Gold Award Centennial cEREMONY & cELEBRATION

Monday, June 13, 2016 Massachusetts State House

The Girl Scout Gold Award The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, recognizing girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action projects that have sustainable impact in their communities and beyond. A girl must spend a minimum of 80 hours working on her project, and must complete all seven steps. 1. Choose an issue 2. Investigate 3. Get help 4. Create a plan 5. Present your plan 6. Take action 7. Educate and inspire

Gold Award Facts & Figures • Gold Award recipients spend between one and two years on their projects. • The average age of Gold Award recipients is 17. • In 100 years, more than one million girls nationally have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent. • Gold Award recipients who join the armed services enter at one rank higher than other recruits. • University research indicates that adding Gold Award to a college application is a critical element in the admissions decision process.

Gold Award Prerequisites A girl must:

• Be in ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th grade • Be a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador • Have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys or have earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed one Journey

Note: all girls were encouraged to submit headshots, but in cases where a photo was not supplied, the Gold Award Centennial logo was used instead. We do our best to ensure accuracy and regret any errors.

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Welcome! Dear Gold Awardees, For 100 years, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. Today, we proudly celebrate your remarkable accomplishments in earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. You join an impressive group of one million women who have earned this distinction since 1916. Each of you has demonstrated dedication to empowering and bettering yourself and your community. You join us today as accomplished leaders and visionary change makers. You are exemplary role models to younger girls and a source of pride for the adults who have watched you grow and excel. Earning your Gold Award is the culmination of your Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and you are the embodiment of the Girl Scout mission: a girl of courage, confidence, and character who, every day, is making the world a better place. How will this experience shape your future? Wherever you go next, your Girl Scout experience will remain a part of who you are, how you see others, and how others see you. You are who Juliette Gordon Low envisioned when she said, “The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.” Congratulations on achieving this important milestone during this special Gold Award Centennial year. We look forward to seeing even more great things from you in years to come. Yours in Girl Scouting,

Patricia A. Parcellin Chief Executive Officer

Tricia Tilford Board Chair

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM)

Patricia Hallberg Chief Executive Officer

Linda L. Skorupski Board Chair

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) 4

Program of Events Reception–Gold Award Exhibits Opening Flag Ceremony Cathy LeBlanc Gold Award Co-Chair, GSEM U.S. Navy Color Guard USS Constitution

Welcome Melanie Wills-Tavares Chief Program Officer, GSEM

Council CEO Remarks Patricia A. Parcellin Chief Executive Officer, GSEM Patricia Hallberg Chief Executive Officer, GSCWM

Board Chair Remarks Tricia Tilford Board Chair, GSEM

State House Remarks Military Order of the World Wars Presentation Gold Award Pin Presentation Governor Address Charlie Baker Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Closing Flag Ceremony Cathy LeBlanc Gold Award Co-Chair, GSEM 5

Congratulations to our 2016 Gold Awardees! Katherine E. Stearns, Acton Stitching Together a Better Future for All Knowing that most charities rely on donations, Katherine wanted to provide homemade items to organizations that serve those who lack resources. She taught girls to sew by working collaboratively on projects for charities including Project Linus and Toys for Tots. She paired experienced sewers with volunteers interested in learning to sew, who worked together to expand their sewing skills, in addition to learning the importance of helping others. They created blankets, stuffed animals and clothing, which were personalized according to who would receive the item. This group will continue to meet at a local church and sew items in support of charities. Katherine learned to trust her volunteers, motivate the group and herself, and lead with confidence. Abigail Castriotta, Barre Cause for Paws Seven years ago, while volunteering at the Barre Food Bank, Abigail was struck by the fact that pet food was not among the food and household products available for distribution. The following month, Abigail ran a survey and found that more than half of clients served by the food bank had trouble putting food on the table for their own families, and had pets to feed. In response, she held fundraisers such as pet contests and dog washes to collect donations and spread awareness of her project. Abigail collected over 7,000 pounds of pet food, which she distributed to more than 30 families each month. The Pet Food Table is now a vital part of the Barre Food Bank, which will continue the collection and distribution effort when Abigail heads off to college. Jaqueline (Jaqui) Hale, Bedford Lonesome Beach Path Restoration Project in Long Island, ME Jaqui has spent her summers in Long Island, Maine, and when microbursts destroyed a popular path to the beach, Jaqui decided to repair the damage. She organized volunteer days, when she and other volunteers cleared debris off the path. She also created educational signs about the local flora and fauna and installed them along the path. She organized a day when local students could learn about plants and animals using a booklet she created. Copies of the booklet were given to the Island Recreational Center for Camps for future use. Jaqui learned how to plan, meet long-term goals and adapt to challenges. 6

Candace N. Walsh, Bedford Captain Leadership Course When Candace realized there was no accessible information to guide new sports captains on effective team leadership, she created a video presentation highlighting exceptional sports team leaders. She interviewed her high school’s athletic director and past captains who stood out as exceptional leaders. They spoke about the qualities of effective leaders and tips they would give to new captains. She filmed at the Bedford TV studio and edited the clips to make a final film, which is now available on YouTube so it can be shown to new team captains before each sports season. Candace learned video editing and communication skills. Erica French, Beverly Project Independent Living Erica started a partnership with NortheastArc, an organization that provides services to individuals with intellectual disabilities. She used interactive whiteboard technology to conduct workshops outlining skills for living more independently. Additionally, she taught NortheastArc staff how to use the SmartBoards that had recently been donated to the organization. Erica left instruction manuals at the facility that outlined the workshop curriculum, how to use the SmartBoards, and future program ideas. Through these workshops, Erica learned how to teach effectively to different learning styles. Amanda Rzeszut, Billerica Pergola Amanda coordinated the construction of an outdoor program area at The Paul Center for Learning and Recreation, which is a camp for developmentally challenged children. In this program area, Amanda constructed a pergola and a planter box. She also developed a lesson plan about the plant life cycle for the licensed educators to use in teaching the children. The Paul Center will continue to run the program and teach the plant life cycle curriculum. Amanda learned how to lead a group of people through this project.

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Erica Bowe, Bolton Little Library Box Erica enjoys reading and is passionate about addressing childhood literacy. She knows that having access to books encourages children to read, so she created and installed two library boxes to ensure youth in her community have access to books. She also educated other communities on how they can expand the program into their own neighborhoods. Erica hopes that every child can explore a new world through reading and that no child is ever without a book. Alexandra Cassell, Brewster Library Lessons for Life Alexandra wanted to make resources more accessible to homeless and low income individuals and families on Cape Cod. She designed a website to feature more than 50 local organizations that provide food, shelter, housing assistance, childcare and health services to residents. Alexandra also compiled flyers and brochures from these organizations in binders, which she distributed to local libraries, health care centers and her high school volunteer office. The creativity action service (CAS) department and volunteers at Alexandra’s high school will maintain and update the binders and website. Alexandra developed her ability to communicate and collaborate with different groups of people. Annie Aurora Dobroth, Brookline Creating Bumble Bee Boxes for the Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm To aid the declining bee population, Annie created bumblebee boxes and an insect hotel for the Massachusetts Audubon Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. She designed two bumblebee nesting boxes after researching and reviewing the results of previously tested designs. The insect hotel provides a home for solitary bees and other insects that are important to the ecosystem. She also created a bumblebee educational guide for staff, volunteers and visitors of the Sanctuary. Drumlin Farm plans to incorporate the bumblebee boxes and insect hotel into its camp and school programming, and will continue to monitor and maintain them. Annie learned the value in asking for help and utilizing the skills of others.

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Emma Guyette, Charlemont CPR Saves Lives Emma wanted to improve her community’s safety. It is critical for members of the community to know how to respond to a medical emergency, given the 45-minute wait time for an ambulance in some rural communities. In cooperation with a local medical training company, she organized a school-wide CPR training that included lessons using automated external defibrillators and performing the Heimlich Maneuver. More than 250 students and staff participated, making it the largest training of its kind in Berkshire County. Emma worked with the school committee to provide ongoing training, and developed a program for the medical training company to use with other communities. Julianna (Jules) Struck, Concord Warm Hands Jules started an initiative to bring relief to Syrian refugees displaced from their homes as a result of the Syrian Civil War. These refugees face a lack of basic resources and must endure cold nights and winters with only the items they could carry from their homes. She coordinated knitters around the country to make blankets, clothes, hats and more for refugees at the Al Salam School in Reyhanli, Turkey. Each knitter also wrote a short note of well wishes to go with each item. Together, the knitters donated over 150 pounds of gear, and the Karam Foundation has transported and distributed these items to the refugees. Through the Warm Hands initiative, Jules has learned that she has the capability and confidence to make a significant impact. Jenna Clemenzi, Danvers Youth Voting Initiative Knowing the importance of getting young people involved in the political process, Jenna identified a need to educate students of voting age about how to register to vote or apply for an absentee ballot when they are away from home. To address this issue, Jenna created a detailed lesson and activity plan for local high school seniors about voting in Massachusetts. Additionally, she held a class assembly focused on the importance of voting, and started a voting registration day held in the school library. The lesson will be taught to the senior class each year. Through this project, Jenna learned to have confidence in her leadership abilities.

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Lisa Marie Gagnon, Danvers After School Study Reflecting on her own struggles and difficulty asking for help with homework and test preparation, Lisa wanted to create a safe place for students to ask for help if they were intimidated to ask their teachers or peers. So, she initiated an after-school club where students could get extra academic help, and assigned tutors to groups of younger students to guide them through their work. As part of the program, Lisa taught the students different study techniques to help them find the method that works best for them. The tutors will continue to run After School Study. Through her project, Lisa developed organization and communication skills. Sarah McCarriston, Danvers Peace Garden Sarah renovated an overgrown area at the local soccer fields and created a perennial peace garden that contains mosquito repellant plants, water conservation plants, raised beds with herbs and bat boxes. Sarah also installed an irrigation system for the garden. She created a video and book for the community, teachers and students that provide information about the plants in the garden and how to repel mosquitoes naturally. Sarah learned communication skills and how to organize a team. The local Junior Garden Club will maintain the garden. Julia Rourke Natale, Danvers emBRACE Drawing from her own experience wearing a back brace for five years to treat scoliosis, Julia founded emBRACE, a support group for girls going through a similar experience. She created a website for the girls to use outside of the meetings. Julia created informational pamphlets and distributed them throughout the community, and spoke with nurses from area schools about the best approach for assisting students who wear braces. Julia learned how to create a strong foundation for a support group and how to spread a message in an effective and inviting way. She put together a binder containing comprehensive emBRACE information, and a former member of emBRACE will continue the support group meetings.

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Aimee E. Correia, Dartmouth Without Limits Aimee created Without Limits, Dartmouth’s first unified color guard, composed of students with and without disabilities. She established mentoring relationships by pairing students in the unified color guard with performers from the town’s preexisting color guard. Together they organized a routine and put on a show for their peers and families. This program will continue to run under Aimee’s leadership and the support of other members of the town’s color guard. Through her project, Aimee learned how to coordinate volunteers and lead a large group. Jessica Sleator, East Longmeadow The Gaming Aspect From a young age, Jessica has enjoyed playing video games. She is also aware of the ongoing debate concerning the impact of violent video games on children’s mental health. She conducted research on age-approriate video games targeted to middle school students and presented her research to health classes. She posted information on a website designed to inform parents, teachers and children about age-appropriate video games. Jessica distributed business cards to local game stores to raise awareness of her project. Mackenzie Anderson, Foxborough Foxborough History Trail Inspired by Boston’s Freedom Trail, Mackenzie created the Foxborough History Trail, which consists of 23 historic locations. Working with the Foxborough Historical Commission, she designed a map and website with information about each location. Through this project, she learned communication skills, how to delegate tasks and the importance of organization. The Foxborough History Trail will be updated and sustained by the Foxborough Historical Commission, and used by the citizens of Foxborough and surrounding communities. Her map and website are integrated into the history curriculum at her school, where students will be able to learn about their town’s rich history.

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Gwyneth Knizak, Georgetown Wiggle Room Gwyneth realized that many of her peers did not know much about students with special needs and the professions that aid these students. In addition, she noticed that traditional school desks are not adaptable to suit students with disabilities who often have a smaller build. So Gwyneth created footrests to make using school desks more comfortable for these students. She reached out to different schools and student groups and gave presentations about students with disabilities and the footrests she built, and distributed them at schools whose staff were excited to offer them to their special needs students. Gwyneth also created a website with a tutorial on how to build the footrests. Her school’s key club will maintain the project. Samantha Newbury, Georgetown Check Yes To increase the number of registered donors, Samantha raised awareness of the importance of organ donation. Teaming up with Donate Life New England, the Governor’s Advisory Council, and the New England Organ Bank, she distributed material to driving schools for them to present to their classes. This included a video called “Your Decision to Donate,” which was played at more than 20 driving schools. Samantha also volunteered during Yankee Homecoming in Newburyport, gave presentations at various high schools, and participated in Boston’s National Kidney Foundation Walk to raise awareness and distribute informational materials. Samantha created a website about the campaign, and many driving schools have agreed to show the video and other materials to their classes. Through this project, Samantha learned confidence and time management. Olivia Rice, Grafton Healthy Mouth, Healthy You While participating in the dental assisting program at her high school, Olivia realized that many people do not have access to adequate oral health care. She collaborated with the Grafton Food Bank and the town to create a partnership called Healthy Mouth, Healthy You. With the help of corporate and community donations, she created oral healthcare kits for adults and children, containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and an educational booklet and picture books about proper oral care. She organized three distribution days with the Grafton Food Bank when she distributed the healthcare kits 12

and raised awareness about adult and child oral care, including the effects of nutrition on teeth. Olivia created a resource binder so the Grafton Food Bank can recreate the kits and educational components. Emily Koehler, Hadley How Does Milk Get to the Store? Emily’s interest in cows, discovered while she attended local fairs, led to her Gold Award project. Emily was often questioned on how milk gets from the farm to the store and what process it must undergo prior to sale. All of this inspired her to write a book titled, How Does Milk Get to the Store? Interacting with the kids who have read her book has made Emily appreciate growing up in a farming community. Kathleen Kuzmeski, Hadley SASOCT – Suffield Academy Special Olympics Connecticut Kathleen planned and hosted a Special Olympics crosscountry race linking teams from Suffield Academy and Special Olympics. The teams created new friendships and experiences based on their love for cross country running. Kathleen founded the Special Athletes Club at Suffield Academy, which now continues the mission, sponsoring events each season. She learned how to organize large groups of people to work together towards a common goal. This project gave her the confidence to try something new and to make a sustainable community impact. Aldona Noonan, Hadley The Secrecy of Adoption Aldona, who was adopted, wanted to bring awareness to the feelings experienced by many adopted children. Working with other adopted youth, Aldona created a video explaining the adoption process, providing adoption statistics, and sharing personal experiences and feelings expressed by the other adopted youth. The video was shown to middle school students and local Girl Scout troops to spark conversation among young people about adoption and how they can support and understand those who have been adopted. Her project helped her raise awareness of a topic about which she is passionate, and it helped her gain confidence in public speaking.

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Jenna Ruth Foley, Hanover You’re Worth More Than Gold Jenna created a three-part workshop focusing on the theme of individuality, with the hopes of helping girls to realize their self-worth and unique beauty. Seventh grade girls had an opportunity to learn who they are and what they like to do, discover and respect their differences, examine their struggles, and acknowledge ways they can improve their school community. The girls participated in fun games, crafts and skits, took quizzes to understand themselves better, and participated in self-reflection exercises. Additionally, Jenna created a video showcasing people of all ages doing things they love, which she showed to seventh and eighth grade students. The school’s guidance department will continue the program. Jenna learned how to be flexible in planning a large program and project management skills. Amanda Gilmour, Hanover A Healthier Life One Step at a Time Wanting to raise awareness of childhood obesity, Amanda created a nutrition and fitness manual containing lesson plans, discussion points and activities, and organized an eight-week workshop series at Girls Inc. Over 40 girls ages 5-13 participated in the workshops whose topics included healthy snacking, hydration, media, body image, reading food labels, portion distortion, self-confidence, sugar, and fast food. Amanda also presented fun ways to be active. She arranged for fitness instructors to come to the workshops to teach yoga, Zumba, hip hop, POUND Fit, fencing and soccer. Through her project, Amanda learned perseverance and problem-solving strategies. Lauren Beale, Harvard Dance Your Cares Away Inspired by her love of dance, Lauren wanted to show children that they are all capable of being dancers. Working with the children at the Transitions shelter, Lauren taught dance lessons and was able to show the children a world of dance they had never seen. She also set up collection bins for dance equipment and supplies to be donated to the new dancers. She and the children who participated in the dance program discovered that one pair of tap shoes could mean the world to a dancer who needs them. A member of Lauren’s dance team and the Bromfield Cares service group will continue the dance lessons at the Transitions shelter and monitor the collection bins. 14

Kirajean Frost, Harvard Helping our Homeless Heroes Having previously volunteered with the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Kirajean wanted her project to spread awareness of homelessness among veterans and help give them an alternative to the streets. Kirajean created a PowerPoint presentation featuring interesting facts and videos about veteran homelessness and showed it at the Harvard Public Library. She attended the Harvard Fall Festival where she answered questions and provided handouts to raise awareness. Kirajean designed her campaign so it can be adapted easily by anyone interested in this issue and seeking to complete a community service project. Alicia Barry, Hingham Trees of Hope Her own family’s experience when she was a newborn in the Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit (NICU) at Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center inspired Alicia’s project. She collected success stories of premature babies cared for in the NICU and created tree-themed collages, illustrating 16 graduates of the unit. She also put together pamphlets to tell the story behind each graduate. Alicia developed leadership skills by coordinating volunteers and communicating and planning with the hospital staff. Her collages stand as inspiration to families with children currently in the NICU, and are included on the NICU’s Facebook page and website. Karoline Ciance, Holden Be Confident BeYoutiful Karoline focused on low self-confidence in women. Specifically, she considered how income level can play a role; a woman’s inability to afford expensive clothes and makeup can negatively affect her self-esteem. She created tutorial videos and a PowerPoint presentation titled, “Organic Beauty,” which she presented to women at the Greenwood Street Medical Clinic, highlighting affordable skincare and beauty items. She also presented to women at a local church and provided samples of skin care products and makeup. Karoline learned that one person can have an impact on many, and as a result, developed a greater sense of confidence. Being able to talk to strangers increased her own self-esteem.

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Lauren Robichaud, Holden Playhouse Oasis While working at Sherry’s House, a division of the Why Me organization that provides a home for families and their children undergoing pediatric cancer treatment, Lauren was awestruck by the staff and volunteers’ level of devotion. However, she noticed that the life-size playhouse needed improvement. Lauren designed the inside to make it child-friendly, with a play kitchen, reading corner and arts and crafts station, complete with chalkboards and a three-foot tictac-toe board. She landscaped around the playhouse, and created a book with information on the plants, their watering needs and the plant life cycle. After several weeks, she returned and saw a diagram of the plant life cycle drawn by a child pretending to be a teacher. This was a defining moment, as it showed that the playhouse had truly become a safe space where the children can escape the reality of their situations and imagine a bright future. Margaret Burke, Hopkinton Healthy Habits Healthy Life Margaret noticed that fourth and fifth grade students in her town didn’t have an out-of-school fitness program. So she created a wellness program for these students, which balanced exercise, healthy eating, mental health and education. At the start of the program, the students received a packet with 30 activities, 25 of which they had to complete. Activities included running a halfmile, pressing leaves, cooking dinner, playing a game of basketball, family bike rides, yoga and keeping a journal. A teacher at Margaret’s school will maintain the program in the future. Margaret learned how to interact with students, teachers and parents, and how to be patient. Emma Dionne, Hopkinton Hometown History Emma noticed that the new education system in her town left little room for teachers to discuss town history. In response, she created an interactive presentation about the town’s rich history and the lives of students hundreds of years ago. She presented this information to seven local third-grade classes, and she plans to return next year to present to new classes. She also gave a copy of her presentation to the teachers for future lessons. Emma provided the Hopkinton Historical Society with her presentation, and aided their transition to become a museum by creating an instruction sheet for museum volunteers. Through this project, Emma learned perseverance and flexibility. 16

Sophia Buzanis, Lincoln Children’s Garden Sophia created and maintained a garden at her town’s preschool in order to teach the students where food comes from. The students helped plant and harvest various plants, and were able to learn about different fruits and vegetables, healthy eating, and how food grows. Sophia grew in her organizational and communication skills, as she worked with children and adults inside the classroom and in the garden. The garden will be maintained by a team of volunteers, working with the preschool classes each year. Lucy Cousins, Lincoln Enhancing School Greenhouse for More Sustainable Use Wanting to get high school students involved in growing food locally in order to understand the many benefits, Lucy organized a team of volunteers to enhance the high school greenhouse and garden plot. Together, they added an irrigation system, which included a rain collection bucket, a solar-powered lamp, pipes and drippers. These enhancements helped seedlings grow faster and healthier, which resulted in more than 300 pounds of produce being donated to local food pantries. Lucy and the volunteers also attended several events to promote locally sourced produce. Through this project, Lucy learned how to build and lead a team. The greenhouse and garden plot will be sustained by some of the volunteers who are also members of the garden club. Helen Rhines, Lincoln Children’s Exhibit on Codman Farm Animals In cooperation with a local farm, Helen created a series of workshops to teach community members on sustainable farming and various farm animals. She also created a permanent, interactive display of information about the animals and the benefits of sustainable farming. The workshops have become part of the Farmer’s Helper Program curriculum, an existing program that allows children to assist with farm tasks. Helen learned how to communicate to different audiences, delegate tasks and manage time.

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Rebecca Bourque, Lynn Dress for Success: Young Women Entering the Workplace Rebecca combined her passion for service and business by creating Dress for Success: Young Women Entering the Workplace. In collaboration with Bridgewell House, she ran a statewide collection of new or gently used business-appropriate clothing and new makeup and hygienic products. Her program included mock interviews, and talks from business professionals from diverse fields on workplace dress and etiquette. She also created a brochure providing interviewing tips. Rebecca learned skills in management, communication, delegation and prioritization, as well as various computer programs such as Photoshop and Pixlr. Julia O’Regan, Mansfield Food Allergy Awareness Julia addressed food allergy awareness within her community and the Commonwealth by petitioning Governor Baker to declare Food Allergy Awareness Week in Massachusetts. She also held a seminar for families, teaching staff and nurses in her community to assist students with food allergies. The seminar provided information on how to make these students feel protected and comfortable. The Mansfield School System, under the school nurse’s leadership, will hold the seminar each year using Julia’s curriculum. Through this project, Julia learned public speaking skills. Claire Caplan, Marblehead Songs for Seniors Claire wanted to connect the senior citizens of her town with the rest of the community. She reached this goal by creating a program for student musicians in local schools. Every Friday afternoon, a different musical or performance ensemble would perform a 30-45 minute program at nursing homes in the area. After the performance, the students would spend time talking with the senior citizens. Songs for Seniors will be sustained by the Marblehead High School chapter of the National Music Honor Society. Through this project, Claire learned how to network and to reach outside her comfort zone to accomplish tasks.

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Haley Fritz, Maynard Only in Maynard Combining her interest in history and writing, Haley collaborated with the local Historical Commission and town government to write a 55-page handbook about historic preservation. The handbook is now used in the town hall and is available as part of the town library’s local history collection. At her town’s Founder’s Day event, honoring the town’s historic incorporation on April 19, 1871, Haley created and ran two historic scavenger hunts, one of which utilizes smartphone technology. The local Board of Selectmen declared April 19 a town holiday in recognition of Haley’s efforts. Haley learned teamwork skills and the importance of communication and delegation. Katherine Lyons, Medfield Building Bridges with Backpacks Katherine addressed the lack of awareness about childhood poverty on Cape Cod. She collected 30 new backpacks and filled them with new school supplies and over 300 books with bookmarks made by students at a local after-school program. These backpacks were delivered to a Cape Cod elementary school. In addition, Katherine and a local Girl Scout troop worked with Cradles to Crayons’ Give Back with an Outfit Pack drive to create outfit packs that were provided to 37 students. The Community Teens Club at Medfield High School will be continuing Katherine’s efforts. Katherine learned problem-solving skills and how to overcome obstacles. Emily Piersiak, Medfield Bridge at Baker’s Pond Emily’s project combined two interests: safety and STEM. She saw the need for a safer crossing environment at the runoff from Baker Pond, a popular area in the town of Medfield. While creating a bridge for the pond, she addressed the lack of encouragement for young women in the STEM fields. She held classes for young students at her town library, explaining the architecture behind bridges, in addition to other topics related to science and engineering. The bridge will be sustained by Medfield Parks and Recreation, and the town library was provided with Emily’s lesson plans to continue her STEM classes. Emily learned to be patient and to reach out for help when she needs it.

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Elizabeth Somer Raine, Medfield Bats for a Cause The bat population has been declining due to human interference in caves, disrupting a vital ecosystem. Elizabeth erected four bat boxes to serve as a refuge for migrating bats and a nursery for their newborn pups. Elizabeth also made presentations at schools and various town-wide events about bats and their importance to the environment, specifically their assistance in reducing the mosquito population along with the harmful viruses and diseases they carry. She also placed a bat-themed coloring station at the local library for kids to learn more about bats. Elizabeth learned to be confident in asking for help and in leading groups of different ages. Conservation members of the Trustees of Reservations will continue to monitor the bat boxes. Zoë June Smith, Medfield Blake Gives Back: A Rewarding Experience Wanting to spread her passion for volunteerism, Zoë connected middle school students with various local organizations that were looking for volunteers. Zoë notified students about these opportunities at after-school meetings, via email and also through the middle school principal’s blog. She provided resources and advice to students as they pursued community service opportunities. She also promoted the opportunity to earn the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which celebrates citizens for bettering the country through any form of volunteerism. There will be information about a variety of organizations on the middle school website for future reference. Through her work with student volunteers, Zoë learned communication and leadership skills. Grace Sowyrda, Medfield Reaching Out Through Poetry Noticing a lack of creative programs in her school and hometown, Grace started an after-school poetry program for middle and elementary school students. Her goal was to provide a safe and fun environment for students to learn about poetry and connect with each other through their writing. She created a website that provides ideas to incorporate poetry into school curricula, which she shared with the Medfield middle and elementary schools. Grace also connected children, teens and adults through poetry readings at the Medfield Public Library and local senior center. Grace developed her leadership skills through public speaking and building her website. 20

Julia Steeger, Medfield Connecting Kids Who Have with Kids Who Need Julia collaborated with Cradles to Crayons in their efforts to lower the percentage of children who live in poverty. Julia advocated for a collection unit in her town and worked with her school’s student council to set up collection bins around the school for clothes, toys and books. At a school assembly, she also educated students and families about the everyday challenges children living below the poverty line face. Julia organized a town-wide Stuff-a-Truck event for Cradles to Crayons, where the community filled a 14-foot truck with donations. She collaborated with the Medfield Food Cupboard and The Skating Club of Boston, through which she held a food drive and collected baby items for new parents. Julia organized a student committee to continue her efforts with Cradles to Crayons. Olivia Taylor, Medfield Connecting Students Noticing a lack of tutoring services at her school, Olivia created a tutoring program that connected high school students with elementary school students. Her goal was to improve core academic skills, as well as serve as a bridge between older and younger students. Olivia created a website with a sign-up page to connect the students for one-on-one tutoring. In total, there were 15 tutors and 26 participants across three elementary schools during this six-week tutoring program. The tutors are continuing the program and the website will remain live to set up sessions. Olivia developed a stronger sense of responsibility, and improved communication and organization skills through her project. Makayla Berg, Methuen Opening Doors: LGBT+ Awareness Makayla noticed that students are taught safe, heterosexual sex education both inside and outside school curriculum, but not safe sex for the LGBT+ community. To raise awareness, Makayla created a presentation about this issue, and incorporated information about bullying awareness and LGBT+ terms. Makayla spoke to various groups within her community and created a website and flyers with the information. She shared her presentation with GRIP Community Based Services, an organization that provides services and support to local families and children, so they can provide information to LGBT+ students going forward. Through her project, Makayla’s public speaking skills have improved and she is more confident leading others. 21

Brianna Croteau, Milford Peppercorn Hill Trail Kiosk Brianna felt as though many people in her community wanted to utilize the Peppercorn Hill trails, but didn’t because of a lack of information about the trails, including where they went and the length of a typical hike. So, she partnered with the community of Upton and the Peppercorn Hill Trail Committee to build an information kiosk at Peppercorn Hill Trail. The kiosk includes information boards that the Committee will be utilizing to update trail maps and other important information. Brianna’s goal was to encourage people to go outside, get exercise and explore new territory without fear of getting lost. Katherine Golden, Millis Pleasant Street Transformation Katherine noticed there wasn’t a place in her community where people could learn about nature, go for a hike or camp for a weekend. She decided to renovate an abandoned lot in her town to create this space. She started by clearing out trash, poison ivy and bittersweet that had overgrown the area. Then, she refurbished an old chicken coop into an Adirondack shelter, enhanced the paths to the shelter and hiking trails, and built a fire pit. Katherine created a booklet that includes wildlife, plant and bird information, a trail map, fire safety information and some simple recipes to enjoy while camping. These booklets were provided to local scout troops, schools and outdoor education programs, and there is a copy of the booklet at the site. The Pleasant Street site will be maintained by the local garden club. Katherine learned to delegate tasks to volunteers and persevere through challenges. Mallory Linn, Monson Sing a Little Camp Song for Me Mallory wanted her project to involve her love of camp songs. While looking for some of her favorite camp songs, she realized it was difficult to locate them in songbooks, and she felt that everyone should have access to camp songs they know and love. She created songbooks filled with camp songs, and a website and YouTube channel that showed videos of the songs with accompanying hand motions. One of the most memorable parts of her project was when she taught girls camp songs, which they later performed to an audience.

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Rachel Adamsky, Newton Raising Awareness of Juvenile Arthritis and Creating Support Drawing from her sister’s experiences, Rachel raised awareness of juvenile arthritis. She created a booth at Arthritis Foundation walks throughout the Boston area. At the booth, she had participatory activities and provided information about this disease. By the final booth event, Rachel had many strong, engaging activities and games that provided detailed information about juvenile arthritis. She learned how to reach her goals despite challenges, how to improve her engagements at each walk, and how to communicate with large groups of people effectively and confidently. Caitlin Donahue, Norfolk Food, Fun, and Film Caitlin wanted to address the high rate of obesity in adults and teach students while they are still in their formative years about obesity and healthy eating habits. She helped middle school students create short, informational videos about healthy eating that concluded with a challenge to someone they know to make their own video. They used the hashtag #foodfunfilm to spread awareness of the campaign. The videos are posted on a website Caitlin created and are shown on Norfolk Community Television. Through her project, Caitlin learned the power of peer collaboration and time management skills. Maggie Pickard, Norfolk First Communion Angels Maggie created a network of churches throughout both suburban and city neighborhoods to provide First Communion dresses and suits to students, as the financial burden of special event clothing can weigh heavily on some families. She spread the word about her project through community websites, church bulletins, emails, word of mouth, and flyers sent home with students in CCD classes. She set up donation drop-off locations and scheduled pick-up times for people who lived farther away. Donated items were distributed to those participating in First Communion at St. Angela’s parish in Mattapan. This dynamic network of churches will continue to collaborate in collecting donations for future First Communion cycles and work together on other projects. Through her project, Maggie learned how to overcome challenges.

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Caitlin Heather Nearing, North Reading Just Beyond the Reflective Screen Caitlin organized alternative activities for students of North Reading High School to address the negative effects of technology overuse. She ran a Zumba event and spoke to four 10th grade health classes about exercise and the negative impact of technology overuse. Caitlin overcame one of her greatest fears, public speaking, and also learned communication and delegation skills. The North Reading High School health teacher will present this topic to future classes. Caitlin also distributed her presentation to the North Reading Middle School and three local elementary schools. Joie Dillon, Peabody Healing Hearts Joie leveraged a volunteer team united in empathy and compassion to raise awareness of the need for support for those in hospice care. Joie created Healing Hearts, a group of knitters who create prayer squares, 8- to 10-inch knitted squares with a heart in the middle. Through Joie’s project, more than 200 prayer squares were donated to the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. Joie also created a teen grief support brochure that can be used as a resource for students with a loved one in hospice care or for anyone dealing with a loss. Through Healing Hearts, Joie learned that a volunteer team united in empathy and compassion creates a strong cooperative environment. Jillian Geyster, Phillipston Preserving Phillipston’s History Motivated by her interest in local history, Jillian sorted and organized historic documents from the 1800s at the Phillipston Historical Society office. Jillian developed her organizational and team-building skills as she built two divider trays to sort and organize the documents into alphabetically ordered categories. She presented her project to two communities, strengthening her public speaking skills as well. The documents are located at the Phillipston Historical Society building for anyone to reference.

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Colleen Kiely, Pittsfield Protect the Piping Plovers! Colleen is dedicated to learning about climate change and the ways in which it is negatively affecting the planet. After years of hiking and birdwatching, Colleen became interested in protecting birds and learning how climate change affects them. She conducted research on endangered shorebirds and presented her findings at the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in Eastham. Her presentation included recommendations for how the public can help. The materials Colleen collected and created for her presentations can continue to be used at the Shorebird Exhibit. Colleen also wrote an article that was published on the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s blog. This blogpost was shared on various social media platforms as well, expanding her reach in spreading awareness. Colleen gained a sense of empowerment from her successful efforts to help improve life for the shorebirds. Emily Herrin, Princeton Camp Putnam Circus Emily wanted to restore the old, damaged and broken games at Camp Putnam, a nonprofit camp where she previously worked. The camp is a place where urban youth can go to experience clean, healthy fun in nature. She wanted to make the campers’ experiences as great as possible, not just for one summer, but for years to come. Emily’s project taught her the impact one person can have and the power of investing in children. Emily hopes her project inspires people to get involved in camp to make a sustainable difference. Sarah Gebow, Rowley Coming Together Sarah noticed the lack of interaction in her town between young students and senior citizens. She also learned that it is a common problem that many seniors are lonely and unable to participate in recreational activities because of their fixed income. In response, she organized successful events at the local church to facilitate relationship building between these two groups. The church youth group will continue to host these events, which included pumpkin carving, karaoke and trivia nights. Through her project, Sarah improved her delegation skills and ability to plan to reach a large goal.

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Sarah Farnham, Russell Education and Application for Peer Mentors In her freshman year of high school, Sarah became a peer mentor in the Special Education classroom. She soon realized it was more challenging than she expected. She did not know how to help the students in their academic and social pursuits, and neither did many of the other peer mentors. Sarah took it as a call to action and conducted research on activities that are suitable for different ability levels, and shared her findings with the other peer mentors. This new approach implemented by Sarah and the other mentors had a significant impact on the academic and social performance of the students. Lauren Pisani, Russell The Effects of Distracted Driving Lauren gathered facts and stories from people who have been directly affected by distracted driving. She chose this topic because her father was killed by a distracted motorist. She developed the courage to discuss this personal topic with her peers through presentations at her high school and the local driving school. Lauren improved her leadership skills through planning and implementing her project. Both the high school and driving school will continue to use her presentation so that future students can learn from her project. Mira Kaye Blumen, Sharon Getting Fit Together Getting Fit Together addresses the social, emotional and physical needs of young women with Turner Syndrome (TS). TS is a chromosomal disorder in which a female is born with only one X chromosome. TS keeps the female body from maturing naturally, so Mira’s program provided information on exercise and nutrition through a workshop and scavenger hunt in coordination with the TS Society. Mira created an online community for girls to connect with and support one another, and a pamphlet for program participants. She also provided fitness bands donated by FitBit. The booklet is available on Massachusetts General Hospital’s TS website, and a member of the Turner Syndrome Camp Board for Outreach is going to maintain the program. Through her project, Mira learned project management skills and how to be a supportive leader.

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Aishwarya Khanna, Shrewsbury Unified Dance Dance has played a huge role in shaping the person Aishwarya is today. She loves performing in front of an audience, so when she noticed that there weren’t dance programs that included children with special needs or disabilities, she took action. She wanted to share with these children everything dancing had given her. Working with the Westborough Recreation Department’s unified sports division, she created Unified Dance. Children were given an opportunity to learn through formal dance instruction, and through freestyle to express themselves. This project taught Aishwarya how to engage diverse people, present herself to others, and accomplish tasks in a timely fashion. Aishwarya wrote three curricula that volunteers can use to sustain the program. Marissa Mackson, Shrewsbury Bringing Sustainability to Shrewsbury High Marissa’s project addressed the issue of excess waste generated by her school and community. She ran two community collection events for Styrofoam and textiles, and filmed six educational videos that address the issue of waste and how high school students can practice sustainability every day. The videos are available to play throughout the school year and can be used again in future years. In addition, the videos will air on a community cable news channel. Marissa presented her case to the principal and the assistant, which led to the principal suggesting that the class of 2015 officers donate a water bottle refilling station as the class gift to the school. Marissa’s project was a great way for her to hone her leadership skills, including communication, organization and investigation. Caitlin Kazunas, Southampton Living the Girl Scout Law Bullying is a growing issue for elementary and middle school students. Caitlin’s project targeted this issue at the preschool, third grade and sixth grade levels. She created educational boxes containing activities based upon the Girl Scout Law and the great principles to learn and live by that are conveyed through its text. Each year, students learn how their actions positively and negatively affect those around them by participating in these customized activities. Through this initiative, Caitlin wanted to help students mature into respected and respectful members of the community, inspiring themselves and others to do great things. 27

Emma Morton, Southwick Health Pamphlets for Baystate Hospital Emma knows that not everyone is aware of the simple things that keep us healthy. In response, she created pamphlets containing information about illnesses including asthma, chickenpox, ear infections, RSV, the common cold, lice, pneumonia, diabetes, and Lyme disease, and health issues such as proper handwashing techniques and healthy diet. Each pamphlet contains information about symptoms, prevention and treatment. Emma distributed the pamphlets at Baystate Medical Center, her school, and the local 4-H club. The staff at the medical center will continue duplicating and distributing the pamphlets. Emma gained better communication skills and learned about various health issues by working on her project. Katherine Hamilton, Stow Connecting Culture throughout America Katherine raised awareness of Native American tribes in an effort to help preserve their culture. She set up a pen pal exchange between a fourth grade class on a Navajo reservation in southwest United States and her hometown. Students were able to learn about and understand other cultures firsthand. Then, she shifted her focus to the Nipmuc tribe in Grafton, MA, which consists of only about 500 people and is less well-known than the Navajos. She filmed interviews with several Nipmuc elders, including the current and former chiefs, and used these stories in an oral history documentary to spread awareness of the tribe’s culture, and encourage collaboration with the Grafton Historical Society. Through her project, Katherine learned persistence and adaptability. Future fourth grade classes will continue the pen pal exchange. Caroline Davis, Sudbury Nutrition Program for Open Table Caroline created a nutrition program for a local food pantry that hosts community dinner programs. She encouraged guests to take advantage of fresh produce donated by a local nonprofit organic farm, and provided them with nutrition information they may not otherwise have access to, including cooking tips and recipe ideas. She also organized an event where a dietician spoke to guests about nutrition, and offered advice through a question and answer segment. Caroline developed her communication and organization skills by working with and connecting different people and organizations. 28

Michaela Kirby, Sutton Stretch. Sauté. Share. Michaela’s project addressed healthy lifestyles for young girls in the face of inevitable social pressure. Michaela led a day of activities geared towards teaching young girls about health and wellness. Activity topics included yoga, understanding food labels, healthy cooking and stress-relieving crafts, which allowed the girls in attendance to learn valuable skills to incorporate into their daily lives. All of the information and recipes are available on a website, making the information accessible in the future to girls and their caregivers. Jaylan Fraser-Mines, Tyngsborough Tyngsborough Community Garden At a local senior center, Jaylan built a community garden containing four beds for vegetables, herbs and other plants. This garden helps bring local, healthy and sustainable food to the center, and provides an opportunity for seniors and other community members to work together. In addition, Jaylan created a cookbook for the senior center with recipes that can be made with the vegetables and herbs from the garden. Her project helped Jaylan develop skills around organizing volunteers, communicating with community members and managing both time and resources. Deanna Kay, Tyngsborough Outdoor Classroom When the preschool merged with the elementary school in Deanna’s hometown, a group of teachers started the Outdoor Classroom, offering an outdoor play space where students could learn about nature. Deanna enhanced this experience by adding a sensory table, with sand and water on each side for well-rounded sensory play. She also constructed a bridge, renovated a preexisting stage, and built a bird house with a solar powered camera. With the help of her troop, Deanna organized a costume drive and created a book of fun game ideas. As the final element of her project, Deanna organized “Saturday Play Day” to unveil the new features.

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Caitlin Looney, Tyngsborough Hopscotch (Helping Other People Smile) Caitlin created and initiated a rabbit therapy program called Hopscotch, which aims to reduce depression and anxiety of those in assisted living communities. Through Hopscotch, youth handlers from the 4H Rabbit and Cavy Carrot Crusader group in Middlesex County were trained and certified to become Hopscotch therapy rabbit teams. The Hopscotch teams brought their rabbits to visit the memory-impaired elderly at a local assisted living center. These sessions helped relax the participants, enhanced their social skills, and brought joy to everyone involved. Hopscotch is being sustained by the 4H Rabbit and Cavy Carrot Crusaders Club. Courtney Walker, Uxbridge New Hope Courtney’s goal was to raise awareness of domestic violence. She worked with New Hope, an organization that provides shelter, food and care for those who are leaving abusive relationships, including men, women and children. Through Courtney’s efforts, New Hope will give a presentation every year at her former high school, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School. She set up donation bins throughout her community in support of New Hope’s efforts. Courtney also used pamphlets and a poster to spread awareness of domestic violence. Kathleen (Katie) DeBlasio, Walpole Picture Symbol & Word Books Katie’s project was designed to help students with special needs who cannot read well, or at all. Katie made a cookbook with a software that includes visual cues along with the words, allowing students of all abilities to read the directions. Katie then taught preschool students how to create the recipes in the cookbook. She distributed 35 copies of the cookbook to schools in her town, the public library and the schools in the Education Cooperative. The special education program at the local elementary school has the software to update and distribute the cookbook as needed. Katie learned how to lead and advocate for herself, as an individual diagnosed with Down syndrome.

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Elodie Carel, Wayland Project Diaper Bank The issue Elodie addressed was the struggle of underresourced caretakers to get the supplies they need. She created an informational card to provide caretakers with resources to find free available support. With input from social service experts, Elodie focused her efforts on creating The Diaper Depot to help families who cannot afford diapers for their children. The Diaper Depot provides clean diapers, wipes, creams and formula. In order to ensure a sustainable supply, Elodie enlisted and trained a number of volunteers from different groups and organizations, asking them to commit to coordinating a yearly diaper drive in support of The Diaper Depot. Sophia (Sage) Estrada, Wayland Blue Heron Stewardship Forest Historic and Wellness Preservation Inspired by her love of the Blue Heron Stewardship Forest in northeastern Pennsylvania, Sage helped preserve knowledge of Native American points of interest, maintain the heritage of the land, and inspire the community to engage in the natural environment. She identified the current trails using GPS coordinates, created multiple wellness and geocaching hikes, and created a trail marking system with trail signs. Sage also documented historical and cultural points of interest, as well as nature facts and activities for those hiking the trails. She learned how to lead a group of people and organize large projects into workable small tasks. Amanda (Mandy) Judah, Wayland Bringing Historical Women to Local Communities To raise awareness of influential local women in history, Mandy taught third grade students about courageous local historical women who made significant strides in underrepresented fields. She researched, designed and facilitated the use of four primary source toolkits—including interactive worksheets—that met the Massachusetts Department of Education curriculum standards. To date, more than 70 students have utilized the materials in classrooms and homeschooling, and the toolkits will continue to be used in these classes. Through developing these toolkits, Mandy learned the benefits of expanding beyond one’s comfort zone.

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Shannon Duffy, Wellesley Computer Science Education Noticing a lack of computer science education at the local middle school, Shannon taught a JavaScript class over the summer. When the school year began, she founded the Middle School Computer Science Club, introducing students to computer science and helping them explore different types of programs they can write with code. Shannon’s goal was for the students to develop an interest in programming and continue to write code on their own. She learned how to communicate with diverse people and groups, and how to delegate tasks. Margaret Baldwin, Westborough Trails of Information The Westborough Community Land Trust preserves great outdoor space, and Margaret wanted more community members to take advantage of it. She created a virtual trail guide for the Gilmore Pond trail in Westborough, available on smartphones. The trail guide includes information on the history and wildlife of the area. Margaret’s project benefits members of her community by providing an education tool, encouraging local residents to enjoy the nature around them, and raising awareness for the Westborough Community Land Trust. Hayley McLeod, Westborough Bowman Conservation Area Website Hayley used her interests in art, photography and nature to renovate a section of the Westborough Community Land Trust’s website. They had almost no information on the Bowman Conservation Reservoir, so Hayley stepped in to gather and publish it online. Hoping to inspire families and children to develop healthy habits young, Hayley added a section on the website specifically for children. With all that she learned through her project, Hayley wishes she had gotten involved with hiking earlier in her life. Meghan O’Keefe, Westborough Heart Smart After losing a friend to cardiac arrest, Meghan chose to focus her project on CPR training. Meghan saw the impact her friend’s parents made in sponsoring a law in Virginia, and she wanted to do something similar. Through discussions with the 32

American Heart Association, she learned that passing similar legislation in Massachusetts would be difficult due to the state’s education department structure. Undeterred, she worked with school administrators to amend the Westborough High School student handbook and physical education/ health curriculum. It now requires CPR training prior to graduation for all classes, beginning with the class of 2019. With the help of experts, Meghan led high school freshmen through classes of hands-only CPR. She also held two classes at the public library for community members of all ages. Meghan earned her Red Cross CPR Instructor license, which means she can train and certify others as she continues to organize trainings. She also created a video about how one can become trained in CPR. Zenia Saqib, Westborough Music Buddies Mentorship Program Zenia created a two-part mentorship program designed to provide guidance for beginning musicians in the Westborough Fine Arts program. Inspired by her own experience with band, Zenia wanted to provide the kind of guidance she received to musicians who do not have it. She created instructional videos, each hosted by a high school player knowledgeable and proficient in a specific instrument. Zenia learned time management skills and the importance of empathy. The Tri-M Honor Society chapter at Westborough High School will sustain the program. Tanya Walia, Westborough Express Yourself: Cards for the Community Tanya wanted to share her love of art with the community to provide people with an artistic learning experience. She taught community members how to make homemade greeting cards, helping them understand the sentimental value of a homemade card versus store-bought. She organized a nine-day program in which she taught elementary school students how to make different types of greeting cards. The students chose a few of their cards to share with the community and wrote messages in them to send to local veterans and senior citizens. She filmed a video at the local television station and created a book with information on how to make different homemade cards. Tanya gained confidence in her leadership skills through teaching, interacting and cooperating with people of all ages.

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Elizabeth Whalen, Westborough Empower Yourself and Self Defense Karate is a huge part of Elizabeth’s life, both as a student and teacher. She designed her project to address what she saw among people her age and older as a lack of ability to defend themselves against some of the most basic forms of attack. Using her knowledge as a third degree black belt, Elizabeth taught people with varying levels of self-defense experience to defend themselves, with the understanding that it could save their life. This project, although meant for young women and girls, could be used by anyone who wants to acquire skills in self-defense. A video of Elizabeth’s lesson is available on its own Facebook page, allowing people worldwide to gain a better understanding of how karate can help them. Anisha Mathew, Westford Educating Internationally Anisha held a donation drive to collect school supplies for various Indian schools. Then she traveled to India, where she helped provide a quality education to disadvantaged students in developing communities. Anisha also taught teachers new techniques to use in their classrooms, including how to use their limited technologies efficiently and responsibly. She also tutored students who needed extra time to learn specific lessons and concepts. She created a video explaining her project and personal experiences, which will be used to attract future volunteers to continue her efforts. Anisha learned that leading is not just teaching others, but also asking for help. Shanelle Mendes, Westford Helping Homeless Children through Extracurricular Activities Shanelle wanted to provide a fun program for homeless students to learn in a stress-free environment. She created a world cultures curriculum for elementary students at a local shelter’s after-school program. She built teams consisting of foreign language teachers, leaders of cultural organizations, and people who immigrated to the United States from other countries. The teams completed surveys documenting their nation’s different crafts, games, literature and common words in the official language. With this information, Shanelle built a curriculum, and with volunteer assistance, taught it to the students in the shelter. The shelter has Shanelle’s curriculum to continue the program in the future. Shanelle developed the leadership skills of advocacy, communication and collaboration. 34

Hailey Rohall, Weston SCORE! Hailey created the SCORE! program to facilitate mentoring relationships between grade school and high school athletes. In order to join the SCORE! program, students donated sports and play gear to Horizons for Homeless Children. The high school students spoke on various topics, including the value of physical activity and community service. The program included sporting events such as basic skills trainings and scrimmages in basketball, soccer and field hockey. Through her project, Hailey learned time management skills and the importance of breaking multi-dimensional initiatives into smaller tasks. Alisha Ukani, Weston Girls Coding Community: Introducing Girls to Computer Science The gender gap in technical fields is becoming an increasingly well-known problem, and it is hard for women to find resources to learn more about these STEM fields. With that in mind, Alisha created CodHer Camp, a free two-day event where women of any age could learn how to code and publish their own website. All participants improved in their ability to write code, with familiarity of this skill increasing from 40% to 100%. Alisha was able to refine her leadership skills through planning and promoting the event, and adapting to the different learning paces of the participants. A guided tutorial of the coding lessons is now available for anyone to access. Bridget Mary Doherty, Westwood A Legacy Not Forgotten A local elementary school in Bridget’s hometown of Westwood is named after William E. Sheehan, a policeman who was killed on the job. Bridget created a book titled, A Legacy Not Forgotten, memorializing this serviceman’s death and the ways in which the town came together to mourn the loss. Bridget conducted interviews and reviewed public documents in gathering information for the book, which includes pictures, newspaper articles, and firsthand accounts of the tragic shooting. Copies of this book can be found at the William E. Sheehan School library and the Westwood town library. Through her project, Bridget learned to speak confidently and to ask for help when she needs it.

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Katie McGillivray, Westwood Welcoming Women and Inspiring Hope Katie raised awareness of domestic violence and organized campaigns to help those in shelters. Katie invited domestic violence survivor Charlena Kennedy to speak to high school students about her experience, and what to do in a similar situation. Katie also created posters and flyers with information and statistics about domestic violence to raise awareness in her community. She organized volunteers to create welcome baskets with full-size toiletries and beauty products for over 50 women when they arrive at shelters. Katie also put together a booklet of information on how she planned and executed this project so others can continue to support it. Through her project, Katie learned the importance of attention to detail and time management. Avalon Mercado, Wilbraham Commemorating 50 years of History: The Zoo in Forest Park Avalon wanted to make the history of The Zoo in Forest Park accessible to the public. The zoo has existed in some form since the early 1900s, but it is the 50th anniversary of the renovated zoo that Avalon wanted to honor through her project. She created a visual timeline of the zoo’s history between the 1960s and the 2000s, illustrating each decade with a large poster containing photos. The posters are made of durable material and Avalon waterproofed them for outdoor use. To supplement the timeline, she created a binder of relevant newspaper articles and more photographs. Avalon won’t soon forget seeing one guest overcome with nostalgia while showing her grandson the timeline pictures, telling him about what the zoo had been like when she was young. Kayla Bell, Winchester Protect the Fells Kayla created an informational pamphlet about the 10 most invasive plants to the Fells Reservation in Middlesex County. The pamphlet was shared with the general public and the reservation trail adopters. Kayla also created an app for hikers and bikers to use on the Fells Reservation to connect with one another in real time. An electronic version of the pamphlet is provided on the app, in addition to links for additional information about invasive species. Kayla volunteered at several Friends of the Fells booths and events to distribute the pamphlets and promote the app. Through her project, Kayla learned how to engage and cooperate with diverse groups of people. 36

Mollie O’Connor, Winchester Life Skills for a Better Tomorrow Mollie created Life Skills for a Better Tomorrow to help students with learning and physical disabilities. She created a mock studio apartment that was used to teach life skills for around the home, including making the bed, vacuuming, cooking and cleaning. Many of the students will have personal assistants, but Mollie’s goal was to help them to be less dependent on their parents or assistants. Mollie also created a website with the lesson plans. The program will be sustained by the students of the STRIDE program, and the Stoneham High School will maintain the mock apartment. Mollie learned to think critically, build a team and problem solve. Emma Sullivan, Winchester Healthy Relationship Workshop Emma organized a set of four workshops for young women ages 13-17 about different types of healthy relationships. Workshop topics included your relationship with yourself, your family, your peers, and romantic relationships. Within these workshops, the girls discussed self-esteem, how to improve communication and reduce conflict, and how to evaluate if certain friendships and relationships are healthy. Each workshop included icebreaker activities and a guest speaker, plus a survey for the beginning and end of each workshop so Emma could rate the effectiveness of the workshops. The workshop resources are held at the local library. Through her project, Emma learned perseverance and self-confidence. Emily Gebow, Rowley Save the Animals Emily learned that some people in her community don’t know what to do if their pets get sick or injured. Her project sought to educate pet owners in her community about pet care and ownership. She organized events at a local church and a retirement community where animal trainers and a representative from a dog rescue organization presented information on pet care. She also created informational brochures that were provided to animal shelters around the community. The community service club at her high school will continue to organize these informational presentations.*

*Project description received after booklet layout was completed.

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Gold Award Committees Thank you for your significant commitment of time and talent, and your dedication to the Girl Scout mission. You are making a difference in the lives of girls who, in turn, are making the world a better place.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Alice (Bo) Bowen, South Yarmouth Marie (Skip) Carver, Winthrop Jennifer Coombs, Arlington De Corrigan, Methuen Sheila Craffey, Lynnfield Vicki Crosson, Cambridge Diana Deluca, Natick Nini Gomez, Hingham Karlyn Goodman, Quincy Elena Janice, Brookline Diane Kimball, Hudson Alissa Lauzon, Lexington Caitlyn LeBlanc, Burlington Erin Long Boland, Wilmington

Nancy Marshall, Burlington Courtney Medlin, Dorchester Jessica Robinson, Bridgewater Paula Ruozzi, Braintree Lynn Sanderson, Natick Kathy Shea, Hingham Gail Spring, Quincy Heidi Star, Winchester Marissa Szabo, Wakefield Gold Award Co-Chairs Cathy LeBlanc, Burlington Joan Reilly, GSEM

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts Lissa Asta-Ferrero, Agawam Jean Baxter, Hadley Polly Billiel, Turners Falls Paula Brault, Northfield Jenn Cherry, Ludlow Glynis DeVerry, Feeding Hills Sue Labelle, Leominster Ellen Moorhouse, Springfield Stacy OBey, Rutland

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Nancy Owens, Jefferson Jane Schroeder, Milford Tawnya Tiskus, Easthampton Ann Marie Waller, Feeding Hills Arlene Wolfe, Worcester Gold Award Advisor Katie Chappell, GSCWM

History of the Highest Award in Girl Scouting Golden Eagle of Merit 1916 - 1919

Golden Eaglet 1919 - 1938

First Class 1938 - 1940

Curved Bar 1940 - 1963

First Class 1963 - 1980

Gold Award 1980 - present

Special Thanks GSEM thanks United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and GSCWM thanks TD Bank for support of the Gold Award program. A special thank you to the Women’s Legislative Caucus and its executive director, Lauren Scribi, for sponsoring Girl Scouts at the Massachusetts State House. 39

The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts 95 Berkeley St., Ste. 404 • Boston, MA 02116 Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts 301 Kelly Way • Holyoke, MA 01040