About 100 female student athletes from four Edmonds School District high schools participated Wednesday in the district’s first-ever celebration of National Girls & Women In Sports Day, now in its 38th year.

According to District Athletic Director Angie McGuire, the athletic department hosted about 20-25 girls from each of the four high schools — Edmonds-Woodway, Lynnwood, Meadowdale and Mountlake Terrace — for a leadership workshop. The day included opportunities for the participants to collaborate with athletes from their own school and work with athletes from the other high schools.

The goal, McGuire said, was to help the athletes “learn and grow as leaders, become better teammates and people, and understand the power of lifting each other up. We also focused a lot on how what we learn in sports is transferable to everything we do outside of sports.”

McGuire said that seeing the students from different schools work together during the marshmallow challenge was a definite highlight. The challenge involved giving participants 15 minutes to collaborate and build the tallest freestanding structure with the entire marshmallow on top.

“Our panelists were also fantastic,” she said, adding that they discussed “how their experience as high school athletes shaped them as leaders outside of the competitive arena — it was really powerful.” Panelists included E-W grad Madison Schultz, who played soccer at the University of North Carolina; Meadowdale grad Quinn Manning, who competed on the Seattle University basketball team; Lynnwood grad and current LHS head track and cross country coach Stephanie Tastad, Mountlake Terrace grad and current MTHS assistant basketball coach Senaiet Zerom and Terrace grad and former District Athletic Director Julie Stroncek.

Tracie Adix, former standout Edmonds-Woodway softball player and current head fastpitch coach at DePaul University, sent in a video for the event. “Her big message was that ‘leadership is not static’ and you have to be committed to growing, changing and adapting,” McGuire said. “She encouraged them to take notes throughout the day and take what they learn back to their teams and programs at their school.”

Common themes that kept resurfacing during the day, McGuire said, were “that leadership is about inclusivity, making others feel safe and valued, and lifting up those around you.”

The following sponsors — all women-owned businesses — provide lunch and t-shirts for all attendees: Head 2 Toe Spine & Therapy in Lynnwood and Edmonds’ Ombu Salon & Spa and Boutique Rogue.