2024 marked the anniversary of coeducation at Nobles: 50 years since 81 Upper School girls entered the graduating class of 1978.
Leaders who foster meaningful conversations have shaped the Nobles experience for the last 159 years, and Nobles women today continue to honor the legacies of those who came before them. Head of School Cathy Hall has worked to further Nobles’ mission of creating a more equitable future alongside the first female Head of Upper School, Alison Easterling. This year, the two have worked to organize events and open dialogues in honor of the co-education milestone.
Assistant Director of Graduate Affairs, Ellie Scott, has championed the celebratory initiatives alongside faculty, staff, and a student-advisory committee. One upcoming event will be a breakfast on May 10 during Nobles’ reunion weekend in Beacon Hill, where students will connect and discuss their educational and personal experiences with the women who entered Nobles in the fall of 1974.
A student committee, comprised of 14 female-identifying students from Classes I-IV, worked to outline administrative initiatives. When looking forward to the brunch, Easterling emphasized the importance of humility, curiosity, and discovery. “I can imagine [for students] it would be really interesting to ask questions like, ‘What was it like to be a female student in the late 1970s, or the 1980s?’ and alumni [will be able to ask] what it is like to be a Nobles student today,” Easterling said.
With Scott’s help, the student committee has also sent handwritten letters to the graduates, inviting them to the breakfast. Sara Shaff (Class I), a member of the student-advisory committee, discussed her gratitude for the sacrifices of the first female class and their impact. “I think part of the event will be thanking them and allowing them to show how grateful we are for the[ir] sacrifices, [while] recognizing the similar takeaways from their Nobles experiences,” Shaff said.
In addition to organizing the breakfast, Scott helped coordinate a panel discussion on women in educational leadership, which took place on March 5 and was attended by 130 people. The panel featured Hall, Director of College Counseling Kate Ramsdell, and three female graduates. Together, they shared their journeys as women in education and reflected on the celebration of 50 years of women at Nobles.
Also, from an administrative perspective, Directory of Assembly Programming Michael Polebaum (N ’08) organized the long assembly on March 10 to honor the 50-year milestone. The assembly provided a platform for Eli Ingraham (N ’76), Olivia Boger (N ’99), and Rachel Kennedy (N ’17) to share their experiences as women at Nobles. The three graduates also shared their academic, occupational, and personal successes and cited the Nobles community as their biggest foundation of support.
“Our efforts to create an inclusive community fall on the shoulders of every single community member and[…]if we can hear their stories and
respect them for who they are, we will
be a much better institution.”
When reflecting on the assembly’s impact, Jacinta Wangari (Class II), who helped organize the event with Polebaum, Sasha Klevens (Class I), and Rhea Shah (Class II), believed that the student body responded positively and enthusiastically to the dialogue. “From what I’ve seen and heard, both male and female students really liked the assembly and how much humor was incorporated, which made the topic a little bit more lighthearted, especially when discussing an incredibly vast topic [of co-education] at Nobles,” Wangari said.
Similarly, Polebaum emphasized his long-term goals of assembly serving as a space where students feel included, seen, and accepted. “My hope is that this anniversary will help us recognize our areas of growth to see how we can approach them going forward[…]Our efforts to create an inclusive community fall on the shoulders of every single community member and[…]if we can hear their stories and respect them for who they are, we will be a much better institution,” Polebaum said.
In the spirit of student exposure to and engagement with co-education history, Archivist Heidi Charles has invested her time in ensuring students and alumni have access to the history of co-education at Nobles. Along with a research guide, apart from the library database, Charles has kickstarted an oral history project, a companion writing project, and a donation initiative for meaningful memorabilia of graduates and faculty. “I made the library guide, and then I started developing some of the initiatives I [will] be working on this year. [They] include oral history and companion written narrative projects. The written narratives project is for anyone to participate or who wants to write about their experiences,” Charles said.
For Nobles to continue growing, it is vital that we celebrate this important milestone in school history by honoring the contributions of those we stand beside, behind, and in front of.
