First High School in VT to Install the Suite
Mamava co-founder Christine Dodson with BHS sons Julius and Manny
On behalf of Burlington High School’s (BHS) parent volunteer organization Seahorse Pride, BHS is proud to announce the arrival of a Mamava suite at the school. Thanks to the help of a generous donation from Mamava and financial support from Seahorse Pride and the BHS community, the recently installed Mamava suite provides a clean, dignified, and private space for breastfeeding mothers to nurse their child or express milk. BHS is the first high school in Vermont to offer a Mamava to employees and to people visiting the school.
Created by Mamava, a company dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding by making it easier for more women to achieve their breastfeeding goals, the Mamava suite is a self-contained, mobile pod with comfortable benches, a fold-down table, an electrical outlet for plugging in a breast pump, and a door that can be locked for privacy. The 4-foot by 8-foot pod is meant for individual use, but can fit more than one person, as well as mothers with babies and other children in tow.
BHS Faculty and Staff: Kelsey Shannon, Molly Roach, Lauren McBride and Francesca Dupuis
BHS History Teacher Francesca Dupuis was grateful to return from maternity leave and use the Mamava suite. “Historically, BHS employees have used small closets, such as the English department’s book closet or former utility closets. These spaces were never designed to be private, sanitary spaces for nursing mothers and it can be quite stressful when you are hoping that no one walks in on you. I appreciate that the Mamava pod provides the privacy and cleanliness that our staff and our community really needs.” BHS currently has four faculty and staff mothers returning to work, and the school hosts countless events for the public throughout the year.
Seahorse Pride and Burlington School District would like to acknowledge and thank BHS parent and Mamava Co-Founder, Christine Dodson. Christine is the mother of BHS graduate Isaac (Class of 2017), and current students Manny (Class of 2019) and Julius (Class of 2020). Christine and her son Julius helped deliver and build the Mamava with BHS Seahorse Pride parent and student volunteers on February 1st.
Chairwoman Clare Wool and Superintendent Obeng also expressed their joint appreciation and support of the volunteer efforts that went into getting the Mamava suite installed at BHS. “When we talk about building community and working together, this is what we mean. Thank you Mamava and Seahorse Pride for working together and finding a creative way to better support mothers in our school and in the greater community.”
The BHS Mamava has been intentionally located near the main office, just outside the gymnasium for convenient accessibility.
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About Mamava Based in Burlington, VT, Mamava is the expert in lactation space design, thoughtfully designing solutions for breastfeeding moms on the go. With both analog and digital products, Mamava products celebrate and support the 21st century breastfeeding mama. Mamava is mama-owned, made in America, and a proud member of the B Corp community. The Mamava app, free for iOS and Android, helps moms find pumping and breastfeeding-friendly locations on-the-go, unlock Mamava suites through the proprietary Mamava Smart Lock, and find useful breastfeeding content. For more information, visit www.mamava.com.
About BSD Burlington School District is a pre-k-12 public school system of about 4,000 students in Burlington, VT. BSD’s mission is to graduate students who: value different cultures, engage with the community, communicate effectively, think creatively, skillfully solve problems, and achieve at their highest academic, intellectual, and personal potential. www.bsdvt.org
