Her name is Natalie Nunez. She is a 4th grader and she is a wrestler. She is not big but she is brave. The match begins and she crouches low, looking for an opening. She watches the boy she is matched against closely so that he does not get a hold of her and take her down. The expression on her face says, “I can do this. I am strong.” When she is in danger of being pinned, she fights her hardest to survive. When she has the advantage, she uses all of her skills to try to win the match. Win or lose, one thing is for sure: she is not giving in nor giving up. This is a Beechwood girl. She stands up for herself and is proud of who she is.
Natalie is not alone here at Beechwood. Confident, brave, hard-working girls are the rule rather than the exception. Whether in the classroom, on the athletic field or on the stage it is encouraging to see that our young women understand that their gender should never hold them back from pursuing opportunity and setting high goals for themselves.