Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois’ Whiteside Service Unit will host a ceremony, presenting Girl Scout highest awards to local Girl Scouts, on Monday, May 21, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., at Northside School, 520 N. Genesee Street, in Morrison, IL. The ceremony will include a Bridging Ceremony, where Girl Scouts at each level walk across the bridge to the next level of Girl Scouting. Five Girl Scouts who have earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award a Girl Scout Junior (grades 4–5) can earn, and the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette (grades 6–8) can earn, will also be honored.
The ceremony will include recognition for two of Fulton, IL, Senior Girl Scouts. Carolyn Graham has earned Girl Scouting’s highest award–the Girl Scout Gold Award. Samantha Carpenter will not be able to attend the event, but she earned her Girl Scout Gold Award in the 2017–2018 Girl Scout membership year.
Samantha Carpenter earned her Girl Scout Gold Award through her project, “How Smoking Can Affect a Family.” Samantha was acutely aware of this, having previously lost her father to lung cancer. Her goal was to ensure middle school students were made aware of how smoking affects the human body. Samantha worked with medical professionals to gather and share accurate information, before giving an in-person presentation at a local middle school where over 250 students heard her strong anti-smoking message. She also recorded her presentation onto CD’s, so her project can be shared with schools Nationwide.
To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Carolyn Graham addressed the dramatic decline of pollinators in her “Pollinator Garden” project. She knew increasing awareness of the need for pollinators and the benefits of native plants would go a long way towards educating the public about this important environmental issue. She led a team in establishing a garden of native plants at Andresen Nature Center and created a public awareness campaign, on how everyone can help prevent the decline of pollinators and how native plants help address part of the problem. Andresen Nature Center, 409 N. Fourth Street, Fulton, will continue to maintain the garden and spread Carolyn’s message to center visitors over the years.
About Girl Scout Highest Awards
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. It represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, recognizing girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action projects which have sustainable impact in their local and global communities. The award encourages girls to explore many facets of leadership today’s society needs, including leadership of self, leadership through influence of peers, and leadership as a mentor/coach. Gold Award projects help girls develop project management skills, solve a community need, and design sustainable changes.
Girls can earn highest awards at various Girl Scout levels. Girl Scout Juniors (grades 4–5) can earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award while Girl Scout Cadettes (grades 6–8) can earn the Girl Scout Silver Award. Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors (grades 9–12) can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award.
What makes the Girl Scout Gold Award unique? The Gold Award develops and tests multiple types of leadership. It asks girls to discover, connect, and take action to develop a sustainable solution to a community problem. The award requires 80 hours minimum of personal time investment in a project. It challenges girls to identify and work in a topic area for which they have a strong interest and passion.
Starting in 1916, the best and brightest have undertaken projects to improve their communities and the world. The Golden Eaglet insignia, the highest award in Girl Scouts from 1916 to 1939, marked the beginning of a long tradition of recognizing the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary girls. From 1940 to 1963, the Curved Bar Award was the highest honor in Girl Scouts. From 1963 to 1980, the highest award was called First Class. Since 1980, the Gold Award has inspired girls to find the greatness inside themselves and share their ideas and passions with their communities.
The Girl Scout Silver Award
Girl Scout Cadettes who earn the Girl Scout Silver Award prove they are leaders who are organized, determined, and dedicated to improving their community. Earning the Silver Award involves completing a Girl Scout Journey and a suggested minimum of 50 leadership hours spent identifying critical issues, creating a team or choosing a solo option, exploring a community, and then producing and implementing a Take Action Project. Girl Scout who earn their Silver Award establish themselves as trailblazers who have used their knowledge and skills to positively change their own surroundings.
The Girl Scout Bronze Award
Girl Scout Juniors who earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award represent what Girl Scouts can achieve in their communities. Earning the Bronze Award involves completing a Girl Scout Journey and a suggested minimum of 20 leadership hours spent building a team, exploring a community, choosing a project, planning it, putting it in motion, and marketing it. Leadership hours help girls think through their commitment to doing their very best with each step. Girl Scouts who earn their Bronze Award demonstrate they have the courage, confidence, and character to make a difference in the world around them!