Members of REBOOT Jr. Attend International Coalition for Girls Schools Conference

Five eighth-grade students spoke at the International Coalition for Girls Schools (ICGS) “Educating Girls Symposium” at the Marymount School of New York. Eva Obalde ’29, Ananya Mittal ’29, Rhiya Parmar ’29, Petrina Kanellankos ’29, and Talynn Williams ’29, all members of REBOOT Jr., presented “Digital Empowerment: Ethical Boundaries and Resilience for Middle School Girls.”

The students discussed ways their peers can navigate their digital world safely by setting ethical boundaries, by being the same people online as they are in person, and by maintaining the same values in both environments. They also explained how they set up REBOOT Jr. at Kent Place, and the benefits for other schools to establish their own version. 

“I created videos for the presentation, which can be found on our YouTube channel, and presented the section on how to create a REBOOT Jr.,” said Ananya. “I learned from our audience that lots of teachers are worried about their students’ online activity and believe implementing a curriculum on digital literacy can help.”

Other REBOOT Jr. students talked about their efforts to write ethical case studies, to create comic book activities with their Advisories, and to engage with other schools in their forthcoming REBOOT Jr. Summit. 

Alicia Regnault, Educational Technology & Support Specialist, who advises REBOOT and REBOOT Jr., said the conference was an exciting opportunity: “The hope is that these eighth-grade leaders learn the importance of their work and its impact on other communities and schools,” she said. “They’re not members simply to check off boxes or for a grade — they’re benefiting themselves, their school community, and the outside world.”