Women in History Program 2019

The AAUW – Camarillo Women in History Program will offer the following important women to the schools in the Camarillo area in March 2019.  If you are interested in portraying one of these women to students in their classrooms, or just wish more information about the program, please click here and leave your name, contact information and, if you would like, a school preference.  If you are a parent of a student in one of the schools we will be sure to connect you with the Women’s History Representative at your school.  We thank in advance the many parents who will volunteer to portray these women.

We also welcome AAUW members, college students and women community members, in addition to parents to participate in bringing these Women in History to life for our students in these first-person portrayals. To give the schools the type of program they want, we hope to have approximately 100 performers.

Amelia Earhart presentation PPTX
Maria Echaveste presentation PPTX

Science and Math

Science-American Astronauts

Sally Kristen Ride (Grades K-3)

  • First American woman to go into space.
  • Emphasize her love of science and math and the importance of education in becoming an astronaut.
  • Discuss life in a space shuttle.
  • Activities include a lift off activity where one or more students pretend to be an astronaut during the space shuttle’s lift off and a food activity.
  • Suitable costume is a flight jumpsuit with patches. AAUW can provide some.

Mae Jemison (Grades K-3)

  • First African American woman to be an astronaut.
  • Emphasize the importance of education and following your dream.
  • Emphasize not giving up.
  • In addition to bring an astronaut, she is a scientist, doctor and was in the Peace Corps.
  • Activities include a lift off activity where one or more students pretend to be an astronaut during the space shuttle’s lift off and a good activity.
  • Suitable costume is a flight jumpsuit with patches. AAUW can provide some.

Math -Architect

Julia Morgan (Grades 4-8)

  • First woman licensed in California as an architect. She designed Hearst Castle and introduced the concept of reinforced concrete.
  • Activities include discussion of what an architect does and how a building is designed using a scale drawing.
  • Suitable costume-either a tailored suit or a long skirt and high necked blouse.

The Arts

Maria Tallchief (Grades K-3)

  • Native American prima ballerina
  • Born on Osage Reservation in Oklahoma
  • Emphasize that she always tried her best and worked the hardest, even when not chosen for a lead role.
  • Went to NYC and joined a Russian Ballet company that toured the US – many lead roles
  • Activities include teaching students ballet positions and moves

Social Studies

Pocahontas (Grades K-3)

  • Native American heroine.
  • Without her help, Jamestown Colony could easily have failed. If it failed, it is entirely possible that the French or Spanish would have established colonies instead of the English, thus altering our history.
  • Activities include a traditional Thanksgiving meal for K to 2nd grade and a comparison of Chumash and Powhatan Indians.
  • Suitable costume is Native American Indian attire. AAUW has several to lend.

Susan B. Anthony (Grades 4-8)

  • Known for her advocacy of Women’s Rights.
  • Very intelligent girl brought up in Quaker traditions, including the idea that women were equal to men. Championed Women’s right to vote, but was arrested and jailed when she did cast a vote in 1872. She was then tried in a highly questionable manner, found guilty and fined. She refused to pay the fine, but worked for the rest of her life on passing an amendment allowing women to vote. However, she died before the passage of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.
  • Activity is a Mock Trial of Susan B. Anthony with 4 main characters.
  • Suitable costume: black blouse, long black skirt, lace jabot and red shawl.

Deborah Samson (1760-1827) (Grades 5 or 4-5)

  • Woman who disguised herself as a man and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War
  • She will tell the students what she did in the military and how it was discovered that she was a woman
  • Script includes several speaking roles for students and an optional marching activity.  No advanced preparation is needed for the speaking roles
  • This presentation will be a minimum of ½ hour with a 15-minute break between performances –the presentation involves a simple costume switch and a fairly large number of props.
  • Suitable costume: AAUW will provide a long skirt and a Revolutionary War Soldiers uniform.

Other Important Women

Amelia Earhart (Grades K-8)

  • Pioneering aviator who paved the way for women to become commercial and military pilots as well as astronauts.

She will talk about numerous aviation records she set including her arduous flight as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

  • She will tell how as a child and throughout her life, she showed that girls and women can accomplish great things with courage and determination.
  • Activity using props. Guess what limited items Amelia took with her on her record breaking solo flight across the Atlantic.
  • Suitable costume: bomber jacket, white shirt, trousers, scarf, goggles and pilot’s helmet. AAUW has some costumes but no trousers to lend.

Maria Echaveste (Grades K-8)

  • An attorney and former Presidential advisor at the White House who grew up in Oxnard working in the strawberry fields with her family.
  • She will describe being a farm worker, how she excelled in local schools with the help of her teachers and what it was like to work in the White House.
  • She will emphasize the message that education is the key to following your dreams.
  • Activity is to lead a discussion. Maria’s job was to advise the President to the United States on how to help the American people. What is one thing you would tell the President he should do to help Americans?
  • Suitable costume: professional dress. She was meticulous in appearance.

Middle School Social Studies

Queen Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty) –for grade 6 only

  • First and only woman pharaoh of Egypt
  • She will discuss how she became pharaoh, her accomplishments, dress and make-up of the day, and rights of women at that time in Egypt
  • There are optional sections on life in Egypt and Archaeology–most presenters will do one of these or parts of both
  • Optional activities involve translating hieroglyphics and putting together an artifact
  • There are optional speaking roles for two students and optional non-speaking roles for thirteen students
  • This is usually a full period presentation
  • AAUW will have costumes for the performer and for the two students with speaking roles if they are used

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) (Grade 7 only)

  • Queen of England during Renaissance period of English history
  • She will tell how she became queen, how England became a world power during her reign, how the arts flourished, and some of the problems she faced.  She will also be sharing some details about life in England at the time.
  • There is an opportunity for many students to be used in non-speaking roles.
  • This is usually a full period presentation
  • AAUW will have a costume for the queen that will fit most sizes

Clara Barton (1821-1912) and the Civil War-(Grade 8 only)

  • During the Civil War, she distributed supplies to the battlefields and nursed the sick and wounded.  She also worked to improve the rights of all people and founded the American Red Cross.
  • This is a full period presentation and will particularly appeal to people who like to use a lot of props
  • Optional activities include recruitment of a soldier and typical camp life during the Civil War, care of injured soldier, and civil war facts about life in that time period.
  • Suitable costume: dark colored ankle length skirt and solid-colored long-sleeved blouse.  AAUW will have a costume to lend.