A club designed exclusively for girls has been established, one that hopes to become a forum for girls to share their feelings about faith and other problems in a non-judgmental atmosphere.
The Beloved club’s first meeting was on Nov. 23. They continue to meet weekly before school. Spanish teacher Jennfer Medrano is the moderator of Beloved, but because the group is entirely student-run, she is never present at the meetings.
“I try to avoid being in the room. I don’t want my presence to compromise the discussion going on or make them feel uncomfortable that I’m there,” Medrano said.
Senior Sara Stifler had the idea for Beloved after her AP Spanish class on Sept. 20. It was the Monday after Joey d’Entremont was suddenly killed, and the class had began to engage in a wide-ranging discussion of faith, death, and life. It was then that Stifler had the idea to continue these kinds of discussions.
The discussion that Monday morning brought all eight girls to tears. “We came together as a class and had a heart to heart. It brought us closer and we learned some of the things about eachother that people never say,” senior Julia Burke said. Stifler saw that this was a healing thing, to share with others. “It really moved me,” Stifler said.
Stifler had the idea to start a small group for girls earlier but did not have the courage or confidence to officially start one until that day in Spanish class. “I looked over at my friend Chelsea [Shock] and said we can do this,” Stifler said.
According to Stifler, “There had to be others out there who felt alone in their faith.”
Beloved meetings have covered issues such as doubt, the lack of Christian community around school, and fighting to keep faith. According to Stifler, the girls of Beloved work to expand their faith and help others do so.
Although all are welcome, only a small number of girls are part of Beloved, as Stifler and Shock do not want the group to lose its intimate setting. The group currently has 22 members.
Rachel Dinsmore can be reached for comment at [email protected].