At Marmaton Valley High School this year, girls rule.
And boys … well, they come and go.
The 12-member senior class this year is entirely girls, after a couple of boys left before the start of the year because of online learning or to attend a different school. One attended less than a week.
Last year, they had four boys, of which two were foreign exchange students.
The girls say their preponderance has given them more freedom to express themselves and take on leadership roles, according to three MVHS seniors who spoke to the Register recently.
Allyson Benjamin, Lexis Jones and Mykayla Ard said they’ve enjoyed being part of a unique class of girls.
“I feel like just senior year in general is fun, but especially because we’re so small and being all girls,” Ard said. “We’ve gotten over any previous drama. It’s just us 12 that can sit in a confined space and laugh for hours on end.”
I feel like just senior year in general is fun, but especially because we’re so small and being all girls.
Mykayla Ard
When it came time to plan their graduation slideshow, one song was obvious: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
The three girls broke into peals of laughter as they remembered putting together photos of their time at MVHS. Every now and then, they came across a photo that included a former male classmate. One boy attended preschool through seventh grade with them.
“It’s so weird to have them in the slideshow but not graduate with us,” Ard said.
Ard and Jones have attended Marmaton Valley schools since kindergarten. Benjamin arrived in high school.Benjamin said being surrounded by girls has helped her come out of her shell.
Even though they’re all girls, they’re still all very different individuals.
“We’re very diverse and we’re very well-rounded,” Benjamin said.
She pointed to her taste in music as an example. She’s gone through a country music phase, a K-pop phase (Korean pop music), a rocker phase, then back to K-pop then back to rock. She’s dyed her hair so many different colors that her classmates have a hard time remembering its natural color.
“This year, I got to express myself more,” Benjamin said. “Coming here has shown me that people can actually be super nice and I can express myself and have opinions.”
She plans to attend Allen Community College next fall.
