March is an important month for celebrating the great women of the past and present. The month includes Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (On March 8th) and provides the Marriotts Ridge community with ample opportunities to learn about female pioneers, activists, athletes, artists, and politicians.
“Being a woman can look a million different ways and for me, Women’s History Month should celebrate all of them,” junior Sofia Romero said.
Originally Women’s History Week, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to turn March into Women’s History Month to celebrate women’s many contributions to society. The motion was passed by congress in 1987 to raise attention to women’s historical achievements.
“Women’s History Month is such an important time to reflect on all of the amazing contributions that women have made throughout history. Too often, the hard work of women in history is overlooked or forgotten, so having the opportunity to amplify the stories of groundbreaking women is incredibly inspiring,” junior and Vice President of the History Club Emma Donahoe said.
One of the biggest achievements recognized throughout Women’s History Month is the women’s suffrage movement. Pioneers such as Lifetime Achievement Recipient Susan B. Anthony, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, and famous activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for women’s right to vote and their resilient efforts resulted in the 19th Amendment. The noble efforts of these women created important social change in society and inspired generations of future women.
“Jane Addams inspired me because she worked to create social change and taught me that a woman can be both feminine and intelligent,” junior Allison Kim said.
In addition to these famous activists, women in politics and law have often been underrepresented and March is a wonderful time to celebrate the pioneers who paved the way for future generations.
“Law is a male-dominated field with women just making up 37 percent of lawyers in the United States. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave me and girls interested in law everywhere an icon of female greatness and possibility,” junior Zikora Akanegbu said.
Justice Ginsburg was the second female supreme court justice and she dedicated her life to fighting for equality, serving on the Supreme Court for 27 years. Having powerful female role models such as Ginsburg to look up to means a lot to the next generation of strong women.
“Having these role models helps me from falling into the trap of gender norms. For example, thinking I’m not strong enough or smart enough because I’m a girl. They remind me of the power women hold, and what we can achieve with it,” senior Colette Buechler-Neimeyer said.
Here at Marriotts Ridge, there is a club dedicated to celebrating and advocating for the women of the world. The group “GirlUp” is a United Nations organization that advocates for women’s rights, specifically concerning health, safety, and education. The Marriotts Ridge chapter of the organization, known for their various product drives and call-in sessions involving talking to congressional representatives, advocates for women’s rights not only during March but all throughout the year.
“We are doing a supply drive to collect menstrual products for those in need during Women’s Month,” Kim said.

Boxes are placed throughout the school where students can donate feminine hygiene products. In addition to the supply drive, GirlUp has further celebrations in store to celebrate the women of Marriotts Ridge and beyond.
“Tentatively, we are planning on creating a large banner with handprints from the female students at Marriotts Ridge. This is just for a visual demonstration of the power and strength we hold as adolescent women. We also recently held a paint and chat event where we painted portraits of women who inspire us. We hope to hang these in the hallway during Women’s History Month,” senior and club officer Alice Jacob said.
From the Marriotts Ridge community to the pioneers of the suffragette movement, it is important to use Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day to celebrate and educate people about the powerful women of the world and all of their accomplishments.