Girls Inc. program hits beach

LYNN – Girls Inc. is introducing girls to the wonders of environmental science and learning to help out in their community.The Beach Sisters, a six-week program at Girls Inc., has been teaching girls who are entering ninth grade this fall about environmental science and how to make a difference.The girls will help clean Kings Beach today. This community service project was actually the girls? idea after seeing repeated stories about the poor quality of the beach water at Kings Beach.?The girls have to do one community service project and this is what they wanted to do,” volunteer Andrea Rigby said. “We want them to help out the city of Lynn and use the knowledge they learned from class.”The girls have been split up into smaller groups working on mini projects. Some girls have been working on a blog while others have been creating a public service announcement about keeping our beaches clean.?We want to empower them and let them know they can make a difference,” volunteer member Jennifer Alsen said. “Also, the younger we get kids involved the more they will tell their parents who might also get involved. It continues to raise awareness.”Along with helping the community, Beach Sisters has been preparing the 30 girls who are participating to be ready for high school science and hopefully spark an interest in the subject for the girls.?We want the girls to be less scared about science and get more involved in it,” Girls Inc staff member Julie Cafarella said.At the beginning of the program, the girls were not too excited about science. “They were very apprehensive in the beginning,” Alsen said, “Now, in my group, I see my girls being more active and raising their hands more in class.”Student Katie Almonte admits she did not enjoy science before the Beach Sisters program.?I was not interested in science at all before,” Almonte said. “Now I would take classes in it.”The girls have also learned an array of different topics involving environmental science.?We learned that what happens here at the beaches affects the world,” student Brianna Brangman said.The girls recently tested the amount of bacteria in the water at Kings Beach.?We learned about the water and tide pools and how to keep it clean,” student Angela Feliz said. “I was more interested in engineering but now I like environmental science.”The girls said they are excited about the beach clean-up day.?We get to inform people about picking up their trash and keeping the beaches clean,” Natasha Moralis said. “We get to make a difference.”The girls hope that through their community service they will give Lynn a good name.?Lynn has a negative reputation and we want to change that,” Almonte said. “We want to give it a good reputation.”