The Empowered Girls Club at J.L. Simpson Middle School won a $10,000 grant from Amazon Web Services Northern Virginia Community Fund through the Change X platform. In an email message to the club coordinators, Jennifer Herrin, a Simpson 7th-grade U.S. history teacher, and Samantha Ashley, a Simpson 8th-grade English teacher, the Change X team wrote, “Out of more than 90 applications received, your ‘Empowering At-risk Girls Through Growth’ project stood out…This is a testament to the impressive work you're doing in our community!”
Herrin and Ashley started the Empowered Girls Club four years ago to help 7th and 8th-grade girls learn about opportunities. “We wanted to create a support team for some of our girls. Someone to be in their corner, to give an extra nudge, knowing they would go far with extra support,” said Ashley.
Herrin and Ashley said that with guidance from teachers and counselors, they select girls who would benefit from this additional support and who are interested in improvement. The girls meet during the advisory period during school and twice a month after school for homework support.
“Academics are important to us. We firmly believe that academics and organizational skills can really open doors. In addition to all the fun stuff we do, the kids have homework support every two weeks. They know that it is a given that they receive this support,” said Ashley.
The girls also participate in community services. Most recently, they hosted an arts and crafts table at the local homeless shelter. Several times per year, the girls support the Parents as Educational Partners (PEP) meetings at Simpson by preparing food for the families attending. Herrin said the club is being recognized more frequently as a reliable source of student leadership support within the school. “When people in the building need student leaders, they always reach out to us. We are developing a name for ourselves in our building,” said Herrin.
A key function of the club is field trips to inspire the girls and raise awareness about opportunities. The club is planning a June field trip to Farmville, Va. to visit the Moton Museum. Formerly the Robert Russa Moton High School, it is now a National Historic Landmark and museum honoring the Virginia student-led civil rights movement of the 1960s. The students will also visit Longwood University. The AWS Community Fund grant will pay for this trip to Farmville and support other field trips and activities for the girls.
“I want the girls to see there are children like them who have made a difference. We will also visit colleges and help them start planning so they can see college is in their future,” said Herrin.
Also, this spring, Herrin and Ashley will start planning for next year by hosting an induction of 6th graders who will join the club next year. The coordinators said the school is in the process of creating a counterpart club for boys and that other schools have reached out to Herrin and Ashley about replicating the Empowered Girls Club at their schools.
Herrin and Ashley were celebrated at a reception for AWS community partners on March 20 at Amazon Headquarters in Arlington.