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Pleasant Street Elementary staff and students present ROCKS girls program to board; staff trained by United Way
Summary
The board heard a presentation from Pleasant Street Elementary staff about the ROCKS curriculum, a 20‑session, research‑based program for girls that focuses on confidence, communication and safety; staff described training, session topics and early results from participants.
Pleasant Street Elementary staff and students presented the ROCKS (Rolling Our Experiences) girls program to the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education during the Jan. 13 meeting, describing a 20‑session curriculum the school runs for fifth‑grade girls to build confidence, communication and personal safety skills.
Missus Green, a Pleasant Street Elementary staff member, told the board that she spent summer training through the United Way to lead the program and described the curriculum’s focus: “Being a girl is really hard. There is so much pressure to be perfect, pretty, not too bossy,” she said, citing lessons on empathy, communication and personal safety. The program includes a physical self‑defense component and team‑building activities.
Presenters said the ROCKS curriculum is evidence‑based and runs in small groups before school on Tuesday mornings from 8 to 8:50 a.m. They cited summary statistics from the ROCKS research materials shared with the board: 39% of participants report they feel like they belong at school (a cited concern), 79% report high pressure related to body image and social media, and 97% of parents of ROCKS participants said the program helped their daughter’s confidence. Students who attended spoke to the board about teamwork and improved confidence; one student said, “I’ve learned how to speak up more because I’m always a shy kid.”
Teachers said the group is intentionally diverse and avoids forming cliques by mixing students from different backgrounds; sessions use role play and small‑group discussion. The presenters asked for the board’s recognition of extracurricular staff time and noted some students give up other duties (such as safety patrol) to participate.
Why it matters Board members said they valued seeing students present and hearing about a program that addresses social pressures and safety for elementary‑age girls. The program is extracurricular and relies on trained staff volunteering outside their contracted hours, which the board noted as an important community investment.
What’s next The ROCKS team will continue its 20 sessions (the group was on lesson 10 at the time of the presentation); board members offered support and some indicated they would participate in future sessions as volunteers.
