WHS' Library to Feature Displays for Women’s History Month

Westwood High School (WHS’) Library will feature displays throughout March to celebrate Women’s History Month. These displays were partially funded by a grant from WHS’ Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

“I used the funds [from the PTO] to buy posters, art, and frames for materials that we should be able to re-use from year to year. The library is currently where it's all displayed, but I could see expanding and moving the display in future years,” reports Westwood High School Principal Sean Bevan. There are two separate displays in the Library. The first consists of posters designed by women of women in STEM. WHS Librarian Theresa Fisher purchsed these posters from the podcast “Never the Less”. The second display is interactive. Part of the PTO’s grant money was used to purchase “Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History.” Fisher used this book to create the display, which features quotes from notable women such as Malala Yousafzai and Serena Williams. Visitors are challenged to match the quote to the woman. She reports that this display’s aim to expose young women to women worldwide who have done notable things.

“We have made a big push this year to recognize under-represented groups in and around school. One of the most notable examples was our choice of speaker for the athletics kickoff event, the Call to Excellence this Fall. For the first time in a long time, we had a female athlete, US Women's Ice Hockey team captain Meghan Duggan, speak to the student-athletes. And, we also increased our programming for Black History Month significantly. Both received lots of positive feedback from students and staff, so I wrote a grant for some materials for Women's History Month as well,” explains Principal Bevan. Fisher adds that she has similar displays every month and uses them to help students discover new books. March’s, she notes, aims to “encourage today’s girls.”

When asked about faculty members who might be integrating the display into their classroom work, Principal Bevan replied as follows. “I do know that our Science department staff have been looking for ways to highlight scientists (including women) who have not been adequately recognized throughout history. And, our English staff is currently reviewing the literature we teach to ensure that it's broadly representative of many voices. In short, we are continually examining our curriculum so that students are exposed to the contributions of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. But, I am not sure if there are any staff members who are specifically accessing the display materials for use in their classrooms.” Fisher reported that during Black History Month in February, some classes studied Henrietta Lacks. Lacks was a Black Woman whose cancerous cells were used for medical research without her consent. Her HeLa’s cells are still important for medical research today, as well as being a lesson on consent and racism and sexism within the medical community.