Conference helps girls gain confidence as they transition to junior high
Wills Point ISD
by Jennifer LeClaire
W
hen Wills Point ISD Superintendent Suzanne Blasingame read a newspaper article about a girl’s church conference that was transforming the lives of youth in East Texas, she determined in her heart to bring the concept to Wills Point Middle School. She wanted to prepare middle school girls in her district to make the leap to junior high with confidence.
“It’s a tough transition from middle school to junior high. They get involved in athletics, band, cheerleading, student council and other things for the first time,” says Blasingame. “Our girls need hygiene skills and social skills that they don’t always get at home. We started thinking about how to help these girls transition, and the answer was a girls’ conference.” Blasingame cast the vision to Anita Nance, who was then the assistant principal of Wills Point Middle School. Wills Point is located in an economically disadvantaged region, and many children come from broken homes. With those realities in mind, the goal of the conference is powerful: to inspire Anita Nance young girls to develop confidence, to help them understand their beauty inside and out, to survive and take care of each other in this world, and to motivate them to achieve their dreams. The first girls’ conference launched in February 2012 as an all-day event that focused on forming strong leadership roles, developing resilient anti-bullying skills, encouraging daily fitness goals, establishing good eating habits, creating and sustaining self-care routines, searching for potential careers paths, and increasing self-worth and self-esteem. The girls’ conference began with an introduction in the lecture hall, where students were assigned to groups. Each group attended two sessions before lunch and three sessions after lunch. The 2014 conference, slated for February, will feature a leadership session with Jamie Laney, a Wills Point Junior High School social studies teacher; yoga and Pilates with coach Lacey Rotan, a physical education teacher at Wills Point Primary School; personal care with nurse Amber Wampler; career and technology with Donna Rowland, a Wills Point
High School career and technology education teacher, and “Pursuing the University Route” with Cyndi Fields, a structural engineer. All sessions will include hands-on activities. Also during the event, the girls will discover their “career color,” based on a test that represents specific career paths, and receive a motivational kit and a personal care bag. The bag includes a journal, a bracelet, hygiene products and other items that aim to improve a girl’s self-esteem. “One of the most powerful exercises is the balloon release,” says Blasingame. “The girls write something on a piece of paper and tie it to a balloon, representing something they need to let go of in their life. The girls go outside and release the yellow balloons and let go mentally of those issues.”
Superintendent Suzanne Blasingame
Organizing the conference is a group effort. Each year, the Wills Point High School Culinary Arts Department prepares a special lunch for the girls. During the lunch, the department shares advice on how to make healthy food choices and demonstrates proper table etiquette and table-setting techniques. Students from the high school’s floral and design course create the table centerpieces. A critical component of the conference is a Q&A panel after lunch. At this Q&A, girls can ask questions they would be otherwise too embarrassed to ask. “These girls ask questions that just blow you away. You think they know some things but they don’t, especially around hygiene,” says Nance, who is now principal of Wills Point Elementary School. “We’re busting myths and sharing good information. The girls feel safe enough to ask us those embarrassing questions.” Nance says the biggest challenge in pulling off the annual event is the lack of official funding for the program. She relies on donations from community sponsors, as well as volunteers from district schools and area businesses. Fortunately, so far, she has found plenty of willing donors and volunteers who believe in the vision. Says Blasingame, “At past conferences, we have included as many female employees at the junior high as we could possibly get, because we wanted See WILLS POINT on page 44
TEXAS SCHOOL BUSINESS . Bragging Rights . 2014-2015
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