Category: After School Blog

Twenty fourth-grade girls bent over their projects as the clock inched toward 4:30. They straightened their balloon cars, scribbled in the last couple of words on their dual-language posters and prepared their speeches. The first parents began to wander into the room and the girls took a deep breath. It was almost showtime.

As they waited for their girls to put finishing touches on their projects, parents began to reflect on how Girlstart had shaped their girls.

“My daughter is very energetic and much more hands on now,” said Virginia, a Girlstart parent at Tom Green Elementary. “She’s always asking how things are made and suggesting ideas.”

Across the room, her daughter tested the endurance of her balloon powered car. Virginia smiled.

“It’s just non-stop ideas,” Virginia continued. “She finds different ways to solve problems now. She’s thinking out of the box, instead of just on a simple path.”

Antoinette, another Girlstart parent, said her daughter lights up when she explains each week’s project.

“She’s always been creative so when she tries new ideas and makes them work, it builds her confidence,” Antoinette said. “She has a lot of fun.”

Cars zoomed across the floor, paper rockets soared into the air and birthday cards lit up with the touch of a button in preparation for the showcase.

These are the kinds of projects that girls like Trinity, a Girlstart participant, said made her excited to go to school this year.

“It’s like night and day, their personalities in my classroom and in girlstart,” said Wendy Carrillo, a Girlstart leader at Wooten Elementary. “Girlstart makes the girls so enthusiastic and outgoing.”

The girls’ enthusiasm flooded the room when 4:30 struck. They took their places as the parents got ready to learn about science.

Each group stood in front of the wall of focused, beaming parents and presented their projects. They confidently shared their knowledge of STEM careers and science.

Afterward, the parents applauded and embraced their girls. For a moment, a hint of sadness and finality invaded the room. The STEM crew promptly came to the rescue.

They reminded the girls that even though Girlstart after school had ended for the year, the girls still had deSTEMber to look forward to. And that was definitely something to get excited about.

The future: it’s scary; it’s exciting; it’s unknown. It’s always one step ahead of us holding the keys to what seems like infinite knowledge. The younger you are, the more vast and daunting the future seems. Where should I go to middle school? Which electives should I take; which clubs should I join? What should I be when I grow up? They all seem to have an impact on this ubiquitous “future” everyone throws around, but what does it all mean, really?

This week in Girlstart, the girls thought about their futures. The curriculum gave them space to dream about what their lives could look like, but it also challenged them. It asked them to consider the tangible steps required to accomplish their goals.
“I want to be a doctor,” one girl announced. Others followed suit, presenting dreams of becoming veterinarians, engineers, and scientists.

The STEM crew’s eyes lit up. As aspiring scientists and doctors themselves, the Girlstart teachers began to nurture the kids’ aspirations.
They passed out ribbons, each representing a different step the girls need to take before launching their careers. First middle school. Then high school, college or trade school, graduate school, and a job. The cluster of ribbons seemed simple yet overwhelming. It’s a short but important checklist.
But then the crew came by with the last ribbon. It’s dark green color stood out in the sea of pastels.

“This last one represents your family and friends,” Aleena said. “Because no matter where life takes you, they will always be the most important things.”
The girls tied it onto their bookmarks, and Aleena’s words rang true. Regardless of which clubs the girls join or which career they choose, friends and family will remain constant. And that’s what’s most exciting about the future.

Suspended by only thick steel cords connected to two towers, the Golden Gate Bridge spans almost 9,000 feet. That’s nearly two miles long— a bridge, dangling in the air, that’s somehow remained standing for almost 100 years. It’s San Francisco’s most iconic landmark, and at the time it was built, funding and completing it was a daunting feat. Even today, the Golden Gate Bridge is a mystery to most. But do not fear— Girlstart has come to the rescue to dispel the science behind this modern-day mystery!

For the girls at Carver Elementary, bridges were a simple concept. Beam bridges are supported by giant abutments that stick in the ground; arch bridges are similar. They both are held up just like the tables you sit at everyday— they feature a surface and obvious supports underneath it.

When the girls looked at a photo of the famous Golden Gate bridge, it looks like it’s operating under the same basic rules as arch and beam bridges. It features two towers anchored to the land, so they’ve got to be holding the bridge up, right? Well, kind of. The towers support the steel cords, but not the actual floor of the bridge. After a round of contemplation, the Carver girls decided that the towers also help prevent the bridge from swaying in the wind. It is a hanging bridge, after all.

Wheels were turning in the Carver girls’ minds. They kind of understood suspension bridges, but they couldn’t fully until it was their turn. The girls received toilet paper tubes, tape, string, and a piece of paper to be the road. The string needed to be the perfect length to provide the right amount of tension to support the bridge, and the towers had to be just the right height. With plenty of trial and error, the girls each had their own miniature suspension bridges that they raced toy cars along.

The Golden Gate Bridge will always be a wonder. It’s massive, it’s expensive, and it crosses a very windy valley. But for the girls of Girlstart, it’s no longer a complete mystery. I guess you could say Girlstart really “bridged” the gap this week.

This week at Girlstart, the girls took another shot at designing a vehicle. These “coffee cup drag race cars” were meant to go farther and faster than last week’s vehicles. The girls soon realized that while quicker and more durable vehicles are better, they’re also more difficult to produce.

Across the classroom at Pecan Springs Elementary, students carried a mix of frustration and determination as they tried to create a rubber band powered coffee cup car. De’Erica struggled to pull the rubber band through her cups.

“Experimentation is just a lot of failed attempts” Eugena, a Girlstart STEM crew member, told De’Erica.

Then it clicked. First, tape the cups, then deal with the rubber bands. De’Erica quickly assembled the car then placed it on the ground. It steadily trekked across the tile floor as the rubber band inside unwound itself.

“You’re like an engineer,” Eugena said with a smile. “Scientists have to go through a lot of trials in order to get their experiments to work.”

On this day, De’Erica learned failed attempts make successes that much more magical. Excited, she ran to show the other students her car’s power.