May 8, 2024 Submitted by Jennie Donegan
Hingham residents Hadley Duncan and Adria Kraja, both seniors at the Woodward School in Quincy, performed at the School’s Annual Founders Night in March. Woodward is celebrating its 130th year educating girls in grades 6-12, in its historic school building on Hancock Street in Quincy Center.
Student declamation performances celebrate the vision and generosity of the Founders by telling Woodward’s story and highlighting student academic accomplishment. Woodward Founder, Dr. Ebenezer Woodward, was a cousin and physician to President John Adams. Both families valued access to education as essential to the success of the new American republic, and both founded schools to this end.
English teacher Kerry Lynch Twomey opened the program. “At Woodward, we recognize that artistic expression is an inextricable aspect of our humanity. Our Upper School Language and Performance program is where students hone their public speaking and presentation skills and explore the art of storytelling through multiple mediums, discovering and applying their artistic talents to collaborative as well as individual performance projects.”
Adria Kraja recited, by memory, The Rev. Dr. Anna Howard Shaw’s 1915 speech, The Fundamental Principles of a Democracy. Dr. Shaw was an ordained minister, physician, ardent feminist and active suffragette. She died in 1919, just one year before American women were granted the right to vote.
Hadley Duncan recited Hillary Clinton’s 1995 speech, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, originally delivered to the World Women’s Conference in Beijing, China, while Ms. Clinton was First Lady of the United States.
Both Adria and Hadley are active in the School’s theater program and are members of Woodward’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society.