According to minotdailynews.com, reading and math specialist Sara Medalen put hard work into the first Girl Power camp for one purpose, to plant a seed in her students that would change the trajectory of their lives for the better. According to Medalen, “I also wanted to do this to heighten awareness and participation for girls who are typically underrepresented in STEM, and then also to enhance students’ vision and confidence in regard to academic and career aspirations; for them to think, ‘I could go to Minot State someday if that’s what my dream is.’” A joint effort with Minot State, Medalen was able to launch the first overnight Girl Power event for 20 Sunnyside girls that were able to stay at Minot State and enjoy a space camp that encouraged critical thinking and teamwork.
Medalen taught at Sunnyside for 18 years and believe that children can not be properly educated if their emotional needs are not met first. Because of this belief, she runs Books and Braids before school hours, a makeshift girls’ hair salon in her classroom that offers reading practice. She is also a mentor for Companions for Children, a program that bring local youth into community activities. As well as being a part of BIO Girls, a physical education program with a mission to improve girls’ self esteem through empowerment of self and by servicing others.
After experiencing a program that demonstrated space programs and how they can be used in schools Medalen stated, “When I finished that experience, I wanted to come back and provide a science, technology, engineering, and math camp or a space camp for kids right here, and it was great because I had tons of resources from it made available to me. The idea behind the simulations the kids did was to get them excited about learning. You don’t always see their excitement in school.” Minot State held the Girl Power event on July 7th and 8th at the wellness center, and the camp included group activities such as an egg drop, simulated rover landing, rocket assembly, and rocket launching. The camp was made possible from Medalen applying and receiving grants from North Dakota United, Souris River Telephone, Power of the Purse, and Minot Area Community Foundation.
—
Photo Credit: Everett Historical / Shutterstock.com