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Before anyone picks up a camera, Keystone Science School mentors ask young filmmakers a question: What does empowerment mean?
For the fourth- through eighth-grade girls and non-binary students participating in Girls in STEM: Film Fest, the collaborative program puts that question into practice.
Kids write stories, operate cameras, edit footage and divvy up roles as they race to produce short films in less than a day. Mentored by professional women, the students get a chance to ask what it’s really like to work in a male-dominated industry. And when creative disagreements emerge, students have to find a compromise.
“Part of it is about teaching young girls that it’s okay to celebrate everybody’s victories and successes,” said Anna Graf, Keystone Science School’s outdoor education manager.
The Sept. 18-20 program marked more than five years of partnership with Breck Film Fest. Organizer Cait McCluskie, programming and operations director for Breck Film and the Eclipse Theater, is a Keystone Science School alum who Graf said has sustained her passion for the educational programs she grew up enjoying.
“The reason we created Girls in STEM was to address the disparity of female-identifying and non-binary kids — and adults — in STEM fields,” said Eric Rightor, Keystone Science School executive director. 
He said the programs provide girls “the launch point to meet people like who they want to become.”
Film weekend participants get hands-on experience with storytelling, cinematography and editing before breaking into groups to create their own short movies.
Many students return year after year, Graf said. This time, many arrived already knowing how quickly they would need to work.
“They came in with ideas and hit the ground running,” Graf said. “I honestly think it made for some really adorable, goofy films this year.”
Perhaps because the program falls close to Halloween, Graf said some version of a disappearance tends to make its way into the films. One previous group made what she remembers as a “beautiful short film” about characters trying to reach a gas station but they never make it.
The film process also requires students to listen to one another, navigate competing ideas and uplighting others to achieve a final product.
“They’re also learning how to compromise and see how beautiful that can be in the result of their film at the very end,” Graf said.
Women working in the industry mentor participants throughout the weekend, giving students a chance to ask candid questions about careers in a field that Graf said remains male-centric.
During a question-and-answer session, students “get right down to it,” she said, asking mentors how much they make compared to their male peers and what they love or hate about their jobs.
“Every time I run a program, I see the mentors almost reinvigorated in their own career because they’re teaching students,” Graf said. “They didn’t get that when they were younger, and the film industry is still a man’s world.”
Graf said the setting can also help some students become more comfortable taking the lead and showing their personalities.
“Just by being in an environment where there are no boys present, some people come out of their shells that wouldn’t normally come out of their shells,” she said.
Graf has seen that progress especially among repeat participants. Students who once felt homesick or struggled to collaborate have returned years later and helped younger participants through the same challenges.
“The reason why we’re all in education is we get to see students’ growth over time,” Graf said.
The weekend ends with a premiere during Breck Film Fest, when the kids dress up, walk the red carpet and take the stage to present their projects. Rightor said this year’s celebration included hair styling and dance parties to Taylor Swift.
“That creates the memorable, impactful moments that are just what we strive to do,” Rightor said.
Keystone Science School plans to expand its STEM programming next year.
A new Girls in STEM: Fire & First Responders program, scheduled for Feb. 19-21, will take fourth- through eighth-grade girls to the High Country Training Center in Frisco for fire and medical response demonstrations and opportunities from women working in the field.
The school is also trying out a new theme for its Girls in STEM: Interstate Engineering program through a partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation. During the April 9-11 weekend, students will visit CDOT’s Silverthorne maintenance facility and learn about the engineering, chemistry and logistics involved in maintaining 144 miles of high-altitude highway.
“We’re going to see the equipment and the behind-the-scenes of keeping a multi-million-dollar highway operating all the time,” Graf said.
And for the first time, Keystone Science School will also debut a Campers in STEM day program in January, opening similar programming to boys — by popular demand, Graf said. An astronomy-focused program for second- through fifth-graders will kick off the series Feb. 5 with additional themes to come.
Before the big premiere, participants in the Girls in STEM film program get dressed up for a red carpet at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge. Families attend to watch the debut short films and hand out hugs and flowers.
Katie Oberlag/Courtesy photo
A participant in this year’s Girls in STEM partnership program with Breck Film Fest practices her videography skills near a greenhouse, using a silly puppet as a prop.
Katie Oberlag/Courtesy photo
Participants in the Girls in STEM: Film Fest program had the opportunity to present their short films at the festival on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Katie Oberlag/Courtesy photo
For over five years, the Girls in STEM: Film Fest program has provided young girls and nonbinary students opportunities to learn from an all-female group of industry professionals.
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