Walk the Walk: Planning and Running a Leadership Conference and the Positive Impact on Your

SchoolPresenters:Dana Hall School - Liza Cohen, Director of

Communications and Corinne Daniels, Director of Alumnae Relations

Chelmsford County High School for Girls - Katharine Adams, Year Leader Year 11 and Richard Wilkes, Asst. Head of Sixth Form

Marymount High School - Lyndsey DeMuro, Academic Advisor /Student Activities Coordinator and Sarah Jallo, Director of Admission/Director of Summer Programs

National Coalition of Girls School Annual Conference 2013

She Sails: Inspiring Dana Hall Women

Statement of PurposeShe Sails: Inspiring Dana

Women creates connections among all Dana Hall women

and provides a forum to learn from each other, share our stories, and encourage one

another to be bold and dream big.

The BasicsO Inaugural event 2012 O Second annual 2013O Students, alumnae,

parents, faculty and staff invited

O Full-day, Saturday event (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in late April

O On campusO Free

O 450 attendees in 2012

O 570 attendees in 2013

O $20k in sponsorships in 2012

O $35k in sponsorships in 2013

Alumnae EngagementGoals: Bring alumnae back to campus; connect with alumnae beyond reunion and annual giving; leverage rich talents of alumnae.1. Focus groups2. Survey3. Planning4. Presenters

Alumnae EngagementO 28 alumnae

presenters in 2012; 44 alumnae presenters in 2013

O Classes of 1957 to 2009 represented

O Varied disciplines and experience levels

O Varied prior engagement with the school

Alumnae EngagementAlumnae Board Involvement

O Sub-committeeO Alumnae hubO Networking

breakfastO VolunteeringO Marketing

Extension of the Dana BrandO Dana Hall stands for an unwavering

commitment to developing leaderships qualities in girls

O We back that up with our rigorous curriculum, our dedicated faculty, our supportive environment AND:O Countless leadership opportunities:

Workshops, mentoring, skill-building, networking, Career Day, Girls Summer Leadership Program

She Sails: Walking the Walk in One Full Day

O Keynote speakers as role modelsO Model different leadership stylesO Professional mentoring and

guidanceO Range of opportunities O Promote ideals within internal

community (include newly accepted students)

O Generate buzz beyond the Dana campus

Event masterminds devised a theme, and planned and executed a memorable,

unique day for all attendees.

She Sails 2013

Lessons LearnedO Survey to get volunteer alumnae

presentersO Choose carefully who will work with

alumnae presentersO All things to all peopleO Know your school and community,

be yourself

WALK THE WALK

Devising and Running a Student Leadership Conference

in Your School

NCGS Annual Conference Boston: June 2013

Katharine Adams and Richard WilkesChelmsford County High School for Girls, UK

Chelmsford County High School for Girls• Selective girls Grammar

School• Strong academic standards• Publicly funded • IB World School• Ranked 10th in UK by ‘The

Times’• Successful entrants to Oxford

and Cambridge Universities

Our school context

CCHS Past and Present

Miss Vernon HarcourtHeadmistress

Founded 1907 : 76 students 2013 : 900 students

Mrs Nicole ChapmanHeadteacher

Inspiration!• AMGS Annual

Conference October 2011

• NCGS Annual Conference Washington 2012

• WOW Conference 2012

International Influences

Inaugural CCHS Leadership ConferenceFriday 26th October 2012

Conference Aims• Promote and develop Leadership Skills• Develop the “whole student” beyond

academic results• Encourage risk taking• Promote public speaking• Promote ‘Learning through Action’

Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow

Conference Outline• Conference breakfast• Key note speeches and panel

session• Speaker-led workshops• Conference lunch• Student-led workshops• Plenary session

Creating a professional feel to the day

Student TeamsOver 60 girls involved in teams for

• Planning• Workshops• Conference

materials • Hospitality• Catering• Administration

Decisions led by students

Speeches and Panel Session

Mitra JanesRachel ElnaughSarah Hendry

Heather Katsonga-Woodward

Speakers from all walks of life

Public Speaking Roles• Conference Chair• Introductions• Leading workshops• Vote of thanks

A chance to shine

Networking

Seize the moment...

Speaker-led WorkshopsIntimate interactive sessions with small groups of students• Manifesting prosperity• Preparing for the world

of work• Leading and

influencing• Women and

leadership: Gender differences

Thought-provoking discussion

Student-led workshopsDiscussion sessions devised and run by students

• Eradicating gender inequality,

• Coping with failure• Independent travel• Cooking on a student

budget • Mental and physical

well-being

Students take command

Plenary Session: Reflecting on the day

Opportunity to reflect

Outcomes• Impact on individuals – students and staff• Enhanced relationships with local schools• Increased uptake for languages• Work experience opportunities• Press interest• National charity award

Whole school “buzz”

Working together

Impact on Individuals“I wanted to thank you for the conference and particularly for letting me run a workshop. I found it really enjoyable and I've noticed that as a result of it I've become much more confident when speaking to people, so thank you for giving me those opportunities.” Students transformed

Outcomes• Impact on individuals – students and staff• Enhanced relationships with local schools• Increased uptake for languages• Work experience opportunities• Press interest• National charity award

Whole school “buzz”

What did Delegates Enjoy?• “The atmosphere of the whole day and speaking to such inspirational women”

• “The incredible workshops that have given me so much confidence for the future”

• “Leading my workshop and being given the opportunity to lead others”

• “Everyone being part of the making of the conference”Positive feedback

And what did they learn?• “Don’t make set plans, dream big and go where

life takes you” • “Failure is sometimes a blessing in disguise”• “There are lots of different types of success and

perseverance is the key” • “When I left I was buzzing with energy and

possibilities for the future. I felt I could achieve anything and I hope that feeling never goes away”

Important messages

Where Next?• October 2013

conference is in the planning! Huge enthusiasm for this year.

• Yr 12 Model United Nations Conference March 2014

• Development of Whole-school Student Leadership programme

Try it yourself!

Thank you

Katharine Adamskadams@cchs.essex.sch.uk

Richard Wilkesrwilkes@cchs.essex.sch.uk

Additional Material

Feedback from our Guests“...They have come back to school full of enthusiasm and have been incredibly motivated by the experience...”

“My colleague and I spent the whole day smiling because it was just a joy to behold all of the young women conducting themselves so impeccably. “

Feedback from a School Governor

“The Inaugural conference was a great success… The girls found it exciting and thought-provoking, and it has given them the appetite to grow the skills and mindset needed for their future success, after they leave the shelter of CCHS……”

“I have seen many changes over my long association with our school……the Leadership Conference was, in my opinion, the best thing yet.”

Marymount High School, Los Angeles

Who Is Marymount? 9-12th grade All-girls Catholic, Independent 72 zip codes across Los Angeles 18 religions 25% receive financial assistance Our goal

The Birth of “BSBW” What do we do well as a school? Current students: Marymount empowers

us to be confident woman leaders who care about making a difference in the world.

We want to inspire and empower middle school girls in the same way Marymount has done for us

If we did a conference, what would it look like?

The Vision and Purpose Leadership opportunity for our

Marymount students Empowering and inspiring leadership

and confidence in middle school girls Admission outreach and showcasing the

best of Marymount to a larger audience. Alumnae engagement Teaching girls the value of giving back

Our Marymount Girls Approx. 55 current students and

alumnae Executive Team made up of six student

chairs and three faculty chairs

Student Involvement Executive Team Small Group Leaders Speakers Service Project Leaders Photographers Assistants Mentors

Our Guests 2012: 70 rising 6-8th grade girls from 25

different schools 2013: 97 rising 6-9th grade girls from 39

different schools $10 fee, includes breakfast, lunch,

snacks, and a BSBW memento

The Schedule – “Better Self” “Kindness & Girls Supporting Girls” “Friendships” “Girls Have a Voice” “Confidence” “Trying New Things” “Ethics and Values”

The Schedule – “Better World” “Leadership” “Women Serving Others Around the

World” “Making a Difference” “Life-changing Community Service” “How to Help One’s Community”

Service Projects Packed lunches for

the homeless WAPIs Beauty bags for

women’s shelter Cards for Meals on

Wheels Placemats for

Children’s Hospital Blankets for a local

animal shelter

Why You Should Do It Opportunity for faculty/staff to work with

students in a more personal way and on a different level

Approx. 3 months of planning – 1 week of intense training for small group leaders and speakers

Budget = $3900 – we spent around $3200 and brought in $1,020 in income

A conference that makes a big impact, but is small-scale