April 11, 2001

Girls find career role models

Area students take part in Choices for Girls Career

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Throwing themselves into the gruesome task with aplomb, six area girls participated in an intense lesson in zoology Saturday morning at the Math-Science Center. Led by Traverse City Area Public Schools science teacher May Manner, the girls dissected a squirrel. In the process, they learned about physiology, anatomy, ecology, behavior, parasites and the basics of the scientific method.
      "The only thing that was bad was the smell, but that went away," said Sarah Byers, a sixth- grade student at Glenn Loomis Elementary School who eagerly helped with the dissection.
      Byers attended one of more than 10 different hands-on seminars for girls held last Saturday morning at sites around town as part of Choices for Girls Career Saturday. Sponsored by the Grand Traverse Regional Math and Science Center, the seminars were held to encourage girls in grades six through eight to pursue math and science courses in school and then careers in those fields.
      As Byers and her pal, Kim Wright, finally set aside the scalpel, the excitement in their eyes demonstrated the zoology seminar's success toward this goal.
      "I used to want to be an archeologist but now I want to be a vet," Byers said. "We wanted to learn more about animals because we both love animals. We definitely want to do more of this."
      Other topics covered in Choices for Girls Career Saturday seminars included physical and occupational therapy, accounting, veterinary science, aviation, orthopedics and detective work. The morning also featured concurrent sessions for parents of the participating girls to help them encourage their daughters to pursue math and science.
      Studies have shown that having role models as well as parental and teacher support is crucial to keeping girls in math and science classes. Without this encouragement, decisions and actions girls take, even as young as elementary school, can impact their studies and career choice. The Choices for Girls Career Saturday seminars hope to head off decisions by girls to opt out of math and science.
      "I think that sixth-grade is the hardest for girls, but I observe a rather distinct change in girls even earlier, like the third grade," said Manner, who teaches science at Old Mission Elementary School. "I talked to them today about being a zoologist and encouraged them to keep their options open."
      "I encouraged them to live their dreams and not to think that because they are women they have to put their dreams aside."
      For the nearly 50 girls who participated, hearing from and working with female role models already in the field provided a greater boost than a lecture in a classroom. The idea to bring the girls to the worksites began at last month's Choices for Girls Career Saturday and met with resounding success.
      "That was the first time we held sessions in the work places of career women," said Mary Clark, interim math coordinator at the Career-Tech Center. "We found that makes such a difference that they get to see the women in their work place."
      Highlights of last month's sessions included using a mechanical model to practicing delivering a baby and practicing putting casts on a broken limb, activities that entranced the participants.
      "I went to Dr. Abernathy's last month because I want to be some kind of doctor," said Kristin McKolay, a home schooled ninth-grade student. "This time I learned to make a shoe mold and take fingerprints and I thought it was neat, I like police work."
      Last Saturday, McKolay attended the session on detective work conducted by Officer Dawn Wagoner of the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department. During the morning, Wagoner guided four girls through the basics of detective work and crime scene analysis. She also taught her students how to take fingerprints and cast footprints.
      "Every time you enter a room, you are leaving something behind; even if you don't want to you will," Wagoner said. "It is a detective's job to collect that information at a crime scene and science helps us think as a detective."