SUMMIT – Kent Place School held a variety of events and activities for International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11.
International Day of the Girl came into existence on Dec. 19, 2011 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The resolution also declared Oct. 11 as “International Day of the Girl Child.” In its second year of observance, this year’s Day focused on “Innovating for Girls’ Education.”
Kent Place began celebrating International Day of the Girl in the evening of Oct. 10 with a screening of the film Girl Rising. “Girl Rising is a groundbreaking film, directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins, which tells the stories of 9 extraordinary girls from 9 countries, written by 9 celebrated writers and narrated by 9 renowned actresses. Girl Rising showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world.”
Laura Roberts, Grassroots Partnership Manager with 10×10, the company that produced the film Girl Rising, introduced the screening at Kent Place. Roberts also held an informal dinner with students and faculty to discuss the background of the film.
Oct. 11 at Kent Place began with special morning meetings in the Middle and Upper Schools. The Middle School watched a video of Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani who was shot by the Taliban last year for advocating for girls’ rights to an education.
The Upper School club GLAM’D which stands for Girls Learning and Making a Difference, led their Morning Meeting. Throughout the meeting the young women discussed facts about women’s rights. The Upper School also held a special assembly to show the video of Malala speaking in front of the United Nations.
The Primary School held a fun activity in honor of International Day of the Girl. The girls were given a drawing of an outline of a bird. Inside the bird they were instructed to write how they would like to change the world.