Archive

March, 2017

Friends,

As the head of Lincoln, people sometimes ask me: “Why all girls?” The distilled answer is: the purpose of Lincoln’s mission is to empower girls and young women, and when it comes to education, research shows it doesn’t pay to be gender blind.

A recent study published by Lin Bian, Sarah-Jane Leslie, and Andrei Cimpian in the journalScience (and picked up by many major news outlets, like The Atlantic and ABC News), shows scientific evidence of the emergence of gender stereotypes in children as young as six years old. The researchers found that among five year olds, students equate intelligence with their own genders. But just one year later, by the time they are ready for first grade, girls in coed environments are less likely than boys to think that female students are “really, really smart.”

The research pinpoints the clear emergence of the “male=brilliance” stereotype. Bian, Leslie, and Cimpian suggest that this development has long-lasting consequences, not just steering young girls away from classroom activities as early as Grade 1, but influencing their chosen professions. Girls who have internalized the stereotype of “male=brilliance” will likely avoid classes and careers traditionally identified as opportunities for smart people, a.k.a those historically associated as male.

Other recent studies and articles like “The remarkably different answers men and women give when asked who’s the smartest in the class” and “The lack of women in tech is getting worse” indicate that the development of the male=brilliance” stereotype causes a gender inequity ripple effect decades into the future.

Today, that gender disparity is particularly evident in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Architecture, and Mathematics) fields, where women are disproportionately underrepresented. For example, a recent Washington Post article entitled “How we could close tech’s gender gap in a decade” stated that in 1984, 37 percent of all computer science graduates were women. Today, that number is 18 percent. Quoted in the piece, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said, “We can’t afford to have half of America’s brain power not engaging.”

Which is why Lincoln School is so invested in STEAM education. In our Lower School, our youngest students are learning how to code as a core part of curriculum, as well as designing and building in our Maker Space. In Middle School, students get hands on with kinetic sculpture, engineering, and design thinking. Our STEAM Hub for Girls, a new $5M facility that will break ground in June, is a commitment to correcting the underrepresentation of women in STEAM and better prepares our students for an interdisciplinary world and workplace.

The solution is not as simple as computer science education for all; the focus has to be on educating girls. “We know anecdotally [the gender makeup of coed computer science classes is] normally 70 percent boys and 30 percent girls,” said Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, in the Washington Post piece. In a recent phone conversation (Saujani was a keynote speaker at Lincoln in 2014 when we launched our Girls Who Code clubs, and we keep in touch) she added: “I truly believe that in order to shift the male/female balance in tech, you have to be girl specific. When you’re looking forward, don’t take your eyes off of gender.”

At Lincoln, our female focus brings great benefits to our students. Across all disciplines, from Lower to Middle to Upper School, they are surrounded by strong and smart female figures both in the classroom and within the community, one of the most effective ways to combat gender stereotypes. The Science article states: “We have to be more deliberate about presenting examples of brilliant women to girls and boys as young as five to help them avoid developing [the “male=brilliance”] association.”

There is such power in an all-girls education—power to remove the barriers that gender stereotypes can build, and establish in their place a system of learning that encourages individuality and expression. And the good news is, we know it’s working. Lincoln students and alumnae are inspiring examples of girls and women with strong and brilliant voices. A comprehensive UCLA study found that graduates of an all-girls’ education:

• Have higher academic self-confidence
• Express more interest in engineering careers
• Have higher confidence in their math and computer skills
• Earn higher SAT scores
• Are more likely to be politically engaged

Turning the tide on gender inequality isn’t an easy task, but it is critical. I am so thankful to be at the helm of an institution doing the important work of breaking down stereotypes and building up the female voices of the future. Lincoln School is an incredible community, not in spite of our all-girls status, but because of it.

Looking forward,

Suzanne Fogarty
Head of School

January 2017

Friends,

Exciting things are already afoot this year at Lincoln! I’m pleased to share that on New Year’s Day I was included in an incredible lineup of Rhode Islanders who were named “R.I. Innovators: 11 Trailblazers to Follow in 2017” by the Providence Journal. It is thanks to the collaborative work of the Lincoln School community that I received this honor.

Additionally, Lincoln was featured shortly thereafter in a January 6 Providence Business News article entitled “Hands-on science learning boosts girls’ confidence,” which showcases the new STEAM Hub for Girls facility as a strong example of interdisciplinary learning, highlighting that Lincoln is at the forefront of girls’ education.

These articles speak to the distinctive strength of our academic programs, and signal that our growth is catching attention. As you may recall, I sent a letter last month announcing that we’ve raised $2 million to fast track the groundbreaking of the STEAM Hub for Girls. I am excited to share that we’ve secured $3 million to-date, and the momentum continues to build.

Stay tuned for more updates on all that is happening at Lincoln!

All my best,

Suzanne

November, 2016

Friends,

As a Quaker school for girls, our foundation allows us to provide a space in which to have productive conversations about our personal beliefs without excluding others. Today, as all days, we are a community committed to peace, equity, and inclusion.

We have reflected on this election in all divisions. During silent meetings in both Middle and Upper school, students, faculty, and staff reflected on how to think critically and disagree respectfully. In the Lower School, Ms. Devlin spoke to students about democracy and the power of being a Lincoln girl.

Lincoln students across divisions shared their thoughts and opinions, and most importantly, their care for one another. These discussions are a part of Lincoln, where students learn about what it means to hold diverse views, an essential building block of confidence and resilience. We rely on our strong foundation to guide us during these important conversations, and are committed to making sure each and every student feels both safe and heard.

As one student said this morning, “’There is no place I’d rather be today than here at Lincoln, having this conversation, with open minds and constructive spirits.” We are unified in our mission to continue to foster confidence, strength, and community, and celebrate the power and potential of girls and young women.

Looking forward,

Suzanne

October, 2016

Friends,

I’m pleased to share that we are nearing the completion of our Facilities Master Plan that we began in earnest last winter. A Board of Trustees committee led the collaborative process in which the needs of the community directly influenced the 10-year plan for our campus.

Alumnae, parents, students, faculty, and staff gave their input through surveys and interactive workshops led by Pawtucket-based architecture firm LLB. I’m thankful for the open feedback and time our community contributed to this process, as it will provide a solid foundation for our progress. Because it’s time to invest once again in Lincoln: it’s been 17 years since we underwent a similar endeavor, and the last major renovation to our Providence Campus was in 2002 when we renovated the Middle School.

Our work was guided by the following principles:

• Invest in visible improvements for key program and strategy initiatives.
• Embrace a progressive design philosophy for Lincoln as a place where "tradition meets innovation" by retaining distinctive character and enhancing exposure to nature.
• Improve space usage for 21st-century skills and pedagogy, resulting in more group collaboration and project-based learning.
• Increase connectivity of buildings and ensure facilities are more sustainable and resilient.
• Think both inspirationally and practically.

News and outcomes:

• Lincoln made a strategic acquisition of the residential home adjacent to campus located at 64 East Orchard. It will likely be used to house administrative offices in 2017.
• We will begin phased renovations of Upper, Middle, Lower and Little schools over a 10-year period.
• The first capital project will build a STEAM Hub for Girls at Lincoln, primarily serving Upper and Middle Schools, to begin July of 2017. This will include:
  • redesigned two-story frontage on Blackstone Boulevard
  • state-of-the-art engineering workspace
  • guest lecture space and gallery wall
  • larger, remodeled physics and chemistry labs and robotics classroom
  • student-centered workspaces and student and faculty shared space
  • new science wing roof featuring a living roof

This campus revitalization will mirror Lincoln’s positive momentum while sending a message of strength into the community.

Future phases over the next 10 years will include renovations to Lower and Little School allowing for expanded enrollment. We envision increasing the connectivity between Lower and Middle schools and exploring expanded options for the Wheeler Gym and the library.

I’ll be sending periodic updates about the progress of our fundraising and further details about upcoming enhancements.

Stay tuned,

Suzanne

September, 2016

Friends,

I hope you are enjoying these summer months and have had the chance to relax and recharge. It has been fun to hear from students about all the adventures they are having, whether it be studying in Jordan, blogging for Microsoft, getting on a surf board for the first time or creating a collaborative sculpture at the Providence Steel Yard.

Additionally, four members of faculty travelled to Cuba on a professional development program in July, where they lived with host families in Cienfuegos and Havana and learned about the complexity of this country through the eyes of the people with whom they met. We will share more about this experience as the school year gets underway and as we prepare for launching the student program in the spring of 2017.

I am also pleased to share with you that Brown’s School of Engineering devoted a two-page spread to our partnership in their summer magazine, that our new surf camps were sold out both weeks and that the collaborative sculpture created by Lincoln students will find a home on our 301 Butler campus this September. Stay tuned for its unveiling! In the meantime, we have included some visual teasers from each of the above.

While we are excited about the year to come, right now I would like to take you back to the evening of June 8 and the senior dinner. As part of the celebration, we placed index cards on each table with the question “Why Lincoln?” Our best storytellers are our students and we wanted to capture their voices one last time before they graduated. I am so glad we did as the responses the students penned on these index cards were inspiring, funny and proud.

A couple of weeks later, I received a letter from a member of the class of 2016, now an official alumna of Lincoln School. It began like this:

At the senior dinner you gave us blank cards and asked “Why Lincoln?” I wrote nothing. I felt the question deserved more time, thought, and space than a couple of lines scribbled between bites (which were excellent, by the way). So I’m writing this letter instead. I have a lot to say and it’s really important to me that I convey this fully and correctly; it’s the least I can do after everything that Lincoln has done for me.

What followed was a four-page, single-spaced, type-written letter with so many fabulous gems of reflection. I would like to share one with you now as it is an invaluable window into the depth of a Lincoln education. In this young woman’s words:

Lincoln has sparked a burning desire in me to find something important, something that I care enough about to devote my whole self to. Something that I can impact and be impacted by. At Lincoln I have learned to stretch my comfort zone, expand my horizons and dream ambitiously. I’ve learned to believe in myself. So while I leave unsure of what I want to do, I am certain of how I want to do it: proudly, peacefully and purposefully.

Proudly. Peacefully. Purposefully. This is a Lincoln education, an education that is much more than its academics, its arts and its athletics. Though all of these programs tap into the talents and interests of our students, the best that Lincoln School can offer is a community that is forever challenging its students to learn, to care, to try and to grow deeper into who they are. As this young alumna says, it is not about the “what”, but the “how”. It is not about the end result, but the process.

So thank you to this young alumna and to all the students and alumnae who share their Lincoln stories and experiences with us every day. These experiences remind us of the importance of our work together-as teachers and parents—and of the responsibility we have to be the best that we can be, so our students and your children can live proud, peaceful and purposeful lives.

I look forward to seeing you in September.

Best,

Suzanne

June, 2016

Friends,

To fully encapsulate the great teaching and learning that happens in the Lincoln community is next to impossible. The day-to-day joy that bubbles up in our hallways and the intellect that permeates our classrooms— these moments are hard to convey in a single photo, a sound bite on social media or in articles in the Lincoln magazine.

That said, we are grateful that our excellent education has been making headlines! Jane Kramer ’55 was featured in The Providence Journal in October for her celebrated and established career at The New Yorker. Just a few months later, Lincoln found itself in The Providence Journal again in a story showcasing documentarian Lauren Greenfield’s visit here with students.

In the winter, faculty and staff had another audience, this time presenting on our partnerships with Brown’s School of Engineering and RISD’s School of Architecture at the Global Forum on Girls’ Education in New York City. Equally excited, Brown and RISD have highlighted us on their websites. Most recently, we were included in partner Save The Bay’s spring magazine.

We were also thrilled to appear in The Providence Journal for a third time, with coverage of the immersive engineering experience we offered to our Middle Schoolers in March. With such opportunities in mind, Lincoln will move beyond the Advanced Placement program in 2017. Elisabeth Harrison of Rhode Island Public Radio interviewed me about this innovative change in early April.

This is all great news, but it’s the small moments that count, too—the ones that don’t make splashy headlines like two girls working together to write a story, to solve a math problem or build a set for the spring play.

As summer begins, I want to thank the entire community for the part they take in creating a learning environment worth celebrating.

Best,

Suzanne Fogarty
Head of School

April 2016

Friends,

Lincoln will be moving beyond the AP curricula in the fall of 2017. This change aligns with our mission as an independent, Quaker school for girls that’s globally focused and forward thinking—and will best prepare our students for the 21st-century world. All members of Lincoln’s faculty and staff have weighed in on this decision, and we are pleased to proceed with widespread support and enthusiasm.

As an independent school, independent being the key word, we have the privilege and important freedom to develop courses that best reflect the needs of our students, emphasizing depth over breadth, interdisciplinary studies, additional options in computer science and engineering, as well as research opportunities in the humanities and sciences.

I was interviewed by Elisabeth Harrison of Rhode Island Public Radio about this important decision. Please listen to our conversation.

And read the letters that were sent to our community here.

March 2016

Friends,

As you know, Lincoln was invited to present at the Global Forum for Girls’ Education in New York City on Feb. 9 and 10. It was an opportunity to be loud and proud about Lincoln’s partnerships with Brown and RISD, our program to India, and the grit and creativity it takes to navigate Marion Athearn’s “Advanced Geometry” course!

It felt terrific to spend time with inspiring colleagues from all over the world. "It was incredibly empowering, with 23 countries represented and 68 schools," Middle School Director Debbie Hanney said, "and we're all thinking about how to best educate girls." We also saw some Lincoln alumnae, including Whitney Doherty, ’86, and Barbara Sadick, ’71, who joined us for a reception on Monday evening.

The Global Forum would not have been possible without the excellent work of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, one of the main hosts for this conference. In an email thank you to Executive Director Megan Murphy, I wrote:

The Global Forum for Girls’ Education was excellent—top notch… The speakers, the sessions and the networking were inspiring… NCGS is harnessing an important and growing energy. I loved hearing the word "movement" over and over again, as I think that is exactly what this is. Girls’ schools on the forefront!

And Lincoln is on the forefront, leading through excellent and innovative education. Here is a quick scoop on recent happenings: six Upper School students took top awards at the Boston Invitational Model UN Conference, seventh grader Salma Alawi won first place in the Independent School Spelling Bee, the Kilt Cadets rocked the roof in their rendition of Demi Lovato’s “Confident” (14K views on Facebook!), Lincoln hosted the Quaker Youth Leadership Conference in the snow, no less, and our first graders took to the sea to scope out seals (they saw 40—who’s counting!) in partnership with Save the Bay.

The Kilt Cadets rocking the roof!

Grade One scoping out seals on the bay.

Coming up:

Over spring break, 13 students will travel to India with faculty Barret Fabris and Jenn Bowdoin.

Grades Six through Eight will immerse themselves in a weeklong art and engineering project, building kinetic sculptures.

Rebecca Arvanites, ’03, who serves as a flight operations lead at Boeing, is next to participate in our Alumnae Speakers Series on April 6.

Human rights advocate and writer Noorjahan Akbar, known for her work on gender equality in Afghanistan, visits on April 13.

And Columbia University Dean of Engineering Mary Boyce, who’s widely recognized for her research on materials and mechanics, comes on April 27.

Best,
Suzanne Fogarty
Head of School

January 2016

Friends,

I wanted to share with you that Lincoln School has been selected to present at the Global Forum on Girls' Education, Creating a World of Possibilities. The conference will take place in New York City Feb. 7-9. More than 800 educators from schools across the country and around the world will attend.

Lincoln will participate in three separate sessions:

On Sunday, Feb. 7, Lincoln will present on its partnerships with Brown’s School of Engineering and RISD’s School of Architecture. Ruth Macaulay, chair of Lincoln’s history department, and I will be joined by Laura Briggs, chair of RISD’s architecture department, and Iris Bahar, a member of Brown’s engineering department.

On Monday, Feb. 8, Marion Athearn, longtime member of Lincoln’s math department, will present Fostering a Climate of Innovation, Persistence and Risk-taking Through a Nontraditional Advanced Geometry Course.

Additionally, on Monday, Feb. 8, I will participate in a panel called Girls as Global Leaders, hosted by World Leadership School, our partner in our India and Cuba programs.

Finally, a team of Lincoln faculty will attend the Global Forum and will have the chance to cheer on their colleagues. They will hear featured speakers like Gloria Steinem, Arianna Huffington and Kakenya Ntaiya

We are excited to share Lincoln’s innovative programs with educators from our peer schools in the United States and with our colleagues who are traveling from South Africa, Australia and Europe.

Stay tuned!

Best,
Suzanne Fogarty
Head of School

August, 2015

I hope you are enjoying these last weeks of summer. It goes by all too quickly, which is why I want to take a few moments to reflect on two extraordinary accomplishments in the world of sports. On Sunday, July 5th, the US Women’s Soccer Team won the 2015 World Cup. Six days later on July 11th, Serena Williams secured her 6th Wimbledon championship and her 21st Grand Slam.

And yet, despite these monumental achievements, it remains frustratingly difficult to find thoughtful articles that celebrate these rare accomplishments. For example, finding coverage of the Women’s World Cup leading up to its opening day was like trying to find Waldo. The build-up to the tournament took a backseat to the corruption riddling FIFA and the lingering articles about Deflategate and Tom Brady.

Then there was the New York Times article entitled “Tennis’s Top Women Balance Body Image with Ambition” by Ben Rothenberg that came out the day before the women’s finals at Wimbledon. In sum, the article talks about how women are often ashamed of looking physically too strong and how Serena Williams has had to battle with the perception that she is just that--too strong.

Needless to say, we did not post this article on Lincoln’s social media and instead posted The Guardian’s“Serena Williams Transcends Sport. We Are Lucky To Be Living In Her Time.” Why? As Bryan Armen Graham writes: “[Serena] is transcending sport into a space we’re only beginning to reckon – past the Jordans, Gretzkys and Messis into the rarified air of Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson.”

These terrific athletes—the members of the US Women’s Soccer Team, Serena Williams and the many girls and women we do not get the chance to read about—are unstoppable. They will keep on practicing, competing and working hard to be the best that they can be.

In the meantime, it should not be so hard to find great articles, books and films about women’s achievements, but it still is. This reality makes our work here at Lincoln all that more urgent and important. The Lincoln community, which spreads far beyond our 301 Butler Avenue campus, fosters the confidence, leadership and resilience that inspire our students to believe that they, too, are unstoppable. Rest assured, we continue to change the world here at Lincoln one game, match, speech, class and day at a time!

Best,

Suzanne

October, 2014

Dear Friends,

The city of Providence, like Lincoln School, has been the recipient of some excellent press recently. Providence got a full-page write up in the Wall Street Journal titled “The Perfect Long Weekend in Providence” (9/28/14).

And Lincoln got the best shout-out possible from Meredith Vieira ‘71 in her interview in September’s issue of People Magazine, “Five Choices That Changed My Life.”

Travel & Leisure ranked Providence the number one city overall in its 2014 list of “America’s Favorite Cities.”

And Fortune Magazine’s September issue names two Lincoln alumnae, Helena Buonanno Foulkes ’82 and Nancy Dubuc ’87, two of “The 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.”

So, what else does Lincoln School and Providence have in common? The first line in Charlotte Druckman’sWSJ article sums it up: “Rhode Island’s top town is proof that bigger doesn't always mean better—or more interesting.” Lincoln, like Providence, does not have to be big, to be terrifically interesting. It just is.

Lincoln’s excellent press came during the first couple of weeks of the school year, but the reality is that the gold quality of a Lincoln education has been here for 130 years. And now we are at the school’s next turning point, standing on Lincoln’s rich and rooted foundation, a foundation that supports the innovations of the future.

Some exciting innovations include Girls Who Code Clubs in the Middle and Upper School divisions, our partnership with RISD’s Architecture Department, and the launch of our Alumnae Speakers Series. Stay tuned for updates on Singapore Math in the Lower School, the Grade 8 Program to the United Nations, and the Upper School India Program.

As our campus expands to RISD, New York, and India, we want to be sure to keep you up to speed on all that is going on. The best place to get the scoop on all the latest news related to Lincoln is the “homepage” on our website and our Facebook page.

Lastly, I invite you to visit the “From the Head” page on our website where you can read my letters to the community, my most recent blog posts, and my Twitter feed as well as a list of recommended readings about Quaker values, an all-girls education, and the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering,Arts/Architecture, and Math) disciplines.

In the meantime, we have a very busy few weeks ahead of us! On Saturday, October 18, Lincoln will host the Rhode Island Festival of Children’s Books and Authors. We will welcome back many of our alumnae the weekend of October 24 and 25, and we will hold our all-school Open House on Sunday, November 2. I hope I will see you at one of these upcoming events.

We are also very excited that Sheryl WuDunn, author, businesswoman, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, will visit Lincoln on Thursday, November 20 as the speaker for the 2014 Alexis Allen Boss ’89 Endowment for Community Accord and Public Service. WuDunn will share her newest book, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity, which she has co-authored with her husband, New York Times journalist, Nicholas Kristoff. You can register online today for this exciting presentation.

Remember, Lincoln, like Providence, does not need to be big to feel big. Lincoln is a school filled with big ideas, big confidence, and big dreams. I look forward to keeping you posted on all the excellent and exciting events happening here in our little corner of the world.