Student commentary-Ain't nothing but a she thing

By Lynn LeCluyse

The reactions are always similar: “That sucks!”

Astonished and confused, people tend to pass judgment the second they hear that one specific detail: Notre Dame de Sion is an all-girl’s school.

Bam! Suddenly, the hysteria begins. Jaws drop. The sound of gasps fills the air. Eyes widen as if you just confessed to committing murder. No one, especially other girls, seem able to fully grasp the concept of single-sex education.

“So… do you even, like, know how to act around guys?” a female camper asked.

Yes, it’s true — we don’t have boys at school. But Sion High School students aren’t sheltered, naïve weirdos who have never talked to boys before. In fact, believe it or not, there are benefits to single-sex education. Among them, it’s easier to focus, you don’t have to worry about what you look like in the mornings, and everyone is extremely open.

“I can see how it could be good in some ways,” Joanna Hlavacek said. “Personally, though, I wouldn’t want to go to [a single-sex school]. I feel like [the lack of boys] would cause problems.”

Some think a school full of girls would be high drama, filled with constant fighting and sassy attitudes.

“It would be hard, because girls are really catty,” Katie Moore said.

Surprisingly, the girls at Sion are not like this at all. Everyone is friends because no one is afraid of looking bad for being around a certain person or group of people. Students are free to express themselves, without worrying about looking “stupid” or “awkward” in front of boys. And girls aren’t the only ones who are blinded from the subtle positives of single-sex education.

“Personally, from a social standpoint I view [single-sex education] negatively, only because I feel you need social interaction from both genders to see what the real world is like,” said Tanner Maxwell.

While it’s true that at an all-girls school we don’t necessarily get the chance to see boys every day, we do see them on weekends. We don’t seclude ourselves from boys, we just aren’t used to always having them around during the week.

So take a deep breath co-educated kids ¬-- it’s not as bad as you think. And girls, living without boys is indeed possible. It’s time to look beyond the obvious, and come to realize the hidden possibilities of single-sex education.

Lynn LeCluyse is a senior at Notre Dame de Sion and a student in the advanced writing class at the Flint Hills Publication Workshop.