Sisterhood goes beyond biological kinship — it’s a relationship cherished and nurtured over time through laughter and shared experiences. It’s a safe haven for women to connect with people of similar interests and be themselves without judgment. These bonds are hard to come by, though, especially in an environment as competitive as South.
After seeing a divide between grade levels and a trend of students constantly trying to outcompete each other, junior Maya Millman sought a solution. Inspired by her sleepaway camp and relationship with her younger sister, Millman wanted to bring this concept of sisterhood to the South High community and experience. Meet Sisterhood: South’s latest club and what Millman hopes is the start of her legacy here at South.
Sisterhood’s mission is to encourage young women to interact with people of different grade levels. To facilitate this process, club leaders sent a Google form, asking each member for their hobbies, clubs, and personality traits. Then, the members were sorted by grade and paired up based on their responses. Throughout the year, sisters will compete against other sisters in various bonding activities like Cupcake Wars and bracelet-making competitions.
In an environment filled with stress and overbearing academic expectations, Millman hopes to give students something to look forward to in their day. “If people are more connected, our school as a whole will feel more like a community. It can also make them happier to be at school if they have people that they’ll look forward to seeing.”
As students from different grades socialize and support each other, the school becomes more connected as a whole. Every year, a wave of freshmen enters the school, eager for help–whether it’s navigating the labyrinthine halls or managing their classwork. Upperclassmen can help ease this transition by offering advice and tutoring to lowerclassmen. “It’s really nice to have upperclassmen befriend lowerclassmen to help introduce them to our school and integrate them into the social community,” Millman said.
Befriending people of different grades can also prove beneficial to upperclassmen: upperclassmen can reflect upon past experiences and feel like they’re making someone feel welcomed—all without reliving the panic and confusion that comes with being an underclassman.
Lilly Lucas, media manager of Sisterhood, explains another advantage to keeping contact with an underclassman. “After I graduate and go off to college, I’m still going to want some connections at school. Having friends in younger grades is the best way. I can just be like how’s the soccer team doing? Or how’s the musical this year?”
Even though the club has already started and pairings have been created, board members still encourage new members to join. As the club continues to grow, Lucas plans to advertise to middle schoolers before they transition to high school. That way, incoming freshmen are aware of the club’s activities and benefits beforehand and can easily join upon entering the school. In the future, Millman aims to make Sisterhood known to all students of South and have it become a safe space for them to de-stress.
“I want Sisterhood to be something [students] see as an outlet and not something to be stressed out about…I want it to stay here even after I leave and become a big thing.”
Google classroom code: fcfjgl2e
