Looking back at the inaugural Girls United meeting Sept. 23, junior and co-president Ella Roether said she is more than satisfied with how the meeting went.

“It went so well, we were not expecting such a large turnout,” Roether said. “All (of) the girls participated and seemed really excited to participate and be involved, which I hope will continue throughout the year.”

Senior Megan Hoenie said she feels the presence of the club will help make Park a safer place for female students.

“It was really good just to know that everyone in the group is all together and they’re all supporting each other. They’re all there for the same reasons,” Hoenie said.

According to Roether, there were over 50 female Park students at the meeting, which could mean a promising future for the club. 

“It’s just such a great community of girls at our school, and there’s never been anything before to unite us like this club will,” Roether said. “We needed this club to bring us all together and show there is a strong community of girls at Park.”

Junior Oliva Kelly, who attended the first meeting, said the prospect of a successful Girls United club is very exciting for her. 

“There’s plenty of initiatives that are saying ‘girl power,’ but it’s one of the first ones that I’m seeing that’s a concrete club that is working together,” Kelly said. “Hopefully, this is the first step towards a good staple girl group in the school.”

Roether said she believes the club will help bring the female students together, something that she thinks is very beneficial to the environment of the school.

“The girls that I know at our school are all so amazing and passionate about women’s rights and everything the club stands for,” Roether said. “We’ve (never) had a club like this before, so it was really important and valuable to add to our school.”

The next Girls United meeting is planned to take place 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 via Zoom. Additional information can be found on the St. Louis Park Girls United Instagram page or the Girls United website.