Ilana Eisenstein
OPC ’95, Overseer

Having two older brothers, and being something of a tomboy, I was used to being around boys. So, when I entered Penn Charter in ninth grade, I felt undaunted by the two-to-one girl-to-boy-ratio in my class. Well, let’s be honest, for me, at age 14, it was really a selling point.

There were, however, some unexpected challenges to being in the fourth class with girls to graduate. I remember having only a few girls in my senior calculus class, and, I believe, I was the only girl in my AP European history class. Nevertheless, Mr. MacCullough’s and Mr. Burkhart’s classes were among the best I have ever taken—college and law school included.

I remember playing on the boys squash team…and then helping to start the first girls’ squash team at Penn Charter with Stephanie Teaford and Laurie Sykes. While during the first few years we did not win any Inter-Ac titles, many Penn Charter squash players—girls and boys—went on to stellar collegiate squash careers. I had the pleasure of continuing to play with many OPCs at Harvard and playing against fellow Penn Charter alums in our intercollegiate matches.

These and other challenges were natural to a period of transition. But I also remember that Penn Charter teachers and administrators met these challenges, not with complacency, but with the strong commitment to continue down the path of coeducation. The school addressed, head on, issues like leadership among girls, sports inequalities, keeping girls enthusiastic about science and math, and girls’ self-esteem. These transitional aspects of coeducation did not diminish the wonderful educational experience I had at Penn Charter. Rather, dealing with these often sensitive issues showed me that positive change is possible—even in the oldest and most venerable of our institutions—with good leadership, a clear vision, and a sense of purpose.

On a personal note, Penn Charter is a place where I made lifelong friends. Definitely, one of the best products of coeducation for me was meeting my husband, Tom Scott, also OPC ’95. At the time, I am sure that many of our teachers and coaches disagreed. We were frequent violators of the “no fraternizing” policy between the girls’ lacrosse and boys’ track teams. Coaches Debbie White and Steve Bonnie can attest that there were many an extra set of wind sprints run on account of coeducation. And, I hope that former Dean of Students, John Dover, has long forgiven Tom and I for the time he caught us sneaking off campus together junior year. We duly served our time in Saturday detention—yet another casualty of a coed school.

Sure there was hard work, new challenges. . . and wind sprints to face in the road to going coed, but I think I can speak for Tom in saying, it was worth it!