By Jillian Grinnell

PA coordinated and hosted the first Beach Girls Rock workshop of the year a week ago and taught young girls the importance of self-empowerment and ways for them to “level up,” which was the theme of the event.

The girls attended various panels to demonstrate what it means to be a good leader and have self-confidence. There was a transitioning panel where the girls wrote down any worries they had for entering middle school and high school. The group of counselors then “had them roleplay the situations they were scared about and try to solve them,” said junior Lola Lapier.

AP Government teacher Angie Cosimano led a social media panel to show girls how to use social media outlets responsibly and positively. AP Psych teacher Kristina Berney led an education panel, but there was also an IB panel where sophomore Sarah Donahue talked and answered questions about the program.

The girls enjoyed creating vision boards where “they personalized it with things about them and they wrote describing words about them,” said Lapier. The vision boards allowed the counselors to get to know the girls in their groups. Senior Naomi Wren was “impressed hearing about their passions, the activities they’re involved in at their schools, and their aspirations.”

The purpose of the Beach Girls Rock event was to help young girls recognize their self-worth and prepare them for high school. “I personally didn’t realize the importance of this until my sophomore year of high school,” said Wren. “I think it’s amazing that these girls are starting in elementary and high school.”

The coordinators spent about two months before the workshop to individually and collaboratively work on different parts of the event. The preparation that went into the groups and activities allowed the counselors to effectively lead the “almost 300 girls in the 10 different groups, or counsels,” said Lapier.

Beach Girls Rock will have multiple workshops throughout the year, and young girls will continue to “start their journey of self-empowerment,” said Wren.