A Mighty Girl's round-up of new stamps honoring trailblazing women throughout history!

With record numbers of Americans planning on voting by mail this election and concerns about the health of the Postal Service on the rise, many people want to support USPS — and a great way to do so is by buying stamps! Whether you're a collector or just looking for a few fun stamps to use when mailing cards and letters, the USPS offers a wide selection of stamps, including several current stamps honoring the contributions of mighty women from history. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl tribute to this beloved Mighty Girl character and Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery!

For generations, readers have fallen in love with Anne Shirley, also known as Anne of Green Gables! Since author L.M. Montgomery published her novel about the imaginative red-haired orphan in 1908, the book has sold over 50 million copies around the world, and sparked adaptations for both stage and screen. It's no wonder that so many people know immediately who you mean when you talk about "Anne with an E." Continue reading → Continue reading

From women's history to outer space, artsy cats to world maps, we've featured puzzles to reflect the wide range of Mighty Girls' interests!

There's something soothing about putting together a puzzle. Especially during such a stressful time, many people — kids and adults alike — are finding puzzles to be a welcome distraction, and a fun way to occupy their hands and calm their minds. Plus, a larger scale puzzle can be a terrific family activity: working on one together, chatting all the while, can be a cherished tradition for the whole family to enjoy. Continue reading → Continue reading

Lillian Kay Petersen of Los Alamos, New Mexico developed a tool to help aid organizations better plan for food shortages by using satellite data to predict crop harvests early in the growing season.

For 17-year-old Lillian Kay Petersen, the impact of hunger on children has a personal face: "Nine years ago, my family adopted my three younger siblings, all of whom faced food insecurity in their childhoods," she explains. "I have watched my younger siblings struggle with the lifelong effects of malnutrition." Inspired by her siblings' experience, Lillian developed a tool to help aid organizations better plan for food shortages by using satellite data to predict crop harvests early in the growing season. Her tool yielded such impressive results that she was awarded the $250,000 top prize in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the United States' oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The Mighty Girl from Los Alamos, New Mexico is thrilled by the honor and the potential of her research to help children facing food insecurity around the world so "they don't face malnutrition and lifelong consequences." Continue reading → Continue reading

After learning that the Oakland Zoo might close permanently due to the pandemic, 6-year-old Andy Soulard wanted to help save the animals — and has raised over $220,000!

When 6-year-old Andrea "Andy" Soulard learned that the Oakland Zoo might have to shut down permanently due to loss of income during the pandemic shutdown, the California Mighty Girl wanted to help. "I like to see the animals," she explains. "I like the guinea hogs, the otters and the tigers." So with her seventh birthday approaching, Andy decided to ask people to donate to the zoo instead of giving her a present this year, and she pledged to make a bracelet for anyone who donated $25 or more. She hoped to raise $200, but after word of her fundraiser started spreading online, people began donating from across the country — and, in less than a month, she's now raised $220,000 and counting! "We are at a loss for words," her mother, Kelly Soulard, wrote on Facebook, "but know we are so touched at the outpouring of support." Continue reading → Continue reading

Once a 'Rosie the Riveter' during WWII, today 94-year-old Mae Krier is making Rosie-themed face masks to help fight the pandemic.

When Mae Krier was 17 years old, she took a job at a Boeing factory in Seattle in the midst of World War II, joining millions of other American women filling critical labor shortages at factories and shipyards after the male workers left to fight overseas. Today, at 94, she's stepped up to help the country overcome another crisis by making fabric face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus — and, to pay tribute to the heroic women of WWII, her masks are in the polka dot fabric of Rosie the Riveter's iconic bandana! "This virus is actually like another war, and we’ve gotta pull together if we’re gonna conquer it," Krier asserts. "We did it, and we can do it." Continue reading → Continue reading

The 17-year-old Swedish climate activist was awarded the 2020 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity this week.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen activist who founded the Youth Strike for Climate Movement,  was awarded the 2020 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity this week!  "[Greta] gave voice to the concerns of young generations about their future, which is at risk due to global warming," the Gulbenkian wrote in a statement about the prize. "Her global influence is unprecedented for someone of her age." The 17-year-old was selected from a field of 136 nominees from 46 countries for the prize which recognizes people for their contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The award comes with a $1.15 million prize (€1 million), which Greta has already pledged to donate to a number of environmental causes. "I’m extremely honoured," she wrote on Twitter. "My foundation will as quickly as possible donate all the prize money of 1 million Euros to support organisations and projects that are fighting for a sustainable world, defending nature and supporting people already facing the worst impacts of the climate- and ecological crisis." Continue reading → Continue reading

The Green Berets were one of the last assignments in the Army without any female soldiers since the Pentagon opened combat and special operations roles to women in 2016.

A National Guard soldier has become the U.S. Army's first female Green Beret since the Special Forces unit was formed in 1952! The woman, who cannot be named due to security concerns, recently completed the famously grueling Special Forces Qualification Course and received her Green Beret along with her classmates during a graduation ceremony last week in North Carolina. Her graduation was a particularly noteworthy milestone for women in the military since the Green Berets were one of the last assignments in the Army without any women since the Pentagon opened combat and special operations roles to women in 2016. "Half of the world that we have to deal with when we're out there, half of the people we have to help, are women," said retired Lt. Gen. Steve Blum, a 42-year Army veteran and 16-year Green Beret, when the unnamed soldier passed her initial assessment in 2018. "The days of men fighting men without the presence of women is long gone." Continue reading → Continue reading

Joanna Cole's bestselling series starring the beloved Ms. Frizzle, which sold more than 93 million copies, made science fun for generations of kids.

Joanna Cole, the author of the beloved The Magic School Bus book series which made science fun for generations of kids, died this week of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 75. Through her books, Cole aimed to make science fun for kids as they followed the adventures of a group of schoolchildren taking field trips on their 'magic school bus' everywhere from outer space to the inside the human body — all led by their exuberant, red-haired teacher Ms. Frizzle. In the decades since the first book was published, The Magic School Bus has grown to include a variety of books, an animated TV show, a series of science kits; and, this year, plans for a live-action movie adaptation. "Joanna Cole had the perfect touch for blending science and story," Scholastic chairman and CEO Dick Robinson said when announcing her death on July 15. "Joanna's books, packed with equal parts humor and information, made science both easy to understand and fun for the hundreds of millions of children around the world." Continue reading → Continue reading

For the first time in its 34-year history, The Magic School Bus is getting a feature film — and Elizabeth Banks will star as the iconic teacher Ms. Frizzle!

For the first time in its 34-year history, The Magic School Bus is getting a feature film — and Elizabeth Banks will star as the beloved Ms. Frizzle! Banks, who is also producing the film with her company Brownstone Productions, is best known for roles in The Hunger Games franchise and in Pitch Perfect. Now, she's excited to be stepping into the famous school bus to teach a new generation of kids about science. "We are delighted to bring to life the iconic Ms. Frizzle and her zest for knowledge and adventure in a fresh new way," says Scholastic Entertainment’s president Iole Lucchese. "[We hope the movie] inspires the next generation of kids to explore science and supports the dedicated teachers who help make science real and accessible for young learners every day." Continue reading → Continue reading