Congratulations to these 2023 Gold Award Girl Scouts for earning the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting!
⭐ = GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recipient
South Region
Emma Aiello | Cincinnati, OH 
Emma is a junior at Mariemont High School. She is involved in Pit Orchestra, Latin Club, and plays the piano. Emma has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Silver Award.
ADHD Awareness
Emma designed and implemented an ADHD Awareness module to be utilized by the Everybody Counts program at Mariemont Elementary School. Emma worked with multiple 5th grade classes to create the curriculum, which included interactive activities such as distracted reading, educational books about ADHD to be read by teachers to the students, an informational video, and open discussions. She evaluated the success of her curriculum through feedback from students and teachers, adjusting as needed before finalizing it with the Everybody Counts program. Over 80% of students wrote they learned something new about ADHD after partaking in the curriculum. The Everybody Counts program will sustain the project, the 5th grade teachers will present the curriculum to their classes annually, and the video is available on YouTube for all to learn from.
Mikey Disbennett | Cincinnati OH
Mikey is a senior at Mercy McAuley High School. She is involved in Dance and is a student choreographer. Mikey has been in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Students Serving Shut-Ins
Mikey organized a group of volunteers from her school to create fun service opportunities for students while connecting them with a local senior care facility. The group had planning meetings, delivered handmade prayer boxes, and set up a pen pal system. The main event that was hosted by the group was a Luau Luncheon. Students contributed ideas, helped make decorations and activities, served food, and interacted with residents. Mikey created a binder for future members of the Students Serving Shut-ins group so the project can continue to run indefinitely.
Mirabelle Domka | Wyoming, OH
Mirabelle is a senior at Wyoming High School. She is involved in Varsity Tennis, Piano, and is a Gymnastics Coach for the YMCA. Mirabelle has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and earned her Silver Award.
Spreading the Joy of Reading
Noticing many children were glued to screens, Mirabelle wanted to encourage young children to read more. Learning about Little Free Libraries she set out to establish several in high traffic areas in her community. She pitched her plan to Wyoming City School Board's Principal and the Vice Principal of the elementary schools who approved her project for all three elementary schools in the district. Each little library had a unique theme: under the sea, fairies, and outer space. She also created an interactive video for the children, introducing them to the libraries, how they would be used, and what rules they needed to know that the principals played at each school on opening day. The neighborhoods have greatly engaged with her libraries, restocking them with books, and ensuring that they continuously serve and support children's reading abilities.
Marianne Falci | Cincinnati, OH
Marianne is a senior at Mount Notre Dame High School. She is involved in Vocal Performance, Cross Country, and Visual Art. Marianne has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and has earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Brightspace Art Exhibitions
Marianne created the movement “Brightspace” and connected art students with senior care facilities to provide those facilities with colorful, vibrant art displays to enjoy. Students from Sycamore Junior High School provided the first display, and the second display used artwork made during a Girl Scout painting workshop Marianne led. The nurses and caregivers found the residents responded positively to the art displays. Marianne also led a painting class for seniors at the Brookwood Retirement community, allowing seniors, many of whom lived with dementia, to express themselves creatively. Brightspace will continue to sustain existing and create new connections with senior centers and student artists through a website that will put the organizations in contact with one another.
Audrey Neal | Milford, OH
Audrey is a graduate of Milford High School and attends Craven Community College majoring in Science/Veterinary Medicine. She was involved in Marching Band and Color Guard. Audrey was in Girl Scouts for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Pollinator Gardens and Education Center
Audrey developed and expanded an outdoor classroom area for pollinator education at McCormick Elementary School. Three pollinator gardens were added, along with gravel pathways for easy access, and a sheltered dry-erase board was added behind the stage to aid teachers with visuals. Audrey worked with teachers to develop outdoor lesson plans that educated students on the importance of pollinators. Teachers of any age group and subject can use the space and resources, and the community has come to use it as a nice resting area near local trails.
Michaela Spangler | Sunman, IN
Michaela is a graduate of East Central High School and attends Purdue University, majoring in Biology. She was involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Student Ambassadors. Michaela was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Millitary Appriciation Project
Michaela designed a program at All Saints Parish that sends packages to their active-duty military members. She spread the word to all the parishes in her county and advertised the program’s launch in the weekly bulletin, church website, and social media accounts. She gathered names of recipients, received donations, and formed her team. Packages were sent for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. Each package contained letters from the parish, food such as Skyline chili, and prayer cards. The soldiers often sent back letters of appreciation, so she knew her project was having an impact. Michaela also presented her program to other parishes so that they could start their own programs. Her project will be sustained by a committee at her parish.
Katlin Verdin | Bethel, OH
Katlin is a graduate of Western Brown High School. She was involved in Bowling, Cheerleading, and the National Technical Honor Society. Katlin was in Girl Scouts for 4 years.
Peace Garden
Upon finding out that visitors to Laurel Memorial Cemetery had no place to sit and reflect while visiting with past loved ones, Katlin worked with the Monroe Township municipality and Fire Department to establish a peace garden for the community to use. The garden includes benches and beautiful plants for people to be surrounded by while they spend time in the cemetery. Using an informational pamphlet, Katlin educated the public about the mental and physical benefits of having a peace garden in a cemetery. She received very positive feedback from her community after the garden was finished. Her project will be sustained by the Monroe Township Municipality.
Madeline Walulik | Loveland, OH
Madeline is a graduate of Loveland High School and attends the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Medical Science – Pre Med. She was involved in Show Choir and Color Guard. Madeline was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Pathways to Restoring Tikkun Farm
Madeline worked with volunteer-run Tikkun Farm to expand their alpaca program. The alpaca program and Tikkun’s ability to utilize it were heavily limited by the space they had. Madeline worked with her team to grade a path to the back of the property and build a bridge to give the alpacas access to more land. As a result of Madeline’s project, more volunteer projects could be launched, the alpacas could be rotated through the land, and a new alpaca was born. Madeline also placed an informational QR code for future visitors and volunteers that educates about the project’s purpose, the effects of overgrazing, and why it’s important for farmers to rotate animals to different fields.
Hana Winchester | Cincinnati, OH
Hana is a senior at Saint Ursula Academy. She is involved in the INTERalliance Flute and Guitar Ensemble, Tech Team, and Girls Who Code. Hana has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and has earned her Bronze and Silver Award.
Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing a Children's Math Book
Hana wrote, illustrated, and published a children’s math book titled “Math with Elon Mollusk and Fabulous Five” to explain challenging concepts engagingly. Working with teachers and students to determine the biggest struggles for 3rd-4th grade math students, Hana’s book explains concepts like fractions and multiplication and real-world applications such as counting money, unit conversions, time telling, and more. The book was shared with children in her community, classes at St. Ignatius of Loyola School, and will be featured by the school library in their annual Reading Week programming.
Central Region
Cindy An | Beavercreek, OH
Cindy is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in National Honor Society, Band (Clarinet), and Piano. Cindy has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Composting for Kids
Cindy researched and learned that schools waste around 500,000 tons of food per year in the USA. She taught 35 school age children about food waste and how to compost it during an after-school program at Aley Church in Beavercreek. She held sessions one day a week for three weeks. The 1st week Cindy taught them what they could and couldn’t compost with toy food sorting, board games and coloring sheets that she designed herself. The 2nd week she taught them how to make their own composting bin and how to use it. The 3rd week, the students were assessed for their knowledge of composting via a survey and a brochure given to their parents. As a result of her project, 90% of the students retained the knowledge of what foods could be composted.
Azalea Biteau | Oakwood, OH
Azalea is a graduate of Oakwood High School and attends Denison University double majoring in Global Commerce & French. She was involved in HOPE Squad (President), French Club and Ohio Model United Nations. Azalea was in Girl Scouts for 8 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Safety at Oakwood Junior High & High School
With no school busing and heavy walking and car traffic for students
to and from school; Azalea was concerned about protecting fellow
students from accidents or near misses. Wanting to make the area
around school more safe, Azalea met with the Principal and the Oakwood
Police Department to share her safety concerns and ideas. With their
permission, she presented her project to the Oakwood City Council.
Because of her perseverance, the city created a painted crosswalk and
installed several “No Parking” signs where needed around the school.
These visual reminders have decreased safety concerns and accidents in
the community.
Kasey Clark | Beavercreek, OH
Kasey is a graduate of Beavercreek High School and attends Ohio University majoring in Psychology. She was involved in Fire Storm Select Softball, Tennis, and Track (runner). Kasey was a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Unite Against Hunger
Kasey decided to build little food pantries after she heard “Feed the Creek” organization was in need of them for the community. She developed a plan to collect supplies to build the pantries and get donations of food items. With help from her stepdad, Kasey was able to build two little food pantries, located at a fire station in Beavercreek Township and Aley United Methodist Church in Beavercreek. Kasey set up food drives at Girl Scout events and online postings to stock the pantries. She was interviewed by WHIO-TV in Dayton regarding her little food pantries. This helped spread the word throughout the Miami Valley to encourage others to support local food pantries and positively impact residents experiencing food insecurity in the community.
Rachel Clymer | Lima, OH
Rachel is a sophomore at Shawnee High School. She is involved in Golf, Color Guard, and Dance. Rachel has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Lending Libraries
Access to books is vital for improving literacy skills and impoverished communities often have limited access to resources. To help increased access to literature and improve reading skills. Rachel approached two organizations who serve the underprivileged in Lima, Trinity United Methodist Church and Churches United Pantry, for permission to design and stock lending libraries at their locations so their clients have access to reading material. At the request of one of the locations, she also added a blessing box for basic toiletries and other needs. Rachel worked with her church and the wider community for donations of books and toiletries to fill the libraries and blessing box. Both organizations have agreed to stock the lending libraries so they remain a community resource for years to come.
Jordan Fuerst | Beavercreek, OH
Jordan is a graduate of Stivers School for the Arts and attends Utah Valley University majoring in Dance and Sociology. She was involved in Dance Ensemble, French Club and Varsity Swimming. Jordan has been a Girl Scout for 14 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Floc Boutique
Jordan partnered with FLOC (For Love Of Children), a non-profit organization that helps children in foster care. She was asked to inventory, move and transform their Prom Boutique. Jordan sorted over 1,000 donated dresses and other items (purses, shoes, menswear, etc.) to see what was appropriate. Once everything was sorted, she created and implemented an inventory system for the dresses by size, color, and length. Jordan also listed pairings of jewelry and shoes to complement the dresses. To get an appointment to try on dresses or suits, the foster child fills out a form on the FLOC website. When they arrive, they are paired with a volunteer who helps them within 45 minutes to pick out a whole ensemble at no charge for prom or a special event. Through her efforts, FLOC will continue to help foster care youth participate in important milestones.
Grace Fuller | Martinsville, OH
Grace was home schooled and attends Southern State Community College working towards obtaining an Associate Arts degree. She was involved in Art Club, Dungeons & Dragons Club and Ducks Unlimited. Grace was in Girl Scouts for 10 years and earned her Silver Award.
Todd's Fork Nature Preserve Project
Grace has always had a passion for nature, so the basis of her project was about environmental awareness and preservation. To raise money for her project, Grace harvested and packaged black walnuts from the trees at the Preserve. She sold them at a Farmer’s Market, where she spread awareness of invasive species in Ohio and how to properly remove them to better the environment. The biggest part of her project was creating and developing access to the property. Grace cleared and marked a new trail, which included building a bridge. She also built three benches to place along the trail. When everything was finished, Grace held an open house to showcase what she had done. Her theory was more access, more visitors!
Chloe Gallup | Beavercreek, OH
Chloe is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in Marching Band (clarinet), National Honor Society and Beavercreek Youth Council. Chloe has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver awards.
Stickin' with Science
Chloe has always had a passion for science and noticed that girls lose interest and confidence in science as they get older. She was concerned when she would hear girls say they weren’t good in science, it wasn’t fun, or they didn’t feel they were smart enough to pursue a STEM career. Chloe wanted to encourage girls to grow their confidence in science. She held eight hands-on workshops where attendees did fun science activities, played games to reinforce concepts, highlighted STEM careers and learned about famous female scientists. Through her efforts, Chloe was able to reach 93 attendees at her workshops. She also coordinated with several organizations to have them continue her efforts so that more girls will be able to have the confidence and skills to pursue a STEM career.
Sarah Hall | Oakwood, OH
Sarah is a graduate of Oakwood High School and attends The University of Virginia. She was involved in Orchestra (violin), Tennis team and her church’s Youth Group. Sarah was in Girl Scouts for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Oakwood High School Alumni Network
Sarah’s project was to address the lack of connection between current students and alumni at her high school. She accomplished this by creating a database of Oakwood High School alumni. This allows current students to connect with former students as another helpful resource in choosing a college. Alumni are put in the database by invitation only. A questionnaire is sent out and alumni interested in being a part of the project submit information they are willing to share. The alumni network is set up so that when upperclassmen access the database, they’ll see a list of alumni along with the college they attended. Students then choose an alumnus they’d like to converse with and request contact information from Oakwood’s Alumni Coordinator. This helps bridge the gap between alumni and current students.
Sarah Harris | Oakwood, OH
Sarah is a graduate of Oakwood High School and attends Miami University majoring in Marketing. She was involved in National Honor Society, Teddy Bear Club and worked as a caregiver. Sarah was in Girl Scouts for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Peace Day at Edwin D. Smith School
Sarah believes that topics such as peace, conflict resolution, and famous peace heroes are very important and should be incorporated into an elementary school curriculum. She created and developed a presentation for 100 second graders in four classes at Edwin D. Smith School. The peace heroes Sarah focused on were Martin Luther King Jr, Miep Gies and Susan B. Anthony (her personal inspiration). She enlisted the help of the Dayton International Peace Museum. The Museum was moving and searching for a new logo. As part of her presentation, Sarah created a “Logo Design Challenge” for all the second graders. Sixty children submitted designs and the Museum chose the top three. Her presentation will be continued by the 2nd grade teachers.
Alexandria Henderson | Kettering, OH
Alexandria is a graduate of Carroll High School and attends University of Dayton double majoring in History and German Studies. She was involved in Drama Club, French Club and Irish Dance. Alexandria was in Girl Scouts for 9 years and earned her Silver Award.
Reading for the Stars
Alex has always been interested in the history of the Holocaust. She’s concerned about the lack of knowledge surrounding the Holocaust, particularly in grades 5 through 12. To raise awareness in those age groups, she developed and implemented a book club for three different age levels. She had each group read their books and she answered any questions they had about the Holocaust, World War II, and genocide. With the help of The Dayton Holocaust Resource Center, Alex was able to select the appropriate books for her book club. She used social media such as Instagram, TikTok and her own YouTube page to not only spread awareness of her project, but to inform people about the Holocaust and why we should never forget it.
Lauren Hill | Miamisburg, OH
Lauren is a senior at Stivers School for the Arts. She is involved in Dance (modern, ballet, jazz) and Track (high jump). Lauren has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
St. Vincent De Paul Personal Care Kits
Lauren’s inspiration for her project was her grandpa. He volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul for years and made bags for the homeless. She wanted to carry on the tradition that her grandpa had started. Lauren made 50 personal care kits for St. Vincent de Paul’s Supportive Housing Program. This program supports women and children when they transition from the shelter to their own apartment. These kits consisted of full sizes of laundry soap, shower gel, shampoo, razors, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dish soap, etc. To be mindful of the environment, Lauren made 50 t-shirt bags for the kits. Her project took place during the Cookie Program, so as a final touch she included a donated box of Girl Scout cookies from her troop.
⭐ Olivia Hooten | Beavercreek, OH
Olivia is a senior at Beavercreek High School. She is involved in Marching Band (flute), Indoor Percussion Ensemble, and National Honor Society. Olivia has been in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Silver Award.
Building Confidence in Today's G.I.R.L.s
Olivia’s project addressed the issue of low self-esteem in young girls, aged 9 – 12, aiming to show them they are capable of doing anything. She also wanted to help girls develop the confidence to try new ideas through STEM activities. Olivia reached over 100 girls through in-person workshops, online sessions, her YouTube channel, and her website. By leading girls in STEM activities that they had not been exposed to, she was able to build their self-confidence. Olivia’s website consists of videos featuring her teaching others how to facilitate the activities that she used along with supply lists. She also included links to coding websites. Her YouTube channel has the Journey “Think Like a Programmer” requirements and how she facilitated them. Overall, Olivia found that 80% of the girls surveyed enjoyed her program.
Mary Lins | Troy, OH
Mary is a graduate of Lehman Catholic High School and attends Xavier University majoring in Environmental Science. She was involved in Church Youth Group (Leader), Tennis Team and Musicals. Mary was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
A Safe Place to Roost
Mary is passionate about animals, especially bats. Her goal was to educate her community about bats and the issues they face, particularly the two most common bats in west central Ohio, the Indiana Bat and the Northern Long-Eared Bat. Mary partnered with Bruckner Nature Center to teach pre-school and school age children all about bats, including presenting a live bat from Bruckner’s Animal Ambassador Program. Mary also partnered with Bruckner’s Bat Outreach program, which is open to the community. Further, she educated students at her high school through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources ConTAC group. Mary also assembled and placed three bat boxes with poles on her school’s athletic field, to provide a safe place for bats and serve as a natural insect control for the campus.
Ronni Lozano | Huber Heights, OH
Ronni is a senior at Dayton Regional STEM School. She is involved in Cyber Patriots, National Honor Society and National Chinese Honor Society. Ronni has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Reading to New Heights!
Ronni found online schooling was difficult and asked her mother, who is a 4th grade teacher, how her students were doing. Learning that many students and parents were struggling, Ronni decided to help parents improve their child’s reading and vocabulary. She created a website with videos of 13 important Huber Heights community members reading their favorite children’s books. These community members included teachers, principals, a librarian, a police officer, an author, a chemist and the CEO of a non-profit. Some of the books read were “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”, “Kitten’s First Full Moon” and “Giraffes Can’t Dance”. Ronni created worksheets to go along with each book to help the students with their reading and vocabulary skills. https://girlscout34209gold.wixsite.com/readingtonewheights
Chelsea Manuel | Lima, OH
Chelsea is a senior at Shawnee High School. She is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (leader), her Youth Group worship band (leader), and plays volleyball. Chelsea has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Transformed Trash
Chelsea worked with the congregation of Shawnee Alliance Church to create a metals recycling program for the surrounding community that helps reduce the amount of landfill waste and provides ongoing benefits to the church’s missions efforts. She led a team of volunteers to build a recycling shed for community drop offs, created posters and a video to educate about the importance of recycling and the types of materials that can be recycled, and hosted a presentation for area youth. Through her efforts she was able to educate 600 people about the importance of recycling and had 650 pounds of metals collected for recycling. Chelsea worked with the missions’ team and youth group at the church to ensure that the metals recycling continues to be collected and recycled appropriately.
Lillian Matteson | Kettering, OH
Lillian is a graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School and attends Muskingum University majoring in Zoology. She was involved in Marching Band (flute), Varsity Bowling, and Theatre Stage Crew. Lillian was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Girl Scout Resource Guide
Growing up, Lillian was a Girl Scout in the Champaign County service unit. She noticed troops were doing the same activities every year. To impact retention of current leaders and Girl Scouts, Lillian proposed creating a resource guide of many activities and places to go in and around Champaign County. This would be a huge step in keeping girls more active and prevent leader burn-out. Lillian researched many places to go in the county area. She created a 42-page Resource Guide that included contact information, addresses, hours of operation and which badges and patches could be earned. Lillian organized the guide in alphabetical order for both inside and outside the county. She even had BSA troops and other youth groups in the area asking for her guide.
Mawuena Nenonene | Beavercreek, OH
Mawuena is a graduate of Beavercreek High School and attends Smith College majoring in Psychology. She was involved in Show Choir, Inspiring Acceptance Club and was a Special Education Student Aid. Mawuena was in Girl Scouts for 8 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Sensory Shelves
Mawuena was a peer helper for special education students at Beavercreek High School. She noticed there was a need for more reading level appropriate materials for the students in special education. Mawuena organized and hosted a school-wide book drive within the home rooms. She collected over 180 books and kept 141 books that were organized on the lower shelves for accessibility in the high school library. These books were pre-K to 5th grade reading levels. She donated the other 47 books to a non-profit organization in Dayton. Mawuena established a place in the library where special education students can select books. She also created flyers that encourage others to continue the donation of reading materials. This will continue to grow the collection of children’s books for Beavercreek High School.
Jianna Nichols | Tipp City, OH
Jianna is a senior at Tippecanoe High School. She is involved in Invention Convention Worldwide, The LEGACY Program, and Drama Club. Jianna has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Innovation Outreach
Jianna’s project initially started as a concept for a small, in-person, community-centered STEM club for students. It ended up becoming a global online STEM club for all ages, with participants from the United States, as well as China and Thailand. Jianna wanted to bring accessible STEM activities through monthly Zoom meetings and free online resources. There was a beginning STEM project and a phase where they sampled different resources to help participants find what they were interested in. Throughout the year, Jianna met with students individually as well as group sessions to track their progress. She worked mainly with ten 6th – 12th grade students, but by the end, she had adults in the club. One of the most popular topics was coding in Scratch, along with other STEM activities.
Sydney Ramsey | Vandalia, OH
Sydney is a junior at Carroll High School. She is involved in Drama Club, Cross Country and Student Council (academic rep). Sydney has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Project Scam Protectors
The aim of Sydney’s project was to educate the senior population and minorities on internet and telephone scams. She was inspired by both of her grandmothers to create her Gold Award project. To give her an understanding of the issue, Sydney met with community experts in law enforcement, banking and the elderly. She created presentations to give at neighborhood and senior centers, focusing on how to identify and report scams. Sydney also created educational materials in both English and Spanish for distribution at community events. She shared her materials with local police departments and the Greene County Prosecutor. Sydney’s project was featured on various official social media accounts. Her project was featured on WHIO Channel 7 and went national when it was featured on Yahoo! News.
Hannah Reigelsperger | Waynesville, OH
Hannah is a graduate of Springboro High School and attends the University of Dayton majoring in Electrical Engineering. She was involved in National Honor Society, Lacrosse and Basketball. Hannah was in Girl Scouts for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Hannah's Birthday Bags
As a volunteer for The Pantry, Hannah saw firsthand how the pandemic hurt her community. The Pantry serves the cities of Franklin, Springboro and Carlisle. Hannah made birthday bags out of old t-shirts that included a cake mix, icing, plates, napkins, coloring book, games and a gender specific toy. The bags are reusable and durable as well as another gift for the child. Children are excited to visit The Pantry when their birthday is approaching, because they get to select a bag. She set and achieved her goal to assemble and donate 110 birthday bags in honor of The Girl Scouts 110th birthday celebration.
Lillian Rich | Oakwood, OH
Lillian is a sophomore at Oakwood High School. She is involved in Tennis Team, Track Team (hurdles) and enjoys baking. Lillian has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Wright Library Pollinator/Native Plant Garden
Lillian became concerned about the decline of pollinators after she learned they are responsible for 1/3 of our food supply. She connected with the Wright Memorial Public Library because they had a large garden space; 2000 square feet to be exact! With the help of her large team, she planted all the pollinator plants. To identify the variety of native southwest Ohio plants, Lillian placed identification labels in each section. Because the garden was so large, she created a stone lined pathway through the middle so people could walk through and enjoy the plants and pollinators. Lillian got her garden approved to become an official Monarch Waystation for pollinators. The library kept people updated about her project and even wrote an article for the local paper.
Grace Schaefer | Kettering, OH
Grace is a graduate of Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School and attends University of Notre Dame majoring in Aerospace Engineering. She was involved in Volleyball, Student Council (President), and String Ensemble (violin). Grace was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Creating Tech-Savvy Senior Citizens
Inspired by her 90-year-old grandparents’ efforts to keep up with the latest technology, Grace combined her interest in technology with her commitment to serving others to build her project. Grace worked with about 50 residents at St. Leonard’s Living Community in Centerville, hosting four group workshops and creating numerous tip sheets on a variety of computers, mobile devices and internet topics. Tip sheet examples consisted of MyChart, WiFi, Facebook, Zoom, Skype and FaceTime and the tip sheets were tailored for each participant. With her team, Grace conducted several one-on-one sessions, which were very popular and beneficial for the residents. Grace feels she learned as much as the people she supported. This project strengthened her desire to explore the technological world and connect it to other studies and pursuits.
Mikayla Stambaugh | Fairborn, OH
Mikayla is a senior at Fairborn High School. She is involved in Varsity Tennis, Environmental Club and Art Club. Mikayla has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Uniforms for All
Mikayla’s Gold Award project helped raise awareness of sensory issues and the impact this can have on girls participating in Girl Scouts, because they are unable to wear the uniform. Surveys were sent out and data collected to begin the process. Using the data, Mikayla designed, cut, and sewed eight different vests that incorporate features and fabrics that eliminate triggers for those with sensory issues. During numerous presentations and feedback, additional data was gathered to narrow down what would be the optimal design for an adaptive vest. Mikayla’s largest presentation was at the Greene County Fair where she displayed her vests and spoke to hundreds of people. This is an issue that resonates with Mikayla on a personal level. She hopes that GSUSA will someday provide uniform options for those with sensory issues.
Makenzie Stephenson | Rockford, OH
Makenzie is a graduate of Parkway High School and Vantage Career Center, currently working in computer networking. She was involved in Concert and Marching Band, Future Leaders of America, and active in her church’s Youth Group. Makenzie has been a Girl Scout for 6 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Parkway Local School Bus Stop
To address a public safety concern in her community, Makenzie advocated for the construction of a bus shelter in a public park to provide area school children with a safer location. She approached the local village council for permission, and then began raising funds for supplies and building a team to help make her vision a success. Persevering through obstacles, such as the initial cement pad being torn out by the park, Makenzie and her team completed the new structure. To educate a wider audience on bus safety rules all children should follow, Makenzie also created an educational pamphlet with input from local bus drivers. She shared this pamphlet with the administration and the bus drivers handed it out to parents and students at her school’s fall back to school night to ensure education on this important topic continues in her community.
Tracy Tidwell | Springboro, OH
Tracy is a sophomore at Bishop Fenwick High School. She is involved in Varsity Softball. Tracy has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Sew for the Gold
Tracy’s project consisted of several different sewing efforts. She partnered with “Dress A Girl Around the World” organization, and with her team, made 74 brightly colored dresses with a patch sewn on the dress. The patch indicates these girls are closely being watched to discourage human traffickers. Tracy also taught her team how to make t-shirt bags, sewn bags and stockings and the team made 105 t-shirt bags, 166 sewn bags and 84 stockings. These were then filled with fun activities, personal care items, toys, games and socks. During the December holiday season, Tracy delivered stockings to Ronald McDonald House in Dayton and St. Leonard’s Nursing facility in Centerville. Throughout the summer, she continued to deliver all the bags to the same facilities to support families and residents in need.
Annie Twiss | Troy, OH
Annie is a junior at Troy Christian High School. She is involved in Soccer, Softball and Student Council. Annie has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
We Love Birthday Parties
Annie’s project focused on remodeling a room for a non-profit organization called "We Love Birthday Parties," located in Troy. They provide free birthday parties for children of all ages. Annie decided to completely remodel the large room where costumes are stored. With her team, she totally cleared the room, including removing shelves and carpet. Annie put three coats of paint on the walls and ceiling, built better shelving. and installed new flooring. She also added small decorations such as a mirror, an ottoman, a coat rack and a few pieces of artwork on the walls. An open house was held. Thanks to her team’s efforts the volunteers have a nice room to change into the princess and superhero costumes the kids love so much.
North Region
Elsa Concannon | Bowling Green, OH
Elsa is a graduate of Bowling Green High School and attends the University of Cincinnati majoring in Biomedical Studies and Liberal Arts. She was involved in Track & Field (Captain), the class Vice President, and the Executive of Membership for DECA. Elsa has been a Girl Scout for 11 years.
Tutoring at St. Mark's
Elsa implemented a tutoring program for a local elementary school to better prepare children for the introduction of standardized testing and general comprehension of reading and mathematics. Elsa spearheaded the ideas, curriculum, and outreach to recruit tutors and adult chaperones for this program. They started each after school session with a snack and a quick game, then they would break off into age groups in grades 3-5. Elsa coordinated with the church of St. Mark's, students from her school, and local Bowling Green State University students to ensure the longevity and success of her program. The elementary school she partnered with has the lowest socio-economic status for students in the district. Elsa’s hope is that this program offers those students access to extra instruction and instills a passion for learning.
Adeline Reed | Toledo, OH
Adeline is a senior at Central Catholic High School. She is involved in National Honor Society, National Art Society, and Student Council. Adeline has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.
Children's Garden Renovation
Adeline (Addie) worked closely with a local non-profit, Toledo GROWs, to revamp the deteriorating children’s garden. Toledo GROWs is an organization that was founded to increase education around community gardens. Addie’s project is located at their headquarters and will serve as an educational staple for all children who visit the center. Addie combined her love of education and her love of nature to build new beds for vegetables, informational signs, and interactive displays in her children’s garden. She wants to teach children to grow fresh, healthy produce on a budget. She hopes that the garden will serve as an inspirational place for all people to explore the amazing things that gardening has to offer.
