The National Center for Girls' Leadership at Stuart delivers on its mission through an innovative preschool through grade 12 leadership curriculum that is committed to teaching the five standards of leadership: values, intellect, agency, collaboration and vision.
The endorsement is a gradual learning process, which is to be completed over the course of one’s upper school career. Typically, students take three to four years to complete this life-enriching journey. We know that enhancing one’s leadership competence is an evaluative, evolving and continuous process. That being said, the endorsement program offerings and requirements are subject to change in order to provide our students with a rigorous and distinguished, yet attainable program.
To earn the endorsement the following requirements must be met:
Application reviewed and accepted by the Head of Upper School (students must apply by the spring of eighth grade, or by the winter of freshman year).
Candidates must attend a conference that pertains to leadership or leadership development. While a variety of conferences may be suitable to fulfill this requirement, below is a list of possible conferences for students to attend:
New Jersey Conference for Women
Pennsylvania Conference for Women
National Coalition of Girls Schools
Sacred Heart Network Conferences
World Leadership School Conference
#LeadLikeAGirl Conference (required)
NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Two required Harris B. Siegel Leadership courses must be completed:
Women in Leadership (or Women in STEM for STEM Endorsement Candidates)
Research Seminar
A trimester course in Public Speaking is recommended
Students must participate in a summer experience between freshman and junior year for a minimum of two-weeks in one of the following categories:
Internship
Summer job
Community Service (apart from and in addition to the required service commitment)
Leadership Program
In addition, students must write a 500-word reflection on the experience.
Throughout both freshmen and sophomore years, candidates are required to participate in the creation and facilitation of activity centers in the Lower School’s Women We Admire Day.
Junior year, students must fulfill the Junior Venture requirement. As requirements may differ from year to year, information about the thesis will be reviewed with students at the start of their junior year.
Senior year, students will participate in the Senior Mentor requirement. Senior mentors will advise Leadership Endorsement candidates from grades 9-11.
Ideally, candidates will receive their leadership endorsements by the end of junior year and will serve as mentors during their senior year. However, there are circumstances in which a student will receive the endorsement at the completion of senior year. Should a student decide to withdraw from the leadership endorsement program at any time, she is required to submit an “Add/Drop Form” to the assistant head of the upper school.
Student Reflections
“I consider the endorsement opportunity a truly awesome experience, for it not only allows me to further my own interest in computer science but also leads to numerous interactions with other motivated students here at Stuart. I joined the endorsement as a freshman. Back then, I was pretty determined that my life-long passion lies in computer science, yet I was still not very sure how to pursue such a path. The endorsement really helped me a lot by providing detailed guidelines and potential plans for what a student might want to do in the Upper School. I remembered reading through the requirements line by line and finding matching courses to fulfill the credit needed. Earlier this academic year, I presented my junior venture project, which was a simulation of spin z-axis measurement in a three-qubit system, inspired by a quantum computing class I was taking. This is definitely a challenging experience, but also a valuable one that paves the way for any future research. Overall, I enjoyed enrolling in the Leadership in STEM endorsement a lot, and I look forward to mentoring some juniors! " - Caroline Chen '22, STEM Endorsement
“Being a STEM Endorsement candidate has opened my eyes to new opportunities that I would never have seen. Through the endorsement, I've been able to attend scientific conferences, take classes with exceptional instructors, and conduct research in areas of my choice. I started with conferences in my freshman year, taking me across the state and even to New York; these showed me the possibilities when it came to student-led research. Fast forward to my junior year, I was able to conduct research of my own. My Junior Venture was centered around breath work and yoga--things that I thoroughly enjoy. I've even been able to apply my research in my own life, showing me the real-world benefits of research. Now, I'm able to mentor other candidates and ensure that their experience is one that they'll never forget. Overall, the program has been an incredible experience, and I'm excited to use what I've learned here at Stuart in my life after high school.” - Kelsie Bouyer '22, STEM Endorsement
Our work in advancing the mission of girls’ schools includes ensuring our students have role models and mentors to help them see a career pathway with their skills and talents, especially in male-dominated industries. The Office of Alumnae Engagement has partnered with the National Center for Girls’ Leadership at Stuart for a Career Day with alumnae and parents, followed by a networking fair.
The National Center for Girls' Leadership invites speakers to address topics related to STEM, Business, and Social Justice. Speakers have included professional women from within and outside the Stuart community.
The expansion of our leadership programs has been made possible by the Harris B. Siegel Fund for Student Leadership, established by Patricia Costante and Stephanie Champi ’12. Their generous gift was given to Stuart in gratitude for Mr. Siegel, a long time director of college counseling.
