No. This isn’t a children’s cartoon where the heroine uses her girl power to turn the world pink. Instead, the fifth-grade girls at Cedar Fork Elementary School use self expression, nutrition awareness, body image and running for fun to paint their world.

Girl Power is a 10-week running program that takes place during the fall and spring semesters and is coupled with a theme-focused discussion one day a week. The participants get a pink T-shirt to wear at a 5K run at the end of each semester. The discussion groups usually center on such topics as stereotypes, decision making, gossiping, peer pressure and motivation. Music teacher Shannon McGowan usually leads the talks and allows the girls to give feedback on how they feel about any given topic.

The students say the running and classes are helping them to deal with adolescent issues.

Jodie Garr, 11, said that she learned about self-esteem and how not to get crazy when you’re mad at someone and how running helps blow off steam. Cassidy Garner, 11, said she learned about “peer pressure [and] how to deal with it.”

Ann Hamrick, physical education specialist, and Perry Graham, assistant principal at Cedar Fork Elementary School, decided to help students at the pivotal age of 10 to 11 years old — fifth-graders. Why this age?

Because “girls are starting to mature, socialize, develop cliques, are more conscious of body image, and self-esteem becomes very important,” Graham said.

They really do change in the fifth grade, McGowan said. “At the beginning of the year they are all sweet and at the end it is all about boys and they get so catty,” she said.

Programs such as Girl Power can circumvent bad behaviors such as gossiping, ostracizing, mean pranks and even drinking, those who work with youth say.

Girl Power is very much a community effort, McGowan said, adding that parents and teachers get involved with the running and even run in the 5K races with the girls at the end of the semester.

“A lot of the teachers started exercising with the kids and were excited when they could run the three miles in the 5K,” McGowan said.

On May 3, the day of the 5K, held at Highcroft Elementary School, LeeAnn Storm said, “We want to do this as a family. … This [is] an initiative to run. … I think it is very important.”

On race day, the students are in more than just good physical shape. The girls really do let loose and grow with the classes, McGowan said. “The group dynamic changes at the end of the semester,” McGowan said.

At first, the girls would only associate with their buddies, but they were forced to integrate with others by the design of the program.

Hamrick said that the students did a pretty good job of running and socializing with someone other than their best friend.

Audrey Sung, 11, said she made a lot of new friends in the program.