ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AND COURAGEStrength

BY MARA G. KOHLS

What is something that you have plans to do sometime in the future, but you don’t quite have the courage to do … yet?” This is my final question to all of the prospective students I interview, and the answers, all of them, are wide and wonderful. These include auditioning for a play for the first time, speaking to a large crowd about an issue important to them, reporting on live TV, flying a plane, jumping out of a plane, shaving their head, starting a club focused on their country’s culture, and dancing again after an injury.

Strength and courage are built and developed here at Stoneleigh-Burnham School across every aspect of our students’ experiences. They grow alongside students’ voices and are evidenced by the seventh grader trying out for the play. The only ninth grader auditioning for and making Octet. The tenth grader participating in her first debate competition and winning second place. The student reaching out to the counseling office for the first time. The three students leading a livestream campus tour for hundreds of viewers. The seniors who maintain their academics while stretching and exploring their next steps at college. The students who are learning to ask questions, receive feedback and revise work across all subjects while building stamina and resilience for their next years at SBS. The students who participate in group skits in their new language class while still learning correct grammar and pronunciation.

Many of these examples came from faculty I spoke to in a quick breeze through the halls.Jayne Benjulian, our debate coach, and Irene McGarrity, our humanities and VOICE 10 teacher, also commented eloquently on the bravery and courage of our students in a Learn About webinar in December.

All of this strength and courage does not happen magically. It is developed with the support and encouragement of the entire SBS community, and I dare say that this can only happen at a girls’ school. Only here can our students feel safe to take risks and be brave with the day-to-day support of their teachers, advisors, coaches, and fellow students. Research by Dr. Richard Holmgren of Allegheny College cited on the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools website shows that within girls’ schools, “95% of students feel supported by their teachers” and “90% report feeling supported by other students.”

Let’s go back to the original question. “What is something that you have plans to do sometime in the future, but you don’t quite have the courage to do … yet?” How would you have answered that question before you

Research by Dr. Richard Holmgren of Allegheny College cited on the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools website shows that within girls’ schools, “95% of students feel supported by their teachers” and “90% report feeling supported by other students.” attended SBS? How would you answer it now? Take a moment to reflect on how your own SBS experience helped shape the strength and courage that you have today, and on the adults who encouraged and supported you. Living in today’s world takes seemingly endless amounts of strength and courage. We here at StoneleighBurnham see that and are rising to the challenges of today, so our students are built up, empowered, and ready to take on whatever comes their way.