Grade 12 student Abbey Thompson speaks to students at Chippewa Senior Secondary on Worth Devotion day at the area school. PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.
Abbey Thompson believes there is a lot of pressure on teenage girls. But instead of just sitting back, the grade 12 student from Chippewa Senior Secondary decided to make a difference.
On Tuesday the school held a Worthy Devotion day for about 280 female students from grades 7 to 11.
As part of the event a number of local business women did presentations about exercise, to mental health to healthy food choices.
Thompson says Worthy Devotion Day as she calls it, was created through her leadership class and has now grown into a school activity.
She believes it's about finding yourself and accepting yourself while you are in high school.
“I decided I didn’t want them to wait I wanted to give it to them right now so they can start their next four years off right and knowing what they can do to help themselves,” said Thompson.
“It’s important because they are not only learning about it, they are feeling it today, they are feeling good and that’s awesome. Today they will take away some tools that will last a lifetime, at least I hope so.”
Chippewa Vice Principal Sarah Spence believes the timing is perfect.
“I think its really timely with coming into both summer and exams and it’s just good to stop and have some self reflection before we enter into that,” she said.
“I think her key message which was pretty valuable in what was planned and organized, is her whole goal in all of this is not just one day, she really wants to see this as something people take and carry through past just today.”
Thompson says she has always had issues with conformity in high school, which created personal self-esteem problems.
“In those moments you can decide to be ordinary or extraordinary, and I chose extraordinary,” said Thompson.
The school is already talking about this becoming an annual event, which may potentially include boys as soon as next year.
