High school students shared knowledge with more than 100 of their younger peers at the fall “Beach Girls Rock!” event, Oct. 19 at Princess Anne Middle School.
Organized by the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the event illuminated opportunities available through the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and focused on empowering young women in grades five to eight.
Creeds Elementary fifth graders Kendall Teger and Bella Schooff said they learned a lot.
It was nice that the high school students listened to them and “focused on how we felt,” Kendall said. “They let us ask questions and made sure we got answers.”
Bella said she learned about the importance of being confident and making positive decisions.
Both made a substance called “oobleck” in the session “We Have Great Chemistry,” hosted by the Landstown High STEM Academy Advanced Placement chemistry students. Cornstarch mixed with water created a solid, but turned to a liquid when pressure was applied.
Kellam High’s “Young Women Leaders Club” and the “Female Radiance Club” from Bayside High shared experiences on how to succeed socially, academically and emotionally before going to high school. Their workshops were titled “What I Wish I Had Known About High School.”
They offered lots of tips, including “Don’t hesitate to ask for help; just be yourself” and “Take advice from someone you want to be like.”
Attendees were encouraged to be their own advocates.
Other sessions included “Career Stories in STEM,” “A STEMulating Conversation” and “Deep Sea Tactics: The World of Underwater Robotics.”
The Landstown High School “Girls Who Code” club led a workshop teaching the fundamental skills of coding using Sphero tools.
Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center students presented “You Mean There’s a Class for That?”
They shared firsthand knowledge about some of the 23 credentialed technical programs, from early childhood education to dental assisting, welding, culinary arts, carpentry, TV communications and production, practical nursing and more.
Parent sessions were also provided. Bayside High “Female Radiance Club” President Lillian Yoder and Vice President Beverly Zapata-Hernandez spoke to a group of more than 30 about communicating and connecting with their children.
Their club focuses on influencing females in the community in positive ways.
They told parents to be patient and encourage independence while providing support.
“Be positive and give small compliments here and there,” Beverly said. “It really makes a difference.”
“When you say no; say why,” Lillian advised.
Shereen Williams-Allen attended parent sessions, visited exhibit booths and gathered information while her daughter Aman Allen, a Larkspur Middle eighth grader, participated in the event.
Allen said Aman has some important decisions to make about high school. “She’s at the age where she needs to grasp which route she wants to go,” Allen said. “This was very helpful.”
Students also enjoyed lunch and participated in their choice of “Better Me” activities, including yoga, origami and a dance party.
Landstown Middle School eighth grade civics teacher Laura McAleer served as a volunteer. She said girls in fifth through eighth grade are at “very influential age.”
The Beach Girls Rock! experience will “further expand their interest in community, careers and future growth as leaders,” she said.
The spring “Beach Girls Rock!” is scheduled for March 22, 2025 at Old Dominion University.
