue the hands-on experience from home.” Haines built kits with materials specific to each grade level, with topics ranging from bird feeders and “dinosaur” egg excavation in first grade, to labs on water evaporation, gravity spinners, chemical and physical changes, and solar ovens. While the Lower School was ultimately able to offer in-person learning for almost the entire fall, the kits still came in handy for students opting for at-home instruction, as well as to allow for safe, independent lessons on campus. In the virtual learning week held after Thanksgiving break, third graders put their knowledge of solar energy to the test, using the materials in their lab kits to build solar ovens and melt Hershey’s Kisses, sans instructions! In addition to science kits, the Lower School also launched 1:1 robotics programs this fall for students in grades 1-4. With an individual kit for each student,
the program provides the flexibility necessary for students to hone their computer science and computational thinking skills, regardless of whether instruction is taking place at home or on campus. “When thinking about our curriculum this fall, we knew we needed to be ready for any situation,” recalled Kimberly Walker, Lower School Director of Technology Integration and Innovation. The KIBO robot kits for grade 1 and the Ozobot kits for grades 2-4, purchased through a Parents’ Council gift, “were a clear way to maintain programmatic excellence for students in any learning mode, while also caring for their social-emotional wellbeing.” Every student in grades 2-4 received a backpack-friendly robot they can code two ways: on screens and screen-free, promoting equity for different learning styles and providing much-needed screen breaks during the day. The Ozobot hybrid program has opportunities for students to engage in self-directed learning as well as in shared exploration with their peers, creating an opportunity for collaborative learning among classmates, even from afar. “We have girls who have been learning from home all year, or parts of the year, and have been able to participate at home while learning along with their classes,” Walker shared. In first grade, the iTeam opted for a completely screen-free approach to robotics, using KIBO Robot kits to introduce girls to the tangible effects of coding while limiting screen time at an important developmental stage.
“What feels the same this year is how close my grade is. ... I appreciate the changes and additions made to the school with the help of our staff. I know this was not easy and I am so grateful for all that happened to make on-campus learning a possibility. AYANNA DUNLOP ’21, STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Fall 2020 included developing different ways of existing together on campus — from classrooms with plexiglass barriers and lab partners tuning in via iPad, to social distancing measures like pool noodles!
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Middle and Upper School art classes took a similar approach this fall; with supply-sharing discouraged due to the pandemic, teachers prepared art kits for every student enrolled in an art class, enabling them to engage in class from home or on campus. The kits contain supplies like sketchbooks, scissors, special drawing pencils, paint and paint brushes, along with some specialized art materials as needed, like oil pastels, gauze for sculpture, modeling clay, and other ceramic supplies. Terri Saulin’s ceramics classes have shifted away from wheelthrowing this year (a medium that does not lend itself to safe practice in a pandemic), and instead, focused on handbuilding. She’s found that now more than ever, students are excited for the opportunity to engage in a tactile, screen-free learning experience. “The whole focus of the class this year has shifted from the technical aspects of ceramics to the therapeutic, meditative side,” Saulin shared. Holistic wellbeing — caring for the whole child — is as important as ever at AIS this year, if not more so. “Social emotional health is paramount,” said Camille Seals, Assistant Head of School for Academics & Inclusive Excellence and Interim Upper School Director. To that end, the school has prioritized opportunities for in-person relationship-building, beginning with an in-person orientation prior to the start of the school year. “We knew, even though our middle and upper school grades would start their years virtually due to our phased reopening, that it was key to develop those bonds early,” Seals explained. “With the uncertainty of the pandemic, we didn’t know how much in-person learning would be possible, and we wanted to take advantage of every possible opportunity to get to know each other face to face.” Middle School teacher Jennifer Hahn took a similar tack, and says she has been very intentional about building strong relationships with her students during in-person learning this fall. “I have spent additional time with my students, during lunch, recess, study hall, Parliament (Middle School advisory). I am taking notes on their participation in live class. Now, I have a very good sense of them as learners, no matter the learning mode,” Hahn says. Connection and community are also key goals, and Agnes Irwin has worked, wherever possible, to offer creative opportunities for students to connect this year: with each other, with their teachers, and as a school community.
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Top: Upper School math teacher and Interim DEI Director John Gomes chats with students on the sophomore class retreat. Second row: Students study in the Student Life Center; Research in Microbiology. Third and fourth row: James Miller’s 8th grade science students haven taken on the pandemic-friendly project of creating raised garden beds during science class. One Saturday per month this fall, Mr. Miller has also offered at-home learners the opportunity to participate in the hands-on building project.
Top and middle: Face masks, plexiglass barriers, and outdoor tents are a few methods employed this fall to ensure a safe return to campus for students. Bottom: The Class of 2022, this year’s juniors, received their class rings during their Junior Class Retreat this fall. The ceremony, usually held during Sophomore Day, was postponed last spring.
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Top: Spirit Week scenes in Upper School. Center: Classroom scenes this fall, including eighth grade ukelele lessons in an outdoor classroom on the Lower School lawn. Bottom: An outdoor movie night in October provided a socially distanced opportunity to safely gather as a community.
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“[These current students] will remember this time the way that previous generations remember where they were when we landed on the moon or on 9/11. We all have seminal moments in our lives.” WIGS FRANK, HISTORY DEPARTMENT CHAIR
That work began in the spring, as the school put creative spins on AIS traditions to preserve key milestones for students: for example, transforming the 8th Grade Closing Ceremony into a caravan of smiling teachers, traveling to each student’s home for a drive-by celebration. At Commencement, it took the form of a diploma ceremony by individual advisory group in the MS/US loop, with diplomas bestowed by each student’s family. It also meant a surprise farewell for seniors, with masked, distanced teachers and faculty cheering students on as they drove by in decorated cars on Commencement Day. Rita Davis, Head of the Modern Language Department, shared of the 2020 Senior Drive around parade, “It was just superb. I had been thinking of the seniors seeing each other and how excited they would be celebrating their graduation, but we faculty had not seen them either. That day was so emotional and moving, a true celebration. The families were packed in their cars, the girls were dancing and shouting out sweet messages to us. There was just so much love!” This year, beloved traditions like the 2nd Grade Thanksgiving Parade and Spirit Week carried on, albeit with some COVID-safe adjustments. Social distancing and masks have not stopped joyful bonds from forming with new students, and as activities are modified for safety, new events have sprung up. The new Tent and Treat event allowed Lower School girls and their families the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in lieu of the traditional parade. The drive-through experience had its own soundtrack, and treat stops included tents staffed by the Head of School, Class of 2021, Board of Trustees, Alumnae Council, Parents’ Council, Athletics, and Cabinet Team. In early October, a drive-in movie night celebrated the Naya Summy Composition Room and the Class of 2021 Piano Lab. The outdoor showing of Happy Feet allowed Lower School families an opportunity to connect and also provided the Class of 2021 the chance to honor the memory of their friend and classmate Naya. Students are not the only members of the Agnes Irwin community learning to connect in new ways. Parents’ Council held a virtual flower arranging class in
November, and the Alumnae Board is hosting virtual book clubs and joining in Facebook sing-alongs hosted by Murray Savar, who continues to produce beautiful recordings of the Bel Cantos. Savar shares that he has learned much about technology and will absolutely continue to use it moving forward, stating that where we are restricted in one area, we have compensated in another. Savar’s sentiments are echoed by another longtime faculty member, Wigs Frank, who offers that these current students, “will remember this time the way that previous generations remember where they were when we landed on the moon or on 9/11. We all have seminal moments in our lives. I have a former student who took AP U.S. History with me who recently asked, ‘What’s the over-under for the number of pages textbooks in the future are going to devote to the year 2020? And how many different subtopics are there going to be in for that year?’” These students will never forget the year 2020, Savar predicts. “In the short run, they may focus on what they are missing out on, but as we saw with the Class of 2020, even by the time graduation came along, they had begun to recognize the resilience that they have, the adaptability that they displayed, and the bonds which they had formed with each other,” he says. These students will ultimately gain an understanding of what is truly important in life.”
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Campus Life FALL 2020
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Upper School photography teacher Paolo Morales is a documentary-style photographer whose work has been featured in The New Yorker and Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. New to our community this year, Paolo shared these photos he captured in October, representing what life on-campus was like in Fall 2020. While the pandemic has upended some norms and necessitated adaption, joy and learning still abound at AIS.
UPPER SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY TEACHER PAOLO MORALES
What do you teach at AIS? I teach three sections of Photography and the Artist as Entrepreneur in the Upper School. Tell us about something you’re working on with your students. In Photography, the students have recently embarked on differentiating between the process of making a photograph versus taking a photograph. The students debated the difference through analyzing work by other artists and will also produce their own photographs for critique. While the act of clicking a shutter on the camera is the same, the difference is in how the photographer is active versus reactive to a moment. In terms of outcomes, I hope the students discover some of the differences between the process and the final product in photography. The assignment excites me as a teacher because it allows the girls to feel emboldened to take charge of what and how they produce photographs. What’s your favorite moment of being at AIS thus far? Meeting the students for the first time after two weeks of remote learning was definitely the highlight of my new job. I love teaching, working with students, and seeing them progress as photographers and artists, so having the opportunity to teach in person during this unusual time has been a privilege. I also will say that my new colleagues have been spectacular. Even though most meetings happen on Zoom, I feel supported by my department members and colleagues across the school.
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Campus Life | FALL 2020
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Learning and Leading: Equity and Inclusion Work at AIS Year 151 at The Agnes Irwin School has provided us an unprecedented opportunity to examine our history, reflect on our past, and look ahead to the future. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, AIS has continued on in our work of creating a climate of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism in our school community.
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his summer, more than 400 individuals — students, parents, alumnae, faculty, staff, and administrators — joined together for our inaugural Summit on Racial Justice. Over the course of the three-day event, our community engaged in meaningful, solutions-focused discussions about every aspect of school — from climate and culture, to curriculum and instruction, to preparing Agnes Irwin students for the world beyond our doors. We concluded our three-day Summit on Racial Justice with a Rally for Healing & Walk for the Lives of Black Women, led by middle and upper school student leaders. Our work this year, informed by these conversations and stories shared by alums, has focused on building a foundation for sustained and systemic progress at Agnes Irwin. As Sally Keidel stated in her first communication as the 14th Head of School, “There is much work to be done — but far from intimidating me, these challenges have actually fortified my resolve to engage fully with all constituents of the AIS community so that real and needed change can happen. We will not shy away from these needed efforts, nor will we rush through them; together, we will work carefully and methodically to make lasting, legitimate change.” Camille Seals, Assistant Head of School for Academic and Inclusive Excellence, and John Gomes, Interim Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, are leading the effort to incorporate DEI at the school’s core. Some of the work is immediate, including professional development and training for faculty, staff and the Board of Trustees, as well as curricular changes, but much of it is an ongoing effort, both institutional and personal. “Everyone now sees DEI as part of their role,” Gomes noted. “Throughout the school, everyone is on this journey, albeit at different places. It is not only teachers and department chairs who want the curriculum to flow through the DEI lens, but the Parents’ Council, which is adding a DEI component. The Alumnae Board is revamping their nominating procedure; parents have started book clubs; and the school’s hiring process now includes a conversation around cultural competency. There are many other examples, as this work becomes collective — as we make space for DEI not to be a separate entity, but to be a foundation for the learning experience and the underlying fabric of the school.” Each day provides a new opportunity to evolve toward our goals as an institution and we are enthusiastic to share some of this fall’s highlights.
Upper school student leaders at the Rally for Healing on July 21. From left: Ruthie Njagi ’21, Enshalla Dunlop ’21, Jessica Tercero ’21, Hanna Askarpour ’21, Ayanna Dunlop ’21.
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE’S ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM BUILDING BLOCKS
Building a foundation for anti-racism and inclusion work begins with our earliest learners at AIS. In our Lower School this year, we implemented the Anti-Defamation League’s Anti-Bias Building Blocks, An Elementary School Curriculum for all students in grades K-4. This curriculum focuses on creating inclusive, respectful classroom environments where young students feel comfortable sharing and talking about challenging topics. Researched and designed to be developmentally appropriate for the elementary school learner, the curriculum builds understanding around identity and culture, and introduces students at Agnes Irwin to critical vocabulary such as prejudice and discrimination, equipping them with the tools to be upstanders in our community.
PRINCIPLES OF CIVIL DISCOURSE
In anticipation of the 2020 election, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinators began researching and writing the Agnes Irwin School’s Principles of Civil Discourse in January 2020. This document, rooted in our Equity & Inclusion Philosophy & our Core Values, served as a resource as we helped faculty, staff, students and families navigate the challenges of election season. Time was dedicated in divisional assemblies, advisories and classrooms to exploring these principles, designed to equip students with the tools necessary to engage in conversations on topics about which they might disagree. Recognizing the essential partnership between home and school, guidelines were created for parents as well, to assist them with practicing skills that can help in supporting their daughters. Though this tool was created to serve as an anchor for conversations related to the election, it certainly has application in ongoing conversations taking place throughout our classrooms and hallways. We will continue to use the Principles of Civil Discourse as instructional tools with students as they learn new things, wrestle with conflict, lean into discomfort and expand their understandings.
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CURRICULAR AUDITS AND ADDITIONS
This past summer, each of our departments began a curricular audit — a process our department chairs prepared for last year by studying Gloria Ladson-Billings’ work about culturally responsive teaching practice. A key aspect of this review is ensuring that students are exposed to a multitude of voices, perspectives, experiences, and ideas throughout the AIS curriculum, and that all students see themselves represented. Intentional changes to improve academic diversity include a full review of our Upper School English reading lists; the addition of Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You to the U.S. History curriculum in both 8th and 11th grades; and our math department’s continued work to develop a curriculum for Algebra 2 and Statistics that applies a mathematical lens to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Head of School Sally Keidel speaks at the Rally for Healing on July 21, the conclusion of a three-day virtual Summit on Racial Justice.
DIRECTOR OF UPPER SCHOOL SEARCH
We are pleased to share that we have launched a national search for the next Director of Upper School at Agnes Irwin. We have partnered with Stratégenius, a premier search firm for schools seeking diverse candidates for teaching and leadership positions. StratéGenius is one of the few BIPOC-owned search firms dedicated to serving independent schools, and we look forward to the inclusive search process that they will guide us through as we seek our next leader of the Upper School. This newly established partnership will also support us in our efforts toward recruitment, hiring and retention of a culturallycompetent, diverse faculty and staff who reflect the vibrancy of our student community.
A highlight of July’s virtual Summit on Racial Justice was the Real Conversations About Race series, each featuring a presentation and Q&A. The series included Centering Race & Gender in School, led by Dr. Charlotte Jacobs; Raising Anti-Racist Children, led by Diane Nichols; and Naming, Honoring & Healing Racial Trauma, led by Dr. Kareema Gray. Watch a recording of these sessions at agnesirwin.org/summit2020.
MIDDLE SCHOOL AFFINITY GROUPS
Affinity groups bring people together who have an identifier in common and are an important aspect of our program at AIS. In our middle school, we are beginning the implementation of our affinity group programming, bolstered by research conducted this summer by our Middle School DEI Coordinator. These affinity groups are designed to serve as safe spaces for our students to be themselves and build positive relationships, to make sure that all of our students feel a sense of community and support, and to give students the tools they need to be upstanders who actively work to break down the social barriers of racism, bigotry and oppression. This year, middle schoolers will have the opportunity to participate in newly created and re-imagined affinity groups led by Upper School student leaders under the mentorship of our teachers.
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Middle School student leaders Paris Holiday ’25 and Yamen Oraegbu ’25 address the crowd on July 21.
SCHOOL-WIDE CLIMATE AUDIT
A critical piece to establishing long-term goals for Agnes Irwin is the completion of a school-wide climate audit that will help us gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities most pressing in our community. To this end, we have partnered with The Glasgow Group to engage our whole community in a confidential analysis process to gather feedback on school climate and culture. All constituent groups will be invited to participate in the audit, which includes an online survey followed by focus groups comprised of representatives across the school. We are grateful to The Alumnae Board for approving a generous gift of $25,000 to fully fund this important school initiative, which will launch in early 2021. “It is the Alumnae Board’s hope that this donation will inspire others in the alumnae community to get involved, both through personal giving and by participating fully in the audit process,” shared Alumnae Board President Alexandra Fergusson Powell ’00. “We look forward to the continued partnership of our alumnae around the country and the world as we work to make Agnes Irwin a truly inclusive, culturally responsive, and anti-racist institution.”
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We take seriously the responsibility of the leaders and educators in our school to own the work of moving us forward as an institution. We launched a robust professional development sequence for our team this year with a focus on increasing empathy and being accountable in our p r a c t i c e . O u r B o a rd o f Tr u st e e s, administrators, and faculty and staff have been participating in monthly professional development trainings specifically focused on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racist practice. These trainings have allowed us to examine principles of good practice for schools in equity and inclusion, evolve teaching practices and curriculum, and learn how to address difficult moments in the moment, in a way that preserves the dignity of our students and creates a culture of safety in our school. With many more opportunities to come, this collective work will be essential to our long-term vision and a sustained commitment for years to come.
PARENT SEED
Parents and guardians have a crucial role to play in cultivating a schoolwide climate where students feel they belong. We are pleased to be offering our third year of Parent SEED in a re-imagined virtual format, with the largest group of parent participants to date, representing all divisions and reflecting the diversity of the school community. This valuable experience that helps build bridges across differences and gives each member of the cohort a chance to do the inner work that is core to effecting change in our parent/guardian community.
Educator and facilitator Dr. Liza Talusan leads a professional development workshop for faculty and staff this fall, focused on tools for engaging in and sustaining difficult conversations in classrooms.
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The Agnes Irwin School presents
Making “Her-story” Watch the recording at agnesirwin.org/makingherstory On January 22, we were honored to host a virtual panel discussion focused on leadership, belonging, and community — featuring Billie Jean King, Tory Robinson Burch ’84, and Neveen H. Mahmoud ’07.
#AISMakingHerstory
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Billie Jean King Champion of Equality; Former #1 Tennis Pro; Founder, Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative
Tory Robinson Burch ’84 Founder, Tory Burch Foundation; Executive Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Tory Burch LLC
Neveen H. Mahmoud ’07 Producer & Entrepreneur; Production Manager, The Agnes Irwin School’s 150th Anniversary
Making “Her-story,” originally planned as a part of last year’s 150th Anniversary Celebration, was reframed during our equally-historic 151st school year as an expanded virtual event. Hundreds of AIS families, alumnae, and friends engaged in this live conversation between trailblazing women as they explored the question of how great leaders approach building wholly inclusive environments that foster a sense of belonging for people from all walks of life. MORE ABOUT THIS EVENT
As you may have noticed, the topic and format of Making “Her-story” shifted slightly after the event was postponed from May 2020 due to the pandemic. When we embarked on our 151st school year in the midst of global crises with deeply personal implications, we became acutely aware that it was our daily actions, performed in community with one another, that were the real fabric of our legacy. The 2020-2021 school year, as our 151st, provides us the opportunity to double down on our core value of community, in a way that supports a legacy that we will all feel proud of 150 years from now. At this critically important juncture, our school made the intentional choice to shift the focus of this event and invite our full community to the table to discuss how we can all participate in Making “Her-Story,” here and now. We are grateful to the Lily Foundation for their generous support of this event. READ INSIGHTS AND WATCH THE RECORDING OF THIS SPECIAL EVENT AT
agnesirwin.org/makingherstory
MODERATOR
Camille L. Seals
Assistant Head of School for Academics & Inclusive Excellence, The Agnes Irwin School
Ithan Avenue and Conestoga Road Rosemont, PA 19010 610.801.1869 agnesirwin.org
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