Feature Photo By: https://www.filmaffinity.com and http://girlrising.com– These are the promotional posters for the movies Girl Rising and The Mask You Live In.  The movies will be shown at the Girl Rising and Man Up events.

Monday marks the first of two field trips where freshmen will embark on a journey to learn more about themselves. That’s right, Girl Rising and Man Up.

At the fifth annual Girl Rising event, the freshmen girls attend a viewing of the movie, Girl Rising, which depicts the stories of nine girls in third world countries. During this event, freshmen girls will participate in several activities based around the film.  During the third annual Man Up event, the men will participate in similar activities based off of the film, The Mask We Live In, which tells inspiring stories of young men transitioning into high school.

These events are meant to help both freshman boys and girls understand more about themselves and their roles as people.

“We’re not going to change their lives,” said Mr.Sladek, sociology teacher and administrator of Man Up,  “But as long as we can get them to think about their behaviors and their actions — plant that seed about how it does affect them and impact them,it starts the conversation (and) I think that’s what we really care about.”

Organizing the events are not simple. Multiple pieces must cooperate to make these events truly function to reach the fullest potential.

“There are a lot of people involved,” says Westerdale, an African American Studies teachers at Rangeview. “Everybody needs to do their role in order to succeed.”

The events require many volunteers, who come with open arms to help the freshmen learn something not just about themselves, but about the world.

“I hope to have the freshmen thinking about their future possibly change the way the act,” says Langston Kelly, junior at Rangeview and volunteer for the event. “I want to let the young men know that it’s ok to reveal emotions because they are human, not feminine.”

Kelly attended the first annual Man Up event back in 2015, and is returning as a volunteer to inspire what he learned to other freshmen.

“What made me volunteer is what I’ve experienced in the two years after the event,” Kelly states. “I feel that what I’ve gone through and how I’ve changed is exactly what Man Up hopes to accomplish.”  

The event for the female freshmen will occur next Monday, November 21st. Man Up will occur for the male freshmen the following day, November 22nd.

Watch the trailer for Girl Rising here: http://bit.ly/1cF1OBs

Watch the trailer for The Mask We Live In for Man Up here: http://bit.ly/1joeoOA