Ocean City Today
MAY 3, 2013
LIFESTYLE 21B
Local teen gives national attention to issues on self-esteem, peer pressure SHEILA R. CHERRY ■ Associate Editor/Bayside Gazette (May 3, 2013) “Popularity: It’s Not What You Think,” a story narrating a young girl’s experiences with the attraction and consequences of yielding to peer pressure, was written by Stephen Decatur Middle School student Lily Rakow and published in the April/May edition of Discovery Girls magazine. In an April 30 interview, Rakow, a seventh grader, said she was inspired to do the article because of her sixth-grade experience of “hanging out with some girls who were not so nice.” She said the article was based on her real life story, but the editors fictionalized some of the details and changed the names of the characters. She wanted to share her thoughts and advice with other girls, according to her instructional technology coach, Joan Bauer. In an April 12 correspondence, Bauer said Rakow had submitted an article to Discovery Girls magazine online. “After a few months of editing and corresponding with the magazine, her article is featured in the April/May issue,” Bauer said. Not only did Rakow’s article make it into the magazine, it was also featured on the cover. In the article, Rakow discussed the typical social pecking order of kid-dom
and it is clear that the hallway hierarchy hasn’t changed much over the years. There are still the bookworms and nerds, bullies and their targets, and popular kids and those who desperately want to be. Rakow is in the latter group and her writing illustrates the emotional perspective from both sides of the social divide among the school-aged crowd. It isn’t pretty — although, ironically, that is the goal — and she chronicles her tortured decision to let loose of the “popular girl” brass ring, once she has had it placed within her grasp. Once in with the “in” group, she finds that it’s not all that. The brevity of the piece might give some casual readers the impression that the reversal Rakow knowingly made was easy. But anyone who has ever been, or raised, a teenaged girl would know that what Rakow described is a brave stand for a young person. It may serve as inspirational and reassuring to other young girls facing similar self-esteem challenges. After the publication of the article, Rakow said most of her classmates were excited for her – one of the girls she described in the article even became her friend again. The other, “Not so much,” she said. But that really doesn’t matter, she said. “Because I have better friends now.”
Boscov’s Travel Welcomes Holly A. Hudson We are pleased to announce Holly A. Hudson has joined our Boscov’s Travel team, located within Boscov’s at the Centre at Salisbury. Holly’s career in the travel industry spans more than 37 years. She has traveled most of the world and looks foward to sharing her expansive knowledge with Boscov’s travelers. Phone: 410-219-9063 | Email: hhudson@boscovs.com Centre at Salisbury, 2310 North Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury
“Popularity: It’s Not What you Think,” an article written by Stephen Decatur Middle School student Lily Rakow, was published in the April/May edition of Discovery Girls magazine. The article looks at peer pressure and self-esteem issues among teen girls.