Well, they both get to wear cool uniforms, right?
News that Saturday is Girl Scout Day at Downtown's sleek, sports-centric College Football Hall of Fame might strike some people as a bit odd at first.
But only at first.
"We like to say that we are combining two of America's great pasttimes, Girl Scouts and football," said Leslie Gilliam, marketing and communications manager for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.
“As a huge college football fan and the mom of a daughter, I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the Girl Scouts to the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience for our first of what we hope to be many annual Girl Scout Days,” said Kimberly Beaudin, the Hall’s vice president of marketing and communications .”Not only is the Hall an amazingly interactive entertainment destination, it also showcases the greatest players and coaches to ever play the game and celebrates the dedication and hard work it takes to achieve greatness. We can all learn valuable lessons from that.”
More to the point, the day — in which Greater Atlanta scouts coming on their own or with their troop can getdiscounted admission tickets, a customized uniform patch and more — is about helping to retire certain unhelpful stereotypes:
One, that girls can’t possibly be interested football (and also play and benefit from all sorts of athletic activities).
And two, that men can’t be engaged in Girl Scout-ing.
“We had asked dads and other important male figures in scouts’ lives about what sort of programming they’d find interesting to participate in with our girls,” Gilliam said. “They talked about outdoor activities and sports. This seemed like a perfect activity for fathers and families to explore their favorite college teams together.
“And if they’re using the tool kit, they can do interesting research and learning activities.”
It turns out a day at the College Hall doesn't just have to be about "Hut! Hut!" and Heisman Trophy winners — especially not where school-age youths are concerned. The Hall offers free education resources that teachers, troop leaders and others can download before, during or after their visit to connect exhibits and interactive experiences there to T.E.A.M.S. curricula.
That stands for Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics and Science.
“We found that really interesting, because we have a STEM push,” Gilliam said about the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. “It fits with our goals.”
And how. As a for instance, lesson plan topics in the Grades 6 - 8 “Teachers Playbook” include “Ratios and Proportions, Materials Science, Geometry, Equalities, Physical Science and Bivariate Data.”
No, we have no idea what “Bivariate Data” is.
But maybe come Sunday, some smarty-pants Girl Scout who’s been to the College Football Hall of Fame can explain it to us!
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