Smart is the New Cool

Here we are at the end of August, when talk of summer fun turns to talk of school supplies and activities. It’s time to focus, recharge and look forward to a school year full of successes (hopefully more than participation ribbons for all please) and of course learning from our failures (it’s important!)

What was your favorite coming-of-age show when you were growing up? I loved The Wonder Years and – true story – wrote Danica McKellar a fan letter when I was about 11. She wrote back, a postcard typed with a standard reply and her autograph, and I was thrilled!  As a girl who spent my days with my typewriter (first an old school one then later – electric!) in my room writing, I suppose I related with the geeky and pensive Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years.

That’s why, when I heard Danica McKellar was involved with one of Netflix’s newest original series, I was so happy! Project Mc2 has this mom’s attention, and having Danica involved is the cherry on top. The premise of the show as described by Netflix is: Teenage spy McKeyla teams up with three other super-smart girls to become secret agents who use their science and tech skills to save the day.

YES! Science and tech skills, ladies and gentlemen! And it’s about time.

Danica McKellar stars as “The Quail,” the leader of NOV8 (“Innovate”), the super secret spy organization led by the world’s smartest female operatives. Each of the four core characters in Project Mc2: McKeyla McAlister, Adrienne Attoms, Bryden Bandweth and Camryn Coyle, have a love of all things science and tech and express their interests using everyday experiences to show that S.T.E.A.M. is all around us.

“My goal with the Project Mc² franchise is to encourage girls everywhere to be interested and pursue S.T.E.A.M-based careers, so in my lifetime, I can see the CEO of Apple, Amazon or Intel be a woman,” said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment. “It is a dream come true for MGA to bring this entertainment franchise to life in order to empower young girls to learn, play and explore the world around them on all of the platforms where they are engaged; from retail, to TV and online.”

I’ve shared the Mc2 Official Trailer with my daughter (age 7) and we’re watching the series together on Netflix now (it premiered August 7th). I think it’s an awesome way to introduced S.T.E.A.M. based ideas to her and also further show (because I’m doing this already!) that being smart is way more admirable than simply being cute.

I encourage you to check it out with your kids on Netflix now, and give Danica McKellar (a mathematician beyond her actress resume, by the way) a virtual high-five for her involvement in this series as well.