SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio –- Hathaway Brown students Skyped Thursday with former U.S. Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton, who announced at the end of the chat that she was pregnant.
Actress America Ferrera moderated the town hall-style, live video chat from New York City. The Clintons appeared on the video chat live from New York City. Hathaway Brown was one of four schools in the nation tapped to take part in the conversation about issues facing women and girls.
HB asked the first question of the day, delivered by twin sisters Sunny and Sue Roy, 17-year-old juniors. Both said they were nervous, but excited to talk to the Clintons.
"I've seen them both on TV and they're such important driving forces in the pursuit of women's equality everywhere," Sue said. "I'm honored to be able to hold a conversation with them."
"I've never talked to someone quite as important as the Clintons before," Sunny said.
The Skype chat was the first of many that will be part of The Clinton Foundation's No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, which looks at progress women and girls have made in the last 20 years. Each school had a chance to ask one question on camera during the conversation that was streamed live around the world.
The sisters asked the Clintons about the importance of collaborating with other agencies to achieve equality for women and girls.
Chelsea Clinton responded to the girls' question, saying the Clinton Foundation already is working with the United Nations, World Bank, Google, Facebook and telecommunications companies around the globe to spread their message and get feedback.
"It's the only way that we'll have a holistic or at least a holistic attempt at where we stand with rights and opportunities for women and girls around the world," Chelsea Clinton said.
Chelsea Clinton, 34, announced she is pregnant during her closing remarks.
"Marc and I are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year, and I certainly feel all the better, whether it's a girl or a boy, that she or he will grow up in a world full of so many strong female leaders," she said, according to published reports.
The Clintons were at the Lower Eastside Girls Club in New York City. The York County School District in Yorktown, Va., Seattle Girls' School in Seattle, Wash., and Kipp Delta School in Helena, Ark., also were part of the video conference.
"At Hathaway Brown, we spend a lot of time talking about the value of sisterhood and collaboration in our own community and across the globe," school spokeswoman Kathleen Osborne said. "We are just glad to be a part of such an important conversation."