St. Andrew's Women's Network

                          

In mid-September 2009 on a chilly afternoon, seven St. Andrew’s women met outside
Founders Hall, climbed into a School van, and headed for Washington, D.C. Dean of Students Ana
Ramírez courageously took the wheel, while Director of Admission Louisa Zendt ’78 P’03,’05,’09
sat shotgun. The rest—English Department Chair Elizabeth Roach P’04,’07,’13, Math teacher and
lacrosse coach Jen McGowan, Major Gifts Officer and Coordinator of the Women’s Network
Bernadette Devine ’99, Director of Student Activities Jolene Hyde, and me, English teacher
Jean Garnett—piled into the back for the two-hour trek. We were headed to a meeting of the
St. Andrew’s Women’s Network at the home of Sally Pingree P’01, a philanthropist who has been a
friend and advisor to Tad and Elizabeth Roach for years.

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Generations of St. Andrew’s women gathered at Kate Werble’s SoHo gallery last Thursday for a tour and discussion of the current exhibition.

On Thursday, January 7, three generations of St. Andrew's women gathered in New York City for an evening at the Kate Werble Gallery. Alumnae from the 80s, 90s and 00s, past and current mothers, and a current grandmother attended the tenth Women's Network event, which Werble '98 hosted in her Manhattan gallery.

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Eleven women (alumnae, mothers, and a former faculty member) came together in New York City to discuss Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse. Having taught the novel for many years to teenage girls and boys, Elizabeth Roach was eager to explore the complexities of the novel with women who brought a myriad of life experiences to the discussion.

Elizabeth Roach began the discussion by introducing the novel, but the group quickly moved into a rigorous and collaborative exchange about Woolf’s innovative narrative and her depiction of the two main characters in the novel. Both Mrs. Ramsay, a traditional wife and mother, and Lily Briscoe, an unmarried artist, wrestle with finding meaning in their lives. Mrs. Ramsay, at times, doubts herself yet has an unusual ability to create moments of harmony for others. Lily fights to maintain a sense of self and to express her vision in a traditional and intimidating maternal and masculine world. Through an examination of the intricacies of Woolf’s stream of consciousness, the group of women explored the psychological layers of Woolf’s characters and vision in the novel.

The highlight of the evening, however, occurred when Laurel Durst (hostess of the evening and mother to Owen ’07 and Leda ’10) recreated the dinner party scene in the novel by placing a beautifully arranged bowl of fruit on the table, lighting candles and serving Mrs. Ramsay’s triumphant dish of Boeuf en Daube. Just like Mrs. Ramsay, Laurel made "life stand still.” The women experienced the brilliance of Woolf in a tangible way, for as she writes in the novel, "there is a coherence in things, a stability; something, she meant, is immune from change, and shines out in the face of the flowing, the fleeting, the spectral, like a ruby. . .of such moments, the thing is made that endures.” Through their shared intellectual endeavor and their little feast, the women also shared a moment of unity and coherence, a moment that will endure.

On February 26th, more than thirty alumnae, current mothers and alumni mothers gathered for the first St. Andrew’s Women’s Network event in Washington D.C. Claire (Foster) Avett ’99, Morgan Foster ’97 and their mother Ellen Foster graciously hosted the evening; Claire's house provided a comfortable environment, the perfect setting for stimulating conversation. Before the event, everyone was asked to reflect on their experience at St. Andrew’s: What did they learn from their time at School? What still resonates today? What cherished aspects of this experience have been difficult to find or replicate after leaving St. Andrew’s? Everyone volunteered memories and shared their experiences with the four sixth form girls that accompanied Tad and Elizabeth to the event. The girls were eager to connect with alumnae and mothers who generously bestowed wisdom and advice. It was a memorable and warm evening that demonstrated love, support and passion for the St. Andrew’s experience.

"The Women’s Network from St. Andrew’s School (SAS) was one of the most invigorating SAS functions I have ever attended. The energy was high and everyone was anxious to discuss how SAS prepared them for college and beyond. This network was an opportunity to reconnect with SAS alumnae, faculty and mothers of SAS graduates. In an instant, so many of us felt relieved to hear stories similar to our own. This Network is important and valuable for all the women who are dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls of SAS.
I did not go to school with many of the women who attended the first meeting in Washington, DC, but I was able to relate to all of them. We all shared the same educational experience from our surrogate parents at SAS.
In this event, you immediately felt excited to exchange experiences that have helped you become the strong woman you are today. It was a fun event and a rewarding experience to become a mentor to the young girls at SAS.”
-Viviana (Rodriguez) Davila ‘85

"I was so impressed with women I met at the St. Andrews women to women network event. The St. Andrews experience is so unique, so I immediately felt like I had substantial common ground with the remarkable women I met. What astounded me the most was the diversity of career paths the women had taken. I left the event with the strong feeling that our St. Andrews education prepares us to be writers, politicians, producers, teachers, environmentalists and business professionals. Their insight, advice, and encouragement is invaluable as I prepare to enter college next fall!”
- Louise Dufresne ‘09

On January 15, generations of St. Andrew's women gathered at Brasserie 8 ½ in New York City for the launch of the St. Andrew’s Women’s Network, a global association whose mission is to deepen the bonds of alumnae, mothers and friends with the School and with each other.

Over 60 women were present, including alumni as well as former and current parents. One alumna said that this was the first St. Andrew’s event she had ever attended. "I was intrigued by the idea of a network focused on women,” she said.

Indeed, the idea of creating a network of reconnection and support among this group of strong and wise women was exciting to all. Through much of the meeting, these women of St. Andrew’s offered insight and advice about the most effective ways to initiate the network. They reflected together on their time at the School and shared some of their experiences in the paths they had taken since. The room came alive with laughter and exchange, assuming the atmosphere of a St. Andrew’s discussion class. Even across many generations and many different experiences, it was clear that these women shared something vital; they shared St. Andrew’s, and the values instilled in them by their life and education there.

This bond, this sense of shared experience and values, is the foundation from which the St. Andrew’s Women’s Network hopes to build, creating opportunities for supportive and mentoring relationships.

Headmaster Tad Roach and Elizabeth Roach both spoke of areas in which today’s female students need guidance from strong, intelligent women working and living in the world. Girls need examples of women who bring St. Andrew’s culture of kindness with them when they leave the School, women who keep their integrity even in the face of life’s challenges and commit to service even in a culture of consumerism.

Girls need examples of women with healthy self-images, women who respect and celebrate themselves for being who they are, even in a culture of unrealistic ideals of beauty. And girls need guidance through the cult of perfection created by competitive college admissions.

One young alumna spoke of the difficulty of transitioning from the secure and nurturing "bubble” of St. Andrew’s into the "real world,” where, she noted, kindness and integrity – values that are fundamental to the culture of St. Andrew’s - are not always honored or prized. Young women, she pointed out, need mentors who can coach them through difficult transitions - to college, to adult life, to life in the working world.

And the women of St. Andrew’s can serve as mentors to each other, helping each other to navigate tough personal challenges: the challenge of balancing work and motherhood, of changing careers, of losing a loved one. In an eloquent talk at the start of the meeting, English Department Chair Elizabeth Roach spoke of the recent loss of her mother, an experience she could not have gotten through, she said, without the support of an alumna and a former St. Andrew’s mother. Her story attested to the power of sustaining bonds within St. Andrew’s community of women.

This first meeting marks the beginning of this exciting network of women. Focusing on face-to-face connection rather than mass communications, the network will start small and develop over time. In the near future, St. Andrew’s hopes to initiate launches of the Women’s Network in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and San Francisco, building a national forum for reconnection and communication.

For more information, please contact Bernadette Devine ’99, Major Gifts Officer and Coordinator of the St. Andrew’s Women’s Network, at bdevine@standrews-de.org.