T O D A Y - Berwick Academy

That Is Just WhatBerwick Doesby Laura NoerdlingerClass of 201316words that can also describe a teenagegirl? Girls can be mean, but they canalso be strong, resilient, caring, andthoughtful.We then felt as if we were reallypositioned to start talking aboutleadership and why female leadershipneeds attention in our society. At thebeginning of 2012, there were only18 women running Fortune 500 companies.That is a disappointing threepercent. The documentary that hasbeen sweeping the nation, Miss Representation,highlights the misconceptionsand negative portrayal of womenin the media, which ultimately sabotagesfemale leadership and their influence.The point is, if we do not seepositive female leaders in our country,whether in politics or business or themedia or anywhere, how can we teachour girls what to strive to become? Relatingthis back to our Berwick girls inthe Middle School, girls make up anequal to majority share of the leadershippositions. By the time they getto the Upper School, this changes togirls making up the minority in studentgovernment. Girls are, of course,leaders in other ways in the UpperSchool, but very few have reached thetop leadership positions by their senioryear. We had a great discussion withinthe group tackling these concerns, andthe GIRLS Group is hoping to sponsora parent/student viewing of the filmMiss Representation this fall.When the winter trimestercame to a close, we asked the groupwhether we should offer this again inthe spring. Everyone wanted to signup again and did. In addition, we had12 new girls sign up. Jennifer Hillcontinued with the original group, andI took on the new group. Though itwas difficult for me to capture the samegroup cohesion that we witnessed inthe first group, it is clear that there is adesire to have “girl time,” and we willcontinue to offer this group during activityperiods next school year.As we face the close of thisschool year, Jennifer Hill and I arevery proud because we believe a seedhas been planted. The girls have takenownership of the group and as a resultcame up with their own mission statement:Changing the world by promotingconfidence, inner beauty,equality, and speaking up -one girl at a time.Confidence: to do the rightthing when faced with difficultsituations.Inner beauty: because it is moreimportant than what peoplesee on the outside.Equality: having the samechances to be successful as anyoneelse.Speaking up: because theirvoices are important.This left us wondering what aboys group would develop as a missionstatement. There is no doubt in mymind that a boys group would flourishin the Middle School, and buildingmale social leaders who are thoughtful,kind, and of high moral characteris just as important as building femalesocial leaders. Our hope is this willemerge sooner rather than later and beled by some of the inspiring male facultyand/or staff at Berwick.If anything, the GIRLS Grouptaught me that even a small step in theright direction could have a meaningfuleffect on a community. Givingthese girls a safe place to share theirconcerns and explore who they areand want to become is really whatcharacter education is all about. Iam sure that we all could think backand identify one or more adults in ourlives that steered us in the right directionand maybe even pushed us to bebetter individuals. The reality is thatcharacter education can be taught ina classroom, but it is learned throughwitnessing the actions of others.Berwick is my life.I came to Berwick Academy when Iwas six years old. I was still young andimpressionable and would believe almostanything that I was told, so myparents, wanting to keep me in an environmentwhere positive growth wasencouraged, sent me to Berwick. Becauseof the longevity of my time atthe school, only my family has had agreater impact on what sort of person Iam. Throughout all three divisions, myschool has used positive reinforcementand gentle coaching to steadily aid thedevelopment of my own ethics andpersonal code of conduct. My teachers,fellow students, the Berwick CoreValues, the smaller unwritten values ofthe school, and even the campus haveall played a part in making me the personI am today.According to the handbook,the Lower School aims to foster selfawarenessand discovery.I was a passive Lower Schooler.I let other people make decisions,and I simply followed along, tryingto stay out of the way of others, andI avoided confrontation at all costs.At the same time, I was being drawninto the elementary school world ofthe pre-clique social groups, wherewhole groups would decide what theythought about an individual. That allchanged with the advent of the thirdgrade. My third grade teacher, Mrs.Quinn-Thibodeau, was the first ofmany teachers who left an indelibleimpression on me. On day one, shetold us about how, when she was inschool herself, her teacher would makea list of the class with the “pet” at thetop and the least favorite student at thebottom. The moral of the story wasthat Mrs. Quinn-Thibodeau wouldnever play favorites. Yet, upon hearingthe story, I began wondering: If teacherscould wrongly rank people, was itat all possible that the Lower Schoolers,even with all their infinite wisdom,could do the same? It caused me to reevaluatehow I saw people and when Ijudged them. It was the beginning ofmy formation of my own ethics.According to the handbook,the Middle School creates connectionsand collaboration.Middle School was where Ibegan to decide who I really wanted2004to be. As Dr. Zurawel says, the MiddleSchool teaches all their students to advocatefor themselves. I made a groupof friends, which I still feel lucky to bea part of. I developed as a person. Myloyalties were challenged, played with,and pulled apart, and I fought to staytrue to myself in the world of MiddleSchool girls, where conformity wasbelieved to be the only way to belong.In seventh grade, I began takingEnglish class with Ms. Anker. Thevery first class, she talked about valuesand judgment. That English classwas one of the most influential classesI took throughout my Berwick careerand was taught by one of the mostamazing women I have ever had thegood fortune to meet. Throughout theyear, I learned a new respect for myself,my class, and my school that I stillcarry with me.17