"A Contagion of Dreams"

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. This is not an official publication of any Melrose organization. 

"A movement is a contagion of dreams." - Gloria Steinem 

Be a champion of girls' participation in sports. Athletic participation adds value for both boys and girls. Here are excerpts about the benefits: 

The New York Times published a review of benefits of athletics. 

It noted, "Hiring managers expect former student-athletes (compared with people who participated in other popular extracurriculars) to have more self-confidence, self-respect and leadership; actual measures of behavior in a sample of people who had graduated from high school more than five decades earlier showed those expectations proved accurate."

Athletes develop more robust leadership skills and function better in teams.

Girls participating have improved health - better bone density (less osteoporosis), less high blood pressure, and diabetes, and fewer mental health problems. Physical exercise reduces the risk of breast cancer in young women. 

Teen pregnancy rates are lower among female athletes. Sports helps girls become successful women. "Using a complex analysis, Dr. Stevenson showed that increasing girls’ sports participation had a direct effect on women’s education and employment. She found that the changes set in motion by Title IX explained about 20 percent of the increase in women’s education and about 40 percent of the rise in employment for 25-to-34-year-old women." Competition on the field and in the gym helps women advance in business and in the boardroom. 

Lagniappe. Canton appears in the top five in the latest Boston Globe poll.