ROCHELLE — A group of Rochelle Middle School students in Girl Scout Troop 3217 are looking to promote positivity for girls at their school, and the Girl Scout Cadettes presented their creative idea to members of the Rochelle School District 231 Board of Education at its monthly meeting on Tuesday at the RMS Media Center.

Five middle-schoolers including Anna Harvey, Macy Ramos, Baylie Sutton, Bella Nauman and Sierra Ramos shared their plan to decorate the girls bathrooms inside Rochelle Middle School. The girls are aiming to put positive messages inside the bathrooms in an effort to prevent the spread of negativity and uplift their female classmates.

“We wanted the project to be centered around our age group,” Bella said. “Since a lot of girls our age receive a lot of negativity about how they’re meant to be and how they should be, we thought that if we put positive messages inside the bathroom stalls and such, they would give girls a sense of belonging and a sense that they’re perfect the way they are.”

The girls are aiming to put their plan toward their community service hours, and they’re each looking to complete 50 hours of service by the end of their time in middle school to receive the Silver Award, which is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can receive. While the award is meant to help members of the local community, the girls are seeking to use their service to make positive changes inside their school.   

“Girls get down on themselves a lot and I know I’ve been through it,” Anna said. “We thought that, every once in a while, just taking a quick peek at something positive would help girls feel better… We can change how girls feel about themselves.”

The girls are seeking donations to help fund the project, and they’re in the process of planning a time to make the changes if they can secure a supervisor. The girls are hoping that their plan to spread positive messages will spread to other local schools like Lincoln, May, Tilton and Central. They’re also planning to create a suggestion box so the girls can learn how their peers are reacting to the changes.

“We would ask the girls how they felt even if they felt good or bad,” Macy said. “We would leave space inside the bathrooms so the changes could continue over time for other girls to make things their own way. We’re hoping to make a positive impact on girls so they can feel better about themselves and not how they should be.”

The proposal caught the attention of several board members on Tuesday including Jean Tess and Shirley Reif, who each commended the Girl Scout Cadettes for their creative idea.

“As a past Girl Scout leader I give you all kudos because usually when you hit the middle school age, Girl Scout attendance starts to plummet,” Reif said to the girls. “To see you all standing tall and proud and lifting up other girls in middle school is really hard, especially for girls. I give you all props.” 

“I think that what you’re doing is awesome and I totally agree with your premise,” Tess said to the girls. “You go.”

Superintendent Todd Prusator also expressed his appreciation for the plan.

“I thought it was a great idea when they presented it to me,” Prusator said to the girls. “For the girls here to see that there are some people who really care about them, I think it’s going to be very positive and I’m thrilled with what you’re doing.”