Ex-Burnet student to share lesson of thankfulness with DIVA Dawgs
Former Burnet High School student Shelby Shipley, pictured her with her father, Bob Shipley, will be discussing the topic of thankfulness during the next meeting of the Dynamic DIVA Dawg Club at the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Parent Resource Center on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. The center is located at 202 E. Brier St. in Burnet. Courtesy photo
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — When Darlene Denton and organizers of the Dynamic DIVA Dawg Club wanted to share a lesson of thankfulness with the girls in the group and their mothers, they knew one young woman who would not only have such a message but serve as a inspiration.
“Shelby Shipley,” said Denton, the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Parent Resource Center coordinator. “She would make a great choice for the presentation.”
Shipley, who attended BCISD schools from fifth grade through 11th grade before moving to Coppell High School, where she graduated, offered a great perspective when it came to the focus of the DIVA Dawg Club’s Nov. 20 meeting. The Abilene Christian University graduate made two mission trips to Africa (Ghana in 2011 and Mozambique in 2014), where she saw people who didn’t have much but seemed grateful for what they did possess.
“She’ll have a great message to share with the girls,” Denton said. “In this day and age, those are things girls need to hear. And they really need to hear it from somebody as close to their age as possible.”
The DIVA Dawg Club (DIVA stands for Devoted, Inspired, Virtuous, Authentic) offers elementary- and middle-school-aged girls, along with their mothers, a chance to meet, learn and grow. But it’s not just an after-school study group, not in the typical sense. It targets girls from fourth to sixth grade, though younger girls do attend.
“This is a critical period in a girl’s life,” Denton said. “If they can develop a moral compass and belief system at (the elementary ages), they’ll have better chance of being successful and making good choices when they’re in middle and high school.”
The club meets each month with a different topic, lesson and activity. The older girls handle many of the leadership and mentoring roles during the program.
“For the younger girls, it’s great because they get to hang out and be with the older girls and learn from them,” Denton said. “And for the older girls, what better way to learn than to help with the lesson or program? Plus, for the older girls, they’re held accountable because the younger girls look up to them.”
The goal of the program is to help the girls grow in courage, confidence and character.
The November meeting will be held at the BCISD Parent Resource Center, 202 E. Brier St. in Burnet. The program starts at 4 p.m. with refreshments followed by announcements and awards at 4:15 p.m. Shipley will speak from 4:30-5 p.m. followed by a 45-minute question-and-answer session. During the meeting, the moms will also gather.
Call Denton at (512) 715-3668 or Melissa Alexander at (512) 715-5194 for more information on the November meeting or the Dynamic DIVA Dawg Club in general.
daniel@thepicayune.com