In Praise of Women

March was Women’s History Month, and Leo celebrated it by using its web site and social media platforms to recognize women who are making a difference in their communities. Women from a variety of fields were saluted each day of the month. The  celebration concluded with a breakfast for the honorees at Leo on Friday, March 31.

Five women with close ties to Leo were included: Fajr Al-Nurridin, office manager and executive assistant; Mollie Zajac Clark, English/Social Studies teacher and Student Council moderator; Aurora Latifi, Math Department chair and National Honor Society moderator; Tiffany Harston, Guidance Counselor, and Mary Burke, a graphic artist and Leo Hall of Famer who is the creative force behind all of Leo’s marketing and recruiting materials.

Among the other honorees: Patricia Brown Holmes, retired presiding judge of Cook County Juvenile Court and current managing partner of the Riley Safer Holmes Cancilla law firm; Chicago writer Heidi Stevens, whose popular syndicated column focuses on family dynamics, and Rebecca Lindsay Ryan, an executive with the Big Shoulders Fund and a strong supporter of Leo.

“Of course we’re an all-boys school, but it was important that we do this to remind the boys that women are deserving of an equal place in society, and they’ve had to fight to attain it,” Principal Rawls said. “Every one of the women we’ve recognized is someone the boys should look up to and try to emulate as a contributor to society.”