Sisters Circle

Since March 2020, our team has worked through challenges presented by COVID-19, such as school closures, social-distance restrictions, technology disparities, and food insecurity among our families. At the same time, we persevered, got creative, and learned a lot. 

As we continue to adapt to this “new normal”, we have kept our circle intact and provided safe and meaningful ways to engage. On-your-own mentor-mentee activities, such as glassblowing at McFadden Art Glass Studio, pasta-making classes with Schola Cooking School, Painting with a Twist take-home portrait kits, and tickets to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, have strengthened these relationships. We have also increased our outreach to include Thanksgiving gift bags, books from Amazon, three rounds of grocery gift cards for families, celebratory baskets for graduates, fitness trackers, and holiday gift packages. 

Post-secondary planning has continued for our high school students. We are exploring new partnerships with Command Education, a college consulting group, and Compass Education for standardized test preparation tutoring to provide personalized support throughout this often overwhelming process. We have also integrated new online tools to aid our girls in discovering more about themselves and their interests. Similar to the Myers-Briggs, these user-friendly assessments attempt to capture how we interact with others, see the world and process information, manage our emotions and make decisions. Students can explore how their interests and these factors align with various careers. We work to leverage resources, build partnerships and fill in the gaps, where needed. 

As a part of these overall efforts, we thank you again for the generous COVID relief grant for student laptops. We are immensely grateful to the IECA Foundation for your support throughout these unprecedented times. Now more than ever, we must continue to keep our community connected. 

LaShae Felder 
Director of Strategic Initiatives