Mercer Island Girl Scouts recently celebrated the achievements of several members at the Annual Gold and Silver Banquet held at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church. Over 180 people attended the banquet, including former Girl Scouts from Aljoya and current Girl Scouts and their families.
Linda Floyd, co-founder of the Kiran Anjali Project and the Wings School for Girls in India, was the featured guest, together with Maggie Bennett, long-time member of the Girl Scouts. Floyd spoke about empowering girls around the world through education and Bennett reminisced about her days of girl scouting and the fun that everyone had.
Eleven girls earned a Silver Award, the highest award given by Girl Scouts to middle school students. The prestigious Silver Award requires planning and executing a project that addresses a community need, involving at least 50 hours of work. The students who earned a Silver Award are Elise Neyhart, Caroline Tanzer, Maria Reyes, Tori Cook, Kallie DeMaris, Annika Jorgenson, Francesca Risco, Kate Hamilton, Addi Arvish, Kiran D’Souza and Katrina Dumler.
Addi, Kieran and Katrina created a video to educate middle schoolers about common mental health issues for teens. Francesca, Kate and Annika worked with New Beginnings on domestic violence projects. Elise and Tori made beehives to help boost the bee population and gifted one to Michelle Obama’s White House garden. Kallie educated her neighborhood on disaster preparedness while providing survival kits. Maria and Caroline made a youtube video about teenage girls and self-esteem that has been viewed over 600 times.
Nine girls from Troop 44297 earned their Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is the highest award that can be earned by a junior Girl Scout, typically earned in fifth grade. This award centers around helping the Girl Scout community and involves at least 20 hours of work. Josie Barber, Kamya Raman, Anya Kochis, Aurelie Bourscheidt, Josephine McAauliff, Mackenzie Monen, Camille Underwood, Adie Way and Cassie Montgomery earned the Bronze award for an education campaign on electricity conservation.
