Frequently Asked Questions
2008 Q & A about the program
 What is Athena’s Path?
 Athena’s Path is an organization that creates early leadership development programs for teen and pre-teen girls. The programs are used by middle schools to build the leadership skills and self-reliance needed to successfully navigate the pressures, conflicts and distractions of adolescence and improve academic focus.
Our in-school programs are offered during the school day, are taught by the school’s own teachers, and are usually graded (P/F) enrichment courses. Some schools offer the course as an elective while an increasing number are choosing to make it a requirement.
The courses are fun, challenging and life-changing and build confidence, leadership and communications skills that last a life time. The curriculum is designed to give the girls the tools they need to deal with issues that can be extremely tough in the middle school years, such as peer pressure, body image, toxic friendships, gossip, and bullying. Girls emerge from our programs with the skills they need to lead their own lives, rather than follow the crowd.
Week-long summer camps are offered in some areas. Elementary school programs are also available.
Do we really need a program for this? Can’t we just tell the girls to make good decisions?
If only it were that easy! Telling girls to do the right thing is a good first step, but ‘the right thing’ can be very difficult to see and implement in the face of peer pressure and sticky social situations.
Athena’s Path helps girls see circumstances more clearly and provides them with a toolkit to understand their options and handle themselves well in a myriad of situations. They learn specific skills to stay level-headed and articulate, to remain confident in the face of societal pressure, to support others, and to find creative ways to respond with grace and integrity.
Athena’s Path teaches the processes involved in decision-making and creative problem solving because parents and other grown-ups can model excellent choices and behaviors, but they won’t be there when the cutest boy in school wants to cheat off a daughter’s test paper, or the ‘popular’ crowd decides another daughter isn’t making the grade, socially.
Athena’s Path will give your daughter the tools to handle these situations! She’ll know how to exit gracefully from a destructive friendship, and how to bow out of a dangerous situation with her dignity intact. Your daughter will know the value of constructive criticism, and the drain of competitive disapproval – and how to tell the difference! Social challenges abound in middle school, and they don’t get any easier throughout high school and college – they just have greater consequences. Middle school is the time to fill your daughter’s life with practical, applicable knowledge: the “how to” of good decision making.
Where did Athena’s Path come from? Is it a CMS program?
Athena’s Path was developed in Charlotte, NC by educator and businesswoman Michelle Icard, and stems from her experiences and observations tutoring middle school girls. (see Letter from Founder). The program began as a summer camp program in June 2004, but repeated requests by parents and participants brought about an in-school expansion in August 2007. Response has been incredible, and as the program has expanded, the Athena’s Path team has grown to include a multitude of talented people (see About Us) and partners. Inquiries regularly flow in from around the country and we hope to touch the lives of middle school girls everywhere.
The Athena’s Path program is approved by Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and is taught at a large number of area public schools. A growing number of private schools also teach the program. Click here for a listing of schools using Athena’s Path. (www.athenaspath.com/school-programs.html)
What about girls who are doing fine socially? I don’t think my daughter needs this program.
Athena’s Path is an early leadership development program. Our programs are filled with a range of girls with a variety of personalities. It’s true, some girls seem to have been born with terrific self-confidence! But here’s the truth about pre-teen girls: friendships and popularity wax and wane, often in the span of one day! Athena’s Path will reinforce for your daughter that her happiness and value as a person come from within and are not determined by the approval of her peers.
We teach girls how to articulate and pursue their own values and expectations. We teach process skills, brain-storming, creative problem solving, decision-making and communications. These are life-time skills relevant to everyone.
It all sounds great. So what’s a typical day in Athena’s Path?
There are no typical days in Athena’s Path, because the program is not based on memorized lectures and set speeches. Athena’s Path is fully interactive, from start to finish. There are games, role-playing, skits, and discussions. We often have college and high school-aged interns, as well as guest speakers who are willing to share their experience with the girls, and answer questions about what their pre-teen years were like! The only thing typical about Athena’s Path is that every day is typically very fun and very challenging!
Still not sure what to expect? You can check out our curriculum overview here (http://www.athenaspath.com/curriculum.html). Or email us with specific questions.
What about boys? If my school offers Athena’s Path for the girls, what can we do for the boys?
We've heard this question from so many parents, teachers and administrators. Clearly, boys face social and cultural pressures in middle school, as well, but that they handle their issues and learn differently from girls. After months of research and interviews, we're excited to introduce Hero's Pursuit, a new and innovative learning experience for today's adolescent male. The curriculum was written by Michelle Icard and Jeremy Spielman, principal of Charlotte Secondary School.
Hero's Pursuit will offer collaborative games, thought provoking discussions, and real world challenges. The program will coach your son to navigate the many challenges and opportunities that boys face, including how to: develop their unique leadership qualities, carry determination towards success, balance friendships and interact with the opposite sex. The program will be piloted in the Summer of 2008.
Contact herospursuit@gmail.com for more information.
I’m sold! How do most schools pay for an Athena’s Path site license?
We see schools paying in a variety of ways. Some schools pay directly from their budget, some are funded through the PTA, some receive local business donations, and some use grant money. The first year annual site license is $3000 ($2100 for Janary starts). Subsequent annual renewals are $1800. Schools may train as many teachers as they need and teach to as many students as they decide. The annual renewal includes more training as well as all the materials and support you will need to continue to run a fantastic program.
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