These young women developed Gold Award community action projects, promoting acts of kindness and goodwill. Their efforts earned them the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor that a young woman can achieve in girl scouting. Ê
Katherine Egan and Regina Zaremba teamed up to develop their Gold Award Project titled, Healthy Me, Healthy World. The project focused on teaching young children to live healthy lives. Katherine and Regina created fun, educational activities to teach the importance of making healthy choices for their bodies and their planet. Katherine just graduated from South Side High School. She participated in its Art Club, Leo Community Service Club and Student Government. She plans to attend James Madison University for Speech Pathology and Special Education in the fall. Regina also just graduated from South Side, where she participated in theatre,and Student Government. She plans to attend college in the fall.
Melissa Flanagan and Kathleen Gray worked together for their Gold Award project in which they restored the outdoor area at the Rosa Lee Young child care center. Melissa and Kathleen approached local politicians to donate the funds to help them improve the grounds and they successfully raised enough to replace the fence and ground coverings, and install flower beds, a sand pit, and a stage. They call the new outdoor area the, Rosa Lee Young Learning Garden. Both Melissa and Kathleen recently graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School. Melissa was a member of Varsity Lacrosse, Community Service and Math clubs. She plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall. Kathleen was a member of Cross Country, Orchestra and Book Club. She plans to attend the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry in the fall.
Caroline Horowitz wanted to help women who are at a disadvantage when interviewing for professional positions because they lack the means to acquire appropriate attire. For her Gold Award project titled, Dress for Success, Caroline held a clothing drive to collect business suits and other professional attire to donate to needy women. She also developed an informative pamphlet full of tips and techniques for handling job interviews. A recent graduate of South Side High School, Caroline plans to attend George Washington University in the fall.
Bridget Murray wanted young girls to realize that even though men have dominated the field of science for many years, more and more women are excelling in the sciences. For her Gold Award project titled, Science Discovery, she worked to educate fourth and fifth grade girls about the opportunities in scientific fields and encourage them to consider scientific study. Bridget developed different types of experiments for the girls to participate in. A recent graduate of South Side, she is a member of the Varsity Lacrosse and Cross Country teams. She plans to attend Penn State University in the fall.
Jennifer Wong wanted to spread awareness throughout her community about the importance of diversity. For her Gold Award project titled, Mural of Diversity, she designed a mural for the Recreation Center and worked with the children of Project Great to help bring the mural to life. While working, Jennifer gave the kids tips and pointers on their painting techniques. Jennifer, who also just graduated from South Side High School participated in its Leo Club, Art Club and Orchestra.
Caitlin Schumacher enjoys the subject of mathematics and wanted to spread her love of it to others. For her Gold Award project, she developed a Math Carnival for fourth and fifth grade girls to learn math skills in a fun environment. Caitlin focused on showing those girls that the stereotype that women cannot excel in mathematics is a fallacy. She created six stations of math games that demonstrated how math knowledge can be applied in everyday situations. An active member of S.A.D.D., Athletes Helping Athletes and the National Honor Society, Caitlin graduated from South Side High School in June and plans to attend James Madison University in the fall.
The girls were actually honored several times. On June 14, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County honored its Senior Girl Scouts between the ages of 15 and 18 at a special ceremony at Adelphi University. In addition to that ceremony, on June 1, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi presented the girls, along with their Eagle Scout Award counterparts from the Boy Scouts, with certificates for their achievements at the Cradle of Aviation. Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray also recognized Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, along with this year-s Eagle Scouts on May 30 in a ceremony at the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve.
