It has recently come to our attention that a few parents have concerns about the “My Guy and I Outing.”  We will be making changes to this outing, please stay tuned for the new details.

We’d like the opportunity to address our reasons for the gender specific events we had originally planned. Many kids today do not get the opportunity to spend special one-on-one time with a parent/grandparent etc.  These events were meant to give the kids at AES that special bonding time with an adult of their choice. Many communities nearby, including neighboring communities, hold gender specific events such as Father/Daughter Dances, Mother/Son Outings, and Girls on the Run.  These events are very popular and successful in many NH communities as well as other states in our nation. We felt Allenstown kids were missing out on these special experiences, and they weren’t getting the chance to create these special memories to look back on one day like so many kids in other communities do.

Much like adults have a “Girls Night Out” with their friends, or a “Guys Night” the intention is to have fun and bond.  The “My Guy and I Outing” was to have a hike with a scavenger hunt, as well as various games and activities for the boys to participate in with their guest.  

We sent out a survey to see what events girls and boys would be more willing to attend.  Our results showed that more girls would prefer a dance, while more boys would prefer an outdoor outing with a hike and games.  Yes, there were some comments against these choices, but there were more positive and supportive ones.

Yet another reason these events were planned as they were is because there has historically been a lack of volunteers.  These events were designed in such a way that it could allow for the few of us that are planning, preparing, and running these events to make them more manageable. Doing both events as family events is not possible with so few volunteers.

We are new officers.  We are volunteers. We are juggling our families, our careers, and our PTO responsibilities.  Our time and resources are limited.

Our intention was to try the “My Guy and I Outing” and the “My Gal and I Dance” for this year.  We were planning on taking the feedback from both events once they happened before determining if these events would be continued, expanded upon, or changed for the future.  Maybe we could have created new traditions for students to look forward to.