BRUSH PRAIRIE — Six students at Hockinson High School are raising money to boost access to period products for middle school girls, an effort they hope will reduce the shame some feel around menstruation.
Classmates Audrey Davis, Sophia Sermone, Sarah Deroos, Lyla Taylor, Kiely Fuller and Avrie Kellogg are aiming to raise $500 to supply period products in the girls’ restrooms at Hockinson Middle School.
According to a 2023 article in the National Institutes of Health, “menarche typically occurs between the ages of 10 and 16, with the average age of onset being 12.4 years.”
“We all agree that having period products in middle school would’ve been a really helpful resource, especially since there’s a lot more stigma around periods at that age,” said Sermone, a senior. “We want to show them that they have older people who are here for them.”
House Bill 1273, signed into law in 2021, requires schools in Washington to provide pads and tampons for free.
Period products are available to Hockinson Middle School students free of charge in the health room; the high school student leaders are supporting this existing resource through their fundraiser, according to Justine Hanrahan, a spokeswoman for Educational Service District 112.
“Access to everyday necessities directly impacts students’ ability to fully participate in their education.
“Having basic needs met helps students to be able to make the most of their school days,” Hanrahan said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the six friends zipped through the halls of Hockinson High School, putting up flyers to spread the word about the fundraiser. So far, they have raised $350 through the online fundraiser.
Safety, comfortability
The teens are all members of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Hockinson, a nationwide organization that focuses on creating opportunities for students after high school and encourages community service. Sermone is the vice president.
They said they were inspired by another student who organized a similar fundraiser a couple years ago. The high school now regularly supplies its restrooms with period products, they said.
“For us, knowing we don’t have to supply the products ourselves kind of takes away that worry,” said Davis, a senior. “I think the comfortability of students is important because it allows them to excel in other parts of school. They don’t have to worry about discomfort.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, “period poverty” is the lack of access to menstrual products, which nearly 500 million people globally experience. In the same article, it said the average person will spend about $20 on feminine hygiene products per cycle, or about $18,000 over a lifetime.
“It’s important because not everyone has the financial ability to get the feminine products they need. If schools can provide that, it makes schools a safer space for the students, and they can be more comfortable in their body,” said Fuller, a freshman.
