Congratulations to these 2024 Gold Award Girl Scouts for earning the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting!
⭐ = GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recipient
South Region
Emma Allen | Hamilton, OH 
Emma is a graduate of Hamilton High School and currently works at Hobby Lobby. She was involved in bowling and choir. Emma was a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Sensory Garden
Emma designed and installed a garden where people with sensory issues could have a safe space. Emily rallied multiple community organizations, including a local church, to help develop and support the space in a popular area in downtown Hamilton. She managed a team to clear the space and help plant carefully chosen plants and components that engage all five senses in the experience, such as plants with bright colors, flowers with strong scents, mint plants to taste, wind chimes, and other musical elements. It also included many features that visitors can touch, such as texture drops. The garden includes educational signs for visitors on sensory issues and has been well received by her community. The local church she partnered with has agreed to maintain and update the garden.
Kate Burke | Cincinnati, OH
Kate is a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School and attends the Ohio State University, majoring in social work. She was involved in club soccer and the youth philanthropy council. Kate was a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze Award.
A Self Care Summer
Kate developed and led a two-week day camp for a grade school in her community. Her goal was to help the children boost their self-esteem and learn how to grow deeper and healthier relationships with each other. The camp was offered at no cost so that everyone had the opportunity to attend. She worked with a child psychologist to develop activities and crafts that were appropriate for the age group and would help inspire a more positive relationship with themselves. Children were observed many times during camp to be reaching out across grades to make friends. Parents reported positive changes within their children. Her project will be continued in future years by other local high school students.
Emily Kosina | Mason, OH
Emily is a junior at William Mason High School. She is involved in Scouts BSA and Venturing, marching band, and drama club. Emily has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
In Season Produce
Emily developed an educational program focused on teaching people about the unknown impact of buying out-of-season produce. Her project included a website that promoted seasonal recipes, locations of local farmers' markets, and information on how one's produce choices can affect the world. She also partnered with the Learning Kitchen to set up a seasonal cooking class in her community, working with them to set up a menu based on local market produce and to educate students on the materials and information she had developed. The organization will continue to offer the class in the future and drive traffic to her educational website.
Hilary Laird | Cincinnati, OH
Hilary is a senior at Mariemont High School and is involved in gymnastics, cross country, and track. Hilary was a Girl Scout for 6 years and earned her Silver Award.
Period Product Drive
Hilary connected multiple organizations to educate her community about period poverty and access to menstrual products. By working with her library as a donation location, Sweet Cheeks as a connection to those in need, and Women Writing for a Change as an educator, she activated her community and educated them through a campaign of signs, newsletters, and online posts. She developed a website that included information about the importance of donating to period poverty, how to donate, and how to connect and contribute. By the conclusion of Hilary's project, she had helped 36 women over seven months, connecting people in need with resources in her community in a way that had not been possible before. The organizations have continued the drive, and it will be celebrated and run each year on International Women's Day.
Grace Schatzel | Mason, OH
Grace is a junior at Willam Mason High School and is involved in the Warren County Junior Fair Board, travel, and softball. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and has earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Chemo Comfort
Grace recruited a team and led them to create and deliver chemotherapy port pillows for cancer patients who found discomfort with their ports due to traveling or other daily activities. She designed a user guide that remains in her community center for future members and groups to learn how to create the pillows with their easy, no-sew design. By the end of her project, over 850 pillows had been distributed to patients in the community. Her favorite testimonial is from a patient who said that thanks to the pillow she received, she was able to snuggle her grandbaby without pain for the first time since having the port placed. Her community team will continue to create and deliver the pillows to local offices in the future.
Tori Schretter | Cincinnati, OH
Tori is a graduate of Bishop Fenwick High School and attends Bowling Green University, majoring in marine biology. She was active in archery, music, and writing. She was a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Learning Literature
Tori created a "Share Story Center" at a local park to foster a love of reading and writing and to educate her community on the importance of storytelling. It consists of a Little Library that not only provides books and stories but also directs users to a website with resources about the writing process. Her website, titled "Everyone Has a Story, Go Out and Share Yours," includes a blog, videos about reading, writing, the value of literature, author interviews, and community pages for budding authors to share their stories online. The box filled within a week of installation, and potential writers visited her website regularly, including hits from New York and the Philippines.
Charvi Seeta | Mason, OH
Charvi is a junior at William Mason High School and is active in tennis and HOSA-Future Health Professionals. She has been a Girl Scout for 7 years and has earned her Silver Award.
Calming Toolboxes for Mason Elementary
Charvi educated her local education community on the struggles the younger generation was having transitioning to "normal" school life after the impact of virtual learning in the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, Charvi led a team to fundraise for and assemble 66 sensory toolboxes, one for each classroom and intervention specialist at Mason Elementary. The toolboxes consist of a variety of sensory items that teachers recommended be included to bring students' energy up or help them calm down. Charvi also created education videos for the students that tackled topics such as big feelings, explained how to use the toolboxes, and provided various coping mechanisms.
Emily Shoker | Oxford, OH
Emily is a graduate of Talawanda High School and attends the University of St. Andrews, majoring in art history and Spanish. She was active in the National Honor Society, choir, and soccer. She was a Girl Scout for 6 years and earned her Silver Award.
Pollinator Garden
Emily leveraged her community connections to persuade the City of Oxford to allow an educational pollinator garden to be installed in a public area. With a lack of natural and native areas due to city ordinances, she worked with local organizations such as Shademakers Nursery, the Environmental Commission for the City of Oxford, Three Valley Conservation, and the Oxford Township to create the garden as a resource for local community members to learn about the pollinator crisis and how they can help by planting their own garden. The garden links to a page on the city website where Emily highlights local pollinators, what each plant in the garden is, and why it was chosen, as well as a list of tips on what to consider when looking to plant a local garden of their own.
Allison Spitzley | Loveland, OH
Allison is a senior at Loveland High School. She is active in robotics and the National Honors Society. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Coats for Kids
Allison addressed a great need for warm clothing in her community by establishing a recurring program through the LIFE Pantry that provides new winter coats, hats, scarves, socks, boots, and mittens or gloves to clients' children. By working with the pantry and surveying clients, Allison ensured her project helped clients where they needed it most and informed and designed her program based on their specific needs, leading a community team that also included the clients to run the now annual program at LIFE Pantry. She educated her community about this need by publishing in a local magazine and advertisement, leading her team to support over 80 children in receiving new clothing in its first major operation.
Jane Walulik | Loveland, OH
Jane is a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School and attends the University of Cincinnati, majoring in medical sciences. She was active in color guard, winter guard, and service trips. She was a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Tikkun Farm Hydroponics Greenhouse
Jane worked with a local non-profit urban farm, Tikkun Farm, to establish an agricultural skill learning program for students who do not plan on going to college to help provide the life skills needed for an agricultural career. Jane helped to establish a greenhouse and hydroponics system as the basis for this program. Students attended an informational life skills teaching session where they learned about different types of farming, including hydroponic methods, to help set them up for the future. Tikkun Farm was given the tools and information needed for the care and upkeep of the hydroponic system, as well as continuing the educational sessions.
Central Region
Ellie Bergstrand | Bluffton, OH
Ellie is a homeschool graduate and attends Grace College, majoring in photography. She was involved in drama and volunteer work. She was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Silver Award.
Photography for Underprivileged Families and Individuals
Ellie built a partnership between Lima Crime Victim Services and photography students at the University of Findlay so that low-income families and individuals served by Crime Victim Services have access to quality photography. The university added an annual event into their program where students from Findlay will come to Lima and offer free mini sessions for families and individuals who otherwise might not be able to afford professional-level photo shoots. Crime Victim Services agreed to advertise this opportunity annually to their clients. Ellie sees photography as a very special art form, and her project showcases her desire to give others the opportunity to express themselves, to help people feel seen, and to boost their self-esteem.
Sabina Clingerman | Bluffton, OH
Sabina is a graduate of Bluffton High School and attends Grinnell College. She was involved in the art club and soccer and volunteered at Challenged Champions. She was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Silver Award.
Art Resources for Children and Teens
Sabina used her love of the arts to create local resources to inspire young artists in her community. She worked with a high school art teacher and the owner of Gallery 323 to organize an annual gallery showcase of art pieces made by senior art students. Students were given the opportunity to include at least two of their art pieces in the weeklong showcase open to community members. In addition to the art showcase, Sabina worked with Kindergarten Kamp in Lima and an art program called "Creative Families" at the Bluffton Public Library that gave children the opportunity to experiment with different art supplies and create art projects to foster a love for the arts and creativity in area youth.
Emmalynne Goodnough | Fairborn, OH
Emmalynne is a graduate of Beavercreek High School and attends Ohio University, majoring in mild to moderate educational needs. She was involved in varsity golf, PALS, and network club. Emmalynne was in Girl Scouts for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Golf Clinics for Girls
Emmalynne has a love of golf and was a member of Beavercreek High School's varsity golf team. She has been playing golf for as long as she can remember. Noticing that not many girls are joining lesser-known sports such as golf, Emmalynne wanted to encourage more girls to get involved and enjoy the sport. Emmalynne organized clinics at Twin Base Golf Course and spread the word about them by handing out flyers at Girl Scout events. She split the girls into 3 groups to learn the basics of golf, including how to putt, chip, and drive a golf ball. Overall, she reached over 150 3rd- and 4th-grade girls through 17 clinics. Although few girls had played before, many of them left wanting to continue to play golf, even if it was just for fun.
Gwen Harris | Troy, OH
Gwen Harris is a senior at Troy Christian High School. She is involved in varsity cross country and the National Honor Society and is a Bruckner Nature Center volunteer. Gwen has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
North American Bird Awareness: Bird Feeders Helping Bird Decline
When birds migrate, they look for places to rest, and when these important habitats are destroyed, they have nowhere to go. Gwen partnered with Bruckner Nature Center in Troy to educate multiple groups of children on the topics of habitat loss and its impact on declining bird populations. Over 50 children from preschool through 5th grade learned about the difference between raptors, songbirds, and camouflage birds and what people can do to help preserve the bird population. After presenting, Gwen guided attendees through an activity converting recycled 2-liter bottles into bird feeders, and Bruckner supplied bird seed for them to take home. Gwen also designed bookmarks featuring different birds with seven tips for helping bird species for attendees to use while birdwatching.
Emily Harris | Beavercreek, OH
Emily is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in varsity golf, the student advisory committee, and the Girl Scout club (at high school). Emily has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Reading the Clouds
Emily noticed that people use their phones to access future weather conditions and that local schools teach very little information on meteorology. She wanted to teach children in 4th through 8th grade how to identify, predict, and understand different types of weather. To achieve her goals, Emily held three different camps at Angel's Pass Park in Beavercreek. Each camp focused on a different weather topic, such as the water cycle, cloud formation, cloud ID, weather forecasting, extreme weather, and safety. She achieved her camp goals with experiments, crafts, trivia, games, and handouts. Emily also taught weather predictions and safety to 200 Girl Scouts during a Brownie Skills Day. Emily installed analog weather stations and interactive signs at Angel's Pass and Owen's Place in Beavercreek that enabled the public to become more informed on how to "read the clouds" and predict the weather.
Whitney Hill | Miamisburg, OH
Whitney is a sophomore at Archbishop Alter High School. She is involved in varsity soccer, Key Club, and Horizons in Medicine. Whitney has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Robin's House
Whitney worked with girls living at Robin's House, a group home located in Dayton, to positively impact the mental health of those who have experienced severe trauma in their lives through art, gardening, and landscaping. Whitney collaborated with about five high school volunteers to do outdoor landscaping. Together with the girls, they painted the backyard fence, hung two vinyl banners, landscaped the backyard, and planted a vegetable garden. Whitney took a compost class at 5 Rivers Metro Parks to secure a free compost bin for the facility and taught the girls how to compost and use a rain barrel. To fund her project, Whitney applied and was awarded a grant through the Rotary Club of Dayton. A highlight of her project was taking the girls to Dayton Children's for a cooking class using vegetables they grew in their garden.
Katherine Hoehn | Springboro, OH
Katherine is a junior at Springboro High School. She is involved in junior varsity tennis, mock trial, and the Teen Alliance Board. Katherine has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and has earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Hydroponics: Growing a Fresh Start for Seniors
For her project, Katherine partnered with Beehive Homes of Springboro, an assisted living facility. She wanted to involve the residents and their families in growing their own fresh herbs and vegetables in a controlled environment. Through fundraising, Katherine was able to introduce a hydroponic wall system to the facility. Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil and pesticides, using 90% less water than traditional means. Katherine also developed and presented "Community Education Days" to highlight the benefits of hydroponics to seniors, their families, and sponsors who donated funds. Because of the success of her project, Beehive Homes of Liberty Township has expressed interest in installing a hydroponic unit.
Sarah Lins | Troy, OH
Sarah is a graduate of Lehman Catholic High School and attends Xavier University, majoring in nursing. She was involved in cheerleading, varsity tennis, and youth ministry. Sarah was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Blessing Bags
Sarah wanted her Gold Award project to assist the homeless and those living in poverty in her community. She created "Blessing Bags," which contained essential toiletry items, information on local shelters and soup kitchens, as well as notes of prayer and encouragement. Sarah partnered with Teen Leadership Corps at her high school and led her classmates in filling over 200 bags that were dispersed to four local community programs. To collect items for the bags, Sarah held donation drives at her school along with three elementary schools. Sarah's project was a wonderful learning experience, and she feels that she truly impacted her community in a positive way.
Diya Percy | Dayton, OH
Diya is a senior at Archbishop Alter High School. She is involved in cross country, is the co-president of Key Club, and plays viola in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Period Poverty
One in five girls in the US misses school due to a lack of feminine hygiene products. To change that, Diya broke down the taboo of discussing periods, collected period products for distribution, and empowered females to continue attending school and working. Diya partnered with Hannah's Treasure Chest to collect and distribute period product donations, holding donation drives for two weeks at three different locations where she collected about 8,000 pads and 5,000 tampons that were distributed to homeless shelters and food banks. With the help of a pediatrician, she held educational events in which she was actively able to open conversations about periods and stress the importance of advocating for product access. Diya learned it takes a village, as her project would not have been successful without community support.
Anna Petre | Centerville, OH
Anna is a graduate of Centerville High School and attends the University of Dayton, majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in music. She was involved in winter drumline, played alto saxophone in marching band, and is a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Anna was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
STEM is Fun!
Finding that students view STEM subjects as boring, difficult, and not applicable to their daily lives, Anna decided to spark interest in students 2nd to 8th grade with fun science and math activities. Anna chose activities that were adaptable to all age levels and designed her instructions to be easily understandable with pictures and diagrams. Anna set up a booth at the Centerville Americana Festival, displaying her activities, and had over 250 students participate at her booth. Teachers were able to pick up her handouts to use them in their classrooms. She also hosted four events throughout the summer for Scout troops at local parks. For her sustainability, she compiled three activity boxes that went to the Centerville service unit, the Centerville – Washington Park District, and the Women in STEM club at her high school.
Alexandra Pettit | Springboro, OH
Alexandra is a senior at Springboro High School. She is involved in club softball, club indoor soccer, and mixed martial arts. Alexandra has been in Girl Scouts for 12 years and has earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
The Pendragon Space Walk
Alex created and developed an engaging, interactive timeline of the history of aerospace, beginning with the Wright Brothers to recent NASA launches, to captivate a student's curiosity and imagination in an educational way. Alex led a team of 35 members who spent over 200 hours sketching, painting, creating, and hanging 3D models of many space-related items and other tasks. Her timeline was compiled into a master document, and then QR codes were made and placed on wooden blocks throughout the display at the Challenger Learning Center of Dayton, enabling students to learn about Alex's project. It will be seen yearly by at least 3,000 students in 3rd to 5th grades. Beyond the physical part of her project, she has incorporated live streaming of NASA's current events.
Selini Ranatunga | Springboro, OH
Selini is a Senior at Springboro High School. She is involved in the National Honor Society, is a leader in the minority student union, and is a leader in art club. Selini has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Tutor with Heart
One of the main goals of Seleni's project stemmed from her love of reading and wanting to share that love with elementary school students. As the leader of her high school's minority student union, she especially wanted to focus on minority children. Selini tutored 15 children in the 3rd and 4th grades in Middletown by hosting her tutoring classes at MidPointe Library. She met with the students at least once a week for 6 months. Selini concentrated on reading and math assignments, basing her lesson plans on the State of Ohio's reading standards. To advertise her project, she spoke at "The World Refugee Voice," an event at the Dayton Metro Library, which caused a tremendous response to her tutoring program. Throughout her project, Selini's empathy for others grew as she saw the struggles many of her students had.
Arabella Shell | Fairborn, OH
Arabella is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in club soccer and volunteering at Soin Medical Center. Arabella has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Kick Butt Chemistry
Arabella loves chemistry and wanted to share her passion with elementary school kids by creating a summer camp. She developed a curriculum for a three-day camp at Aley Church in Beavercreek. She researched many different experiments and narrowed down her list from 50 to 10 for the camp. The experiments included elephant toothpaste, skittles, paper chromatography, density layers, mystery powder, devil's food cake, PH experiments, a physical vs. chemical experiment, ice cream experiment, and fire demonstrations. Her camp served between 30 and 35 students in 3-5 grade each day through the help of six volunteers. Arabella's camp was such a success that Aley Church plans to include it in their future summer programs.
Kylee Sortman | New Carlisle, OH
Kylee is a junior at Tecumseh High School. She is involved in the National Honor Society, plays trumpet in the marching band, and is on a bowling team. Kylee has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Art for Anxiety
Kylee wanted to help middle and high school age students recognize the warning signs of different mental illnesses and how to get help. She created and developed eight different lesson plans to help students cope with various mental health issues like anxiety, depression, stress management, self-image, and healthy choices. Kylee learned that art is a coping skill, so each lesson plan included some type of art project, such as mini clay sculptures, happy things collages, and name painting. Overall, Kylee had 41 attendants at her classes. She made spiral notebooks detailing her curriculum and art projects to distribute to local libraries and schools and promoted her project with booths at the Clark County Fair and Heritage of Flight Festival.
Sydney Stadler | Springboro, OH
Sydney is a graduate of The CinDay Academy and attends Cleveland Institute of Art, majoring in life sciences illustration. She was involved in graphic arts, Muse Machine, and backpacking. Sydney was in Girl Scouts for 12 years and earned her Silver Award.
Recycling for the Future
Sydney decided to educate her school about environmentalism and the problems caused by plastic pollution. She started an environmental club and enlisted volunteers to help with the recycling program. Sydney coordinated with Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub to give presentations about recycling and take donated recycled products. Collection boxes were set up with detailed signs showing what plastics could be recycled. Forty children attended summer camp at The CinDay Academy and learned to identify plastics that could be recycled. Sydney also painted five colorful sensory paths near the school's butterfly and rain gardens to encourage students to be outside within the reach of nature. The Environmental Club at The CinDay Academy will continue its efforts.
Abigail Twiss | Troy, OH
Abigail is a senior at Troy Christian High School. She is involved in varsity soccer and softball and is a 1st-degree black belt in Karate. Abigail has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Reading for Change
Abby has a passion for art and partnered with Reading for Change, a non-profit learning center in Troy, to create an art curriculum based on three different artists: Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, and Claude Monet. The students read a book about each artist and did a project based on the artist's style. For Van Gogh and Matisse, the students made collages and worked on coloring pages. For Monet, the students created lily water art along with a coloring page. To get donations for her project, Abby created a pamphlet about the importance of art education and handed it out to local businesses while also collecting school materials, art supplies, and classroom necessities from her church. The art pieces students created are on display for everyone to see.
Diana Vander Velde | Saint Henry, OH
Diana is a graduate of St. Henry High School and attends Wittenberg University, majoring in psychology. She was involved in drama club, art club, and 4-H. She was in Girl Scouts for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Enlightening the Future
To boost participation in the arts at her school, Diana partnered with the drama program to promote the inclusion of younger students in the school's drama opportunities, educate the students on possible careers in drama that include the technical skills necessary for hosting productions and also worked on building community support for arts programming at St. Henry Local Schools. She recruited new families and younger students into the school's drama productions, secured funding needed to make necessary improvements to the school's lighting and sound equipment, and oversaw the installation and training for students on how to utilize the new equipment. Her efforts will ensure that future productions at the school are of a higher quality and that the arts programming at the school has the membership and support it needs.
Shaylynn Weeber | Miamisburg, OH
Shaylynn is a senior at Miamisburg High School. She is involved in varsity cross country, is the president of the STEM club, and is in the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Program. Shaylynn has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly Reintroduction Phase One
About 90% of Ohio's wetlands have been destroyed, and this has led to a decrease in the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly population. To support larvae reared by the Metroparks and the University of Dayton Insect Ecology Lab, Shaylynn and 35 volunteers planted 500 white turtlehead (the host plant) plugs at Spring Run Wetland Conservation Area, and another 20 volunteers potted 300 turtlehead plugs. Shaylynn worked with biologists and naturalists to successfully catch 61 Checkerspots from Siebenthaler Fen Boardwalk. Her efforts resulted in over 2,000 eggs being collected to be reared and released. Shaylynn also spoke at various events, including a youth leadership seminar and at Five Rivers. Shaylynn's efforts are a catalyst for starting the reintroduction process, which will take more than just one phase to complete.
Amber Wendel | Maria Stein, OH
Amber is a graduate of Marion Local Schools and attends Sinclair Community College, majoring in veterinary technician. She was involved in Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and track. She was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Remembrance of the First States
Amber wanted to support the mental health of the elderly members of her community. Knowing that access to outdoor spaces and meditation impacts depression, Amber was approved to create a rosary garden at a local nursing home. During installation, the corporate office of the facility notified her they did not want a religious theme for the garden area, and she would have to alter her project. She was able to pivot the outdoor space, focusing it on honoring veterans in the community, with stepping stones for the 13 original colonies and an additional four to signify Ohio's status as the 17th state. Amber hosted a ceremony for the community to celebrate the opening of her patriotic garden, with volunteers from a local choir singing patriotic songs and Legion volunteers leading the flag-raising.
Rachael Whittridge | Beavercreek, OH
Rachael is a graduate of Beavercreek High School and attends Miami University. She was involved in recreation soccer and French club and played flute in the marching band. Rachael was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Canvas of Serenity
Rachael was born a preemie, and it was a trying time for her family. To help other families like hers, she worked to provide a welcoming space and comfort items for families who have babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She was given permission to add touches of serenity and comfort to the Family Lounge in the NICU. With her team, Rachael made about 25 fleece-tied blankets for the lounge. She also created six canvas paintings using nature scenes and inspirational Bible verses and provided a variety of notebooks and pens for parents to journal their thoughts and feelings during this trying time. To promote her project and get donations, Rachael spoke to her service unit and also designed a pamphlet detailing her project along with a QR code to ask for feedback.
Ruth Yu | Fairborn, OH
Ruth is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in cross country, Envirothon, and National Honor Society. Ruth has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Protect Pollinators
Ruth is passionate about the importance of protecting pollinators in Ohio. She created and implemented a program teaching children in 1st to 5th grade about the importance of saving pollinators. Her program was held on three different dates at Aley Church in Beavercreek and impacted 27 children. Ruth had four booths that highlighted Ohio pollinators, including moths, butterflies, and bees, and a separate booth about global impact. At the end of the program, the children made bug hotels to take home to provide a habitat for pollinators. Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) provided 120 informational pamphlets and seed packets for her program. Ruth also created a patch-earning program to reach a wider audience. This patch program is on her website, along with the crafts and all the information used during her program.
Alice Zdenek | Centerville, OH
Alice is a graduate of Centerville High School and attends the University of Mary Washington, majoring in historic preservation. She was involved in Scouts BSA and played clarinet in the marching band. Alice was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze Award.
Think About Your Trash
From getting into our oceans to releasing methane gas, our trash is having a negative effect on the environment. Alice wanted to inform and educate people about the worldwide problems that trash causes, designing and implementing a "Think About Your Trash" patch program for local scouting organizations. Her program gave Girl Scouts and Scouts BSA members a month to complete five out of 15 activities, like listing what they threw away and recycling and composting in a day. Alice also held events where youths could earn her patch, with stations covering different requirements: making bracelets from plastic bags, learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and discussing how to reduce trash. To educate the community, Alice had a booth at a Centerville-Washington Parks District event. At least 115 people were impacted by her project.
North Region
Alivia Hilvers | Ottoville, OH
Alivia is a senior at Ottoville Local Schools. She is involved in volleyball, softball, and FCCLA. Alivia has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Community Walking Path Trail Guide
Alivia addressed the issue of unsafe walking and running trails in her community and also encouraged residents to improve their fitness for her project. Working with local companies and her local park, she led a team to install maps of the trail routes, trail markers, and guides along three trails people in her community use. These trails included a half-mile, a three-quarter-mile, and a two-mile loop. Along the trails, Alivia also installed exercise equipment and instructions. The local parks have agreed to continue the upkeep of the trails, equipment, and signs. Information on the paths' improvements was posted on the park website, and a QR code was created to solicit community feedback.
Paige Suelzer | Bowling Green, OH
Paige is a senior at Bowling Green High School. She is involved in DECA, band, and piano. Paige has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze Award.
Phone of the Wind
Paige designed and installed a grief phone booth to help members of her community process loss. Inspired by other "phone of the wind" installations around the globe, Paige built a booth with a disconnected rotary phone in a forested area outside of the 577 Foundation. The Phone of the Wind is a shrine mindfully created to connect people to their loved ones who have passed away. Signs explaining the booth's purpose encourage individuals to express their grief aloud, which will help people find comfort and healing. She included a comments book to collect anonymous feedback from visitors. Paige worked with the local park district, Hospice of Northwest Ohio, and the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg to raise awareness about her project. The foundation promoted her project on their website, allowing Paige to include informative pamphlets about the grief phone, and have agreed to maintain the booth and phone.
Jacey Wonderly | Perrysburg, OH
Jacey is a graduate of Eastwood High School and attends Ohio Northern University, majoring in history and environmental/field biology. She was involved in 4-H, art club, and bowling. She was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Hidden Histories
To build awareness of important transportation-related historical events that are overlooked in many school curricula, Jacey researched and facilitated two informational sessions on wrecks of famous ships and railroad incidents and how these accidents influence safety procedures and engineering today. During these presentations, she had the participants do both experiments and experiential activities to build a better understanding of the topics discussed and their impact on US history. At the end of each session, she had the participants join in a game of Kahoot to test how effective the class was. Jacey recorded these sessions, and the local library uploaded them to their website so everyone had the opportunity to learn more hidden histories.
