On June 6th, Marymount High School will host its fourth annual all-girls leadership conference, “A Better Self for a Better World (BSBW),” for rising 6th through 8th grade girls and incoming Marymount freshmen. Current Marymount students run and organize the conference, intended to inspire young girls to feel comfortable with themselves and contribute their talents to the world. Since middle school is an important time for girls to build solid friendships and learn about who they are as individuals, BSBW provides them with the opportunity to reflect and discuss various topics, such as integrity and community service. The conference is essentially divided into “Better Self” and “Better World.” In the morning, the girls interact with each other through small group activities and listen to different speeches given by Marymount students. Last year, speech topics included speaking up, open mindedness, and relevant issues. After lunch, the focus is a “Better World”; here, girls participate in service projects that benefit the local community. One of the projects last year included making stress balls for the Pediatric Therapy Network.

This year’s conference will be even more exciting and filled with new activities. The girls will express themselves, through writing, skits, and crafts, like making bracelets with multicolored beads, where each color represents a different characteristic (e.g. sporty, fashionable). Valory Banashek ‘17, a member of this year’s conference leaders, states, “They will hear Marymount girls speak about empowering topics such as self-confidence and self-respect. Also, they will be participating in service activities, such as making beauty bags full of toiletries to be donated to a women’s shelter.” There are many more events planned for the conference, and this year’s leaders guarantee that the day will be filled with learning, laughter, and fun!