Featured Session and Panel
Tuesday, June 27, 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Where Girls Learn Without Limits: Shaping Skills, Driving Confidence and Creating Leaders in Girls’ Schools
To mark their 150th anniversary, the GDST—the UK’s largest group of girls’ schools—commissioned The Girls’ Futures Report, a landmark survey of 5,000 girls in state, academies and independent schools, to find out how they feel about their personal and professional futures, with the aim of using the findings to shape the future of girls’ education. Drawing on experiences of two GDST Heads, this session will explore the conditions that girls want and need throughout their education and in society to put them in charge of creating their own futures. Becky Mahony, Principal of Birkenhead High School Academy and Beckie Brown, Head of Northwood College for Girls will delve into how girls-only schools are better positioned to give students a deep-seated confidence, resilience and creativity, without being held back by gender-stereotypes or the pressures of conformity felt in mixed-sex classrooms.
Presenters:
Beckie Brown, Head, Northwood College for Girls
A historian at heart, Rebecca studied at the University of Oxford, specialising in Early Modern culture and religion. After graduating she worked in the education departments at the Museum of London and Tower of London, before becoming Head of History and Politics at North London Collegiate School. Rebecca joined Northwood College as Director of Sixth Form, before becoming Academic Deputy Head and then Head in September 2021. As a representative on the Independent Schools’ Council and GDST diversity and inclusion leadership teams, she works with leaders in education to develop inclusive curriculum and cultural approaches. A member of the GSA Sport and Wellness Committee, Rebecca works to develop girls’ sport at both an elite and recreational level. The power of collective endeavour and inspiring girls to think of others is particularly important to Rebecca, who celebrated a recent school birthday by launching an ambitious pledge for every student to participate in a service to others within the local community. Rebecca is passionate about the value of knowledge and the impact of enthusiastic and skilful teachers in supporting the development of strong, smart and principled women.
Becky Mahony, Principal, Birkenhead High School Academy
Rebecca Mahony has over 30 years’ experience in education and has taught at a variety of schools throughout the UK as a teacher of modern foreign languages . Her last 20 years have been in senior leadership roles in girls’ schools in the state sector. She has chaired several headteacher associations in her area and has set up many collaborations to empower young women in local schools. She is currently the Principal of Birkenhead High School Academy (BHSA), an all through (3-18) state school for girls in the Northwest of England. BHSA is one of the academies within the Girls’ Day School Trust family of 25 schools, where girls are encouraged to embrace every opportunity, develop their leadership potential, and set themselves no limits. Rebecca is passionate about girls’ education and broadening the horizons for students at her school.
Wednesday, June 28, 9:30-10:20 a.m.
The Role of Schools in Supporting Girls’ Mental Health and Well-Being Across Development
Particularly in light of recent headlines about the mental health crisis facing adolescent girls, schools are eager to support students’ mental health and well-being. Using a research-based approach, this conversation will unpack recent research on girls’ mental health and provide practical, actionable steps for schools to bolster girls’ overall well-being across all stages of development. With panel participants representing a wide range of mental health domains, this conversation will pay special attention to the interplay between schools and outside mental health agencies to support the whole student.
Moderator:
Dr. Tori Cordiano, Director of Research, Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls
Dr. Tori Cordiano is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the emotional, psychological, and behavioral development of children and adolescents. She is a consulting psychologist for Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio and the Director of Research for Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls. Dr. Cordiano maintains a private practice in Beachwood, Ohio, where she provides comprehensive evaluations and psychotherapy. She has served as an instructor in the Harvard Graduate School of Education and at John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, and Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Cordiano writes and speaks frequently on the topics of child and adolescent development and social-emotional and executive functioning.
Panelists:
Kelly M. Christian, PhD, Clinical Director, Lawrence School’s Ethan D. Schafer Center for Learning Differences
Dr. Kelly M. Christian is a licensed clinical psychologist and Clinical Director of Lawrence School’s Ethan D. Schafer Center for Learning Differences. The Schafer Center provides psychological services, consultation, tutoring, and community outreach to families, schools, and professionals all over Northeast Ohio. Through her work with schools and families, Dr. Christian strives to change the narrative that can surround learning differences. She reminds those who worry educational services don’t prepare students with learning differences for ‘the real world’ that accommodations are all around us and individuals are most successful when they can self-identify their weaknesses and understand what they need to overcome them. Dr. Christian is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University and supervises the assessment training of clinical psychology doctoral students at CWRU and Kent State. Dr. Christian maintains a private practice in Beachwood, Ohio, where she provides comprehensive evaluations and consultations related to learning, emotional, and behavioral conditions impacting children, adolescents, and young adults.
Jeffrey A. Lox, MSSA, LISW-S, ACSW, Executive Director, Bellefaire JCB
Jeffrey Lox assumed the role of Executive Director of Bellefaire JCB in July, 2017. Mr. Lox joined the Bellefaire team in 1998.
Mr. Lox has worked with adolescents and their families for over 30 years as a clinician, a supervisor, an administrator and a trainer. He has served as the chair of the Cleveland Jewish Community Federation’s Mental Health Disaster Team and the chair of the Federation’s IDF subcommittee: Mental Health Workgroup. This project supports the mental health consultation needs of a “special populations” branch of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Israel. Most recently, he co-authored an article in the Clinical Social Work Journal, “Clinical Social Work Practice with Former System Youth with Mental Health Needs: Perspective of those in Need” and previously co-authored an article for Treatment Today magazine about special needs offenders. His areas of clinical interest include disruptive behavior disorders, juvenile offenders, reactive attachment disorder, and the residential treatment milieu and child/adolescent developmental psychopathology.
Mr. Lox holds a Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Mental Health from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Miami University. Mr. Lox is a Licensed Independent Social Worker-Supervisor, a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers and a member of The National Association of Social Workers.
Dr. Lisa Ramirez, Adolescent Psychologist, MetroHealth System, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Dr. Lisa Ramirez is a board-certified child and adolescent psychologist at the MetroHealth System in Cleveland, OH and is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Ramirez’s clinical interests center around integrating behavioral health into a variety of systems and settings, including pediatric primary care, schools, and community-based organizations. She is an expert in the impact of childhood adversity and toxic stress on child development, as well as interprofessional education, practice, and collaboration. Dr. Ramirez is a recognized nationally for her thought leadership in integrated and tiered mental health service delivery for the benefit of children, families and communities. She has collaborated with organizations such as the Aspen Institute, and the Association of American Medical Colleges to advocate for the mental health needs of youth and families.