Walking into an auditorium full of middle school girls talking to upperclassmen about their love of listening to heavy metal rock, and how they love to dress up their cats might not sound exactly like a normal day, and it’s not. It’s Girl Talk – where the Cannon Falls High School Student Council girls talk to the middle school girls about everything from embracing their weird hobbies, to overcoming insecurities, to realizing that boys aren’t really as scary as they might think.

For three years the girls of the Cannon Falls High School Student Council have been putting on a seminar for the middle school girls. Every year the seminar has started with each of the high school girls telling the younger girls one of their biggest insecurities and how they’ve tried to overcome them. “I think it helps that it’s coming from girls closer to their age and people they look up to. And even if we can’t see it, it’s helping.” says Mrs. Davisson, an eighth grade teacher that sits in on Girl Talk every year.

Some of the seniors told the girls about their personal experiences in middle school and how not all of it was good. Mackenzie Franken came in to talk about how when she was in high school she battled anorexia but overcame it with the help of her friends and family. They also discussed how every article of clothing they own doesn’t have to be brand name, and how Target clothes are just as good as anything you could get at Victoria Secret only for about half the price.

The high school girls also answer any questions they have about what it’s like in high school – everything from, “What side of the hallway do I walk on?” to, “Is it weird being in classes with older kids.” Laura Johnson, an eighth grader told me, “I have always thought that girl talk was kind of helpful, I like being able to learn things about what it’s going to be like once I get to high school.”

Not only do these girls get some helpful life lessons but they also get the inside scoop on what their lives in high school could be like, but they also get to know their upperclassmen. So high school, just might not seem so scary anymore.