International Women's Day at St Benedict's School

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 7th of April 2011

International Women's Day was celebrated at St Benedict's School, Ealing on Tuesday 8th March and during the following two weeks. Teachers drew attention to women achievers in their subject areas, school assemblies and displays in the Library and on notice boards reinforced these messages. The sale of Women's Day badges raised £90.21 for the charity 'Refuge,' which works to provide safe accommodation for women and their children suffering domestic abuse.

Friday 18th March was the grand culmination of activities, with both girls and boys being encouraged to wear something purple, as a reminder of the colour chosen by the Suffragette movement. Mrs Marigay McKee, Director of Fashion and Beauty and a member of the board at Harrods, gave an inspiring talk to all girls in the Senior School. During her speech she stressed that she lived by the following creed: 'I craft my dreams into ambitions. I drive my ambitions into goals. I turn my goals into plans.'

Oliwia Henshaw (Lower Sixth) and Charlotte Pattison-Hudd (Upper Fifth) were impressed. 'Mrs McKee talked about her career, steps to success and the business world. Her inspirational attitude will motivate us all to work hard, to fulfil our ambitions and succeed in life.'

The last event was a lively debate in the Library - 'Girls make better leaders than Boys,' proposed by Georgia Lambert (Year 12) and Jordan Maxwell-Ridgway (Year 8) and opposed by Matthew Roberts (Year 12) and Ben Farmer (Year 7). The motion was eventually defeated, possibly due to the larger number of boys than girls who attended!

School Librarian Diana Maxton, who organised the events, was delighted with the impact they had achieved. 'By the end of the fortnight there was a real buzz around the School. The girls felt truly inspired and the boys were realising what a lot of great, successful women there are in the world.'