Superintendent Cyndy S. Taymore
360 Lynn Fells Parkway
Melrose , MA 02176
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School Sends 10 Students to Empowering Girls 2016 Conference
MELROSE– Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School (MVMMS) Principal Brent Conway is pleased to announce that 10 seventh and eighth grade girls attended the Empowering Girls 2016 conference last week to participate in interactive sessions and discussions that encouraged confidence building, self-assertion and goal setting.
The conference, split into two days based on high school and middle school, welcomed approximately 250 middle school girls from across Middlesex County on Dec. 7. Participants spent the day listening to various speakers and engaging in group work.
Held at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, the event was hosted by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY). The conference centered around the theme, “Building Resiliency, Breaking the Glass Ceiling and Leading into the Future,” where attendees focused on the increasingly significant role of women in American politics with an emphasis on leadership, resiliency and overcoming obstacles.
“I’m very proud of the students that attended the Empowering Girls conference and represented Melrose so well,” Principal Conway said. “We recognize these girls as leaders in our school and we feel fortunate that they were able to attend an event that focuses on encouraging leadership and self-confidence.”
MVMMS eighth-grade students, Emma Brenner-Slagle, Aly Olwert, Kaiya Thompson, Ellie Ungashick, Ange Nahimana and seventh-grade students, Ana Aybar, Zaryah Qareeb and Laney Drayton were invited to the conference after being identified for their leadership qualities.
Accompanied by guidance counselor Chessie Shaw and Pupil Personnel Services teacher Robert Merrill, the MVMMS students attended the annual conference for the first time. All of the girls agreed that the experience encouraged them to take risks and helped build their confidence.
Brenner-Slagle said the event was informative and addressed issues like sexism, overcoming hurdles in life and how to work toward defining the right pathway in life for yourself.
“I took away an understanding of how to advocate and stand up for myself, and how to truly become the best you can be regardless of obstacles or challenges you might face,” she said.
About Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.:
MPY is a nonprofit organization that provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors.
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