Gold Award Spotlight: Abuzz for Honey Bees

Girl Scout Savannah has earned the Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.

For her project, “Abuzz for Honey Bees (AHB),” Savannah set out to spread awareness about the importance of honey bee conservation. She targeted the environmental issue of the declining population of honey bees by focusing on the education of teachers, parents, and elementary school students. Savannah developed a curriculum that included lesson plans, games, a website, and a pollinator garden for an interactive experience. Her curriculum was presented to local and national organizations to widen the scope of AHB.

Despite the obstacles she experienced while completing her project, Savannah was able to overcome them with ease. By using her resources wisely, she successfully shared her curriculum with a teacher at Norfolk Christian School. Savannah also learned to be fearless when speaking out about issues that were important to her. Her project taught her that collaboration was key to increasing a project’s impact.

“My project was successful because I reached out to several organizations that agreed to share my Abuzz for Honey Bees curriculum,” she said. “Through contacting these organizations and giving presentations, I became a better communicator. I learned how to write professional emails, give presentations with minimal ‘ums’ and ‘likes,’ and to advocate for my cause.”

The Abuzz for Honey Bees’ project will be sustained beyond Savannah’s involvement through the organizations that AHB has partnered with. Second grade teachers at Norfolk Christian Lower School agreed to continue teaching AHB lessons in the coming years and to maintain the pollinator garden.

Savannah was recognized in April 2019 by Volunteer Hampton Roads at the 44th Annual Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Awards dinner. She was given the award of Outstanding Youth Volunteer for the work she did in the community to earn her Gold Award.