ROGERS — Mysterious messages urging women to believe in inner beauty may be popping up across Northwest Arkansas courtesy of girls in third through fifth grades.
“You are glittery.”
“Beauty is not a size.”
“Smile — you’re awesome.”
Equipped with sticky notes and positive thoughts, girls are being encouraged to put notes where others can find them as a service project from Girls on the Run afterschool clubs. Several area clubs launched their projects this week. Some marked their sticky notes with girlsontherunofnwa.org, others used operationbeautiful.com.
At A Glance
Girls On The Run
Girls on the Run is a 10-week program with fall and spring sessions available through local schools. Groups meet twice a week for a lesson on issues facing girls followed by exercise. Girls run a 5K race to celebrate the end of the session with the fall race open to the community as a fundraiser.
The Northwest Arkansas group sponsors about 90 percent of the girls in the program at a cost of $150 each, said Sandra Younger, event and marketing director for Girls on the Run of Northwest Arkansas. Enrollment grows every year. All money raised through entry fees to next weekend's race stay local and help pay for T-shirts, snacks and curriculum. Younger estimates the spring session will grow to 1,000 girls.
The eighth annual Girls on the Run 5K Run/Walk and 10K will start at the Bentonville square Saturday. A 10K begins at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K race begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information or to register visit girlsontherunofnwa.org.
Source: Staff Report
“When you see third-grade handwriting and it says ‘smile’ you have to smile,” said Kim Dixon, counselor and lead Girls on the Run coach at Mathias Elementary School in Rogers.
Mirrors, desks, fashion magazines and window corners are all fair game, Dixon said. The rules are no one can see the girls leave the note and it must be positive. Girls at Mathias feel like they are sneaking happiness when they leave a note, Dixon said.
“They come in and they are giggling like crazy,” Dixon said.
At Elm Tree Elementary School in Bentonville, the Girls on the Run coaches kicked off the project by leaving notes on backpacks or inside books or cubbies for all the girls in the program. The girls came to the afterschool program holding onto their notes and excited to pass the message along, said Amy Ford, first-grade teacher and lead coach for the program at Elm Tree.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ford said.
The 10-week Girls on the Run program is designed to teach girls they are strong, smart and can do anything, said Sandra Younger, event and marketing director for Girls on the Run of Northwest Arkansas. Posting affirming notes in public places is a natural extension for the program’s message.
All 208 Girls on the Run councils were invited to participate in Operation Beautiful, but some have existing service projects. Caitlin Boyle, author of the upcoming book “Operation Beautiful: One Note at a Time,” will be a keynote speaker at a spring event, Younger said. There are 716 girls involved in the program in Northwest Arkansas.
Learning about self-image in elementary school equips girls for middle school drama, said Kristin Page, lead coach and third grade teacher at Westside Elementary School in Rogers.
Classmates sometimes tell her they feel ugly or don't like themselves, said Marta Salinas, fourth-grade student at Westside. She tries to encourage them, Marta said, but they say it a lot.
At A Glance
Read About It
“Operation Beautiful: One Note at a Time” by Caitlin Boyle will be released Dec. 27. The book expands on Boyle’s blog, operationbeautiful.com, and is aimed at tweens.
Source: Staff Report
It isn’t unusual for girls to walk into her classroom saying they have no friends or that people think they are ugly, Page said. Within the Girls on the Run group, girls support each other by being positive.
Amy Stone, parent and volunteer coach in the program, said the Operation Beautiful project will teach girls to build others up.
Girls in the Westside program were let loose in the school on Thursday afternoon to post two positive messages each.
Fourth-grader Angelica Morales posted a note on the front door of the school and as she walked away a mom walked out the door and read her note.
“When we turned around we could see that lady smiling,” Angelica said.
“The hope is if we start it, adults who see it will carry it on,” Page said.