Last month, Christy Frazier-Moore asked a group of girls at Poplar Bluff Junior High to write down one word describing how they felt at that moment. After sorting through myriad responses, including inspired, kind, and even unicorn, Frazier-Moore said she was surprised by the level of darkness found in many of the words.
"Dead inside, lonely, useless," she said. "There is absolutely no reason a junior high student should feel dead inside. It's heartbreaking."
In an effort to help bolster confidence in young women at PBJHS and to impart the importance of considerately treating others, Frazier-Moore formed a club called Chi & Co.
"My nickname with my family and friends is Chi, so I thought that would be less intimidating than 'Christy Frazier-Moore from Bank of Missouri,'" she said. "I have such a wide breadth of friends from different backgrounds and experiences and I'm going to bring that company with me (to speak at the monthly meetings)."
Frazier-Moore said the club is open to any female junior high student who wants to participate and that each month she will bring a friend to talk about a topic the girls' have shown interest in. She said the idea for the group initially came after a culmination of events with her own children.
"I have a 13-year-old son, and there are times I don't know how to communicate with him because, even though I seem to remember what it was like when I was 13, they live in such a different time," she said. "I have no idea how I would react at that age using social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all those things that can really affect someone's thoughts and processes and feelings."
But, according to Frazier-Moore, the moment she realized something had to be done was while comforting her then-4-year-old daughter.
"My daughter, who is now five, was with a few her friends one day, and they were buddies and are great little kids, but they talked about how she wasn't dressed right," Frazier-Moore said. "She was crying and upset. It broke my heart."
Soon after, Frazier-Moore, who is a loan officer at The Bank of Missouri, approached her manager with her idea to connect with students and said she received great support. She said she chose to engage with junior high girls because the they are of an age she felt she could best relate to. Frazier-Moore said ultimately, she felt a responsibility as a community member to reach out to young women, adding that teachers and administrators do play a large role, but that they can't be expected to do it alone.
"It starts at home. It starts with community people and I'm blessed the bank supports me in doing this," she said.
Chi & Co., had its October meeting on Thursday and the topic was beauty. Frazier-Moore said she invited her friend Christen Kinsey, who is a stylist at Simply Pretty Salon. Kinsey said she thinks Frazier-Moore's idea is great, recalling the awkward phases she went through as a teenager. During her presentation, Kinsey taught the girls about different face shapes, offering tips and examples about how to make their individual hair styles better accent their facial structures.
"I'm here to help make you look beautiful on the outside and feel beautiful on the inside," Kinsey said.
Eighth-grader Brileigh Cates said she enjoys the days Chi & Co. meets.
"I like how we focus on confidence because even if you're down it will always help bring you up," she said, adding that she didn't know her face was heart-shaped.
"Maybe one day I'll change my hairstyle, but I really like my hair as it is and I feel like it just says 'me.'"
Frazier-Moore also makes an effort to connect with the girls on their level. She gets down on the gym floor with them and chitchats. She even tells them about words she picks-up during her visits.
"Today I'm feeling lit," Frazier-Moore told the students excitedly. "When I first heard this word, I thought oh my gosh, some of these girls are on drugs. Then I learned what it means (it means awesome)."
Madalyn Berry is in eighth grade. She said she joined Chi & Co. because learning how to be confident can be fun. Berry said Kinsey's presentation about beauty applies not only to how the girls view themselves, but also to how they treat other people.
"I think how you look at yourself will help you have more confidence in yourself and how you feel about yourself is shown in how you treat other people," Berry said.
Frazier-Moore said November's speaker will focus on exercise and suggested the girls wear stretchy pants as a hint. She said in December the group will discuss philanthropy in honor of the holiday season.