An Effort at Gender Equality

 

On Feb. 4, Athletic Director Brian Strong invited all girls grades 6-8 to gather in McHale from 9-10:30 a.m., and all girls grades 9-12 gathered in McHale from 12:45 to 2:10 p.m. This convocation focused on both girls’ athletics and school involvement. There was a panel of four guests for the high schoolers and five for the middle schoolers. Considering that almost all girls in LCSC had to miss an hour and a half of school, there were some mixed reviews on the event.

“The genesis of this idea was created when I found out at a conference I attended that women are paid 84 cents on a $1 compared to their male counterparts in that same position,” Strong said. “It struck me that athletics and extracurriculars could play a role in closing that gap. Young ladies are taught soft skills in athletics such as teamwork, overcoming adversity, and time management to name a few. They also develop confidence, and I hope these skills can help them one day to approach a future employer and articulate why they would deserve a pay raise and be paid by their worth and not their gender. My goal was to show the value of athletics and promote to all females in grades 6-12 why it is so important to be involved in all activities.”