How We Prepare Girls To Lead in a Complex World

Each girl's growth at SMLS is cultivated intentionally and thoughtfully over time. In the Junior School, students build a foundation of curiosity, creativity and confidence. In the Middle School, they are encouraged to stretch further, explore new interests, and take on greater responsibility. By Senior School, they are prepared to engage with real-world challenges and lead with courage. 

At every stage, our teachers foster a fundamental belief that our students can tackle difficult situations both in and outside of school and find a way forward. You see this every day at SMLS: students engage in safe exchanges of ideas through debate, confidently share their voices through public speaking on topics they care about, competing on teams and in events where the gender balance is against them, step into professional work environments, tryout for teams in a sport they have not yet learned, and take on leadership roles within our school and beyond.

Setbacks play a vital role in these experiences. In those moments, with support to get back up, our students learn resilience. They come to see challenges not as barriers, but opportunities - opportunities to try again, to persist, to grow stronger.  We intentionally create the conditions for our students to first believe in themselves and then lean into situations that feel a little uncomfortable, knowing they have the support to get back up. It is how hesitation becomes confidence, and how the seemingly impossible becomes, "I've got this." This process is how they develop the resilience and confidence needed to not just survive, but to thrive.