Girls for Girls Night offers skills for healthy lifestyle

How to become beautiful inside and out was the subject on tap for preteen and teenage girls during the informative breakout sessions of Girls for Girls Night held at the Cedar Drive Middle School, Colts Neck, on Nov. 12.

Approximately 120 girls participated in the 17 evening sessions that were offered and featured topics that ranged from nutrition, clothes and skin care to Internet safety, bullying and self-defense.

According to Ileen Stoner, the coordinator of the Girls for Girls Night and the middle school's language arts teacher, this is the third time the event has been offered at the school for girls in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

"It was a huge success and every time it gets bigger and better," said Stoner, who is also the school's service learning coordinator. "Most of the girls attended three selected sessions, such as self-esteem offered by (licensed counselor) Shari Carpman, and one assigned mandatory session."

The mandatory workshops included a bias, prejudice and stereotypes session facilitated by Detective David D'Amico and the Internet safety session that focused on cyber-bullying conducted by Detective Richard Shin, both from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Speakers Bureau. It was the first time the school accessed the bureau for speakers for the event.

"The workshop's aim was to be proactive and decrease the consequences of bias, prejudice and stereotyping," said D'Amico, who is an investigator for the county's bias crimes bureau. "Hopefully, the girls will take with them an understanding of what it is like to walk a day in someone else's shoes. Also, what to do if they are or if they see others are victims of bullying."

Karen Gilliespie, who had been a Girls for Girls Night presenter since the event's inception, was not a presenter this year. She said that sessions such as the girl talk workshop and the workshop on dating promote respect and healthy relationships among girls.

"It is important to explore the impact that emotional aggression and disrespect can have on friendships among girls, including name calling," said Gilliespie, who has more than eight years experience in counseling on dating abuse and now works with Prevention First, a nonprofit that offers programs and services to communities to counter the effects of violence and substance abuse.

According to Stoner, the Sephora skin care session that offers makeup tips and free beauty samples is very popular, as is the grace and poise workshop hosted by Barbizon that offers full-service modeling and acting courses in Red Bank.

"The stress is on posture and how you carry yourself," said Mary DeMont, the Barbizon executive director who presented the workshop for the first Girls for Girls Night. "It's about walking, sitting and foot placement and having fun while you present yourself to the world."

A workshop generally includes a series of role playing techniques and ends with a walk down a typical runway, she said.

Other sessions included leadership skills, tips on babysitting, vision journaling, yoga, exercise, music and dance.

Stoner said the Girls for Girls Night started with a dinner that included pizza and salad and was funded by a mini-grant obtained by the Colts Neck Teachers Education Association. A local band, "This is Genuine," provided the music.

The dinner speaker was New Jersey state Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth and Mercer), who is a resident of Colts Neck.

Stoner said Casagrande welcomed the girls to the event and spoke briefly about how any girl could aspire to leadership roles in a field of her choice.

The idea for the Girls for Girls Night started when Stoner attended a National Middle School Teachers Convention in Philadelphia.

"I attended a session on a girls summit and brought the idea back," she said. "I hope that Girls for Girls Night becomes an annual event and that someone will step forward and start a Boys for Boys Night."

Stoner thanked everyone who was involved with the event and the committee members for the Girls for Girls Night who were Courtney Ciencewicki, Linda Asaro, Merri Milano, Jodi Richards and Susan DiFedele, as well as Colin Rigby, principal, and JoAnn Cilmi, assistant principal.

She also thanked the Colts Neck Police Benevolent Association and the Colts Neck Alliance Against Substance Abuse for their monetary donations that helped keep the admission to the event to $2. In addition, each girl who participate was asked to bring a canned item that was donated to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.