Manicuring self-esteem
ZELIENOPLE — The high school club with a politically incorrect name is actually a safe place for troubled teens to learn about being a girl.
St. Stephen's Lutheran Academy, a school for troubled teens located on the Glade Run Lutheran Services campus, is offering a first-time program called Girls Club for students ages 9 to 17. The eight-student club meets in teacher Rita Cygan's room, where chairs are assembled in a circle and snacks and teen magazines dot the periphery.
Cygan and her colleagues Delores Johnson and Linda Smith on Friday taught the girls how to care for and manicure their fingernails, which included attaching and painting false nail tips. Other activities in the nine-week course include additional beauty and grooming tips, as well as watching pertinent movies and listening to music.
"We give them some skills to help them feel better about themselves," said Smith.
She said while the girls are quiet during the first few weekly meetings, the teachers often notice improved socialization skills by the end of the nine weeks as a result of interacting with peers who they were not acquainted with before.
Cygan said the main point of the class is to raise the self-esteem of the troubled girls, who either live in the residential treatment facility at Glade Run or come from group homes. Cygan said many of the girls have never had guidance on grooming or other teen issues because of their family situations.
"A lot of them don't have female role models and if they do, they're pretty bad," said Cygan.
Johnson said the normal angst that comes with the territory of interest in boys is also addressed through reading and discussing pertinent articles in the teen magazines available to the club. She said the girls learn to respect themselves and to make members of the opposite sex respect them as well."And they can relax here without any boys," said Johnson with a smile.Cygan added that the teachers sneak life and relationship lessons in between demonstrations and activities. She said many times, a club member will approach one of the teachers and ask about sexually transmitted diseases, childbirth or other issues."They are teenagers like any other teenagers," said Cygan.Drawings are held each week in the club, and winners receive gift bags containing beauty products. The idea is to allow positive reinforcement to generate good behavior."A lot of these girls are so thrilled because they don't have someone to give them a bottle of nail polish," said Cygan. "They're not used to getting things; they're used to having things taken away."Cygan said each group of girls is asked on the first day of the club what activities they would like to pursue. Dominique, one student soaking her nails on Friday, said she would like to learn to sew."I like Girls Club because you learn stuff girls should do to make them feel better about themselves," said Dominique.Elena, another club member, said she enjoys the activities planned for the girls, and that she gets to make new friends in a stress-free environment."It's fun, and there's no guys," said Elena.Cygan said providing kind, caring female role models is an inherent part of the class."We're just there for them," said Cygan as Smith and Johnson nodded in agreement. "What happens in Girls Club stays in Girls Club."
