Glenn Marlow Elementary’s guidance counselor, Lindsay Davis, and Academically or Intellectually Gifted teacher, Lynne Fender, worked together to create a program where fifth-grade girls studied core values and mapped out personal goals.
The program, called Shine, is a 10-week program in which 26 girls learned about perseverance, courage, and strength by talking about famous women who achieved their dreams in spite of obstacles they faced. During the program, the Shine girls met with panels of women already successful in the local workforce. They also met with high school girls who told them about their struggles in the ninth through 12th grades and working toward college.
Ms. Fender’s daughter, Sierra Fender, a senior at West High, got involved in the program and made it her senior project to develop a public relations campaign and market Shine to the school district and community. She created the program’s schedules, posters, the “Shining Star Showcase” invitations to parents, and Shine letterheads, establishing core-marketing materials for the program’s future use.
MSierra invited State Superintendent June St. Clair Atkinson to be the keynote speaker for the closing ceremony of Shine. Ms. Atkinson accepted and attended the April 10 ceremony, during which she read a book, The T-Shirt Named Zee, that she had written years earlier about determination, resiliency, and empathy. Each girl was given a copy of her book.
These 26 girls have learned that they have support, they are individuals who can achieve, that they should keep following their dreams, and that they SHINE.