From Harford County Public Schools:
Girls Run the Nation™ Promotes High Self-Esteem and Positive Thinking Among Post-Millennials; Celebrates Inaugural Program with ‘Girls Wellness Night’ on Thursday, May 22
Red Pump Elementary School recently launched its new award-winning Girls Run the Nation™ wellness program to inspire girls aged 5-10 to build high self-esteem and embrace a positive attitude by focusing on the health of their mind and body. The Girls Run the Nation (GRTN) program recently received a Harford County Curriculum Award and it will celebrate the inaugural class during its “Girls Wellness Night” on Thursday, May 22 at Red Pump Elementary School (600 Red Pump Road, Bel Air, Maryland).
“I am thrilled to help launch Girls Run the Nation at Red Pump Elementary School and to further develop high self-esteem and positive thinking among a young generation of highly-impressionable girls,” said Stephanie White, teacher and founder of Girls Run the Nation. “It was extremely important to create an environment where young girls can learn and feel the benefits of positive self-image and a sense of sisterhood among their peers. I look forward to growing this program within Harford County and am so grateful for the outpouring of community support we’ve received.”
How it works
Students involved in GRTN, a free program that runs 10 weeks, meet weekly on Wednesday mornings prior to the start of school. During the sessions, girls participate in various wellness activities, including running, yoga and dance, and learn practical tips during lessons focused on nutrition, goal-setting, anti-bullying, peer pressure, cyber awareness and body image, among others. The sessions kick off with warm-up exercises and then each grade level – K through 5 – break into grade-specific groups for the wellness lesson. Service learning (community service) is an important part of GRTN as students participate in a service-learning project as a culminating activity. The session closes with a positive thought girls can take with them as they start their day.
Girls Wellness Night
Girls Wellness Night is scheduled for Thursday, May 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Red Pump Elementary School. This event is open to GRTN members and a guest – specifically a strong woman in their life. The evening will feature exercise, craft and snack stations, a “Love your Selfie” photo booth and an anti-bullying activity led by Laurie Namey, supervisor of equity and equality at Harford County Public Schools.
To learn more about Girls Run the Nation or to make a donation, please visit www.girlsrunthenation.org. For more information about the Red Pump Elementary program and event, please contact Andrea Martin at 410-294-8865 or adiruscio@gmail.com.
Girls Run the Nation™
Girls Run the Nation (GRTN) is an award-winning wellness program that promotes high self-esteem and sisterhood in girls aged 5-10. The organization inspires girls to build friendships, embrace a positive attitude and to make the world a better place by focusing on the health of their mind, body and spirit. Founded in 2014 by teachers and staff at Red Pump Elementary School in Bel Air, Maryland, GRTN consists of two, annual 10-week programs featuring wellness and self-esteem activities in the areas of exercise, nutrition, goal-setting, peer pressure, body image and positive thinking, among other topics. To learn more about Girls Run the Nation or to make a donation, please visit www.girlsrunthenation.org.
Thank you for featuring this!!
Seems like half of the population at Red Pump (the boys) are being discriminated against participating in this club and are left with the impression that they must be subservient to girls who obviously run the nation. How sad. Public schools should not support and promote exclusionary clubs like this which has been given prime advertising space in the lobby while the founder hawks t-shirts and trinkets to all the little girls to flaunt their feminist pride.
Why don’t you step up, Sam, and create a group for the discriminated boys of Red Pump. If you had a daughter you would feel differently about this wonderful program!!
I have two daughters. I have two sons. They did not attend Red Pump Elementary but were educated at other Harford County schools. For twelve years the girls were encouraged to “reach for the stars” and told that “you can do anything” while the boys were advised to sit down and shut up.
Don’t kid yourself – boys are routinely and categorically discriminated against and do not receive an equal education to girls in this county (and perhaps everywhere else too). We are rapidly approaching a point where sixty percent of college students are females and it’s a direct result of educators marginalizing boys for much of their young lives.
How about inviting another sports professional to talk about bullying? Assholes.
Mr. Fruit is on to something. Perhaps, Laurie Namey, supervisor of EQUITY and EQUALITY for Harford County Public Schools who will be speaking to the group about bullying can address how GRTN is promoting EQUITY and EQUALITY for all of the students at Red Pump Elementary. Has Barrister Spicer rendered an opinion on the legality of the unequal accomodation of clubs at this school?
Kevin,
Its nice to see that you agree with me that the boys are being discriminated against. As I stated below, developing a competing discriminatory club for boys (e.g., Boys Run the World) is not the solution. The solution lies in opening up GRTN to all students regardless of gender so that all those that wish to build self-esteem and friendships are give the same opportunities. I did not say the program was not wonderful – it could very well be – its just that a school club that practices discrimination is itself predicated on excluding others and making those who are excluded question their value and worth. This program has its place, just not under the auspices of a public school. I do have a daughter, thank you for asking. How would your daughter feel if the boys in the school all had a special meeting in the morning just for them, had a huge bulletin board declaring boy power in the front lobby, wore their boy power shirts and bracelets on special days as a sign of solidarity, etc., etc. Do you think she may feel a bit left out of the fun? Could she start to think that the boys are getting special treatment?
A second school club that discriminates based on sex (Boys Rule the World has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it) is not the answer. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Can you imagine the howling if anybody suggested a “Boys Rule the World” class…better still how about “White Boys Rule the World”? This is nothing more than early indoctrination for future victims of america. The system can be so proud to help spawn an entire generation of little whiny Sandra Flukes. You don’t separate out a class of people using self-esteem as the premise without suggesting they lack it and can’t achieve it without help from government. Barf.
Come on folks! Just creating our future Burbey Bunchies. You go girl! Crack that glass ceiling. The goal now is to go from our current 70% doctorates for women to 100%. And when we get to those corporate boardrooms and see mostly other young women – what ever happened to the successful men?… why we will simply steal the few men from their current older wives.
Or, we could go into teaching and zero tolerance those finger-gun boys right out of school. Give those boys drugs and tell ’em to shut up. Can’t have them speaking up – oh, they can use our restroom if they renounce their gender. After all, there is a war on women and we have to unite and seize power.
Is this state going to spend millions of dollars on revised textbooks about Maryland’s decriminalization of Marijuana? You can’t “teach em like they’re all going to college” without addressing factual state law first
How in the world can the principal at Red Pump Elementary justify the fact that half of her students that walk into that school building every day must pass a huge sign proclaiming that the other half of the students are in charge and “run the nation”. I guess when you are the discriminator, you fail to see the effect you have on the discriminatee. Something is seriously awry at that school for allowing this club, program, curriculum (or whatever it is) to continue one more day. And the teacher wants to take this county-wide?! I can start to smell the lawsuits now.
Sam,
The reason it is so blatant is that there is nothing anybody can do about it. It’s one thing to post and idea in a forum, but if you go to a BOE meeting and complain about it you will be lucky if you don’t get arrested, lose your job and be shunned by the community for the rest of your life.
Everybody knows we live in a gigantic lie. Everybody knows education as we used to know it has flipped to pure politics – and it’s failing. But that doesn’t matter. When the notions of zealots crater, you don’t want to be the person pointing it out publicly. They will crush you.
This reeks of cow pie, can anyone logically conclude in a reply bow this isn’t sexist in this day in age of status quo politically correct public education?
What if a male student, who believes they really are a female student wishes to participate?
Social Justice for all! Wait, you can’t join, you’re not female! But wait, didn’t Maryland legislator just sign a bill that makes it so if you’re a male and you think you’re a female… Oh wait we wont go there! AHAHAH!!!!
Now! Now! It’s Stefanie’s THANG! – MISTAH KANG!
Since those 70% remedial girls cannot write or add, they need to feel good about themselves.
They need skills, like taking a “Love your Selfie” at the photo booth and becoming the next Sandra Fluke in community service.
Make no mistake, this is an early brainwashing for a future voting block. If any group needs self esteem enhancement it is the young boys. They are the victims of zero tolerance and they are the group mostly drugged up for compliance. And most of all, the young boys are the group that is getting shut out of higher education later in life.
This whole thing is a political sham.
I guess some people are trying to expand keyword tags on their linkedin profiles, get them job offers to come to you. Amirite? Or am I right?