The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas recently hosted the 2019 Girl Scout Gold Award ceremony, awarding Girl Scouts from across the region with the organization’s highest honor. This year, 150 Girl Scouts in Northeast Texas will be presented with their Gold Award pin to signify the completion of their qualifying project and lasting, positive impact on their communities. Six Garland ISD students received this award.
The Gold Award, Girl Scouts’ most prestigious designation, recognizes girls in grades 9-12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through intensive, multi-year projects that have sustainable impact in the community and beyond. To earn the award, Girl Scouts must develop and implement innovative, lasting solutions to local or global issues. In pursuing their Gold Award, girls take action on an issue they are passionate about, as they develop organizational, leadership and networking skills. They spend more than 80 hours on their Gold Award projects.
Amy Hermann, Garland High School senior and member of Girl Scout Troop 1000, completed a project about Suicide and Depression Prevention. It focused on the issues of suicide and depression, especially in teens. Using community presentations, she and her volunteers addressed the societal stigma of this topic by speaking openly and teaching the facts, while highlighting the “myths” and why they are wrong. Hermann’s audiences gained awareness about the causes, symptoms and effects of depression and also gained the skills to effectively deal with someone who is struggling. Her website and PSAs will encourage people to continue to advocate for accurate and expansive mental health knowledge.
Adaeze Atumah, a senior at North Garland High School and member of Girl Scout Troop 8828, completed a project called Beautify the Bay. She raised community awareness about the benefits of keeping local parks litter free and organized Garland park clean up days once a month for over a year. She and her volunteers collected trash and aquatic debris to protect the park grounds and recreational waters making outdoor activities more attractive. Atumah also completed volleyball court renovations at the park to encourage more people to stay outside, play volleyball and enjoy nature. Additionally, she formed an environmental impact club at NGHS that will continue to schedule park cleanups and manage the volunteers.
Kaytlin Burton, a member of Girl Scout Troop 8571 and Sachse High School senior, completed a project called Signing Story Time. She advocated for deaf children by creating Signing Story time in her community and providing education about accommodations needed by the deaf community. Deaf children of hearing parents often don’t communicate at home and this impacts the level of education they complete. Burton and her volunteers held multiple events to entertain deaf children by signing story books and engaging in conversation. This provided deaf children the chance to interact in their native language, work in literacy and also teach parents some sign language. The ASL Honor Society at SHS will continue this program.
Jada White, Rowlett High School senior and Girl Scout Troop 2225 member, completed a project called Order on the Court. She held a volleyball clinic at RHS for Attention Learning Environment students. White’s goal was to make them feel a part of the school and to motivate confidence and positive attitudes in a team environment. She and her volunteers taught the students skills of the game, such as passing, bumping and serving, modifying them to address their disabilities. Their teacher noticed the difference the clinic made saying she had seen a growth in communication, social skills, and most important to her their confidence. The volleyball clinic will be continued each year by RHS senior players.
Hailey Santa Ana, a member of Girl Scout Troop 1559 and senior at Rowlett High School completed a project called Rescue for the Rescued where she worked with the Rowlett Animal Shelter to improve care of their cats while waiting to be adopted. The shelter had previously had to discard their carpet covered cat trees so Santa Ana researched and designed PVC pipe cat trees with removable and washable fabric. She and her volunteers built several cat trees of various sizes and also made toys. Santa Ana also gave several educational presentations about the shelter and pet adoption, created an instructional YouTube video and provided the shelter with materials for building new cat trees.
Melissa Hartweg, a 2018 Lakeview Centennial High School graduate and member of Girl Scout Troop 1823, completed a project called Improving Animal Living Spaces. She recognized that life for animals in the Rowlett Animal Services shelter is stressful so her project enhanced the chances of adoption and made the process more inviting. She and her volunteers improved the shelter’s décor by creating more comfortable kennels and adding more ways for animals to play. Activity ramps for dogs, fleece blankets, raised cat beds and toys were created. She also designed two brochures with information on how to help new pets adjust to their new family and home. The brochures will be reprinted by the shelter as needed.
To learn more about Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas or this year’s Gold Award Girl Scouts visit www.gsentx.org.