The month of March, also known as Women’s History Month, marks a powerful time to celebrate and reflect upon the countless ways that the women who came before us have shaped history—and continue to inspire future generations.
Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA), dedicated to promoting Women’s History, selects a theme for the month. This year, they present the theme: “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Roughly 60% of Lick-Wilmerding High School’s faculty are female-identifying in addition to the senior administration team, which is predominantly female-identifying. So, what does this theme mean to LWHS female-identifying educators, and how do they embody it at this educational institution?
According to a 2024 study conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 96.8% of preschool and kindergarten teachers are female, making many of our first teachers female-identifying. Yetta Allen teaches Mathematics at LWHS. “Our perception of school and education is widely known to be shaped by those early interactions…it’s not insignificant that women are the people who have introduced many of us to education,” she said.
This concept of female representation in educational spaces is far from radical; women have long been at the forefront of education—even prior to their existence in the classroom. Dr. Angela Wall is an English teacher at LWHS. “Women have always educated and inspired generations…from historically traditional roles as mothers and caregivers to their roles as wise women, being elders and giving advice,” she said.
Despite the essential role that women now play in classrooms, some LWHS teachers reflect on their experience as students, wishing there were more systems in place to encourage them to truly thrive when they were in school. “As a student, it took a long, long time to feel empowered in a classroom…I was always worried about what people would think, always thought that I wasn’t smart enough, afraid that what I said would be wrong,” Dr. Wall said.
Unfortunately, many female-identifying individuals also experience these feelings of self-doubt, especially in the classroom. Laura Miglani is a Spanish teacher at LWHS. “I’ve dedicated my life to doing this. This [year’s] theme, to me, means looking at my experience in the classroom and thinking about how to create the environment that I didn’t have when I was in school…it means teaching my female students how to find a voice, how to be strong in their ability to stand up for themselves and how to develop critical thinking skills,” she said.
photo by Ruby Kilar
Since its founding in 1980, NWHA has been guided by the same core principles that Miglani leads with today: “education, empowerment, equality and inclusion.” However, it took a significant amount of time for this work and the month-long celebration to gain widespread recognition across the country.
In 1978, a group of women from Sonoma County, California—who worked under the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women—organized and led a week of programming dedicated to celebrating the past contributions of American women to the nation at large. The week, which began March 8th and included International Women’s Day, quickly gained attention from women’s rights activists. Two years later, President Jimmy Carter declared that March 8 through March 15 would be a national celebration of Women’s History. As the years passed, the movement flourished and an increasing number of American women identified directly with the cause. Finally, in 1987, as a result of extensive lobbying and social demonstration by the NWHA, March was officially designated “Women’s History Month.”
This progressive evolution of female recognition in America would not have been possible if not for the women who grounded and guided this movement—many of whom were educators. Marissa Cornelius is a history teacher at LWHS. “It’s not only about empowering the individual but empowering the collective,” she said.
While created to honor female-identifying individuals, Women’s History Month is not exclusively a celebration of femininity; it is also an opportunity to dismantle the gender roles that guide how our society functions. By celebrating women who have challenged social norms and broken barriers, we inspire current and future generations to do the same—starting with small, yet powerful, moments in our classrooms.
“In the past, I’ve received feedback that at honors levels, female-identifying students at times feel unheard by classmates…Now, in the classroom, I always point out to students when I observe a dynamic between genders that is not right…not in a punitive way, but in a way that invites students to learn from the moment,” Allen said.
Similarly, LWHS Dean Kindra Briggs actively works to foster a safe space for female-identifying students in her classroom, regardless of their confidence when sharing out. “To me, it is important to note what voices are taking space, and then honor those who are succeeding more quietly through 1:1 recognition…it’s important to reinforce students who at times lack the confidence to take more space,” Briggs said.
“I often see students succeeding quietly in my classroom…and I think the quietness can stem from the fear of occupying too much space. I identify with feeling like that when I was in high school and have seen it in some of my female-identifying students. So, a part of my work is to encourage these students to take up the space,” Dr. Wall said.
This March (and every month), LWHS female-identifying faculty are inspiring generations by encouraging community accountability, bringing diverse voices into the conversation and celebrating the countless women who have pioneered and dominated academic, social and political fields.
Despite their work, we must continue to recognize the power of female voices. “In this moment where gains have been lost and people have been persecuted—allies and those who identify as female need to commit to education,” Briggs said.
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