Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, the PS-12 girls’ independent day school in Princeton recognized for its bold and innovative approach to all-girls education, announces the launch of the National Center for Girls’ Leadership at Stuart (NCGLS). The school is pleased to introduce new Head of Upper School Courtney Portlock as the director.

The NCGLS is a global expansion of the school’s Center for Girls’ Leadership, established in 2015 to support and empower the next generation of female leaders by providing leadership training, mentors and opportunities. Learn more at StuartSchool.org/NCGLS.

The decision to broaden the scope of NCGLS came on the heels of #LEADLIKEAGIRL, a free conference for girls K-12, in April 2017. The #LEADLIKEAGIRL conference evolved out of the school’s efforts to help bridge the gender-gap in STEM and entrepreneurship. More than 900 students, parents and mentors from across the country, and educators from as far as Greece, participated in the conference, which had to close for registration one month prior to the event.

“As experts in educating girls, we are always asking, ‘What do girls need to lead today, and into the future?’” says Dr. Patty L. Fagin, head of school at Stuart. “Despite the demonstrated strength of girls over their male counterparts in the classroom, women still remain significantly underrepresented in many high growth areas including the STEM fields, entrepreneurship, finance, and especially positions of leadership. We believe that girls must be given not just the skills but also the confidence to know their voices are equally important.”

The new NCGLS director, Courtney Portlock explains, “Through the expansion of the National Center for Girls’ Leadership at Stuart, we will create blueprint for other schools, educators and organizations to extend the impact of the NCGLS mission to students, regardless of where they live or go to school.”

Portlock is currently working to form a consortium with girls’ schools around the country under the umbrella of the NCGLS, with plans to develop training for educators to teach leadership curriculum, make leadership courses available online, connect students with mentors, and hold the #LEADLIKEAGIRL conference in different locations across the United States.

Stuart is currently accepting proposals for #LEADLIKEAGIRL 2018, which will be held on Saturday, April 14 on the Stuart campus. Learn more and submit a proposal at StuartSchool.org/LeadLikeaGirl.

STUART COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEART
1200 Stuart Road | Princeton, N.J.
609-921-2330 ext. 4131
StuartSchool.org/OpenHouse
Bus available from Bucks County

Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life Magazine, October, 2017.