AN EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION

At the turn of the 20th century, women in the US – if they were lucky – were offered finishing school in lieu of an academic education. Two pioneers decided to do things differently: Mary Bole Scott and Florence Kelley established Columbus School for Girls (CSG) in Ohio in 1898. “At that time, people thought that women could either have children or use their brain,” says the school’s current Head, Jennifer Ciccarelli. “Our founders aimed to send every one of our girls on to college. That was pretty radical.”

A broad curriculum, a holistic education and a determination to succeed has underpinned the school ever since. CSG’s mission statement – “Empowering girls to discover their distinct potential as learners and leaders” – was developed when Ciccarelli joined the school five years ago. “I did a lot of listening,” she says. “I asked, ‘what’s so powerful about a CSG education?’ What I heard over and over was that our students become lifelong learners, that they become leaders and that we help every child become her best self.”

Teacher impact

Key to achieving this mission is strong relationships between staff and students. “Our alumnae, whether they’re from the class of 1960 or 2012, mention teachers who had an incredible impact on them,” says Ciccarelli. “Our teachers make sure girls know that their voices and ideas matter. They expose them to awesome ideas and new experiences. Field trips, residential excursions, day-to-day experiences. CSG students go into the community a lot.”

The school’s 100-acre nature preserve, Cynthia’s Woods, is a particularly valuable asset. “Several years ago, our four- and five-year-olds, inspired by their time in the woods, decided that they wanted to build a tree house. Well, it turned out they had to go to city council to get approval, so these little girls stood before big groups of adults to talk about their project. They figured out a budget. Our upper school engineering students helped them make a prototype, refine it, choose the final structure, and build it. We now have a wonderful tree house in our natural playground. Those four- and five-year-olds developed skills – public speaking, advocating, fundraising, math, social studies, English, art…”

Computer world

Another of CSG’s strengths is STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths. Competing in robotics, older students work with engineering undergrads from the local university. In addition, the school is developing a non-profit computer science programme – HER Academy, which stands for Her Educational Revolution – that will be launched at CSG before being rolled out nationally.

“Our country isn’t producing enough computer scientists,” says Ciccarelli. “Technology is ubiquitous, so for our students to be prepared for the world, whether or not they choose to become computer scientists, they need an understanding of computer science.” The school’s innovative curriculum delivers: over the past five years, more than 50 per cent of CSG’s outgoing students have majored in STEM fields at university. In the class of 2017, 9 per cent planned to major in engineering compared to 1.4 per cent of girls in coed schools in America.

“All too often, society sends girls negative messages about who they could or should be,” says Ciccarelli. “CSG is an antidote to that. We explore what it means to be an empowered girl. We think intentionally about gender norms and push against them. That’s in the DNA of the school. We push girls to extend their thinking, be independent and know that their voice matters.”