“Helping Mother Nature”

Girl Scout Gold Award Project of Catherine K.
Juliette Girl Scout - Class of 2009
Girl Scout for 11 years.

Scope of Project: Clean up of neighborhood pond.

Preparation for the Project: Researched the various inhabitants & plant life in the pond. Talked with DNR Pond Specialist for advice on how to treat the pond.

Project: Organized a neighborhood clean-up day to restore pond. Neighbors have expanded Catherine’s original plan to include providing electrical power to the pond area so two aerarators can be installed to prevent future growth of duckweed. Catherine is waiting on some town decisions before proceeding with this additional step.

Community Benefit: Hopefully the pond will be less of an eyesore. It should also cut back on mosquitoes and bring more beautiful wildlife to the area.

Personal Benefit: I learned A LOT! I never knew it would take so much effort to restore a pond. I always thought Mother Nature would take care of it. WOW was I wrong! I now know sometimes she needs help.

Catherine’s Advise to Girls working on their Gold? “Make sure you stay organized! Make sure you record exactly everything you do! But most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!”

The pond at the end of the block had become much over grown with foreign plants that were not only endangering the life of the pond; but also other plants and the animals. The pond serves as a nesting ground for many birds.

With the help of my neighbors, we were able to clear away most of the invasive plants. The pond is now blue and beautiful!

HighRoads New Leaders!  
Welcome Aboard!

Beth C-Daisy, Jill S.-Brownies, Elizabeth B.-Brownies,
Robin S.-Brownies, Lisa M.-Daisy, Yvette J.-Brownies

Road to Gold

Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is the crowning achievement of every Girl Scout. While many girls may aspire to earn this highest award in Girl Scouts, only a few actually make it all the way. Girl Scouts who are in grades 10 through 12 can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. In order to even begin a project, the Girl Scout must earn several other awards to prepare her for this endeavor. The Gold Leadership Award helps girls strengthen the leadership skills needed to take a large-scale project. The Gold Career award helps girls to understand what’s out there and to begin building a network of resources. The Gold 4B Challenge encourages girls to set & achieve goals, identify needs within their community and develop action plans.

Once these awards are completed, she’s ready to begin planning her project. A Girl Scout Gold Award is designed as a community service project developed to fill a need within her area. A proposal for her project must be submitted to the Council for approval to make sure that it meets all the standards necessary. A minimum of 75 hours of planning & implementation are logged before the award can be earned.

As you can see, the Road to Gold is a long one, but there are many rewards. Girls who have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award may be eligible for additional scholarships, may be considered more qualified for college admissions, may be eligible to enter military service at a higher rank, and will simply have more experience and skills to succeed at college and beyond.

HighRoad’s Service Unit currently has 39 Senior Girl Scouts. The following girls are actively pursing the Girl Scout Gold.