![Within the U.S., the busiest shopping period of the year is Cyber Week, the time from Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, shoppers spent 3.3 billion on Cyber Monday, which is a 7.3% year-over-year increase from 2023. “When I was younger, I would always be out with my mom getting Christmas gifts or just shopping in general. Now, as she has gotten older, I've noticed [that almost] every day, I'll open the front door and there's three packages that my mom has ordered. Part of that is she just doesn't always have the time to go to a store for 30 minutes to an hour, but the other part is when she gets bored, she has easy access to [shopping],” junior Grace Garetson said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/DSC_0249.JPG-1200x801.jpg)
![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Sophomore Anna Shi looks at the assortment of supplies spread on the lab table in front of her as she starts to prepare a capsule designed to protect her egg from its impending plummet. The egg drop is a physics challenge in which students create a container that will prevent a raw egg from cracking when dropped from a high point — one of the many activities that the new Girls in STEM club has held in the last few months.
Junior Addie Law started the club this year in order to provide a place for female students to learn about STEM careers and explore their interests around other young women. The gender gap within STEM fields was first brought to her attention in her freshman computer science class where Law was one of four female students in a class of 24.
“I would just get talked down to. A lot,” Law said. “It wasn’t a welcoming environment. I think that’s [the same] for a lot of STEM fields…it’s just difficult for ladies in the STEM field because there’s a lot more men.”
Guest speaker Kaci Martin, a PhD student in molecular genetics at Washington University, spoke to the club about her experience as a woman in a STEM field. Junior Kiki Sanders-Fritz, Girls in STEM treasurer, found Martin’s story inspiring, but also indicative of the problems women still face in STEM fields.
“We’re making strides in STEM for girls, but it’s definitely not enough,” Sanders-Fritz said. “Our guest speaker, just hearing…some of the things that she’s experienced, [it shows that] we’re making progress, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Girls in STEM promotes collaboration, problem-solving, and the use of logical thinking through the scientific method. They use hands-on experiments and activities to practice these skills — from the chemistry behind making slime to the engineering and physics involved in dropping an egg safely from the top of the stairwell. These activities stirred up so much interest in Girls in STEM that it shocked the club’s leaders.
“I was stunned at how many people were there,” Sanders-Fritz said. “The classroom was packed…I don’t even know how many we have, but there’s so many, and there’s really a good bond between all of us.”
Junior Katie Hunyh, co-president of Girls in STEM, was also impressed by the amount of student interest in the new club.
“It’s great to see so many young women passionate for STEM,” Hunyh said. “I love STEM, and I love seeing other women so happy and excited to be part of the club.”
Despite the growing support for Girls in STEM, the new club has attracted some critics. Some male students complain that the club is discriminatory. Male students interested in STEM could join STEM-focused clubs open to all students: robotics, AI club, and HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America). However, these clubs don’t address all the elements of STEM the way Girls in STEM does. Junior Declan Fowler understands the aim of the club, but also wishes that it were open to everyone, including him.
“It’s technically discriminatory, but it is… to help in a way that they are often disadvantaged,” Fowler said. “It would just be cool if there [were] a general STEM club because I personally am interested in STEM and I would like to go.”
The Girls in STEM co-founders defended the club’s female-only demographic.
“The people who say that it’s excluding [men] are ignorant to the fact that there are women out there that suffer from workplace discrimination,” Hunyh said. “It’s just about inclusivity. I would compare Girls in STEM to clubs like Diversity Club or MAC Scholars, where it primarily targets those who are in the minority or those who feel like they have a disadvantage.”
Even with a few critics, Girls in STEM continues to foster curiosity in fast-growing careers. For Sanders-Fritz, who wants to be an oncologist or a neurosurgeon, the club helps to fuel her interest and encourages the growth of skill sets required in STEM fields.
”[It helps] because you need a lot of collaboration for the things that I want to do,” Sanders-Fritz said. “Especially with new technology being introduced, and things that I’ve never heard of [before] this club… it’s piqued my interest.”
Whether through exploration of new career options, collaboration with peers, or promotion of logical reasoning and curiosity, Girls in STEM provides its members with new interests and life skills.
“I love seeing the girls be so passionate with STEM and I love having opened that space for them to thrive,” said Hunyh.
This story was originally published on FHC Today on January 16, 2025.