The inaugural class of the Wavus Girls Lead program recently celebrated the end of their five-month journey of discovery with a music, art and jgraduation celebration. The twelve seventh- and eighth-grade girls of the class of 2014 had come to Wavus from a number of communities in Lincoln, Knox and Kennebec counties, according to a news release from Russell W. Williams of Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc.

As family and friends came in from the cool and icy morning, they were greeted by vibrant artwork, cheerful conversation and images of the girls’ experiences which had begun in the warm sun of August.

After dancing amidst the work that documented their learning and reflections — one by one, each girl stood to explain what the program had meant to her. They told stories of courage and comfort, self-awareness and confidence. And they shared of how the program helped them confront conflict, strive beyond perceived limitations, and make change in their world.

Wavus Girls Lead is a program of Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc. The program is inspired by a gift of the Thomas Haas Foundation of the New Hampshire Charitable Trust in honor of his grandmother Phoebe Waterman Haas, an astronomer who challenged the conventions of her time to make her own analysis and draw her own conclusions in her work and her life.

If you know a seventh- or eighth-grade girl who would be interested in joining the Wavus Girls Lead class of 2015, email Nancy Kennedy, njk@kieve.org. Application will be reviewed in spring for the class beginning in August.

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