Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
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On May 22, the Third Grade of Villa Maria Lower School honored notable women by presenting their annual Famous Women Courtyard Conclave.
As a culmination to their study on Biographies, the girls were asked to choose a Famous Woman in history, and learn about that woman’s life – enough to be able to have a short conversation in Villa’s courtyard with a gathering of family and friends.
The Famous Women project was cross-curricular. Villa’s Librarian, Mrs. Lentz, assisted the girls in helping them gather books for the choosing of their famous woman, Mrs. Sturm, Villa’s Art Teacher, assisted the girls with creating their portraits, and Miss Connors, Villa’s Music Teacher, assisted the girls with learning their song to sing before their conclave. As an all-girls’ school, Villa is always looking for opportunities to educate girls about strong women in their fields and to empower them to believe they can be anything they want to be.
In class, the girls created books reports and research reports about their famous woman, and then wrote a summary of their woman’s life and why she became famous. For the technology component of their project, using the app Chatterpix, the girls uploaded images of their famous woman and recorded themselves reading the summaries they wrote. They then created QR codes in class that linked to their Chatterpix photos and added the QR codes to their portrait pictures outside their classroom. iPads were placed in the gymnasium for family and friends to borrow to watch the Chatterpix, or they could download a QR code on their device.
Then on Monday, the girls came dressed as their famous woman and held a conclave in the courtyard for family and friends. “It was a meet and greet,” said third grade teacher Miss Thomas. Guests were able to go up to each girl and ask them questions about their famous woman’s life, and the girls could then have a conversation with them instead of reciting lines in front of an audience.
Congratulations to the girls and their teachers! And thank you to the parents for their help and support in preparing the girls!
Villa Maria Academy empowers young women through leadership and service in the IHM tradition. As a Catholic elementary school, Villa is committed to the moral and spiritual growth of each student. As an all-girls school, Villa Maria differentiates instruction to the specific needs of girls, while integrating the latest in instructional technology.