21 Reasons to Support Marlborough in ’21

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To our Marlborough community,

We did it!! For the fourth Giving Day in a row, our community has stepped up in a huge way to help us exceed our ambitious goal. Thanks to you, we reached nearly 600 donors and raised over $88,000 in just 24 hours!

We all have our personal reasons why Marlborough holds a special place in our hearts. Thank you for celebrating your reasons and following along with our featured 21 Reasons to Support Marlborough in ’21. We’re grateful to get to celebrate Marlborough today and everyday as a place that champions girls’ education and where Learning Sparks Purpose.

All our best,

Kim Root Sandifer ’87 (Eliza ’24)
Alumnae Council, VP of Advancement

Meghan Bernstein ’11
Alumnae Engagement Manager

1305 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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Reason #21 to Support Marlborough in ’21: your reason

Only you can fill in all the reasons why Marlborough is special and important to you. For that reason, and all the others we’ve highlighted throughout Giving Day, we hope you will support our school and get us one step closer to our goal of 530 donors–one for each current Marlborough student. Your gift helps ensure that every student, present and future, has the opportunity to find her unique and meaningful reasons to love and support our school.

The clock is ticking and time is running out. With only hours left in Giving Day 2021 and 121 donors to go until we meet our goal, GIVE NOW!

1306 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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We’re reaching the end of our list of featured reasons and hope you’ve been inspired to participate in Giving Day 2021. Read on to learn about four more reasons to support Marlborough in ’21. Hear from two of Young Alumnae Council and Alumnae Council’s Equity and Inclusion Co-Chairs and then make your gift! You only have until 10am PST tomorrow morning to help us reach our goal of 530 donors in 24 hours. Give now, before it’s too late!

And what’s reason #21? You’ll just have to check back tomorrow morning to find out!

17. A Commitment to Equity and Inclusion
As we work towards our aspirational vision for a future where Equity Leads Education, the school is committed to imbuing equity and inclusion as habits of mind into our community ethos, as well as commit to the work it will take to bring about meaningful, measurable, and sustainable change. Gifts to Marlborough help advance this work by expanding our reach and resources, including the addition of the school's first Director of Equity and Inclusion this past summer.

18. Social Justice
At Marlborough, we inspire young people to become change agents. By helping to connect them with issues and organizations that align with their passions and skills, students learn how to make a lasting, meaningful difference in the world around them, empowering them to follow in the footsteps of the change-makers who came before them. The ongoing support of alumnae donors allows us to continually grow our Social Justice and Community Partnerships Office and programs. 

19. Community
Our new virtual reality has provided more opportunities than ever for our alumnae and students to be in community with one another. This school year, alumnae have served as Honors Research and Capstone Project mentors, provided invaluable insight into their careers at our speed-networking event with the junior class, and so much more. These opportunities bridge the generational gaps between the Marlborough students of today and yesterday and your financial support makes it possible.

20. Wellness
Marlborough is committed to integrating health, wellness, and kindness as foundational priorities throughout our community. This commitment has become even more important as we face the anxiety, fear, and isolation that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented for so many of us. To combat those feelings, the school works with students and their parents as a team to nurture student’s health, well-being and academic goals. Beyond that network of trusted adults, Marlborough also provides student-to-student resources for support when students have questions or challenges.

Give now!!

1307 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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Our faculty and staff at Marlborough are truly one-of-a-kind. Not only are they exceptional at what they do, they also support and uplift our community at every turn. Read on for the next five featured reasons to support our school, hear from three of our amazing Marlborough employees, and then make your gift.

Every gift counts as we approach our Giving Day 2021 goal: 530 donors–one for each of our current Marlborough students.

12. Faculty

Talented and dedicated faculty are the backbone of a Marlborough education. Over 80% of our operating budget goes directly toward their salaries and benefits, allowing the school to attract and retain THE.BEST.TEACHERS. Your gift to Marlborough also shows them you appreciate their hard work and commitment, especially this year. 

13. STEM+

The STEM+ Program is an interdepartmental effort that seeks to increase student enthusiasm for activities related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to instill students with a love of creation and problem solving. The program embraces connections between STEM activities and other areas, for example STEM + Arts. It reaches students through STEM themed clubs, teams, and integration into classroom curricula. At Marlborough, there is no shortage of women in STEM! 

14. Honors Research and Capstone Programs

Honors Research and Capstone Projects allow students the opportunity to do a deep dive into a chosen field, subject, or interest. Ranging from independent research into social sciences and humanities to solution-oriented practica in the arts, social justice, and entrepreneurship, these year long pursuits allow students to hone in on their intellectual passions and offer an incredible closing chapter to their Marlborough academic careers. 

15. Safety Measures and Adaptability

When we pivoted overnight to distance-learning to keep our community safe and healthy, it was thanks to the past support of donors like you that we could do so quickly and nimbly. Your continued support is crucial as we install new technology and safety measures to make sure that when it’s safe to return to campus, we are more than ready to do so.

16. Guest Speakers

A silver lining of our virtual existence has been access to an even wider variety of guests and experts who are no longer limited by scheduling and travel limitations. Such opportunities allow students and alumnae alike to connect, reflect, learn, question, and push beyond what they think they know about each other and the world around them. Your gifts make these possible by not only supporting the honorariums we often provide, but also by helping to demonstrate the strength and engagement of our community to potential guests.

1307 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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We just reached 50% of our goal!! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Keep reaching out to your friends and classmates to encourage them to join you in participating in Giving Day 2021!

1307 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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Your support of Marlborough has a direct impact on the lives of our current and future students. Read on to learn more about the next 6 reasons to support Marlborough and hear from two current Marlborough seniors about their reasons for supporting their school. Get inspired and give today!

6. Girl's School
When you look around Marlborough, every class president, every robotics team captain, every thinker, leader, and change-maker is a young woman. At Marlborough, we get to teach to the needs of young women every single day and watch these future female leaders grow into themselves, following in your formidable footsteps on their way to change our world for the better. Your gift ensures the future of a Marlborough education for generations of thinkers, leaders, and change-makers to come.

7. College Guidance
The college counseling program at Marlborough is as individual as each of our students. Three full-time college counselors support students and their parents throughout the process to not only ensure each student finds the right school for her, but also to foster student initiative, independence, and self-understanding and strengthen decision-making, goal-setting, and leadership skills along the way.

8. The Arts
The performing arts at Marlborough continue to thrive! Dancers, actors, singers, and musicians hone their craft through their coursework during the school day and extracurricular rehearsals nearly every day of the week. Throughout the pandemic, our community has continued to be wowed by their talents through the ingenuity of our performing arts faculty, ensuring virtual concerts and performances go off without a hitch.
The Visual Arts Department empowers artists from myriad disciplines including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, metals, filmmaking, and digital arts. Students learn to appreciate the creative process and rise to a level of technical and creative ability that is truly astonishing. This academic year alone, despite the many challenges students have faced, Marlborough artists were awarded 52 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards with 7 pieces being recognized with the Gold Key award. 

9. Athletics
At Marlborough, 100% of our athletic resources are devoted to girls. With 33 teams for 12 different sports, that means that every student has the opportunity to train, compete, and contribute at a level that’s right for her. Even while campus has been closed, our athletes have continued to train and stay ready for the day competitions re-start. In fact, our Cross Country team competed in their first meet of the year at the end of February. Running in masks and staying appropriately distanced, our Mustangs proudly finished in 2nd place!

10. Student Organizations
Marlborough students' interests are wide spread, just like the community of alumnae who came before them. With more than 50 different student organizations to choose from, these student-based groups are a space to cultivate leadership skills and teamwork. Clubs are widely diverse and are inclusive to social justice, arts & culture, technology, politics, and recreation.

11. Entrepreneurship
Marlborough’s Entrepreneurship Program prepares students for life after Marlborough, including jobs that haven’t even been invented yet. Learning is active and collaborative, and students develop their resilience, empathy, and leadership skills by solving real problems that don’t have answers found in a textbook. This unique program empowers students to be ready to create their own futures and change the world.

1307 days ago by Meghan Bernstein

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Throughout Giving Day 2021 we will be featuring the 21 Reasons to Support Marlborough in ’21. Read on to learn more about the first five featured reasons, listen to Amy Robinson ’91 share her reasons for supporting Marlborough, and get inspired to find your reason and give today!

1. Our Alumnae Network
   We all know the power of our incredible alumnae network. Being physically apart this year hasn’t stopped us from mentoring students, lending a helping hand to each other, and connecting through MConnects, virtual events, and more. Gifts to the school support the work of Alumnae Council, Young Alumnae Council, and our Alumnae Office, ensuring that we continue to harness the power of our network.
   
2. Financial Aid and Access to a Marlborough Education
   1 in 5 Marlborough students is receiving some form of financial aid and Marlborough is committed to making its education affordable to all admitted students. In fact, financial aid need increased by over $750,000 this year to assist families impacted by COVID, so no student would lose a seat at Marlborough. Our Equity at the Heart Fund not only supports financial aid dollars but ensures that students have access to resources once they are enrolled at the school. From recruiting and enrolling students to championing their inclusion and belonging every step along their Marlborough journey, gifts to this fund help to ensure that no barrier—financial or otherwise—stands between any qualified student and a Marlborough education.
   
3. Virtual Events that Engage and Connect
   At a time when connections are more important than ever, Marlborough has pivoted creatively to envision and execute a number of events that have been enhanced by the current online environment. From Aiming High, the new alumnae speaker series, to a totally reimagined and entirely virtual Alumnae Day, your financial support of Marlborough helps support these exciting, community-building opportunities.
   
4. Marlborough Traditions
   In late February, the seniors gathered (safely!) on campus to finally have their long overdue Ring Ceremony. This is just one example of how, despite the pandemic, Marlborough traditions have carried on just as they have since the day of their inception. They are important to our students and alumnae alike, bolstering the Marlborough sisterhood and continuing the legacy of a Marlborough students’ experience.
   
5. Caswell Hall Renovation
   Who remembers their first all-school meeting in Caswell Hall? How about the day you and your classmates got up on the stage to present your class colors to the entire school? Were you involved with choir, theatre, dance, or technical theatre? Each of us has a special memory (or two!) in Caswell Hall - it’s the heart of campus and the space where most of our cherished traditions take place. Now it is being transformed thanks to an ambitious capital campaign into a dynamic, modern space fit for our 21st century learners and beyond.

Give today!!

1307 days ago by Meghan Bernstein