Bear Necessities Volume 23

This past week, we celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Girls Athletic Association Leadership Team hosted a lunch and learn in the reception room to honor the day and spark meaningful conversation.

In preparation for the event, the Girls Athletic Association Leadership Team reached out to departments across campus, inviting faculty and staff to submit photos from their own experiences participating in high school athletics. These photos were displayed alongside a brief history of the day, facts about girls' sports participation, and photos of our current student-athletes.

We also included two posters with the prompt, 

"What lessons has sport taught me?" invited everyone to fill in the blank. Some of the most common responses were confidence, teamwork, and dedication. One response I was particularly proud to see was leadership. Leadership is a skill that is earned through the trust and respect of teammates and coaches. It is not something that is simply given by title, or grade, or name, but developed through actions, accountability, and consistency. The girls especially enjoyed seeing faculty and staff in their high school photos, many commenting on the differences in uniforms and hairstyles over the years. It was a wonderful afternoon of connection, reflection, and celebration of the impact sports have had and continue to have on girls and women.