Boarding Schools for Girls

Current and former students, administrators and their guests gathered in Baltimore's St. Paul's School for Girls recently to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary. A Sept. 17 article by Jacques Kelly of the Baltimore Sun provided the following details:

St. Paul's School for Girls opened on Sept. 16, 1959, with 89 girls who studied in a building that resembled a "little L-shaped ranch house. ...Today, the school in Brooklandville has 440 girls and 100 teachers and staff. Its facilities include state-of-the-art science labs, a cafe and an artificial turf field.

But one thing hasn't changed.

"The school has the same warm feeling it did on the opening day in 1959," said Karen Yeagle, a Lutherville resident who was one of several alumnae who spoke Wednesday at an assembly celebrating the school's 50th anniversary. ...

"I truly did not believe that I would graduate from high school before I came to St. Paul's," said 1964 graduate Hope Smith Pollard. "I had been to so many other schools. Finally, my father said, 'Here is a new one.' I had a wonderful first year, full of wisdom. My self-esteem was restored."

According to the school's website, St. Paul's School for Girls is an independent day school that was established to "educate the minds and hearts of girls in a supportive and intellectually challenging community that encourages respect, integrity, creativity, and spiritual growth."

Labels: girls, day school, celebration

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A new study has revealed that the majority of tanning salons appear to be ignoring advice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding teen use of tanning beds. Though these business are not violating any laws, a Sept. 21 article by Jennifer Warner of WebMD Health News indicates that they may be putting young girls at increased risk for skin cancer:

The FDA recommends but does not require that indoor tanning bed operators limit teens to three or fewer tanning bed session in the first week. But researchers found only about 11 percent did so, and 71 percent of tanning bed operators said they would allow a teen to tan seven days a week.

"Exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning lamps has been linked with both melanoma and squamous cell cancer, and first exposure before age 35 years may increase melanoma risk by as much as 75 percent," write researcher Latrice C. Pichon, PhD, MPH, of San Diego State University and colleagues in the Archives of Dermatology.

Researchers say the popularity of indoor tanning with adolescent girls in recent years may also be behind a recent increase in melanoma rates among U.S. women aged 15-39.

Labels: health, tanning, cancer

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A Czech study involving 82 teen girls has revealed an association between low-dose oral contraceptives and abnormally low levels of bone growth and density. The study was led by Dr. Jan Stepan of Charles University in Prague.

A Sept. 14 article by MedPage Today Senior Editor John Gever provided the following details about the study and its possible ramifications:

• In a randomized, crossover trial, bone mineral density (BMD) failed to increase in girls 15 to 19 years old who took pills with a low dose (15 micrograms) of ethinyl estradiol for nine months.
• Bone density increased normally in participants taking pills with a high dose (30 micrograms) of ethinyl estradiol.
• In a presentation at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Dr. Stepan said that based on these findings, girls who need oral contraceptives "could be counseled toward preparations with higher estrogen levels."
  

Labels: health, teenagers, birth-control, research

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A reporter for the Wall Street Journal followed up on a story he wrote in 1986 about fourth-grade girls on diets. The girls are now 32-year-old women who believe that society's obsession with female body images is worse now than ever.

When Jeffrey Zaslow interviewed the fourth graders, they were students at Marie Murphy School in Wilmette, an upscale suburb of Chicago. More than half of them were dieting to lose weight, and told Zaslow things like, I just want to be skinny so no one will tease me or Boys expect girls to be perfect and beautiful.

There may have been some truth to their beliefs, because one male classmate told Zaslow, Fat girls aren't like regular girls. They aren't attractive.

Today, the women, who are mostly in professional careers, believe that today's fourth graders have it worse, because models now look like toothpicks compared to the popsicle sticks they resembled in 1986.

Zaslow noted that in 2006, a Harris survey of 1,059 girls found that 60 percent believed you must be thin to be popular. That was up from 48 percent in 2000.

As one of the young women told him, Our Diet Cokes and Jane Fonda videos seem innocent compared to today.

Labels: social standards, body image

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Photographs of 40 British teens are currently posted on a website that requests visitors to vote on which ones should reach the finals of the Miss Teen Queen UK competition.

British charity Kidscape has criticized the website for putting the participating girls at risk. But according to a Sept. 5 article by John Sutton of England's Evening Gazette newspaper, the mother of 15-year-old contestant Sharne Suggett says she's fine with both the competition and her daughter's involvement:

Mum Kelly, 32, insisted the experience will be good for Sharnes self-confidence, and dismissed claims by charity Kidscape in June that the Miss Teen Queen UK competition puts girls at risk.

This is a well run competition - out at the swimming baths or in the park your kids could be at risk, but this is properly policed, said Kelly. ...

The website did display chest, hip and waist measurements, but these have since been taken down. In June, organiser of the competition Lina Perrini defended putting the measurements up, saying: Sponsors need to see the girls statistics and whether they measure up, so to speak.

This week pictures showing girls in their early teens wearing bikinis or showing cleavage remained on the website.

The debate over the appropriateness of this website and the competition it promotes is the latest in a long line of controversies related to the sexualization of young girls and the risks adolescent and teen girls face online.

Labels: sex, online, beauty

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

An Oct. 8 conference in Springfield, Massachusetts is designed to address the range of issues facing at-risk girls and the professionals who work with them. A Sept. 8 article in the Massachusetts newspaper The Republican provided the following details:

Educators, social workers, service providers and anyone who interacts with at-risk girls are invited to the fifth annual "Through Her Eyes: The Experience of Girls and the Juvenile Justice System" conference.

The event, with a theme this year of "Empowering Girls Through Social Change," focuses on how to best meet the needs of female juvenile offenders in Western Massachusetts.

Ja'Net Smith, interim program director for the Terri Thomas Girls Program, a detention, stabilization and short-term treatment program for girls, said the juvenile justice system has primarily focused on males.

"The way it's approached is through a male model," Smith said. "We feel it's important to focus on best practices with girls. The people that work with girls day in and day out. I don't think they often have venues like this where they can network with each other and hear from experts regarding the work they do."

Registration fees for the conference, which will be held in Springfield's MassMutual Center, are $120 (general admission) or $100 (students). For more about the conference visit www.throughhereyes.org.

Labels: at-risk youth, conference, juvenile offenders

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

When the Sisters of Charity of Kentucky announced in January that they would close Our Lady of Nazareth Academy, it looked like the students of the private Catholic school for girls were going to have to either enroll in public school or make the 20-mile commute to attend the Presentation of Mary Academy.

But according to a Sept. 1 article by Theresa DeFranzo on the website wickedlocal.com, the community of students and their parents came up with a third option: find the funding (and a location) to keep the school going:

Not only have students been helping out, but their parents and alumni have been working around the clock to make sure this educational opportunity  both the physical building and the educational curriculum  was available for girls in the area.

We were greatly disappointed after the announcement that they would close, said Joseph Luna, chairman of the board of directors. We had no intention of building a new school. But you cant save a school that doesnt want to be saved.

So he, and many others, got down to work.

No longer staffed by nuns, the school opened for the 2009-2010 academic year under a new name (out with "Our Lady of Nazareth Academy," in with "Nazareth Academy") -- but with a continued commitment to the philosophical underpinnings of its predecessor, DeFranzo reported:

We know the benefit of this type of education, Luna said of Nazareth Academy, which he said offers young women a Christian and classical education in the Catholic tradition that prepares them academically, spiritually and socially for a life marked by leadership and service in todays global community.

Labels: girls, religious, catholic, private school

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to a Sept. 6 article by Kristen Sell of channel WOWK-13, some students at Van Devender Middle School in Parkersburg, W. Va., will be taught in gender-specific classrooms beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year:

Starting in 2010, sixth grade students will be involved with gender based education in core classes.
Boys will be taught one way, while girls will be taught another because of the way we learn. The staff has gone through intensive training and the changes will be phased in slowly in order to ensure the success of the program.

"There are more than 500 public schools across [the country] that currently used gender based education as a way to teach students," Sell reported.

Labels: single-sex education, public-schools

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to article on the Jewish news website chabad.info, Crown Heights, Brooklyn is now home to the nation's first Orthodox Jewish vocational school for girls:

Originally opened for teenage girls who were not thriving in the standard girls yeshiva system, [Ohr Chana Vocational Academy] began to modify its mission during the 5769 school year to become the first Orthodox girls vocational high school in the country.

This year Ohr Chana will offer a full, dual-track curriculum: One track caters to the focused and self-motivated student who wants her high school experience to help her grow spiritually through advanced and meaningful Torah learning.

The second track caters to the student who can best succeed in a small, non-pressured classroom environment and who has a drive to actualize her potential, develop her talents and excel  perhaps for the first time in her school career.

Every girl deserves to spend four years experiencing enjoyment, success and spiritual growth, the school's founder, Rebbetzin Sara Labkowski, said in the article.

Labels: girls, religious, jewish, vocational

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A youth empowerment program in Aiken, South Carolina will soon be providing additional support and assistance to at-risk girls in grades five and six via a weekly school-based "Girls Circle" initiative.

An Aug. 27 article by Rob Novit of the Aiken Standard provided the following information about the effort:

Girls Circle will function almost as a support group but will deal with specific topics, said agency Executive Director Susan Meehan.

The girls will get advice on saying "no" when they feel pressure from guys. But the program is also intended to help them feel more connected with other girls.

"When you address girls in a girls' setting, you can help them talk through this in a different way about the attitudes that can lead to early sexual behavior," Meehan said.

[Agency Program Director Sondra] Thomas hopes to reduce or prevent at-risk activities with the fifth- and sixth-grade girls by helping build self-sufficiency and letting them know they don't need someone else to validate them.

Is your middle-school-aged child suffering from emotional or behavioral problems related to self-esteem, self-confidence or self-reliance? If so, take a moment to learn more about how a private boarding school for girls such as New Leaf Academy can help your struggling daughter grow into a self-sufficient teenager and a strong, successful adult.

Labels: at-risk youth, middle school, self-esteem

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A survey conducted by Britain's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the University of Bristol has revealed a disturbing prevalence of relationship violence and sexual abuse among British teens.
A Sept. 1 Daily Mail article provided the following details about the study

• The researchers discovered that one in three teen girls had experienced sexual abuse at the hands of their boyfriends.
• Many of the surveyed teens said they had been pressured or forced to kiss or sexually touch their boyfriend, while one in 16 of the 13- to 17-year-olds said they had been raped.
• A quarter of girls interviewed by the charity said they had experienced violence in a relationship.
  
• Having an older boyfriend put girls at a higher risk, with three-quarters of them saying they had been victims of physical or sexual abuse.
• Girls from a family where an adult had been violent towards them were also at greater risk.

The survey results were based upon information gathered from 1,300 teen girls from throughout the nation.

Labels: relationships, violence, abuse, girls

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Dr. Drew Pinsky is best-known for his shows Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew on Discovery Health and Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Now, hes adding his voice to the important issue of teen pregnancy with an hour-long special on MTV called 16 and Pregnant: Life After Labor.

The show that Dr. Drew will host will serve as the first-season finale of MTV's 16 and Pregnant series, which has been renewed for a second season. Dr. Drew will speak to the new moms about their efforts to deal with the challenges of teen parenthood.

Dr. Drew told MSN that one of the more surprising aspects of his interview with the girls was their honesty. They readily admitted that life as a parent is much, much harder than they expected, and that losing their youth to parenthood was painful, he said.

Labels: pregnancy, parenting

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments