March 6-10 marked East High School's first Week of the Young Woman.

The purpose of the Week was to help the 1000+ young women who attend East HS begin to:

• resist gender stereotypes;
• take pride in success;
• appreciate their bodies;
• feel confident; and
• develop a sense of the importance of education and economic independence.

The Week was an overwhelming success! It was great seeing the school literally turn pink with 100's of students and staff wearing the Week's T-shirt.

A total of 58 diverse, community women leaders came to the school to give presentations to the young women of East on topics ranging from power tools to politics.

Staff was very supportive of this unique, gender-exclusive event and the students loved it.

There was an average of 150 students at each presentation. They were actively involved and many spent the time between presentations dialoging with the presenters on a one-on-one basis, especially with Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin and local TV news anchor Pam Tauscher.

Staff and students were not the only ones who enjoyed the Week. The presenters, bar none, expressed firm desires to return for next year's event and many expressed desire to become involved with East on an on-going basis.

Several programs were also provided for the young men of the school. They included presentations by the Delta Project and its MENS (Men Empowering Non-Violent Strength) groups, as well as research-based curriculum exercises on gender equality and media literacy.

A generous sponsorship from Family and Consumer Education of the WI Dept. of Public Instruction as well as numerous donations from individuals and service groups helped bring the Week to fruition.

Two of the 58 presenters were Michelle Behnke (2nd from left) and Fabu (far right) pictured with two East students. "Achieving Your Dreams" was the topic of their presentations. Behnke is the first African-American woman to be elected President of the WI State Bar Association. Fabu is a published poet from Madison.