GA_041819

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the glencoe anchor | April 18, 2019 | 11
New Trier Girls Club’s longevity celebrated at open house
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
While the weather was
unusually cold, snowy and
uninviting Sunday, April
14, the atmosphere inside
New Trier High School
was quite the opposite.
As visitors entered the
building, members of the
Girls Club warmly welcomed
guests, giving a tour
of the building while celebrating
100 years of helping
other deserving girls
receive the financial boost
they need to attend college.
“It’s easy to assume that
all New Trier students have
the means to attend college,
but there are many families
that need some help,” said
senior Alice Beberdick, of
Wilmette, who serves as
the club’s president. “Our
main fundraising occurs at
sporting events, where we
sell concessions, donating
all proceeds to the New
Trier Educational Scholarship
Fund. In addition,
we reach out to family,
friends and the community
throughout the year, selling
wrapping paper, candles
and other gifts, ensuring
that fundraising efforts occur
all year long.”
Along with learning
how to run successful fundraising
initiatives, the
members of the club learn
valuable leadership skills
too. The executive board
in particular, which along
with Beberdick includes
officers Julia Goldish, of
Glencoe, Halle Nelson, of
Wilmette, and Lily Nicolaides,
of Kenilworth,
meet weekly at the Activities
Leadership Practicum
Seminar. The seminar is
a full credit course that
unites student leaders of
various extracurricular organization
to discuss their
roles as leaders within
Past Girls Club president Betsy Owens (back right), of
Winnetka, enjoys a tour of the school from current Girls
Club members.
their respective organizations.
“We have learned so
much by participating in
ALPS. We discuss the
various ways to be leaders
and discover our strengths
and weaknesses,” Goldish
said. “We also learn how
to collaborate with leaders
of other groups, supporting
each other’s missions.”
“Through ALPS, we
have come to realize that
each of us have different
leadership styles, but that
they complement one another.
Understanding this
makes us most effective,”
Nicolaides added.
For Nelson, seeing her
own self-growth over her
four-year commitment to
Girls Club, along with developing
friendships over
the shared goal of helping
other students, has been
most rewarding.
“I first joined my freshman
year and immediately
made friends with other
girls who wanted to be in
the club for all the right
reasons,” Nelson said. “I
was new to this school district,
so it made my transition
that much easier. Since
then, I’ve seen myself and
others transition from club
members to club leaders.”
During the day of celebration,
guests were eager
to meet the current members
and leaders. Many
of the visitors, like Winnetka’s
Betsy Owens, was
not only a member during
her time at New Trier, but
a past president, as well.
“Girls Club is a great
way to gain leadership
skills and help others all
at the same time,” Owens
said. “It’s truly amazing to
have a club with this longevity,
but also not surprising
because each year their
fundraising efforts add up
to a significant amount
that is used to help others
make the dream of college
a bit more realistic and less
stressful.”
Overseeing the club is
special education teacher
Melissa Gonzalez and science
teacher Lauren Meyer.
For Gonzalez, watching
the girls grow into leaders
is the most rewarding part
of being a sponsor.
“I just love seeing these
girls work together every
day for the good of others,”
Gonzalez said. “They
are all truly committed
to the mission of raising
funds for the Scholarship
Fund. Watching them embrace
their roles as leaders
is really wonderful.”
Devlin Guthrie, of Kenilworth, gives a tour of New Trier as part of the Girls Club’s
100th anniversary Sunday, April 14, at the Winnetka campus. Photos by Alexa
Burnell/22nd Century Media
March 21 through May 5
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