Wednesday, October 24, 2012

September Event Group Photos!

Check out the group photos from the September Event! 
We will see you soon at the November Campus Connection!


Arp Junior High

 Boulter Middle School

 Bullard Junior High

 Chapel Hill Junior High

 Dogan Middle School

 Hogg Middle School

Hubbard Middle School 

 Lindale Junior High

 Moore Middle School

 Oak Hill

 Stewart Middle School

Whitehouse Junior High

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Television Anchor Gets Bullied by View About Her Weight and Speaks Up - On TV!

An anchor for a CBS affiliate in LaCrosse, Wisc., took what could have been a hurtful comment from a viewer and turned it into a powerful tirade against online bullying.

Jennifer Livingston of WKBT-TV read a letter from a viewer who took issue with the fact that she is overweight. “Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain,” the viewer wrote. “I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle.”
Livingston’s husband, fellow WKBT anchor Mike Thompson, posted the emailed letter on his Facebook Page and received an outpouring of support. Emboldened by this, Livingston singled the writer out as a bully. “The truth is I am overweight,” Livingston said. “You can call me fat and yes, even obese on a doctor’s chart. To the person who wrote me that letter, do you think I don’t know that? Your cruel words are pointing out something I don’t see? You don’t know me. You are not a friend of mine. You are not a part of my family, and you admitted that you don’t watch this show so you know nothing about me besides what you see on the outside — and I am much more than a number on a scale.”
She continued: “We are better than that bully. We are better than this email. We are better than the bullies that would try to take us down.”

http://mashable.com/2012/10/02/tv-anchor-fat-bullying/

For GIRLS ONLY

Tips, tools, videos and more!

http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/

Friday, October 12, 2012

Fun {And Healthy!} Fall Treats - Apple Chips

Yum! These are so easy you can make them yourself. 

Girl Power!

Apple Chips




5 small to medium apples (preferably fresh and crisp–I used MacIntosh)
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 (or more) large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Wash the apples well. Carefully cut out the cores with a sharp paring knife. Use a mandoline slicer to slice the apples to 1/8″ thick.

Lay out on the baking sheets, trying not to overlap too many apples. Sprinkle with salt, and dust with cinnamon. Bake for 3 – 4 hours, until the apples have curled and the skin has wrinkled slightly. Apple chips will crisp as they cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate or freeze if planning to keep longer.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Bullied girl turns tables on taunting schoolmates, gains national support

Whitney Kropp was named to the homecoming court as a joke by her classmates, but the tiny farm town of West Branch, Mich. has rallied around her.

Whitney Kropp, a sophomore at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, Mich., said she was surprised to learn that she was picked by her classmates to be in the running for her school's homecoming queen.

"I never thought I would be part of it because, really, it's just for, like, the big popular people," Kropp, 16, told NBC News' Kevin Tibbles on TODAY.

But she was soon humiliated when she learned Sept. 13 that her selection to the homecoming court had been part of a prank by other students. She said students pointed at her in the hallways and laughed, and the boy who was picked with her withdrew.
"Some kids thought it would be funny just to put me in there as a joke to make fun of me," Kropp said.

But Whitney's ridicule didn't stop didn't there. Her mother, Bernice Kropp, told NBC News on Monday that the bullying continued on Facebook. Kropp said her daughter, a sophomore, had been picked on before at school, but not to the extent of the peer vote that selects students to the court, which traditionally names a queen, king and princes and princesses from each class. The high school has about 800 students.

"I felt like I wasn't worthy. Why even be a part of this community, this world if I'm just going to be tossed around like basically a piece of trash?" Whitney Kropp said.
But then, her mother said, "other kids started coming up to her and saying, 'Whitney, don't let them stop you from going to homecoming. You need to go ahead, you need to do it.'"

Bernice Kropp described her daughter as quiet, polite and kind, rarely finding fault with peers and people. She said Whitney has decided to attend the dance despite the prank as businesses and neighbors in the tiny farming town have rallied around Whitney.
    
Kropp said Whitney even has a date for the dance this Saturday, "and it's her boyfriend who has been very quiet and supportive through all of this."

"You want to protect your kid, and you feel angry and mad at what has happened, but at the same time the outpouring to help her has been beyond expected," she said.

Word spread quickly through the community of about 2,100 residents in West Branch. Resident Jamie Kline started a Facebook support page, gaining more than 4,000 likesin Michigan and nationwide. Personal stories of bullying and messages of encouragement filled the page, among them:

"You go, girl! From here in California, it looks like you won the vote legitimately but some of your "friends" got jealous and nasty about it. Their "joke" never really happened! Hold your head high and have a good time," Raymond Puffer.

"Whitney YOU are a beautiful gal inside and out and dont ever let anyone tell you any different," Karen Morrison Gross.

"I am so proud of this young lady ((((You GO, Girl))))), her family and the awesome community we share! It's high time we ALL take a stand against bullies. They come in all sizes, ages and social arenas. Be Kind ALWAYS," Ginger Warren.

Jen Case, who is with Whit's End Salon in West Branch, said the salon owner donated services to cut, color and style Kropp's hair. "Bullying is a big thing and we wanted to turn this into a positive moment," Case said.

Other local businesses are paying for Whitney's dinner, gown, shoes and a tiara for the dance. "We live in this community and we're about the community and giving back," Case told NBC News. "We wanted to help this young lady have a special night."

"I'm excited to go because I can prove everyone wrong and say, you know, I'm not this joke that you guys thought of. You guys doing this has made me stronger and I've got more self-esteem than what I had," Whitney Kropp said.

 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Hey Girls!!


Hey Girls!!! 
Can I get a "hey girl hey" out there:).

Oprah Winfrey once said, "only surround yourself with people that will lift you higher."

As I watched almost 300 enthusiastic girls at the GIRL POWER "Exactly As I Am" event, I was lifted higher!  Two great speakers had POWERful messages! GIRLS from all over Smith county were groovin' with a fun dance then movin' as fast as they could with the 'minute to win it' games!

Remember what Meg says, "EVERY HALLWAY IS A RUNWAY!" 
So HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH with confidence, BE YOUR UNIQUE SELF and know that YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL GIRL and YOU R.O.C.K!

Start writing in your journal TODAY by finishing these statements:
I AM...
I CAN DO...
I CAN BE...



"Being a girl in this world means that I have opportunities and I have choices." Elsie, 12

BE Courageous, BE Strong, BE Bold...MAKE GOOD CHOICES!

We can't wait to see you all again soon at our Campus Connection in October...be watching for an announcement of the date and time we'll be on your campus!


Monday, October 1, 2012

Saturday

Were you at the "Exactly As I Am" Event Saturday? 
Check out the news article and video.  
We had so much fun!

Check out the video on the CBS 19 website:
http://www.cbs19.tv/story/19674462/girl-power-summit-teaches-young-girls-confidence 



Here is the news article:

TYLER (KYTX) - Young girls across East Texas are learning to love themselves for who they are.
Today was the Tyler Junior League's first Girl Power Summit event this year. The "Exactly As I Am" event empowered 6th grade girls throughout the community.
Hundreds of young girls sat together, learning about a world where pink means power.
6th grader Sam Mitchell was one of about 300 East Texas girls her age, learning about the importance of confidence and self worth.
"I think it's epic," she says. "I want to come again!"
Mitchell's stepmother, Lee Harris, wanted to be a part of the summit too.
"It's important to me as a mother of 6 girls that they all are individuals and that they all just treasure who they are as each different child," Harris said.
Girl Power stressed tough issues that have taken over the lives of young teens today.
Junior League Girl Power event coordinator Leah Childs says, "At this age that they are, coming into middle school, we've learned statistically speaking 7 out of 10 of them don't feel good about who they are, they don't feel a lot of self worth. So this event was put on to give them some confidence and self esteem."
Childs has been a part of the Girl Power summit for three years and has never seen the girls get so close.
"This is the most synergy I've felt in the room," she said. "Hopefully that comradery will build here and then go back to their schools and down the hallways and in the classrooms. Hopefully we will mitigate some of the bullying and some of the issues they face when they're dealing with each other at school."
Mitchell says she feels comfortable in her own skin.
"For me it's T-shirt, jeans out the door!"
But she says it's not as easy for some of her peers.
"They're trying to get certain clothes on, look a certain way," Mitchell says.
She thinks the summit has helped her and her friends realize that they're perfect, just as they are. 
"I think they'll stop trying to be someone they're not."
If you didn't make it to this event, it's not too late to sign up for the two others coming up. The next one is January 29, called "I Am Strong." It's focused on health and fitness.
For more information on the Girl Power Summit and other related Junior League events, head to their website: http://www.juniorleagueoftyler.org/

See you soon!