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M ATTER MATTER MORE
2020-21 SCHOoL YEAR THEME ENCOURAGED FOXCROFT GIRLS TO
Use Your Voice for Good
MAKING MISSION
U SE THEIR USE VOICES FOR GOOD By Josie Ross, Assistant Dean of Residential Life and Rebecca Wise, Director of International Student Services hen Miss Charlotte founded Foxcroft School in 1914 with the goal of educating hardy young women in preparation for college, she couldn’t vote. Miss Charlotte, a woman heralded for being progressive, outspoken — a trailblazer for women — couldn’t participate in the most basic ritual of democracy. It’s hard to reconcile these two points. It wouldn’t be until 1920, after having graduated six senior classes from Foxcroft, that Miss Charlotte and her graduates would be granted that right.
W
As we worked to come up with a theme for the 2020-21 school year, we kept in mind the presidential election, the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage, and more generally, the many ongoing struggles for civil rights being fought in our country. Ultimately deciding on “Use Your Voice for Good: Civic Service and Social Action,” we then asked: How do these events
come to fruition? How is momentum built behind a candidate, behind a movement? How does the theme support the School’s mission of helping each girl explore her unique voice and develop the skills, confidence, and courage to share it with the world? In short, how can we teach and encourage our students to use their voices for good? By breaking down the arc of a social movement we’ve been able to demonstrate for our students what it takes to effect change.
context for civic engagement. Dr. Marcia Chatelain, professor of History & African American Studies from Georgetown University, presented the Black Lives Matter movement within the historical context of other civil rights movements in the United States. Deborah Lee James, the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, spoke to our students about using her voice on her path to leadership in a maledominated industry. Finally, Thyannda Mack, founder of Inclusive Resolutions, LLC led us through exercises that asked us to think more deeply about who we are and what that means as we navigate our own
Emergence
communities. Dorm leaders also facilitated intentional conversations between roommates, allowing students to articulate
First, there is the “emergence” stage, where individuals learn to recognize their unique voice and try it out in the world. For our community, this stage included inviting three different women to engage with our students and provide
their needs and consider the needs of others before signing roommate contracts. Continued on page 10.
Spring/Summer 2021 9
