For nearly a year, Grade 8 student Halle Begalke and Grade 9 student Mackenzie Roberts have been working on a special project.
The two girls are well known at Renert School, a private school in northwest Calgary.
Both help with daily team building activities and games with students of all ages at the school.
The project they’ve been working on is a curriculum for an eight-workshop class to help educate students on subjects like inclusivity, building self-confidence, body image and gender stereotypes.
“Mackenzie and I were passionate about building young girls self-confidence and their self-esteem,” Begalke, said. “We think that it’s a really important factor as they get older, with social interactions and different things like that.”
The class would be focused on girls between grades four and six.
According to Begalke, the girls are hoping their initiative teaches young girls to recognize gender stereotypes, and equality, with a strong message of self-love and body positivity.
“You should love yourself for who you are and you don’t have to be anyone else,” she said.
Little did the girls know, at an assembly Friday morning, they were going to receive a surprise of Olympic proportions.
Three-time Olympic medalist and seven-time Canadian champion figure skater Meagan Duhamel paid the school a visit.
Duhamel spent the morning telling students about her journey to success and the inspiring road she took to win gold, silver and bronze medals over two Olympic games.
But Duhamel was also visiting Renert School on Friday to present a $4,200 grant to Begalke and Roberts from the Shaw Kindness Sticks Campaign. The money the girls needed to kickstart their initiative.
“Halle and Mackenzie, thinking about women’s empowerment and gender equality, speaks a lot at such a young age,” she said. “You don’t usually hear people at such a young age speaking so powerfully and passionately about subjects like this.
“I think they were ready to make a change in their school and their community and they wanted to make this change and I just think its so great to support that.”
The money is expected to go toward supplies the girls will need to teach the workshops.
This year, Shaw handed out 10 grants to schools with ideas that encouraged empathy, inclusivity and respect.
Students at the school will be able to take the class beginning next Friday as part of the school’s “Choose Friday” options.
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