Skateboarding is not always the most popular sport at most schools, especially with girls. But at East Side Community High School in New York City, female students are learning how to board by professional skateboarders, receiving class credit and they’re getting pretty good.

The class is offered by Open Road, a local non-profit organization aimed at providing an array of youth oriented educational services including how to DJ, living green and mural painting.

Most of the East Side girls had never ridden a skateboard before the class, but with the help of instructor Billy Rohan, the students are taught basics as well as the golden rule of boarding - when you fall, you get up again.

Assistant Principal of East Side Tom Mullen said he sees change in the girls both on and off their skateboards. "I've seen the kids feeling better about themselves. I think it's because they tried something new. They practiced at it. They feel themselves getting better at it. And that builds confidence," Mullen said in a Voice of America article.

Open Road also works on designing and building local skateparks, encouraging boarders to sketch, design and ultimately build their ideal playground. Funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation, Open Road is beginning construction on the Manhattan Bridge Skatepark in spring 2009.

As for the East Side girls, Rohan said the group is dedicated and passionate about their new sport, defying the stereotype that skateboarding is just for boys.

“I noticed that the girls in the class, that when they first started, they couldn't stand on the board or do anything," he said to Voice of America. "To now, where I've actually seen some of them buy their own skateboards to bring after school. And that's kinda cool to see, 'cause it's not just for guys. Anybody can do it as long as you're having fun with it."