Latest news with #GirlScoutGoldAward
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Leeds Girl Scout creates museum exhibit honoring local veterans
The following story was written by Nathan Prewett and published in the Trussville Tribune. LEEDS, Ala. (TRIBUNE) – A local girl scout has created a media-based exhibit at the Leeds Historical Society Museum, honoring local veterans and preserving their stories for future generations. Aubry Mabery, a member of the Leeds Area Girl Scout Troop 30234, partnered with the Leeds Historical Society for the project as part of her efforts to earn a Girl Scout Gold Award—the highest honor in Girl Scouting. The new exhibit features digitized portraits and stories of veterans from Leeds as well as an interactive scavenger hunt for students and families visiting the museum. 'I wanted to preserve the stories of those who have indirectly inspired me,' Mabery said. 'This has also been a growing experience that helped me to understand my goals and aspirations.' Mabery has had a longstanding relationship with the Leeds Historical Society Museum, located at the historic J.W. Bass House. For her Silver Award, she inventoried many of the museum's artifacts and created a digital archive stored on the society's cloud-based system. 'The people I've worked with have been so kind and understanding. They've shown me how historians can respect the history that inspires us and 'preserve the cornerstones of our past in order to inspire our future,' Mabery added. She has also used her platform as Miss Leeds Fire Prevention to raise awareness about the damage that fire and smoke can cause to historical buildings and museum artifacts, advocating for installing smoke and fire detectors in historic structures throughout Leeds to prevent their destruction. 'We are proud to support Aubry's inspiring project,' said Leeds Historical Society President Randy Ray. 'She embodies the values of both the Girl Scouts and the Historical Society—a commitment to learning, leadership, and the preservation of our shared history.' A special presentation of the exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, May 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Leeds Historical Museum located on 1129 Montevallo Road SW and will be part of the Leeds Historical Society's Memorial Day Weekend programming. Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Girl Scout helping a dying bat population with bat boxes
DELAWARE WATER GAP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Girl Scouts are known for helping the community and selling cookies, but embracing bats? That is exactly what is behind a local Girl Scout's mission in the Poconos. Kendra Collins is not supervising a major construction project, but she hopes what she is teaching girls to build brings major benefits. 'It really goes back to loving the unloved, you know, because people don't like bats. They're scary, you know,' said Kendra. But those wing-thinged, flying mammals are beneficial to the environment. Bats consume large amounts of insects, including many agricultural pests. They are also considered crucial in pollination and spreading seeds. 'There used to be, like, millions upon millions of bats,' Kendra explained. But that was before a virus called 'white nose syndrome' emerged nearly two decades decimated the bat population, especially in Pennsylvania. 'It went down to 15,000. There used to be way more, and that's a big issue, I feel that I want to combat myself,' said Kendra. 12-year-old shares his talent in and out of the pool That's why Kendra learned to build bat boxes to give the nocturnal creatures a safe place to multiply. 'It's just a flat box, you drill some holes for them to breathe. You've got to waterproof it. You know, that bad fungus, and it's just drilling little lines for them to hold onto. Easy peasy. Anyone can make one,' Kendra explained. Kendra has turned protecting bats and other critters into a Girl Scout Gold Award project in hopes of achieving the highest honor given to a Girl Scout. Her advisor says Kendra's effort checks a lot of boxes. 'It had to make a difference in the community, then had to have longevity in the ecosystem. It had to be well thought out and planned, and who their target audience was. It had to show leadership qualities,' Ann Summa, Kendra's advisor and adjunct educator at Kettle Creek Environmental Center, said. She says Kendra exhibits those qualities every time she focuses on nature. 'You can just tell she takes a closer look at everything she finds,' Summa said. While earning a Girl Scout Gold Award would be quite a personal accomplishment, it is pretty clear that it is not Kendra's only motivation. 'Nature is important. You've got to take care of it. If you're not stepping your foot in to take care of them, who's going to do it?' Kendra said. Kendra says she plans to share with others her passion for nature after graduating from high school. Here's to you, Kendra. If you have a kid you think should be featured on Here's To You Kid!, send in a nomination online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CI Hero: Stark Co. senior up for IHSA award for service
STARK COUNTY, Ill. (WMBD) — A Stark County high schooler didn't refrain from stepping up to lead her school's music classes when the district lost its teacher. Lauren Best is this week's CI Hero. 'Sometimes your mentor is someone who's been in your field for a million years and sometimes your mentor ends up being a 16-year-old and that's just how it turns out sometimes,' said Music Director Sophia Elswick. Best stepped up her junior year, along with a group of friends, to fill a void when the music director quit. She helped current music director, Sophia Elswick, transition into the program when she accepted the role in early 2024. She said music is her passion and she felt compelled to keep that experience for other students. 'I've made some of my best friends in music and it's really important to me that I get to be in a community with these people,' said senior Lauren Best. 'I've been a leader for the junior high recently and it's been really cool because I get to be their role model and they're really fun to hang out with.' Music moves Best, but so does education. She's graduating in the spring with her associate's degree and is up for valedictorian. Outside of her studies she's just as active. 'I'm on my robotics team through first robotics competition and I use my leadership skills there and my communication,' said Best. 'I'm also in a lot of music ensembles. At my church I play piano a couple times a month for offertory.' 'She got her Girl Scout Gold Award for a project she did in my room in helping me digitize all 5,000 titles of sheet music,' said Elswick. All this work led the IHSA to nominate her for the National federation of State High School Associations Heart of the Arts Award. 'It was really good for me to learn leadership skills because I am pretty quiet overall,' said Best. 'It took a while for me to learn how to be a leader and communicate well.' Elswick said Best is a student who's left an imprint on her heart and her teaching career. 'I am so grateful that our paths crossed in this way and to have her as one of my first students has been such an honor,' said Elswick. In the fall, Best will study industrial engineering at Iowa State University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Roscoe Girl Scout awarded for teaching students about the ecosystem
ROSCOE, Ill. (WTVO) — A Roscoe Girl Scout was honored and awarded with the organization's highest award on Friday. Madeline Archer received the Girl Scout Gold Award for a project she created entitled 'Curriculum Boxes About Native Pollinators.' The teaching explains to young students how important pollinators are to the ecosystem. Each box contained educational materials, interactive activities and games. Six boxes have been given to Ledgewood Elementary School. Archer hopes they can be replicated across Northern Illinois. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
