In the society that we live in, being a teenage girl can be very difficult. There are so many constant changes happening while we are trying to figure out who we want to be. The standards that are put on girls only amplify difficult emotions and could lead to moments where we may feel insecure or not worthy of something. Two of our own students have struggled with these same things and wanted to incorporate a way to help us deal with the pressures of life. In the 600 hall bathroom, seniors Molly Riesenberg and Rylee Bennett created what they call a “prayer sink.”

“How it all started was I texted Molly a TikTok of this girl who made  something similar in their school’s bathroom. I told her that we have to do this, and Molly said that she was all for it,” Bennett said.

The student interaction with the prayer sink surprised both Bennett and Riesenberg.

“We didn’t know how people were going to react to it because some may not believe in Jesus or think it’s stupid. All that being said, we feel so grateful about the reaction we have gotten out of the students and their perception in it as well,” Riesenberg said.

The prayer sink is a mirror in the bathroom that is covered in sticky notes that include loving messages from the Bible along with encouraging and kind words. There is also a bucket that is filled with pins and sticky notes, so any student can write a prayer request. The goal is for students to feel heard and cared about; additionally, it creates a safe space for us to go to when feeling overwhelmed, insecure, stressed, etc.

“I feel like a bathroom is a safe place in school to calm down and collect yourself, so that’s what inspired us to keep the bucket in there,” Bennett said.

The sink is such a special way to tell our students the things they need to hear. Growing up is so difficult to navigate when you are young. Each and every one of us struggles with so many different problems. It can become easy to get caught up in all of the bad things in our lives. This small act of kindness gives us a reminder that we are surrounded by people who care about what we are going through.

“Girls our age need to hear that they are perfectly and wonderfully made in the image of God and that the blood of Jesus covers each and every one of you,” Riesenberg said. “Not one girl is alone because you have community and people that love and care about you. If you ever are feeling down, I encourage you to go stand in that mirror and read all of the love that is surrounding you.”

These two girls have done all of us a favor in showing us that we are never alone and providing a way for students to deal with hard things. We as a community are so blessed to have people like Rylee and Molly who want to make our school a better place.