“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish,” former First Lady Michelle Obama said.

March is Women’s History Month and celebrates the overlooked contributions that women have made throughout history. “I think Women’s History Month is important because over the years women have faced a lot of discrimination and there’s a lot of women who have changed the world even to this day,” freshman Grant McGraw said.

Women’s History Month is celebrated throughout the country. Ways to celebrate include going to women-owned businesses, reading books written by women, watching films with female directors, and going to a museum and learning about women’s history. “I think it’s important to have women’s history month because as a woman myself, I feel like we’re not really valued as much as we should be and there’s not a lot of knowledge about us,” sophomore Cayla Schwartz said.

One woman worth celebrating is Maya Angelou, a poet, dancer, singer, activist and scholar. She was also a world-famous author and was best known for her unique autobiographical writing style. Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to recognize her inspiring career in the arts. “When I think about all of the different obstacles she overcame and she put it into her writing and that’s why she was so prolific in her writing. So even though she suffered tremendously she was able to channel that creatively, and from that we get all kinds of books that she’s written and then we can grow as well,” media specialist Tammie Burk said.

Another woman to celebrate is Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady of the United States. She was married to President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt and she played a huge role in promoting political engagement in women and in important organizations such as the League of Women Voters and the Women’s Trade Union League. “My hero growing up was Eleanor Roosevelt. I loved how she persevered and how she was socially active in a time when people needed her,” world history and psychology teacher Jennifer Bauer said.

The Montgomery County Food Council made a guide for Women’s History Month, including local women-owned businesses that grow and produce delicious food. On the list is Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream, which makes small batches of natural ice cream using local ingredients, and Henry’s Sweet Retreat in Bethesda.

According to Womenshistory.org, Women’s History Month started as a small local celebration in Santa Rosa, CA. The Education Task Force in Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a Women’s History Week in 1978. The organizers selected the week of Mar. 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. In 1980, these women lobbied for national recognition and President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation declaring the week of Mar. 8, National Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress passed a law declaring March as Women’s History Month.