Hayes Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award

Each year on February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 146 countries celebrate World Thinking Day. Girls participate in activities and projects with global themes to honor their sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in other countries. Celebrated since 1926, World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship, speaking out on issues that affect girls and young women, and fundraising for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.

Natalie and Nicole with the finished product.

One of the projects to earn the World Thinking Day Award in 2015 was to build a Peace Pole and plant it at a local school, park, community center or church. Peace Poles are recognized as an international symbol and monument to peace and bear the message “May peace prevail on earth” in languages from around the world. Placing a Peace Pole is a way of bringing people together.

The Cadettes of Troop 1076 at that time had their meetings at Gloucester Point Baptist Church, so the girls approached Mr. Ted Fisher, a deacon at the church, to ask if they could put the Peace Pole there. But the girls wanted to do more than just the pole. They wanted to try to achieve the Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the highest award that a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. They decided to not only make a pole, but to put a garden around the pole and build a bench to put beside the garden for people to sit and enjoy. Each Cadette drew a picture of their idea to submit to the church council. The Cadettes attended meetings with the church council and were given permission to do their Silver Award Project at Gloucester Point Baptist Church.

Natalie and Nicole varnishing one of the benches.

Two members of the troop, Natalie and Nicole, have now officially earned the Silver Award. They began the project in the winter of 2015, after receiving approval to do their project from the GSCCC Awards Committee. Right away, they got to work putting together a team to help them achieve their goals and seeking donations of supplies they would need. They spent their summer vacation learning woodworking and building benches.

After they finished the pole and benches, the girls worked with a family friend who helped them pick out and plant flowers to place in the garden. The following spring, with the help of friends and family, the girls placed the Peace Pole, benches, and plants in the garden. On May 15, Natalie and Nicole, who are now members of Troop 1321, dedicated the Peace Pole at the Gloucester Point Baptist Church annual picnic.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the second highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting. For more information about making a difference in the community as a Girl Scout, visit www.gsccc.org.