The Downingtown Area School District (DASD), led by the Cultural Equity Task Force team and Justin Brown, director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, is celebrating Women's History Month in March.

On March 12, 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9 officially designating March as Women's History Month in the United States. Each year since its inception, the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) chooses a theme for Women's History Month. Continuing its 2020 concept, NWHA selected to extend the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment through 2021. This year's Women's History Month theme is "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced."

DASD superintendent Emilie Lonardi, Ph.D., a female CEO, former president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and recipient of its Superintendent of the Year award, encourages girls and women to strive for greatness. "We hope that by recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of women, our students will be inspired to pursue their own grandest dreams," she stated.

Throughout the month of March, DASD students and staff members are participating in a variety of activities celebrating the unique experiences and successes of valiant women, including an array of interdisciplinary lessons and literary connections honoring the depth and breadth of prominent female figures. Additionally, DASD staff members and students are creating video reflections celebrating woman barrier-breakers and history-makers from past and present.

To learn more about DASD's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, and to see examples of its program in action, readers may visit http://www.dasd.org/diversity.