Student Well-Being Video

Teachers, Try This: Give Middle School Girls a Space Where They Feel Like They Belong

By Lauren Santucci — February 16, 2023 5:53
Girltalk BS

Abby Ramos Stanutz, a teacher at Longfellow Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, realized that if students wanted to join an existing club at her school, they needed a skill, like playing an instrument or a sport, or they’d have to pay to join. Often, clubs required both.

So she created Girltalk, a club where middle school girls can connect with one another, feel like they belong, and talk about their experiences and challenges. The only requirement to join? Being a middle school girl.

The group meets in her classroom each week, and Ramos Stanutz provides food for each meeting as well as sweatshirts for the girls. She’s found unique sources of funding to meet these needs, and has created a page on Teachers Pay Teachers where other educators interested in starting something similar can find resources they’ll need.

She also talks about the club and her experiences with it on TikTok, where she describes creating the club as being one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.

Lauren Santucci
Video Producer
As a video producer, Lauren Santucci produces, films, and edits meaningful, human-interest digital video and works closely with Education Week editors and reporters. Prior to joining Education Week in 2022, she produced videos for Al Jazeera, FRONTLINE PBS, and The Texas Tribune. She has a master’s degree in visual journalism from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

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