The 2024-25 program focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics

By Lynda Rose

The Soroptimist Strong Girls, Strong Women (SSGSW) program was created in 2008, with Helman Elementary School selected to be our partner. SSGSW was identified as Soroptimist International of Ashland’s (SIA) Signature Project soon thereafter. Now, after 16 years, despite COVID and other changes, we are back! During the school year (October to May, 2023-2024), we completed all six parts of our program.

Key accomplishments were as follows: donated and distributed about 250 books with strong female characters to kindergarten, first and second grade students through the Book Donation Program. For the first time, our SIA Board decided to donate books to all students, regardless of gender. As former Helman principal and currently Ashland School District Assistant Superintendent Michelle Cuddeback so wisely noted, “We need to reach boys to change the world for girls.”

The Lunch Buddy Program pairs an adult volunteer with a third, fourth or fifth grade girl. They meet monthly during the lunch period. Adult volunteers are Soroptimists and community members. The American Association of University Women have supported us by providing many adult lunch buddies over the years. We also had volunteers recruited from Y classes, and Southern Oregon University (SOU). The goal of this activity is for the girls to relate to an adult outside their household and to improve conversational skills.

The After School Program for fourth and fifth grade girls includes three modules: Environmental Stewardship, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and Careers. A teacher from Helman School leads each module and a Soroptimist assists the teacher’s and provides healthy snacks for the girls. The girls are encouraged to support each other, work in teams, speak up to share information, and write in journals about their experiences in the program.

In the Environmental Stewardship Program, girls learned about nature and connections. They walked to Ashland Pond to learn about the rehabilitation, gathered items during a Nature Scavenger Hunt using those items to create art, and re-planted plants on the school grounds. They created a banner to hang in the school cafeteria that says, “We are STRONG when we take care of our world, and we are all better TOGETHER.”

The STEM Program allows the girls to work together on science topics and encourages interest in areas that have traditionally been dominated by males. The girls constructed a tower out of paper cups, studied clouds, learned about plant flowering and allergies, and weeded a school garden. The teacher planned a strong overlap between the Environmental Stewardship and STEM programs this year.

In the Career Program, the girls took field trips to businesses with strong female role models. They developed questions to ask the women leaders at each business and created a thank-you card to present to the business. They visited Ashland Greenhouses, the Y, Rogue Credit Union, Ashland Police Department, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The girls were able to explore careers in the environment, physical fitness, finance, public safety, and the arts. The girls were very enthusiastic and asked many questions. It was noticeable that all the women presenters clearly loved their careers.

An ice cream social was held to celebrate the girls who participated in the Lunch Buddy and After School programs. A continuous slide show and a brief presentation by Sally Murphy, co-chair of Soroptimist Strong Girls, Strong Women Committee, provided attendees with an overview of our 2023- 2024 SSGSW program. The 2024-2025 program is now underway with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

Lynda Rose is the program co-chair for the Soroptimist Strong Girls, Strong Women (SSGSW) Program. Soroptimist International of Ashland meets at noon the first through fourth Wednesdays of each month from September through June at Puerta Mazatlan, 1209 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, and invites anyone with an interest in improving the lives of women and girls to attend. For more information, email [email protected].

Nov. 27: Headline updated to better reflect content.