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“Who am I?” this is the question student leaders invited their peers to ask themselves during a recent Residential Meeting . At a retreat in October, leaders chose Identity as an issue they wanted to engage in a dialogue with their fellow students about. Recognizing that an eighth grader’s relationship with her self- identity is very different from that of an eleventh grader, they decided to split the community based on grade level into three different groups. Eighth and ninth graders were in one group, tenth graders in another and juniors and seniors in the third.
Each session was led by two or three student leaders, and—again recognizing developmental differences—each session approached the topic of Identity slightly differently. For the younger grades, they discussed how the media can affect their perception of themselves. Tenth graders took some time to assess who they are at this moment in time, while eleventh and twelfth graders approached the topic looking forward. Upperclassmen asked themselves, “who do I want to be?” and “what do I want my legacy at St. Margaret’s to be?”
Dorm parents attended each session as facilitators. Spanish teacher and dorm parent Ellen Ruebush, who worked with students leading the eleventh and twelfth grade discussion, said, “all the ideas were the students. They really took this on and put a lot of hard work into it.”
Senior Brittany McPherson shared with eleventh and twelfth graders how her time at St. Margaret’s had changed her self-identity, helped her to evolve and mature. “My identity was changing, no longer was I just a girl from D.C. who bopped to GoGo and R&B. I was a new me, an open-minded, clever, friendly, and warm-hearted African American girl with friends all across the globe.”
Fellow presenters Linh Tran and Natalie Clark also shared with the group how St. Margaret’s had helped them develop a self identity. Linh Tran looked back on her freshman year and how quiet and timid she was. Now as head boarding prefect, she urged her peers to think about how they want to be remembered. “I didn’t want to be remembered as a quiet, Asian girl. I wanted to give back to St. Margaret’s.”
When asked what larger legacy they want to leave behind, answers were as varied as, “I want to be remembered as an athlete” to. “I want to be that girl that everyone remembers for having a positive attitude.”
The discussion on Identity kicked off a series of student led presentations which are a part of the co-curricular program, which engages students in learning and thinking about important topics beyond academics. From healthy lifestyles to internet safety, the co-curricular program addresses issues facing young women today and is just another way St. Margaret’s is educating young women for life.
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