Girl Scouts Pledged to Get Job Done and They Did
By STACI DENNIS
By Staci Dennis
Correspondent
LYNNHAVEN
For the girls in Troop 435, starting together and staying together are equally important.
The 10 Scouts also hope to finish together. They’re one step closer to their goal after completing the requirements for their Silver Award, the second highest honor a cadet Girl Scout can receive. They all hope to go on and earn the Gold Award.
“We decided early that we wanted to do everything as a group,” said Shannon Black, 15. “We started together and we will stay together until the end – when we all get our Gold Award.”
The teens, who live mostly in the Little Neck area, hosted a camp for other Girl Scouts to come learn about the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the troop designed a science patch for all those who attended.
About 250 people came to the three-day camp, held on the Eastern Shore in October.
“I learned a lot about the Bay,” said Kensey Gooch, 15. “We got to see how it used to be compared to how it is today, and the possibilities on ways to improve it for tomorrow.”
The girls ran the camp, offering 20-minute shifts in various indoor and outdoor areas. Activities included everything from crafts and games to fishing. They also held a Chesapeake Bay Idol contest that required participants to sing about what they had learned.
“The Chesapeake Bay is really a treasure,” said Molly Robinson, 15. “I think we all came away with a better understanding of that.”
Troop leaders Kathy Stewart and Kathy O’Hara were instrumental in encouraging the Scouts to push forward toward their goals.
Since they were Brownies, the girls have volunteered at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center , helped with the museum’s stranding program and have been involved in a number of community science projects.
“I hope I have influenced the girls to investigate the sciences, especially marine biology,” said O’Hara, who has a master’s degree in marine biology. “I think they all did a wonderful job.”
The troop was presented with the Silver Award in June.
“We set a huge goal,” said Erin Green, 15. “We worked hard and completed what we set out to do.”
Staci Dennis, sdennis@cox.net
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