"Girl Power" More Than a Hip Slogan at St. Michael-Albertville West

Thirty female eighth-grade students from St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West came together recently for another meeting for a newly formed group called “Girl Power. “

This meeting’s theme was “Self-Defense and Smoothies.”

The class was taught by our local police officer, Sgt. Brian Johnson, who donated his time with the girls to help them learn how to be safe and avoid dangerous situations.  The girls loved listening to the different techniques about how to protect themselves and appreciated Sgt. Johnson’s funny, yet serious presentation. 

After Sgt. Johnson left, the girls hung out and talked about future Girl Power meetings while they enjoyed their ‘berry’ delicious smoothies.

 Girl Power was started this academic year as an after school program to help empower young female students to make positive choices with their friendships, guide them toward making constructive goals, and to help them build self-confidence in achieving these goals.  It is run by four eighth-grade female teachers: Kari Brett, Rhonda Holland, Jody Kelly, and Robyn Zalec, who volunteer their time with the girls.  These young ladies are looking forward to learning more about having a healthy body image, learning about colleges, practicing interview skills, yoga, healthy cooking, and the list goes on and on. 

Anyone who would be interested in donating their time and sharing a valuable skill with these girls should contact Jody Kelly via e-mail.

 Special thanks to Jody Kelly, who submitted the background for this article.