GSGATL Highest Awards Achievements in 2022 by Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Heart. Vision. Drive. Celebrating

Highest Award Achievements in 2022

Congratulations Highest Award Girl Scouts! Dear Girl Scout Family, Witnessing the extraordinary growth of our Girl Scouts as they immerse themselves in the powerful learning opportunities provided through our High Awards program remains a profound privilege for me. Girl Scouts are forces for change in their communities and around the globe, inspired by a passion to make the world a better place. These change-makers engaged in purposeful, impactful work in their communities during another challenging year of a global pandemic. They were supported by their families, their Girl Scout leaders, volunteers, and their Girl Scout sisters, who stood beside them during this process. With awe-inspiring passion and boundless curiosity, our Girl Scouts tackled complex problems, pushed themselves outside their comfort zones, and worked to bravely reimagine the world they wish to see. I am inspired beyond measure by their achievements and their demonstrations of kindness and civic responsibility. These young women exemplify leadership in every form. This year we honor 126 Gold Award Girl Scouts. This prestigious award represents the highest achievement for a Girl Scout and is the pinnacle of the Girl Scout experience. The Award is earned by fewer than six percent of Girl Scouts nationwide and only after meeting a strict set of national standards. Gold Award Girl Scouts demonstrate leadership abilities and transform an idea into an actionable plan with sustainable impact – locally, nationally, and even internationally. The Gold Award is an amazing platform for girls to follow their passions, improving their communities and the world beyond. In this book, you will read about the many accomplishments of our Gold Award Girl Scouts. These outstanding young leaders are informed, dedicated, and empowered to make the world a better place for others. Whether it’s educating communities about water safety and pools, developing therapy resources and videos for families with Down Syndrome children, working to destigmatize teen mental health, or building mini pantries to supply the local community with personal care items and healthy food, these Girl Scouts are the mark of the truly remarkable! We are equally proud of our 422 Girl Scout Cadettes, each investing more than 50 hours to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award, and the 437 Girl Scout Juniors who earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award. Congratulations to all our Gold Award Girl Scouts. Your strength, passion, and tenacity to make the world a better place inspires us all. You are courageous leaders and visionary change-makers, and our future looks brighter because of you. Thank you to all the parents and volunteers for supporting our High Award honorees. Girl Scouts is a life-changing journey because of your support and commitment to the Girl Scout mission, promise, and law. I can’t wait to see how our Gold Award Girl Scouts take on the next chapter of their lives with heart, vision, and drive. Yours in Girl Scouting,

Amy Dosik Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Gold Award Girl Scouts

Abigail Larsen

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Kelly Angelo Project Advisor: Deborah Walker-Little Gold Award Coach: Kelly Angelo

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Tammy Larsen and Lynn Miller Project Advisor: Sarah Tysinger Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Backpack Buddies

Virtually Unnoticed: Bringing Abandoned Infants to Light

Abby addressed the issue of low-income students falling behind in education because of the covid pandemic. She worked with the Interfaith Outreach Home in Doraville, Georgia to help support their students become more prepared for school. Most of the IOH students were unable to continue their education when schools closed, and their parents were unable to teach at home. Abby provided study guides and provided a list of resources to help the students prepare for school and assist with homework. She also provided school supplies for each student, which included a backpack.

For Abigail’s Gold Award project, Virtually Unnoticed: Bringing Light to Abandoned Infants, she scripted, directed, and created a video series. By utilizing the instrument of film, she sought to artistically portray stories of abandoned infants, sex trafficking victims, and young women forced into pregnancies. Her project addressed the lack of awareness among young adults in the metro Atlanta area regarding infant abandonment, discarding and exploitation.

Don’t be afraid to be different. Be unconventional, be bold, and do what makes you happy. As a favorite teacher and friend would often say, different’s not bad – just different. Ellie Conte, page 10

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Abby Sroka

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Abigail Minnaugh

Aleasa Monet Parker

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Teresa Minnaugh Project Advisor: David Gillespie Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Donna Lowry Project Advisor: Tedra Perkins Gold Award Coach: Donna Lowry

The Power of Poverty

The Take CTRL Project

Abigail’s project addressed the reality that poverty is an entrapping cycle for those who live in it and a foreign cycle to those who do not. To combat these issues, she volunteered regularly at the Hope and Dignity Community Center, held three skill-building classes for children in that community, made physical improvements to the Center, and created a website to educate people who are not in poverty about its entrapping grasp.

Aleasa did a workshop to encourage people to combat the stigma of mental health. Her target audience was ages 1218 and their parents. The workshop was local in her city of Atlanta, on Zoom. Her SMART goals were to have 100 people in the workshop and educate them on the signs of bullying and mental health issues. Aleasa’s project allowed her to be a leader by hosting the workshop and relaying information to her audience.

Alaina Thomas

Alena Jones

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Elizabeth Crane Project Advisor: Christine Emerson Gold Award Coach: Elizabeth Crane

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisor: Jeanine Ramirez Project Advisor: Leeshu Kennedy Gold Award Coach: Fran Houston

Lemonade for Learning

Courageous and Strong Women in Government

Alaina created a sustainable lemonade and treats stand to help fight poverty in her community and raise money to purchase school supplies for underprivileged children. She reached out to local businesses for treat donation cards that she could pass out to her customers after they donated to the cause. She and her team raised over $700 and were able to purchase school supplies for children in need.

Alena’s project combines her love of theatre, history and politics. She created a 40-minute video talking about how our government works and how women have been involved. There is an obvious lack of women in government, not only in this country, but around the world, and she wanted to address that issue through her project. Alena presented her video to middle school girls and sent it to local libraries and teachers.

Amanda Robinson

Ana Cristina Castañeda

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Kelli Robinson and Kaliska Wright Project Advisor: Diane Thomas Gold Award Coach: Ayana Shepherd

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisors: Colleen Rowland and Ivonne Castañeda Project Advisor: Joann Fleckenstein Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Kindness is Contagious

Sensory Tool Box Kits

My project focused on promoting kindness in elementaryaged children. I created a kindness curriculum to engage kids and teach kindness. I hosted five local workshops with ninety-nine attendees. To maintain sustainability, my digital curriculum was shared with local churches, and a school I worked with continued holding workshops and created a kindness club.

For Ana’s Gold Award project, Sensory Tool Box Kits, she spent seven months creating 88 kits. Her main goal was to ease the frustration of children with sensory issues who were placed into virtual learning during the pandemic. This challenge was addressed by providing I-Spy tubes, lava lamps and stress balls to elementary-aged children at the Elaine Clark Center. For sustainability, a binder of materials, links and holistic approaches was provided.

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Bernadette King Project Advisor: Paula Bridgeman Gold Award Coach: Bernadette King

Writing for Mental Health Many teens experience issues with their mental health. Amaya’s project, Writing for Mental Health, is a program that teaches teens various writing styles that can be used as a coping mechanism. She held meetings with youth groups and created power points and pamphlets to deliver her message, which were distributed across various organizations. Teens that attended her meetings started writing more and were able to speak to her project advisor, who is a licensed counselor.

Andrea Fairchild County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Arrie Kim and Tiffany Robertson Project Advisors: Adriana Salas and Kim Baker Gold Award Coach: Lori Everette

We’ve Got This in the Bag! Andrea’s project aimed to break the social stigma of homelessness and address the root cause of homeless people experiencing stigmatism from society. She did this by educating people about harmful stereotypes and ways to change their mindset. She also designed and sewed bags for the homeless to replace the demeaning trash bags they normally use. The presentation and bag blueprints were posted to The Family Promise and PRHS Habitat for Humanity websites.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Amaya Jones

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Annie Dang

Arrington Goss

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Marshauna Graves Project Advisor: Kathy Bentley Gold Award Coach: Marshauna Graves

County: Fayette County Troop Advisor: Kellie Goss Project Advisor: Tom Gutnik Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Annie’s STEM Site

The Coding Spirit

Annie’s project addressed a lack of STEM resources for teachers and students in the community. She created mini lessons consisting of videos and practice problems that aligned with Berkeley Lake Elementary School’s STEM class curriculum and compiled them all on a website. She also worked with Ms. Kathy Bentley, who teaches that class, to ensure that her lessons will be a sustained part of their curriculum.

Arrington’s project addressed the issue of gender inequality in STEM fields, specifically in computer science where the ratio of men to women is more skewed. To address this, she created a coding club for the girls at her school. The club has been well received at the school, and the founding members are eager to learn to code and share the experience with others.

Ansley Wassell County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Shari Wassell Project Advisor: Lauren Campbell Gold Award Coach: Erin Dixon

Dunwoody Elementary School Mailbox Ansley created a lockable, 4-feet tall book drop-off mailbox for the PTO at her local elementary school. When researching, she found that the school didn’t have one, so she fulfilled their need. Ansley learned leadership and communication skills that will help prepare her for a future in the real world.

Asha Palacherla County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Ardise Sehested and Dawn Geren Project Advisor: Millie Norman Gold Award Coach: Dawn Geren

Her Drive Asha has always been a huge advocate of women empowerment, feminism, and girl bosses, so she wanted to do a project that would help women. One of the biggest issues women face is period poverty, not having proper feminine hygiene products because they are unable to afford or obtain them. To help solve this issue, she created the Her Drive, a semi-annual donation of feminine hygiene and menstrual care products to the Lilburn Co-op.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Maya Angelou

Aria Sharma

Troop 14512 | Fulton County

Troop Advisors: Madhu Sharma and Dianne Doss Project Advisor: Katie Gutierrez, Caroline Choe and Namrata Thadani Gold Award Coach: Shelly Midkiff

COVID Warriors!

Aria’s COVID Warriors! initiative aimed to tackle the lack of education on COVID-19 and masks within the homeless community. She educated and handed out safety kits to over 170 homeless individuals and shared a virtual resource kit with 175,000 people. Her workshops with children at the Drake House involved lessons about sanitation techniques and DIY mask making. Together, they made a COVID Warrior scarecrow for the Alpharetta Scarecrow Harvest to educate the thousands of visitors who attended.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Ava McIntire

Brooke Blacknall

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Deanna Simmons and Marcy Cincotta-Smith Project Advisor: Jackie Hatcher Gold Award Coach: Deanna Simmons

County: Douglas County Troop Advisors: Olivia Blacknall and Romona Waller Project Advisor: Katie Henry Gold Award Coach: Suebrina Cofer

Transition from Middle to High School

Read, Race, Refresh!

Ava’s project is a book answering concerns that middle school students have about the transition from middle school to high school, based on 100+ survey responses. The book provides assurance, eases nerves, and boosts confidence, making the move to high school less intimidating. The book is placed in many libraries in her area and will help prepare students for their high school journey for years to come.

“Read, Race, Refresh!” was created to encourage literacy at North Douglas Elementary School. Every student selected a book in honor of National Reading Day, courtesy of the Black Rose Foundation. Students in grades K-5 competed to see which grade level could read the most books in two weeks. The school read a total of 833 books. The third grade read the most books, 312, and they were rewarded with a literary celebration.

Briana Nevers

Cameron Firestone

County: Henry County Troop Advisor: Sharon Johnson Project Advisor: Leah Ervin Gold Award Coach: Kelly Clute

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Kelly DeAngelo Project Advisor: Maggie Shane Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

Black is Powerful!

Educate to Break the Cycle

For Briana’s project, she wanted to educate and inspire young girls about black female leaders who are activists, CEOs, and business leaders from around the world. She wanted to teach girls that look like her that they can do anything as long as they put in the work. Briana created a display board that will be updated and displayed each year at her Service Unit’s World Thinking Day.

Cameron’s project was based on supporting Amigos for Christ, a non-profit organization working to improve living conditions in Nicaragua. She collected school supplies for elementary-aged children living in Nicaragua. By providing school supplies, it incentivized parents and children to continue attending school. Lack of education is a driving factor of poverty in Nicaragua, and by working to ensure people are being educated, the cycle of poverty is being broken.

Camryn Caldwell

Carmen Olekas

County: Rockdale County Troop Advisors: Adrienne Parker and Donna Lowry Project Advisor: Dr. Rachelle Dennis-Smith Gold Award Coach: Adrienne Parker

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Lynn Taylor Project Advisor: Shannon McMillen Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

I Wash, You Wash, We Wash!

Summer Reading Enrichment Program

One of the main problems in the world is young children not knowing how to properly wash their hands. Camryn wrote a book called “I Wash, You Wash, We Wash!” which targets children in elementary school and teaches them how to properly wash their hands. Her sustainability partner is West Manor Elementary School, in which she also held a workshop and read her book to the students.

Statistics show that lower income neighborhoods have lower test scores. This issue is exacerbated by a phenomenon known as the “summer slide”, or the loss of 20-30% of the reading and comprehension skills gained over the course of the school year Carmen’s project addressed this by creating a book club-style, guided reading group with her local library. It gives children the opportunity to keep up their momentum, which could be crucial in less confident readers.

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Julie Gosselin Project Advisor: Kristyn Johnson Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Make Some Noise Camryn created a music room in a children’s group-home called CCYA. Children live there because they have been abandoned, abused, trafficked or neglected. They all attend local schools and many are in orchestra and band. They do not have access to musical instruments outside of school. Camryn collected and refurbished 24 instruments and built them their own room where they can go for fun and receive music therapy.

Cate Uebelacker County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Kelly Angelo Project Advisor: Gail Pennington Gold Award Coach: Kelly Angelo

All Washed Up Cate’s project consisted of making homemade laundry detergent for the local Community Assistance Center, as that was the one thing that people loved to have but was never donated and accessible to them. The root cause for her project was that people who don’t have clean clothes to wear have lower self-esteem and don’t put themselves out there as much because of their embarrassment.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Camy Teichman

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Catherine McGeehan

Chyann Pettus

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Carolyn McGeehan Project Advisors: Anthony Delgado Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

County: Henry County Troop Advisor: Sharon Johnson Project Advisor: Christy Phelps Gold Award Coach: Karen Thomas

Care Kits

New Treasures

For Catherine’s project, she sought to assemble first aid kits that I Care Atlanta could distribute to people in need. She reached out to her local community and was able to raise the majority of materials through donations. In the end, she made 40 first aid kits. To sustain her project, she has arranged for the Pre-Health Club at her high school to take this on as a yearly service project.

New Treasures addresses the lack of resources available to people who are interested in sewing. It also addresses one of the main issues of homeless people, which is the lack of decent clothes. For her project, Chyann collected donated clothes for her first target audience to work on. The donated clothing was then cleaned, ironed, altered and given back out to a homeless shelter.

Celena Kim

Corinne Haines

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Tiffany Robertson and Arrie Kim Project Advisors: Amy Easley, Iman Abdur-Rahman and Michelle Alcorn Gold Award Coach: Lori Everette

County: Clayton County Troop Advisor: Bridget Mullen

Promise Packages Celena’s project addressed the lack of awareness about youth homelessness among her high school peers. She did this with a five-episode animated educational video bringing light to the severity of the situation and a Promise Packages program of holiday goodie bags and birthday packages. These were gifted to the children of Rainbow Village. The video and program were implemented in several clubs at her school.

Project Advisors: Crystal Perry Gold Award Coach: Sharon Hubbar-Belcher

The Flow Project Corinne’s project was based on helping women in need get access to feminine hygiene products, free of charge. The root cause of this issue is that women in low-income households often aren’t able to afford feminine hygiene products. She addressed this by hosting a workshop and collecting over 2,000 feminine hygiene products for the Bloom Closet and local schools. She plans to host a feminine hygiene drive every year to keep it sustainable.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Arya Ranchod

Troop 70022 | Fulton County

Troop Advisor: Maria Malo Project Advisor: Kibibi Springs Gold Award Coach: Jessica Weis

An Impact Through Ergonomics

Arya’s project is designed to help individuals address and prevent musculoskeletal disorders through the use of simple ergonomic techniques. Most MSDs occur due to incorrect posture and positioning. She designed a comprehensive website that outlines ergonomic techniques and exercises to prevent MSDs. She hosted workshops in the community, school, and businesses in the U.S. and abroad. Arya continues to make an impact through upcoming presentations with several universities and conferences.

2022 HIGHEST AWARDS | GOLD Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Always be true to yourself and genuine about helping others in order to make an impact.”

Demi Spencer County: Cobb County Project Advisor: McKinley E. Melton Gold Award Coach: Lakiva Watkins

Children of the Movement

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Demi’s project, Children of the Movement, is an effort to acknowledge kids and allow them to take action in civil issues. The particular problem she addressed was racism, and it involved her having discussions with select 2nd-5th graders about what racial prejudice is, where it stems from, and what can be done to combat it. The ASP program for the MCS District also agreed to keep her project sustainable by showing the presentation every year.

Elizabeth Conte County: Dekalb County Troop Advisors: Catherine Conte and Michel Hudson Project Advisor: Tamara Agarwal Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Autism Intersection and Sensory Overload Autism Packs (SOAPs) Ellie’s experience of autistic sensory overload during social justice demonstrations heightened her empathy for autistics within the marginalized groups she was defending. She made Sensory Overload Autism Packs (SOAPs) for organizations that serve women, black and indigenous people of color, LGBTQ+, and the homeless. Ellie created a website highlighting the overlap of autism with these groups, providing mental health resources, and giving instructions for making and sharing more SOAPs.

Eliza White County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Kathy Barnett Project Advisor: Bethany Nugent Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Playground for Therapy Eliza’s project focused on helping a therapeutic riding center in Georgia. Many therapeutic riding centers are underfunded and cannot afford new equipment. This center needed a new playground as theirs was in disrepair. A new playground was built for them in the fall of 2021. The target audience is the children who use the playground to improve strength and mobility. The riding center will keep the playground operational in the future.

Elizabeth Parker County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Sue Ferreira Project Advisor: Laura Hernandez Gold Award Coach: Sue Ferreira

A Sustainable Future: Recycling Made Easy Elizabeth’s project, Art CAN Inspire, focused on litter prevention and beautification in her town. She added decorative banners around trash cans in public parks so people would notice their distinction and choose not to litter. Elizabeth installed 23 banners in 3 public areas, resulting in a 56.5% decrease in litter.

Emma Acker

Emma Flynn

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Leslie Ann Dunn and Shelly McClain Project Advisor: Kellie Stamm Gold Award Coach: Peggy Jackson

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Jennifer Kitchens Project Advisor: Elizabeth O’Brien Gold Award Coach: Peggy Jackson

Flying Eagles: Keeping Girls In STEM

Closing The Gap

Emma created Flying Eagles, an all-girls STEM camp, with the mission to decrease the gender gap in the STEM workforce caused by stereotypes, peer pressure, and other social views. Through Flying Eagles, she shared the exciting world of STEM by structuring the camp to spark interest and increase confidence, whether they were flying drones or learning to make ice cream with chemistry.

Neurofibromatosis, NF, is a disorder that can cause tumors to form in the brain, spinal cord and nerves. About 1 in 3,000 people have NF, yet there is a gap in awareness, especially among teens. Working with the nonprofit organization CureNFwithJack, Emma created a junior advisory board with teenagers to find ways to spread awareness. An awareness video was shared throughout her community, and the board is permanent within the organization.

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Lisa Grogin and Caroline Fass Project Advisor: Amber Thomas Gold Award Coach: Lori Everette

Caring for Our Community Caring for Our Community sought to address the lack of civic engagement among teens in Emma’s community. Schools don’t always address the importance of civic engagement, and she noticed this about teens in her community. Emma decided to create a two-program series through the Peachtree Corners Library to encourage civic participation. She created a web series highlighting different components of civic engagement, such as community service and participating in the local government.

Emma Kloess County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Kathy Barnett and Kasey Bittner Project Advisor: Jim Lindenmayer Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Helping Homeless Veterans There are over 700 homeless veterans in Emma’s community. She wanted to give back to those that had given so much to our country. Through generous donations, she assembled 60 backpacks that contained basic hygiene items and donated them to the homeless veterans program. Her goal was to educate the community on the number of homeless veterans, their needs, and how they can help.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Emma Fass

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Emmy Carragher

Erin Love

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Carolyn McGeehan Project Advisor: Sergeant David Fikes Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Ardise Sehested and Dawn Geren Project Advisor: Lisa McGlaun Gold Award Coach: Ardise Sehested

Kits For K-9s

You Matter

The issue Emmy’s project addressed was the misunderstanding of the benefits of police dogs. She worked with the Brookhaven Police Department K-9 unit to help supply officers with much-needed medical kits. Her target audience was her community. She served them by providing awareness and proving the importance of having K9 officers in the community, as well as the benefits that are brought by their protection.

Erin’s project took place in Athens-Clarke county which is an area in Georgia with a very low voter registration rate. As a result, she held one big voter registration drive and a few mini voter registration drives. She held the drives at her home-family church, and it is being sustained by the head Pastor Robert Finch. This project is important to Erin because it helped others learn their importance and know that their vote matters.

Erin Keough

Esty Kahvazadeh

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisors: Lynne Purcell and Ada Secor Project Advisor: Martha McConnell Gold Award Coach: Fran Houston

County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Linda Kahvazadeh and Crissy Calhoun Project Advisor: Jimmy Gatt Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Helping Forsyth Find Their History

The Buzz on Bees

Erin worked with the Cumming/Forsyth County Historical Society to create an online index of the society’s many family records. She was initially afraid that she had taken on too large of a project, but by reaching out and developing relationships with others in her community, she was able to recruit over one hundred volunteers. Together, they were able to organize thousands of files and, ultimately, improve access to history for the people of Forsyth.

In order to aid pollinator conservation efforts, Estatira and her team built a pollinator garden located and sustained at their local library. They built 10 bee houses to send to national parks and made a documentary and other resources that teach high school students how to implement pollinator-safe practices at home. The root cause they addressed was the lack of knowledge on the adversities pollinators face, including pesticide use and habitat loss.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Making the Gloves

Bryn Hammock Troop 4490 | Gwinnett County

Troop Advisor: Deanna Simmons Project Advisor: Sherry Domah Gold Award Coach: Alyce James

Tiny Hugs

Bryn and her team created bead-filled gloves that helped babies in neonatal intensive care units at seven hospitals. The gloves are weighted, hand-shaped cushions for parents who can’t hold their baby, allowing the baby to feel calm, soothed and protected. They also help with breathing and development. Bryn and her team were able to make 140 gloves. Her project advisor has committed to sustaining the project in the future, and the washable gloves are sustainable.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“I encourage other Scouts to find a project that they are passionate about and work hard to earn their Gold award.”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Esther Ceballo

Grace Schlichting

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Adrienne Parker Project Advisor: Sherri Bouhi Gold Award Coach: Donna Lowry

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Kathy Barnett Project Advisors: Lisha Wood, Carol Milliron and Alisha Garcia Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Project F.R.E.S.H.

Mental Health at Campbell IB

Project FRESH is a mentoring program that aims to support and guide 9th-grade students transitioning from middle school to high school. Esther held multiple workshops where students learned about AP, IB, Honor classes, pathways, virtual volunteering opportunities, internships, summer programs, strategies to stay mentally healthy, and much more. Students obtained over 150 different resources and opportunities to enhance their high school experience both in and outside of the classroom.

Grace’s project was rooted in mental health and a lack of community at school after the pandemic. She addressed this issue by creating a mentorship program in which students could discuss their challenges with peers, upperclassmen and underclassmen. Its sustainability comes from the leadership positions being passed on and the support from teachers in the program. Grace was able to help 300 students, which prepares the project to expand in the next few years.

Grace Avillar County: Cherokee County Troop Advisors: Kari Cleveland and Gloria Avillar Project Advisors: Camille Driscoll and Lynn McCray Gold Award Coach: Luanne Allen

Second Chance Shoes Second Chance Shoes focused on the fact that children in need often do not get enough exercise because they lack proper footwear. Grace worked with her cross country and track teams to educate the community about this issue. They collected over 500 pairs of shoes that were then given to children throughout Georgia. Her coaches will continue to distribute her educational material and collect shoes each season.

Gracie Lynn Groom County: Paulding County Troop Advisor: Karen Kent Project Advisor: Tricia Pedersen Gold Award Coach: Shelly Midkiff

Environmental Impacts of Farming Techniques Gracie’s project involved educating people on the environmental impacts of factory and monoculture farming, as they are very common and affect the world to a great extent. The methods used to help educate others were presentations to the community, a display that summarizes the main issues and solutions to this problem, a website that keeps everything in one area, and a YouTube channel containing recordings of the presentations.

Harshita Challa

County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Kathy Barnett Project Advisor: Bridget Sivewright Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Linda Kahvazadeh Project Advisor: Symala Cherukumilli Gold Award Coach: Hannah Zenas

Volleyball For All!

Launching Literacy

To improve the health and motivation of the children in Metro Atlanta, Hadlee donated volleyball equipment and gift cards to Agape Youth and Family Center. She shared instructional videos on how to play volleyball, plus information about staying active and involved in sports and physical activities.

Public education should be consistent for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status. However, in day-to-day life, education discriminates. Launching Literacy is an eightweek course designed to reflect state literacy standards for a native English-speaking student, but is geared toward students who do not speak English as their first language. Launching Literacy is currently being implemented in an ESOL classroom in Covington, Georgia, housed online and sustained by Milton NEHS.

Haleigh Manning County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Juliette Project Advisors: Aubree Mancuso-Surdoval and Kate Heninger Gold Award Coach: Kimberly Murrary

C^2: Concussion Compassion Haleigh’s project was to raise awareness and prevent concussions in lacrosse. The leading cause of injuries are body checks, unprotected contact, and ball-to-head collisions. The best method to minimize these injures is to make sure athletes are practicing with compassion and using correct techniques to avoid concussions. The program she created was implemented at some high schools in Fulton County, along with club programs in Georgia.

“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.” John McAfee Umamah Uddin, page 38

15 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Hadlee Ackerman

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Imaan Pirani

Jacquelyn Ferreira

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Judith Lee Project Advisor: Sarah Daniels Gold Award Coach: Lisa Willis

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Cindy Parker Project Advisor: Carla Brown Gold Award Coach: Cindy Parker

Stepping Stones for Volunteers

Imaan’s project focused on educating newly naturalized citizens about the voting process. There is a gap in voting rates between native-born and naturalized citizens, caused by low voter registration and a lack of information about the process. Imaan created a presentation with links to voter registration and donated it to the IRC Immigration Department. She was able to reach 120 eligible voters who have naturalized in the past year and a half.

The purpose of Jacquelyn’s project was to provide a path for volunteers with disabilities who could not easily navigate the uneven terrain from the parking lot to the dog kennels at Canine Pet Rescue. She painted each stepping stone with glow paint to light the path for volunteers at night. Her project has served to benefit every volunteer at Canine Pet Rescue and hopefully will for years to come.

Jaclyn Talbert County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Kathy Lewis and Laurie Zeisel Project Advisor: Christine Townsend Gold Award Coach: Kathy Lewis

The Mental Health and Bullying Seminar Jaclyn’s project was on bullying and mental health, which is a big problem in schools today. She believes this issue can be solved by applying to their everyday lives the solutions given in her seminar regarding bullying. Jaclyn’s target audience was mainly early adolescents and teens, so she asked her high school leadership teacher to turn the seminar into a lesson plan that can be used in classes every year.

Janiyah Williams County: Fulton County Project Advisor: Jutia Merriweather Gold Award Coach: Mary Williams

Highway 2 Medicine Highway 2 Medicine was founded after Janiyah noticed the lack of knowledge high school students had about the medical field. She solved this problem by giving a presentation to her school’s six healthcare science classes, creating an informative website, and making a newsletter for GA HOSA. Her project remains sustainable, with her website and newsletter reaching over 2,000 people. Her presentation was also recorded and will be shared with future healthcare science classes.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Carlyle Cornell Troop 10743 | Fulton County

Troop Advisor: Barbara O’Connor Project Advisor: Cindy Bullock, Anna Major and Connie Sewell Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Taking Charge of Your Financial Future Low financial literacy rates have burdened Americans for decades, resulting in not enough savings, too much credit card liability, and a lack of financial discipline. To combat this problem, Carlyle connected with her target audience of middle school-aged girls by teaching in English and Spanish. With finance instruction that focused on specific issues within the financial discipline, she empowered them to pursue careers in business, a typically male-dominated field.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Fight for the things you care about in a way that will lead others to join you.”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Jean Yu

Jennah Waters

County:: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Patricia Todebush Project Advisor: Emily Hseih Gold Award Coach: Emily Hseih

County: Newton County Troop Advisor: Kathy Nealy Project Advisors: Laura Lambert and Mark Crenshaw Gold Award Coach: Sha Coursey

Mindful Companions: Senior Well-being During Covid-19

Enviromental Pollution Pandemic (EPP)

Since the summer of 2020, Mindful Companions, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to the well-being of the elderly by introducing the benefits of mindfulness. They have reached over 65 senior communities across the United States. Mindful Companions was inspired by the dire situation the elderly were facing in quarantine in the midst of the pandemic. It will continue uplifting the senior community through mindfulness and connecting with the younger generation.

Jenna Utt County: Fayette County Troop Advisors: Christy Utt and Cary Wilson Project Advisor: Amy Wilde Gold Award Coach: Donita Lockridge

What Do You Do With the Anger You Feel? Tools for Emotional Discovery In Jenna’s work with young children, she noticed that little kids often have big feelings that they don’t always know what to do with. This causes them to lose focus in the classroom. So, she decided to create a resource called the Calm Down Kit, a small box of independent tools to help children identify and deal with their big emotions. These were distributed to 21 schools in her area and posted online.

The EPP app was created to give students at Newton College and Career Academy (NCCA), and ultimately every student across Georgia, a free method to track the progress of their recycling at home. Their recycling is converted into volunteer hours, giving users a way to earn volunteer hours for transcript purposes and to better the environment at the same time. The EPP is being sustained through EPP club members within NCCA.

Jordan King County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Bernadette King Project Advisor: Lavita Williams Gold Award Coach: Lisa Willis

Game Changers Game Changers addressed the lack of young people who are interested in STEM. It focused on youths 9-12 years old. Free virtual workshops were hosted where kids created their own video game and learned about different STEM careers. Game Changers also reached out to parents and teachers, informing them of their role in a child’s STEM education. The workshops showed that STEM, although challenging, can be fun.

Kate Casey

County: Henry County Troop Advisors: Sharon Johnson and Melanie Mangham Project Advisors: Sarah Franklin and Kendrea Saunders Gold Award Coach: Clutese Clark

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Michelle Zimmerman and Lisa Casey Project Advisors: Lara Kimber, LeighAnne Kuhn and Lisa Casey Gold Award Coach: Anna DeMocko

Girls of Code

Painting Positivity

Jordan created Girls of Code to tackle the gender gap in computer science-related jobs. Her Girls of Code website benefitted many young girls by providing them helpful insight into programming and the computer science world. She provided encouragement for girls to embrace STEM pathways and covered the basic building blocks of coding languages. She also made them aware of the opportunities that companies give women who wish to pursue a career in this field.

Today’s society induces a severe lack of self esteem in the modern teenage girl. Kate aimed to resolve this issue in the place where girls see their reflections most often- the bathroom. She took on six of her high school’s restrooms and revamped them with colorful murals, illustrated positive sayings, and links to an array of mental health resources. She spread awareness by gaining nearly 5,000 views of a promotional video of the process.

Kassidee Tang County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Tiffany Robertson Project Advisor: Caroline Snodgrass Gold Award Coach: Lori Everette

Express and De-Stress Kassidee’s project was to educate her community about the effects of stress on children, specifically pertaining to COVID-19, isolation, hospitalization and chronic illness, and how to relieve stress through different methods such as art therapy. She and her team created interactive art kits as a form of therapy for The Children’s Hospital of Atlanta and an online workshop to present to the community of Gwinnett.

Katie Moebes County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Michelle Moebes and Nkenge Jack Project Advisor: Maureen McIvor Gold Award Coach: Kathy Lewis

Women Empowering Women Club Throughout the history of our country women have faced discrimination. The goal of Women Empowering Women Club was to empower the young women of Norcross High School so that they would be able to go forth into the world feeling confident and safe. The target audience was the young women of Norcross High School; however, the idea was for them to share the knowledge with other young women.

19 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Jordan Mangham

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Kayla Watkins

Komal Memon

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Lakiva Watkins and Carole Weaver Project Advisors: Yolanda Smith and Racquel Dozier Gold Award Coach: Carole Weaver

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Ardise Sehested and Dawn Geren Project Advisor: Saleem Usmani Gold Award Coach: Ardise Sehested

LAIDA: Lupus and AutoImmune Disease

Darul Huda Food Pantry

Kayla’s project was Lupus and Autoimmune Disease Awareness (LAIDA). She educated people in her community through a virtual walk and speaking events. Her target audience was national since multiple people throughout the country registered for her walk. Kayla’s project was sustained by one of her project advisors who is the founder of a nonprofit organization, Lupus in Color.

Everyday people around the world struggle to provide enough food for their families. To target the issue of hunger, Komal built a food pantry at her mosque, Darul Huda. By handing out flyers, holding food drives, collecting cash donations, buying supplies, putting up shelves, sorting 1,000 donated items, and stocking the pantry, she was able to see her dream come true. She hopes that her efforts brought ease to someone’s life!

Kennedi Chapman County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Kimberly Murray and Angela Pearson Project Advisor: Denise Revels Gold Award Coach: Nicole Reed

Finding Your Power Within – Empowering and Providing Hope To Human Trafficking Victims Kennedi’s project focused on human sex trafficking. She found that the root cause is civil unrest, and her solution was to educate her community about the importance of being self-aware at all times. Her project is sustained by a nonprofit organization called Tabitha’s House. Kennedi also created powerful pouches for victims that included items filling the need for comfort and self expression.

Laken Andrzejewski County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Amy Riggins Project Advisor: Tara Salihbasic Gold Award Coach: Jessica Weis

Roaring Book Club Kits Being a strong reader is essential for success and starts in childhood, but those with dyslexia find it difficult to develop these skills. Laken’s project addressed this issue by helping K-1 students develop a love for reading and educating teachers about early dyslexia detection. Her project will be sustained by the Fiction Addiction book club and has impacted the community by enabling a greater understanding of how best to support dyslexic students.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Jiya Varma

Troop 12512 | Fulton County

Troop Advisor: Elizabeth Crane Project Advisor: Dr. Amitha Ganti, Coach Holly Baron and Shailee Shah Gold Award Coach: Elizabeth Crane

Female Athlete Triad Curriculum

Jiya’s project focused on educating female athletes about female athlete triad, a condition which consists of undereating, menstrual disturbances and weak bones. Since many athletes don’t receive adequate prevention resources against triad, Jiya decided to work with experts to provide them an educational curriculum consisting of a triad course, evidence-based toolkits, and an interview series with experts. She partnered with her cross country team to have these resources available for future runners.

Menstrual Health Education in Female Sports Is there an education/communication barrier between coaches and high school/college female athletes that causes high prevalance rates of Menstrual Dysfunction in female athletes? Jiya Varma ABSTRACT

Introduction: The female athlete triad outlines the relationship between energy availability, bone health, and menstrual function[1]. It is clear-cut evidence of the relationship between sports performance and menstruation and thus has been recommended by several prominent studies and institutions that coaches and other relevant authorities should be involved in the management of menstrual health in female athletes [2-4]. Secondary amenorrhea is the most severe form of menstrual dysfunction in that the athlete loses her period for 3+ consecutive months; Other forms include primary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea [1]. The consequences of such menstrual dysfunction include irreversible bone mass density loss and thus higher chances of developing stress fractures that can hinder an athlete's ability to perform [1]. This study explores the correlation between high menstrual dysfunction rates and the lack of education/communication between female athletes and coaches regarding menstrual health (MH) & sports performance and offers recommendations to relevant authorities to make improvements in the current education/training in coaches of female athletes. Purpose i) to evaluate how the current status of knowledge and education within athletes and coaches correlate with high prevalence rates of menstrual dysfunction ii) to evaluate possible communication barriers between athletes and coaches regarding MH and its correlation to high menstrual dysfunction rates. Overall methods 2 surveys: one for female athletes and another for coaches were circulated on social media and email google spreadsheet, stratified sampling, and descriptive analysis, cross-sectional survey, were methods of data analysis Results & Conclusions: The major findings of this study were that 1) subpopulations of female athletes that had the lowest rates of open communication and education between their coaches had the highest rates of menstrual dysfunction and 2) Coaches and athletes are willing to learn about menstruation and its impact on performance, but not as willing to openly communicate about it with the latter

METHODS

2 target audiences: i) HS, college, recreational female athletes of premenopausal age ii) coaches of HS/college female athletes method of data collection: google forms survey (with consent agreement for participants) method of data analysis: google spreadsheet stratified sampling for female athletes and coaches based on location participants were asked experience-based and opinion-based closed-ended MC questions method of data sharing: project-based Instagram account and local email to reach coaches and female athletes methods for accuracy participants required to identify their role as a female athlete or coach of female athletes limited to one response per participant large & diverse female athlete sample size possible bias demographics of coach respondents do not match demographics of athlete respondents in sport type, location, or quantity primarily endurance sports athletes, so % of menstrual dysfunction may be on the higher side

RESULTS Demographics: Group A (749) primarily endurance sports including Fulton County athletes (81, Group A1) cross country, track and field, swimming USA athletes (480, Group A2) 50% HS athletes, 12% collegiate athletes, 38% recreational athletes International athletes (188, Group A3) Table 2 only includes athletes who All athletes (749, Group A) have a coach or trainer Group C (22) Fulton County Coaches (17, Group C1) primarily cheerleading, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, golf Inter/National Coaches (5, Group C2) 90% HS coaches, 10% collegiate coaches All Coaches (22, Group C) Due to dissimilar demographics between Group A and Group C, disparities and bias between results are expected

Key

Data Analysis: Stratified sampling used to stratify Group A and Group C into subgroups using Google Spreadsheet Group A was stratified into Group A1, A2, A3 based on location of athletes Group C was stratified into Group C1 and C2 based on location of coach Cross-Sectional section in athlete survey assessing menstrual function history Descriptive Analysis close-ended multiple-choice questions were employed for both experience based and opinion questions for all groups

Table 3 an average of 30% of group A athletes have been educated by a relevant authority about secondary amenorrhea suggests a lack of external education/weak training program Group C coaches are on average 30% more educated about secondary amenorrhea than athletes, suggesting that education is not being properly disseminated to athletes by coaches C1 coaches are lacking education about the Female athlete triad suggesting lack of education in higher-level training programs for coaches and should be implemented nearly 100% of both athletes and coaches recognize that there is a need for external educational resources regarding FAT based on the current lack thereof

Table 1: Prevalence of Menstrual Irregularities and Dysfunction in Female Athletes % irregular menstrual cycles % secondary amenorrhea % primary amenorrhea

CONCLUSION i) There is a wide variation in menstrual dysfunction/irregularity rates in major studies and thus difficult to draw a clear comparison [5] Nevertheless, the prevalence rates of menstrual dysfunction and irregularities gathered from this study are alarming and suggest that there there is a lack of external measures from relevant authorities (coaches, trainers, physicians, etc) to manage these rates.

% oligomenorrhea 0

Table 2: Communication Status between Coaches and Female Athletes regarding menstrual health % athletes/coaches that have discussed menstrual health with their coach/athlete

% athletes are comfortable discussing MH with coach

ii) Communication between coaches and athletes about Menstrual health (MH) There is a direct correlation between athletes' reported communication about MH with their coach and the prevalence of menstrual irregularity/dysfunction history Athletes with the highest menstrual dysfunction/irregularity rates have discussed their menstrual health with their coach the least (A2 and A3). Similarly, A1 athletes report the lowest menstrual dysfunction and irregularity rates and the highest discussion rates There is a communication gap between coaches and athletes in terms of who should initiate the conversation regarding MH first A possible compromise to this communication gap is that coaches should establish their openness to discuss MH and their concerns for an athlete's MH at the beginning of each season in order to create a supportive environment for athletes to approach the coach about their MH in the future.

% athletes/coaches believe coaches should initiate the discussion about MH with their athletes 0

100

Table 3: Education Status within Coaches and Female Athletes

There is a gap in the dissemination of education between coaches and athletes regarding the severe menstrual dysfunction--secondary amenorrhea Coaches have a higher degree of knowledge of secondary amenorrhea, while athletes report a lack of education from higher authorities It is important for coaches to educate their athletes about Menstrual health directly to reinforce the consequences of weak menstrual health, considering that athletes look up to coaches as role models and are more likely to follow their teachings [6]

% athletes who have been educated about secondary amenorrhea by coach, parent, phyician

% coaches who are educated about secondary amenorrhea

% coaches who are educated about the Female Athlete Triad % athletes/coaches think 0 educational program regarding F.A.T. would be beneficial 0

iii) MH education within coaches and athletes There is a lack of education regarding the Female athlete triad in C1 coaches, suggesting gaps in their training programs Fulton County should consider enhancing their training programs for coaches such that it is inclusive of the Female Athlete Triad, menstrual function, preventative measures, how to identify and address aspects

iv) Answer to Research Question: the above findings reinforce the answer to the research question posed: Yes, communication barriers and education gaps were identified in coaches and athletes and do indeed correlate with high menstrual dysfunction rates in female athletes

100

Significance of Data explores the taboo topic of menstruation in the athletic community that is often neglected in education and discussion, and thus can hinder an athlete's performance and health forces both parties of the coach-athlete relationship to overcome the menstrual stigma to answer questions comparing data between Group A and Group C subgroups helps identify possible gaps between the coach-athlete relationship in terms of menstrual health in order to implement future improvements within the athletic community to enhance a female athlete's health, well-being, and performance and the sporting community

Findings Table 1 Group A1 has the lowest prevalence rates of menstrual dysfunction and irregularity, followed by Group A2 and A3 Because Group A2 is the largest sample and is found to be the intermediate between A1 and A3, it reflects a more accurate prevalence rate of menstrual dysfunction in female athletes Table 2 Group A1 has discussed MH with their coaches the most, followed by A3 and then A2. Possible disparity is that C1 and C2 coaches report discussing menstrual health with their athletes far more than A1, A2, A3 athletes report however, only 12% of C1 coaches openly discuss MH with athletes; 53% of C1 coaches only discuss MH privately with athlete given that the athlete approaches them first. Majority of C2 coaches openly discuss MH with athletes All subgroups of Group A are more comfortable discussing MH with their coach if the coach initiates the conversation with the average increase in comfort being 40% however, Group C coaches are far less willing to initiate MH discussion with the athlete first

v) Relevance to the Community: The menstrual dysfunction/irregularities in A1 athletes and lack of education in C1 and A1 regarding menstrual health's effect on sports performance are certainly evident and are a cause for concern for Fulton County Sport's Department in terms of their female athlete's sports performance and wellbeing. Improvements in coach's training in terms of education and discussion can make a direct impact on the A1 athlete's sports performance and act as a major preventative tool to reduce menstrual dysfunction rates and thus reduce injuries ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Coach Baron and Chloe Taylor for kindly sharing my surveys and helping garner responses to make this project possible REFERENCES 1. De Souza MJ, Nattiv A, Joy E, et al2014 Female Athlete Triad Coalition Consensus Statement on Treatment and Return to Play of the Female Athlete Triad: 1st International Conference held in San Francisco, California, May 2012 and 2nd International Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 2013British Journal of Sports Medicine 2014;48:289.f 2. Female Athlete Issues for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement—2017 Update, Current Sports Medicine Reports: May 2018 - Volume 17 - Issue 5 - p 163-171 doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000482 3. Findlay RJ, Macrae EHR, Whyte IY, et alHow the menstrual cycle and menstruation affect sporting performance: experiences and perceptions of elite female rugby playersBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2020;54:1108-1113 4. Pantano K. J. (2017), Knowledge, attitude, and skill of High school coaches with regard to the female athlete triad, journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology: volume 30, Issue 5 5. Redman, L.M., Loucks, A.B. Menstrual Disorders in Athletes. Sports Med 35, 747–755 (2005). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200535090-00002 6. Pantano K. J. (2006). Current knowledge, perceptions, and interventions used by collegiate coaches in the u.s. Regarding the prevention and treatment of the female athlete triad. North American journal of sports physical therapy : NAJSPT, 1(4), 195–207.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Comfort zones can be a dangerous place. Make sure to get out of yours!”

Liana Newsum

Lynn-Ann Koh

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisor: Stephanie Newsum Project Advisor: Lauren Martin Gold Award Coach: Barb Foerst

County: Fayette County Troop Advisor: Dana Fairrel Project Advisors: Margarette Coleman, Kenisha J. Washington and Jennifer Wooden Gold Award Coach: Dana Fairrel

Essential Aftercare

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

As a homeschooler, Liana chose her Classical Conversations homeschool group as her community. She created an aftercare program for students in K-3 who needed a structured curriculum. Her program is STEAM-based and includes 72 weeks of lesson plans designed to equip adults with leadership materials and activities that inspire creativity. Her program is now available for download by more than 50,000 families around the globe.

Project Post-Pandemic Recovery for Students Project Post-Pandemic Recovery for Students helps students who are affected by the pandemic due to mandatory quarantine, online virtual school or family obligations. Lynn-Ann’s project educates students about looking into mental health recovery. She created instagram.com/lifeinthehappybubble/, which has generated over 300 views of educational blogs and videos. It will be on the internet indefinitely and remain available for students all over the world.

Lisa Weis County: Forsyth County Troop Advisors: Jessica Weis and Melissa Slocum Project Advisor: Heather Kolich Gold Award Coach: Sara Kuchinski

F.L.E.A.D. Lisa’s project is called F.L.E.A.D (Food Label Education and Discussion.) It is a class that she created and helped teach for 4-H. It addresses the selective information that is presented in magazines and TV shows by explaining the science behind labels and regulations. She spoke to middle school students through online and in-person classes, and they would discuss what they learned.

Maggie Ridl County: Dekalb County Troop Advisor: Shari Wassell Project Advisor: Kimberly Wiles Gold Award Coach: Erin Dixon

Dunwoody High School Orientation Video Maggie created an orientation video for Dunwoody High School freshmen, transfer, and remote learning students. It includes a tour of the school and important tips for school success. Her video was viewed by the entire student body. She posted it on several social media sites, reaching parents and students, and the video currently has 1,000+ views. People continue to view the video weekly and spread positive feedback.

Mallory Thornton

Margie Mae Ridings

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Leslie Ann Dunn and Shelly McClain Project Advisor: Christi Osborne Gold Award Coach: Cori Hembree

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisor: Juliette Project Advisors: Jennifer Lozen and Fonda Harrison Gold Award Coach: Pamela Malinzak

Health and Safety Masks by Mallory

Reading Fluency Support through Whisper Readers and a Reading Website

Mallory’s project began at the beginning of quarantine due to COVID-19. Not only was there a mask shortage, but the surgical masks that were being used were not being discarded correctly. This led to an increase in medical waste in landfills and an unhealthy effect on the environment. Mallory sewed 124 cotton masks that can be washed and reused to limit the amount of medical waste and keep people protected.

County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Theresa Smith and Elise Beltrami Project Advisors: Cheryl Burnette and Greg White Gold Award Coach: Kelly Angelo

The Importance of Bike Helmet Safety Margaret undertook a comprehensive community educational campaign on the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. A root cause of this issue is a lack of awareness, and she addressed this problem by writing blog posts and posting information online about bike safety. She installed five permanent bike helmet reminder signs along local bike paths, organized two helmet drives, and donated 40 bike helmets to people in need.

Margo Anne Griffin County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Kathy Barnett and Gayle Ellis Project Advisor: Melissa Downs Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Celiac Safe – Safe Food Prep and Dining for Celiac Safety For Margo Anne’s project, she spread awareness within the restaurant community about celiac disease and crosscontamination of gluten and non-gluten foods. She created a poster outlining the safety precautions that should be taken when preparing gluten-free food. These posters included a QR code to a website she created on how to prevent crosscontamination in restaurant kitchens. The posters were distributed to restaurants within her community.

23 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Margaret Beltrami

Margie and her team constructed Whisper Readers for every first grade classroom in Forsyth County. With more than 1,000 Whisper Readers throughout her county, Margie put her efforts into expanding children’s horizons in the classroom. Acting as a “telephone” for students to hear themselves as they read aloud, these readers helped to improve children’s fluency and reading comprehension.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Maria Weaver

Mary Matthews

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Lakiva Watkins and Carole Weaver Project Advisors: Roxie Stamper and Jill Hooley Gold Award Coach: Lakiva Watkins

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisor: Laura Harris Project Advisor: Elizabeth Smithn Gold Award Coach: Pamela Malinzak

Rehabilitate the Way You Play

New Student Orienteers (NSO)

Maria’s project is to raise awareness about childhood obesity and ways to prevent it at an early age. It is important to bring awareness to this topic because it is commonly overlooked and can have serious impacts in children’s lives as they get older. They did an online auction fundraiser, rehabilitated a preschool playground, bought new outdoor toys, and made a lesson plan focused on making physical activity enjoyable for younger kids.

Mary’s project focused on helping new students acclimate to her high school, North Forsyth High. The school had a system in place already to help freshman adapt to high school, but there was nothing to help those who moved in at different times, such as upperclassmen or mid-year moves. Her project put into place a personal system to help these students.

Mary Ashley Jacoppo County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Gretchen Ellis and Linda Jacoppo Project Advisor: Meredith Walker Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Walton Service Spirit Club The Walton Service Spirit Club was created because there was a lack of opportunity for kids in the Special Needs program to grow outside of the classroom. None of the over 80 student-led clubs were made available to these kids. Mary wanted the kids in the class to feel like they were helping someone else through a service club. They were able to see their small acts of kindness impact others.

Mary Rains County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Jenny Haley and Liz Rains Project Advisor: Carmen Newsom Gold Award Coach: Kimberly Knighton-Felix

Safe Swimmer Education Program Through the Safe Swimmer Education Program, Mary addressed the importance of caregivers remaining distraction-free while watching others at the pool. By hosting informational seminars, hanging PSA posters, and creating water safety videos on her website, she reiterated the need behind having attentive caregivers around pools. Her project is sustained by local HOA department websites and bulletins.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Kara Stevens

Troop 10451 | Cobb County

Troop Advisor: Mara Morrison Project Advisors: Cathy Shepherd and Gretchen Lehane Gold Award Coach: Cheryl Carson

Step Up for Disabilities

Due to the pandemic, many children with Down Syndrome fell behind in learning critical skills like crawling, walking, and talking because they could no longer attend in-person physical therapy programs. To help families of GiGi’s Playhouse with remote therapy sessions, Kara created a lending library of mobile therapy equipment with instructional videos. The library enabled families to work on skills independently or use the resources during virtual therapy sessions. Kara also held eight disability awareness events and activities at her school.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Stay focused on your goals but remain flexible and you will succeed!”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Megan Galligos

Megan Woody

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Rebecca Woody Project Advisor: John Purcell Gold Award Coach: Rebecca Woody

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Susan Galligos and Rebecca Woody Project Advisor: Victoria Curran and Phillip Searles Gold Award Coach: Eloise Hearns

A Clean Community

Improving and Educating About the Ozone Layer in Low Income Housing

Megan’s goal was to bring to light the issue of littering and put an end to it in her community. While hiking local trails she noticed a lot of trash throughout. The goal was to get people to think twice about their actions, so she placed five signs throughout the trails. These signs were meant to remind people of the damage litter can do to our environment and encourage people to not litter.

Megan OConnor County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Barbara O’Connor Project Advisor: Chuck Lusten Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

The Gear Box To address the drop in participation of middle school and high school girls in sports like softball, Megan’s project created Gear Boxes, from which girls can borrow equipment. This helps decrease the financial stress of playing sports as well as encourages new girls to try out. Future team captains of the Holy Innocents’ softball team will sustain this project by conducting more equipment drives and organizing more boxes to distribute to other teams.

For Megan’s project, she planted nine plum and fig trees and five blueberry bushes in a community garden in downtown Atlanta. She educated people in her community about the dangers facing the ozone layer and overall environment and ways to help protect it. Her target audience was the community that the garden serves and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Mia Bechara County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Tracy Smith and Edie Harrison Project Advisor: Michael Sinco Gold Award Coach: Tracy Smith

The 2020 Memorial Reflection Garden Mia started brainstorming about her project in the midst of 2020, the craziest year many have experienced. Depression rates skyrocketed, there was fear of an unknown virus, and division was rising. However, out of brokenness comes beauty, and 2020 brought the world closer than it’s ever been. Mia created a garden to give people an area to reflect and remember a year that had so much brokenness and so much beauty at the same time.

Nyla Hines

County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Kelly Angelo and Libby Peck Project Advisor: Gail Pennington Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

County: Paulding County Troop Advisor: Paula Mensah Project Advisors: Safiya Warren and Celeste Davis Gold Award Coach: Paula Mensah

Diaper Drive

Art for the Heart

Mya focused on sustainably addressing a community need to access free diapers. Diapers are a significant cost, and government programs don’t help. Lacking diapers is distressing, and leaving them on has major health impacts. To make a difference, Mya partnered with her Community Assistance Center, ran a community education campaign, donated over 1,000 diapers, and engaged the organization Young Life to facilitate an annual program.

Nyla’s project is to embed art healing mechanisms into youth to help with stress and anxiety. Due to Covid-19, young ones are stuck at home with no way to express themselves. All around Paulding County she organized activities for drawing and DIY stress balls. Her project is being sustained by the Atlanta Academy of Dental Assisting, who will be providing art therapy supplies annually to the Paulding County Boys and Girls Club.

Nadia Jones

ONiece Roberts

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Marshauna Graves and Lan Dang Project Advisor: Laytonia Rodgers Gold Award Coach: Marshauana Graves

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Silvia Tennanbaum Project Advisor: Carla Chatman Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Life Through Journaling

Senorme

Nadia identified the root cause of those with a lack of creativity. Due to isolation during Covid, many teens experienced a decrease in communication with the people around them and a lack of self reflection. She decided to create a journaling club at her high school to positively impact her peers. The club helped students process difficult situations and maintain self-care as they learned about and developed a love for journaling.

Today, many children do not have an appropriate mindset for sensory input. If a child’s brain receives little sensory input, then it may be over sensitive or under sensitive to new experiences, which could result in a lack of experimental development or even cognitive delays. Children with Autism may need assistance and strategies to help with sensory integration, regulation, and cool-down strategies.

27 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Mya Hassler

Olivia Grieger

Paige Graves

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Maria Malo Project Advisor: Faith Robinson Gold Award Coach: Jessica Weis

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Marshauna Graves Project Advisor: Lori Vanbuskirk Gold Award Coach: Lan Ho

Sourcing of Fur and Leather

Child Depression

Olivia held seminars concerning the sourcing of fur and leather. She informed people about the effects sourcing has on the environment. Olivia educated groups who were not familiar with this concept and wanted to learn more.

Paige has seen students teased for their weight, called names because of their grades, and gossiped about regarding their home lives. She wanted to bring awareness to the severity of child depression and has targeted 3rd, 4th and 5th graders who may face a difficult time. She created Calm Down Cards to help children recognize depression with the provided tools. Paige’s Gold Award project is sustainable because her project will be used in classrooms by students throughout the day.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Olivia Ullmann County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Kelly Angelo and Libby Peck Project Advisor: Hadyn Hilton Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

A Purrfect Future For her project, Olivia targeted the dire issue of animal overpopulation in the Atlanta area. In partnership with Java Cats, Furkids, and PAWS ATL, she educated local elementary school students about how to interact with animals. Olivia hosted numerous donation drives through the shelter, a café, and her school, and presented tips to her entire high school about the best ways to adopt, support local shelters, and help limit the homeless animal population in the area.

Phoebe Ellis County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Gretchen Ellis and Linda Jacoppo Project Advisor: Kelly Wix Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Stories on the Go: A Literacy Cart for Children Phoebe created a literacy cart for a tuition-free private school for children who have experienced homelessness. She was able to donate over 150 books. One root cause of illiteracy is lack of a good public school, and she addressed this by providing extra resources. Another problem is lack of awareness, which she addressed by educating students and her community. The project will be sustained by Phoebe’s church.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Katie Maier

Troop 11461 | Fulton County

Troop Advisors: Gretchen Ellis and Linda Jacoppo Project Advisors: Denise Starling, Anna Sharp and Fran Turner Gold Award Coach: Kelly Angelo

Picture Your Path

Through her Gold Award project, Katherine addressed the opportunity to bring outdoor art to her community by turning nature-themed drawings by local kids into a series of eight permanent murals along Path400. The young artists and users of the path will be able to enjoy the artwork for years to come!

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Your ability to adapt your goals to respond to evolving circumstances will set you apart as a dynamic and resilient leader.”

Piercia Johnson

Rainey Sharrow

County: Henry County Troop Advisor: Sharon Johnson Project Advisors: Erin Davis-Sherman, Dr. Elicia Collins and Shanika Alphabet Gold Award Coach: Sharon Hubbard-Belcher

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Kathy Barnett Project Advisor: Iesha Parks Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

“Loving Yourself” Teen Mental Health Workshop

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Depression and anxiety are the two most common mental health disorders among teenagers and are often undiagnosed and left untreated. Due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, Piercia wanted to bring a spotlight to this serious issue. With her Gold Award project she will help destigmatize teen mental health in those aged 13-17 and give teens and their parents resources to recognize and manage depression and anxiety during this pandemic.

Donate Blood: Save Lives Rainey brought awareness and education to potential teen donors about the importance of donating blood. She worked with LifeSouth Blood Center to create a blood drive in the area, as well as created an Instagram page to inform the community about donations. In an informational video, Rainey interviewed a family friend who has thalassemia and requires monthly blood donations. Her project saved 95 lives that weekend and inspired many new donors.

Rebecca Barnett Rachel Thompson County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Lakiva Watkins and Carole Weaver Project Advisor: Nancy Stith Gold Award Coach: Lakiva Watkins

Unlocking the World of Technology for Seniors For her Gold Award project, Rachel founded the Marietta Senior Club at her high school. The purpose of the club was to increase the technological literacy of senior adults. She worked with her school’s Technology Student Association and recruited classmates to join the club. They developed a curriculum and planned classes throughout their community to unlock the world of technology for senior adults.

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Kathy Barnett and Gayle Ellis Project Advisors: Dena Crim and Beoncia Loveless Gold Award Coach: Kasey Bittner

Bringing Happiness to Children of the Court Rebecca remodeled four rooms at the Cobb County DFCS office that are used every day by hundreds of foster children awaiting placement. She collected over 100 donations of toys, games, books, paint supplies and decorations. She then recruited a team of volunteers and led them in repainting the rooms, organizing the new donations, adding a TV and DVD player, and decorating with wall décor that will brighten the foster children’s day.

Rebekah Vence

Saanvi Bhumpalle

County: Cherokee County Troop Advisor: Luanne Allen Project Advisor: Doug Talbot Jr. Gold Award Coach: Gloria Avillar

County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Madhu Sharma and Diane Doss Project Advisor: Krishna Reddy Gold Award Coach: Fran Houston

Clean Up the Blue

Educating Villages

Rebekah’s project is about making our oceans healthier by cleaning up the plastic film that ends up in them. People don’t have to throw away their plastic film, like plastic wrap and plastic bags. Instead, they can recycle them! There’s a lack of education on how to recycle plastic film and where to take it so it can be recycled.

Since children all over the world have struggled to learn during the pandemic, Saanvi helped students in the village of Zaladanki, India by shipping over 70 donated books during the summer of 2021. Her website reinforces the importance of research and online safety. She inspired the students through her seminar and is partnering with Kids Just Choose Books to continue her project.

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisors: Jessica Weis and Melissa Slocum Project Advisor: Christopher Reonas Gold Award Coach: Jessica Weis

BEE Mindful! Mental health is always a concern for students, and the recent pandemic has worsened this issue. A calm and composed mindset helps reduce stress, so Riddhi built a support network within her school to help students manage their stress by practicing mindfulness and gratitude. This practice can be easily spread to various communities, locally as well as globally. Strong youth build strong communities, and strong communities build a better world.

Sabrina Boyd County: Dekalb County Troop Advisors: Joy Baljet and Virginia Boyd Project Advisor: Megan Hibbs Gold Award Coach: Courtney Bernard

Happy on the Inside The issue Sabrina addressed was children not being able to deal with upsetting feelings. Her intent was to help girls, ages 4-11, recognize complex feelings and understand the tools they can use when they start to feel overwhelmed. Hopefully, teaching girls to recognize their emotions at a young age will help them have self-awareness and decrease the number of teens with anxiety and depression.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Riddhi Surve

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Sacha Sims

Sarah Bittner

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Cindy Jones Project Advisor: Jessica Perez Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Kathy Barnett Project Advisor: Mandy Ryan Gold Award Coach: Kathy Barnett

Book and Art Buddies

Laxin for Life

The issue Sacha chose to address is the emotional stress being suffered by sick children and their families. This stress can manifest itself in ways that affect their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Sacha worked with the Ronald McDonald House and held monthly sessions where participants could read stories and do arts and crafts in a safe environment that helped them feel safe and free to express themselves.

Sarah’s project centered around the children housed at CCYA, the Center for Children and Young Adults. Her project was designed to help kids who didn’t have the opportunity or resources to be involved in recreational sports. By creating a how-to video and manual, she was able to teach kids the skills needed to play lacrosse. Sarah held equipment drives within her community and dropped off the donations at CCYA.

Samantha Richard

Sarah Juhn

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Lisa Carter Project Advisor: Jennifer Mullen Gold Award Coach: Tori Collin

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Leslie Juhn Project Advisor: Leslie Byers Gold Award Coach: Cori Hembree

Zoar Preschool Library

Supporting Bee Populations in Cobb County

Samantha’s project is a library for the kids attending the Zoar United Methodist Church Preschool. She created the library because she personally enjoys reading books and would love to pass that down to the upcoming generation and help them access books and tools to advance their literacy.

Sarah started her project by designing an educational website that talks about the reasons for bee endangerment and what people can do to help save them. She then made DIY bee habitat instructions, gathered volunteers, and gave them habitat kits. Once all the habitats were completed, she installed them in a local garden and held a Zoom meeting with Brownies where she spoke about what they could do to prevent further population decline.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Muhammad Ali

Kennedy Jones Troop 17022 | Henry County

Troop Advisors: Sharon Johnson and Melanie Mangham Project Advisor: Dr. Kisha Whitfield, Dr. Tara Miller and Dr. Darcova Triplett Gold Award Coach: Karen Thomas

Woosah! Paint and Dance

Woosah! Paint and Dance was created after Kennedy learned to manage anxiety and stress using paint and dance. Her target audience was anyone experiencing anxiety, stress or depression. She held an event where licensed therapists assessed participants, and Neuro Meditation Art, painting, Caribbean Zumba, and line dancing were taught. The participants enjoyed the sessions and promised to utilize the tools they learned to manage their mental health issues.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a CHAMPION!”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Sarah Richard

Sean Bruce

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Lisa Carter Project Advisor: Lisa Howell Gold Award Coach: Aiyetoro Collins

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Michelle Doyle and Beverly Smith Project Advisor: Myesha Davis Gold Award Coach: Eloise Hearns

Safety Center for Kids

Paying It Forward

Sarah’s Safety Center for Kids provided various safety measures to keep children safe. Her project allowed her to have an influence over the younger generation. It was a true labor of love and Sarah’s way of making the world a better place while using her resources wisely. She offered parents peace of mind by providing tools to help educate students on safety.

Paying It Forward is a community service-based high school club that is dedicated to sustainably aiding food-insecure households, spreading knowledge about healthy shopping on a budget, and promoting community service leadership and learning events. They provide meals to 16 families from a local food pantry during every school calendar break. They have also created a website, informational pamphlets, service-learning events, food drives, and a YouTube channel.

Sarah Schultz County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Kelly Angelo and Libby Peck Project Advisors: Ashley Bollwerk and Ann Alperin Gold Award Coach: Libby Peck

Reading Rainbow The issue Sarah’s project addresses is the lack of literature available to children in poverty-stricken families. Literacy development begins early in a child’s life and has major beneficial impacts on their lives and future development. Her project focused on providing at-risk, first-time mothers with free children’s books and information on the importance of reading to newborns and young children. She did this through her local Pregnancy Aid Clinic’s parent education program.

Shrita Reddy County: Polk County Troop Advisor: Kathy Malloy Project Advisor: Dana Young Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Viral Disease Prevention and Education While volunteering at the Hands of Hope Clinic during the pandemic, Shrita discovered that many uninsured residents of Henry County were not prepared or educated about viral diseases and Covid-19. She created a blog to provide factual and easy-to-read information about Covid-19 and prevention. To keep these underserved members of the community safe from Covid-19 and future viral diseases, Shrita created prevention kits, including a mask and refillable hand sanitizer.

Sumana Naganathanahalli

County: Cobb County Troop Advisors: Bernadette King and Lesly Williams Project Advisor: Paula Turner West Gold Award Coach: Bernadette King

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Michelle Bard Project Advisor: Vijaya Suguru Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

Operation Sow It and Reap!

A Day of Joy

Diabetes and obesity, two major health concerns in Sierra’s community, can both be a consequence of not incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet. Sierra wanted her Gold Award project to be a sustainable solution to this ongoing issue. She understood that not every family has the means to purchase fresh healthy foods so she decided to create a community garden called The Village Garden that would provide underprivileged families with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Sumana addressed the issue of the nuisance of basketball hoops in her neighborhood. In her neighborhood, nearly every driveway has a basketball hoop, and it is very disturbing to people who live around them. She decided to fix this issue by building a basketball court on an empty piece of land, and the HOA promised to maintain the court. Her target audience is mainly teenagers who love to play basketball outdoors with their friends.

Stephania Fulleda County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Marshauna Graves Project Advisor: Shannon Brown Gold Award Coach: Marshauna Graves

The Girls Club Stephania’s project was rooted in low self-esteem of middle school girls, and she wanted to address it from the child’s and the parent’s viewpoint. She discovered through research that a lack of community and support was one of the main reasons for low self-esteem. She decided to create a club for middle school girls where they would come together to develop healthy self-esteem habits.

Don’t let fear of failure be a stumbling block. Do challenging things! Liana Newsum page 22

35 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Sierra Ford

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Summer Green

Tafton Barber

County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Nanci Green and Lynn Green Project Advisor: Seth Hawkins Gold Award Coach: Kimberly Murray

County: Cherokee County Troop Advisor: Gloria Avillar Project Advisor: Ashley Snow Gold Award Coach: Gloria Avillar

Going Green With Summer G.

Teens Helping Teens

Summer wanted to educate youth in metro Atlanta how deforestation and air pollution affect the ecosystem. Along with kids ages 6-11, she planted 8 Kwanzan cherry trees through a workshop at Partee Elementary School. Summer helped them understand that reforestation is important to combat these issues. She set a global impact that reforestation locally helps the ecosystem beyond North America.

For Tafton’s Gold Award Project, she educated her peers about the importance of being able to have a helpful conversation with a loved one who is suicidal, as well as provided resources to confidently guide them. Tafton also provided helpful tips and hotlines that friends could contact if someone is in need of help. She created pamphlets and handed them out at the Inaugural Labor4Hope 5K Run hosted by the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition. The resource information is now available on the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition website.

Sydney Milton County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisor: Kathy Lewis Project Advisor: Linn Zamora Gold Award Coach: Kathy Lewis

Art in the Park To help students combat stress when testing, Sydney started painting as an exercise to relax student’s minds. Grayson High School’s National Art Honors society will be continuing this project every year.

Takia Mayberry County: Gwinnett County Troop Advisors: Marshauna Graves, Lan Ho and Michelle Hardin Project Advisor: Alli Neal Gold Award Coach: Marshauna Graves

Healthy Relationships for Teenage Girls Takia’s project was to help teen girls understand what a healthy relationship looks like. She did this because of seeing some of her friends in an abusive relationship. She did some research on it and learned that it is a big issue. Takia started a group to stop the cycle of abusive relationships.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Sirianna Blanck Troop 12539 | Dekalb County

Troop Advisors: Kathy Malloy and Heidi Blanck Project Advisors: Miranda Cook, Lan Huynh and Elizabeth Lundeen Gold Award Coach: Kimberly Knighton-Felix

Dekalb Little Free Pantries Project

Sirianna built three mini pantries within DeKalb County that supplied the local community in need with personal care items and healthy food. There were only three mini pantries inside the Atlanta perimeter when her project began. While homeless shelters and community centers exist, many are currently shut down or serving a smaller number of people due to a decrease in elderly volunteers and community transmission risks due to Covid-19.

2022 HIGHEST AWARDS | GOLD Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“The Gold Award is an amazing opportunity to help others, give back to your community, and expand your skill set.”

Talia Clarke

Taylor Glover

County: Henry County Troop Advisor: Tonia Clarke Project Advisor: Camille Mason Gold Award Coach: Barbara Foerst

County: Fayette County Troop Advisors: Dr. Kellie Goss and Michelle N. Glover Project Advisor: George Burford Gold Award Coach: Donita Lockridge

A Gift of Gratitude

Fighting Childhood Obesity

Talia’s project addressed the issue of declining mental health in high school students during long periods of isolation, such as quarantine. Her event was so successful because she was able to speak to the participants as a leader and share information regarding mental health that they may not have known prior to the event.

One of the most critical challenges in public health in the 21st century is child obesity. Child obesity may start as just a few extra unhealthy pounds, but ultimately can lead to lifethreatening problems. These problems can affect a child’s physical, social, and emotional well-being as they grow into adults. Taylor’s project addressed child obesity as well as the preventative steps that can be taken, specifically for ages 5-12.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Tanvi Shanbhag County: Fulton County Troop Advisors: Marshauna Graves and Lan Ho Project Advisor: Jordan Graves Gold Award Coach: Michelle Hardin

Girls Who STEM Tanvi’s project was inspired by the struggles she and her friends faced as the only few girls in engineering and computer science classes at school. She found that one of the best ways she could make an impact was by introducing girls to STEM concepts from a young age. She organized a series of workshops, which included activities and guest speakers. Tanvi partnered with a local nonprofit to increase the project’s impact.

Umamah Uddin County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Samra Waheeduddin Project Advisor: Julia Guy Gold Award Coach: Neelu Karla

Project Oasis The issue that Umamah’s project addressed is early childhood stimulation and the lack of awareness. When children lack proper stimulation, it severely affects their lives in terms of mental health and maturity. The target audience was students and teachers at a local school. A sensory room was created with various equipment targeting a range of sensory systems. Teachers from each grade were also provided with professional training.

2022 Gold Award Council Young Women of Distinction

Sydney Moretz Troop 11514 | Fulton County

Troop Advisor: Amber Scharlatt Project Advisor: Shelia Jimenez and Susan Meyers Gold Award Coach: Deanna Simmons

Protect the Pollinators

For Sydney’s project, Protect the Pollinators, she strived to create a welcoming environment for pollinators. The idea for her project came from the dangerous population levels of pollinators. Her smart goal was to plant 25 trees and a pollinator garden at Centennial. She had three parts to her goal; create a pollinator garden, plant 25 trees, and educate people on the importance of pollinators. She wanted to get the word out about this important issue.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

“The grass is greener where you water it.”

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Gold

Zi June Phang

Zora Felix

County: Forsyth County Troop Advisor: Kathy Schettler Project Advisor: Victoria Doerr Gold Award Coach: Milagros Lane

County: Douglas County Troop Advisors: Kim Knighton-Felix and Letania Gonzales Project Advisors: Jada Quandt, Tara Allen and Miranda Hudson Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

All About the Money

Women in Technology’s WIT Girls Club

When Zi’s brother started college, he was clueless as to how to pay rent and manage bills. Zi researched and found that there were many other adolescents like him that ran into early financial debt because of a rocky start in college. She targeted this issue by working with her county library system to host several lessons to educate teens on financial basics such as spending, saving and interest. The library received the lesson for future use.

For Zora’s Gold Award project, the WIT Girls Club was created at her school. The club’s goal is to expose girls to STEAM careers. The club partnered with the Women in Technology (WIT) organization as a resource and partnership to help form a guide for club activities. For girls, tech classes aren’t enough because they still lack the awareness about career opportunities. The club design is the first ever for WIT.

Zoe Rosenberg

Zoya Goel

County: Fulton County Troop Advisor: Jesee Davenport Project Advisor: Alexandria Shuval-Weiner Gold Award Coach: Ayodele Richardson

County: Cobb County Troop Advisor: Rebecca Harriss Project Advisor: Brian Harriss Gold Award Coach: Vena Namukasa

Prayer Path Project

Donatio.site

Zoe decided to place prayer posts at her local Temple. By providing this alternate source of support and spirituality, this fulfills her Girl Scout promise to be useful and helpful to others. As congregants stroll along this trail and read the signs, they can meditate to themselves while having visual aids to help guide them.

Zoya noticed that smaller charitable organizations, which don’t have the same publicity and resources as larger ones, can go unnoticed. For her project, she built the website Donatio.site, a database for charities in her community. It contains an updated list of needed donations so that members of the community can donate accordingly. She teamed up with her school’s Service Organization to take charge of running the site going forward.

Silver Award Girl Scouts

2022 Silver Award Woman of Distinction

Brain Breaks

Sarah’s Brain Breaks project gives kids a break in their day but still serves an educational purpose. She built a giant Scrabble and chess/checkers set

Troop 3515: Gwinnett County Troop Leaders: Laura Terry-McCartney and Toni Gruber Girl Scout: Sarah Gruber

at Notre Dame Academy. For the chess/checkers

pieces, one side is plain for checkers, and the

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Silver

other side has stenciled chess pieces. For the wall Scrabble board, she used metal and attached magnets to the letter tiles. Sarah also created instructional materials. These brain break games are educational AND FUN!

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. ONiece Roberts, page 27

Ayah Abdallah Lauren Abouchar Ivy Achey Julia Acker Emma Ackerman Kyleigh Acree Arden Aczel Srilekha Adusumilli Simran Ahuja Zaakiyah Alexander Addison Allan Isabella Allan Lily Allemeier Madison Alsobrook

Brooke Anderson Kendra Anderson Ansley Ansley Kimaya Applewhaite Abby Armstrong Addison Arnold Alyssa Austin-Perry Kenadi Austin-Perry Len Ayer Gracie Azpetia Vanessa Baingern Parker Balog Elisa Banks Zoey Banks

Madison Barksdale Sophia Barnes Emily Barnett Kyleigh Barnett Presley Bartkow Journee Baysmore Nasya Bazemore Ella Benden Kenley Bennett Leah “Abby” Bennett Rahana Bentley Kalina Bhandari Rania Bhatia Isabel Biagi

Mikayla Bishop Adeline Blair Alexandra Booher Hayden Bossak Callie Bowers Lizzy Boyd Madeline Bozzelli Eva Brady Parker Braswell Emily Bray McKenzie Brewton Adeline Briggs Grace Britt Miranda Brodie

Addison Brown Ebannee Brown Lily Brown Katherine Brummett Robin Brusuelas-jones Alexandria Butkovich Anya Butkovich Haseley Caine Arianna Camon Kiera Campbell Elisabeth Canty Amelia Cappello Starr Carmichael Chloe Carstens

2022 Silver Award Woman of Distinction

Riverside Elementary Outdoor Classroom

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Silver

Troop #3387 wanted to make a difference in their community while completing their Silver Award. Riverside Elementary School had an outdoor classroom in place; however, it was in need of repair after years of disuse. The girls worked together to create a wonderful native plant outdoor garden with the help of UGA Master Gardeners. They painted the tables with subject themes and made videos and signs for the students and teachers about the new “ROC”- Riverside Outdoor Classroom.

Troop 3387: Gwinnett County Troop Leaders: Kristen McFarland, Kimberly Gallant, and Susan Justice Girl Scouts: Amelia Gallant, Lindsay Justice, Azuki Hattori, Ava Timchenko, Madelyn McFarland, Margaret Rosser, Catherine Rosser, Madison Patrick, and Isabel Biagi

Emilia Cartee Julia Cashin Gracie Cavallo Gabrielle Chadwin Katie Chang Tihun Chapman Noelle Chatigny Allison Chitwood Vaidehi Choudury Korynn Clark Makayla Clay Abby Cloud Ashley Cole Makaylyn Coleman

Jaeda Colvin Jasmine Conley Sabine Cook Cathleen Cotton Elizabeth Councill Anne Cox Makenzie Cranford Katherine Cresci Kira Culp Casey Curney Abigail Dane Autumn Darby Radha Dave Ashley Davis

Jacelyn Davis Maddie Davis Sophia Davis Gabby Demart Shriya Dharmendran Claire Diaz Sophia DiGiuro Gia DiGregorio Juliette Dill Gabrielle Domengeaux Emily Donovan Emily Douglas Briana Dow Taylor Dowd

Haley Duckett Sakari Dunlap Brianne Dunphy Edith Durden Erin Earl Deanna Edmond Molly Ellner Maggie Esz Avery Fackenthall Kylah Fagain Anslee Fahn Sophia Faure Gabriella Fays Emily Federovitch

Amelia Feery Kylie Feitell Hailey Fields Madison Ford Olivia Fouce Kharys Fowlkes Danielle Franks Abby Freed Jada Gadson Briattain Gaines Amelia Gallant Riley Gillen Sydney Glahn Zoey Goldston

2022 Silver Award Woman of Distinction

Chirps and Chimes

This project was an accumulation of 340 hours and involved 12 interviews of local businesses. It also entailed eight decision to partner with Cobb County in providing a bird house sanctuary. The project, inspired by the Breath Journey, combined the team’s passions – animals, recycling, art and mental health. Troop 17129: Cobb County Troop Leaders: Kimberly Heiple and Sirena Smith Girl Scouts: Cheyenne Smith, Grace Heiple, Anslee Fahn, and Vaidehi Choudury

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Silver

individual Silver Award power point presentations for potential clients, team vote and unification of ideas, and a final

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Silver

Sally Goodsell Zyniece Gordon Sarah Goring Rowan Graves Sarah Gruber Trisha Gundugollu Ava Guthrie Chloe Hahn Sarah Kate Hall Mara Hanlon Marisa Harper Rosemary Harrast Paker Ann Harris Natalie Hartman Azuki Hattori Hannah Hazen Mary Celyne Heege Kalea Heil Grace Heiple Lyric Henderson McKenzie Hensarling Evelyn Higginbotham Reese Hillman Amelia Hobbins Lily Honeycutt Sophia Horback Amelia Horwitz Emily Houle Na’Miah Howard Jaela Huang Julia Huddle Aiyana Hughley Melanie Hylton Mary Innes Rebekah Ives Lei’Lani Jackson Mary Beth Jackson Ansley James Olivia James Mia Jardot Aniyah Jennings Cheryl Jerald Audrey Johnson Emma Johnson Dakota Jones Kate Jones Lena Jones Tyniia Jones Camille Jordan Christina Jordan Aubrey JordanYarbrough Lindsay Justice Kyla Kaiser Mia Kaminski Erin Kappel Srishti Kasturey

Drew Kellis Eva Kennedy Ada Kennedy-Alicea Sarah Kerr Ann Kilgore Lucille Kincaid Lucy King Lola King-Stevens Sonia Knauff Naysa Knowles Claire Kuhl Emma Kukla Abigail Lancaster Julie Langenderfer Reese LaPierre Winfrey Lartey Morgan Laurenti Lilianna Lavelle Emma Lawrence Anabel Lee Kaitlyn Lettau Adalyn Liakakos Katherine Lim Hannah Lipman Gianna Lundy-Garefino Keneicia Lyons Emma Mabry Nishita Madala Delphin Maina Anna Makely Sahaja Priya Mallavaram Tiana Manns Anna Grace Mansfield Sasha Marcus Lea Masson Leilah Mathieu Ellie Mayfield Madelyn McFarland Eliza McKay Olivia McKenley Sarah McLaughlin Zoe McLaughlin Alia McLean Olivia McMullen Liza McPherson Mary Meihofer Hannah Melvin Mayla Merhai Brittan Merrick Eden Mew Marissa Meyer Michelle Miller Morgan Miller Katriana Mills Perri Mixon Reagan Monnin

Ashlyn Montgomery Claire Morgan Audra Morris SaanviMovva Mary Skiles Muir Gianna Mulcare Lillian Mulligan Jane Mullin Milan Myrick Sophia Nagrosst Anjini Naidu Isla Nappi Rachel Neal Alexandria Neason Emily Nelson Haylen Nichols Frida Nieves Karina Nirenberg Freya Norgaard Delaney O’Callaghan Lillian Oddo Allison Oneacre Morgan Paden Lauren Padgett Landry Parker Tanvi Pasumarti London Patrick Madison Patrick Sloane Patrick Cara Pearce Ivey Phillips Nadia Pinilla Raven Pittman Moriah Plange-Ogoe Kaylee Poff Kaminari “Kami” Pollock Laura Pollock Audrey Poole Jaida Powell Izabelle Preston Kathryn Price Aurora Pulley Jordan Ramsey Myla Randall Elsie Rankin Madison Rasher Mary Ratcliff Mary Ellen Reagin Ellie Redfearn Allison Reding Kara Reding Clare Reid Riley Rice Savannah Roads Ansley Roberts Jada Roberts

Alannah Robertson Caitlin Rooney Kirsten Rose Catherine (Eva) Rosser Margaret Rosser Eliora Rothschild Aniyah Rowe Anna Russell Lacey Rutherford Amy Sahar Laila Sain Anna Sallach Annalena Samad Michelle Sande Grace Sanders Kayley Sanders Emily Sapough Anudeepthi Saravanan Jacalyn Schartle Deirdre Seavey Adrienne Self Mia Sguilaro Anna Sharer Olivia Shaw Sarah Sherwood Sania Singh Ashley Sipes Cheyenne Smith Jasmine Smith MaryPoole Smith Olivia Smith Thalia Smith Grayson Snow Mattie Sochacki Emily Sparks Livia Spolan Mia Stevenson Elizabeth Stone Caroline Stratton Graysen Stratton Charlotte Strike Monique Stroman Faith Sundy Annabeth Swayze Merritt Swayze Samaiya Swinson Kylee Sykes Ananya Tadepalli Sophie Tadros Cecilia Tanner Presley Tanner Ava Taylor Brooke Lynne Taylor Parker Taylor Kyla Teatreault Ashwika Thadisina Audria Thomas

Cierra Thomas Isabella Thomas Sadie Thomas Shamyiah Thrash Ava Timchenko Megan Torres Elizabeth Kate Tucker Grace Tyson Sophie Ullman Lily Umunnakwe London Usher Marina Vaks Sophia Van Name Diya Varma Maelle Vasser Marie Vaughan Mahira Veerani Sydney Vetter Madeline Vicine Elisabeth Vogt Addison Voynich Heidi Walden Joelle Walker Nia Wells Dallis Welsh Caroline Werner Hunter West Jordy Weston Tessa White Ella Williams Emma Williams Gianna Williams Kennedi Williams Lauren Williams Taylor Williams Ashley Wilson Claire Winfrey Ezzie Wisniewski Reeves Wood Payton Woodham Mary Wyman Woodward Aja Wooldridge Maggie Woolley Auria Wright Chloe Wright Leigh Wright Kimora Wynn Lillian Yarn Cassie Yon Courtney Yon Kendyl Young Abby Zeller Stacie Zobel

Bronze AWARD Girl Scouts

2022 Bronze Award Woman of Distinction

P’J’s N Lit Troop #15065 wanted to improve access to literacy options during COVID-19 to help kids who attend school virtually gain access to books. So, they created a digital Little Library to share with schools and existing Little Libraries in their community. In addition, the troop collected over 400 books and 120 pairs of pajamas for Bloom Closet to encourage foster families to use the library. Lastly, to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage month, they recorded some books in Spanish.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Bronze

Troop 15065: Fayette County Troop Leaders: Jennifer Wooden and Andrea Ferguson Girl Scouts: Lauryn Ferguson, Aniya Flynn, Crystal Latson and Aniya Taylor

It isn’t just a project to get an award; it’s a way to form meaningful connections that will last a lifetime. Sacha Sims, page 32

2022 Bronze Award Woman of Distinction

Clean Crop Collaboration Many people do not have enough food resources to care for themselves or their families. As a

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Bronze

result, food insecurity exists. With this in mind, Troop #17019 decided to establish The Clean Crop Collaboration (CCC). The CCC is a Girl Scout-led and driven project aimed at establishing and maintaining a community garden to serve those in need. They partnered with Hugs and Hope Food Pantry and donated food supplies from their garden to area residents.

Troop 17019: Fayette County Troop Leaders: Kimberly Teamer and Donaria Evans Girl Scouts: Priya Sanders, Lailah Evans and Noelle Doyle

Lyla Carras

Marcella Eaddy

Michele Hector

Anya Iyer

Emma Addison

Lena Chang

Caroline Earnest

Samantha Heller

Myra Jain

Caroline Agler

Maddie Chang

Dominique Edwards

Angelika Henderson

Kennedy James

Kelsey Akin

Madeline Chang

Walker

Kate Hendrichs

Gracelynn Jenkins

Madeline Allen

McKinley Chauhan

Zarah Efemini

Miller Hendrix

Angela Johnson

Channing Ambrose

Madison Christian

Caroline Elliott

Brianna Henninger

Aubrey Johnson

Kiley Anderson

Morgan Christian

Lyla Ellliott

Maddy Herron

Jocelyn Johnson

Chloe Atkinson

Brooke Clark

Sofie Erskine

Sara Beth Hickerson

London Johnson

Rose Atkinson

Elsie Claypoole

Lailah Evans

Ella Hill

Nia Johnson

Ava Ayers

Pasha Clayton

Charlotte Fann

Samantha Hill

Mackenzie Jolley

Lily Baker

Grayson Cobb

Mia Farmer

Rebecca Hines

Isabella Jones

McKaela Baker

Brianna Cody

Marialexis Feneque

Isabella Hochberg

Valeria Jones-Vie

Anslee Balachowski

Kaylin Colarusso

Stella Fennell

Betsy Hoffman

Ruth Judd

Moga Bales

Camille Coleman

Lauryn Ferguson

Michaela Holbert

Paije Kacher

Yana Barga

Madison Coley

Ava Fernandez

Emma Holguin

Eden King

Abigail Barrett

Kate Collins

Lindsey Fields

Chrystal Hollifield

Rachel Kireria

Lilly Beavers

Kori Collins

Levy Fifth

Payton Holmes

Shannon Kress

Melanie Bell

Emma Compiani

Megan Findlay

Avarie Holton

Katherine Kringelis

Anya Belt Gadgil

Riley Conley

Taylor Flagg

Jordan Holton

Alex Kuczler

Erin Bennett

Penny Conlon

Isabella Florim

Kaitlyn Hood

Anika Kulkarni

Kate Benson

Anne Connor

Aniya Flynn

Zabrina Hopkins

Devika Kulkarni

Halo Bently

Myra Conoly

Norah Fonder-Kristy

Kayla Hopson

Lucy LaRosa

Devanna Bibbs

Carson Cook

Eliza Fountain

Dawn Hose

Louise Latham

Andrea Binegar

Ellie Cook

Hailey Fountain

Mahannah Hoskins

Crystal Latson

Isabel Blackburn

Reese Cook

Carolyn French

Sienna Hostetter

Kaitlyn Lawrence

Jennings Blackstock

Abigail Corin

Ansley Fuller

Anaia Housen

Maidson LeCroy

Eliana Blackwell

Eden Cox

Tori Fulton

Mariah Howard

Addison Ledford

Mia Blaney

Reagan Cranford

Alexis Furey

Hannah Hughes

Alexis Lee

Joie Blate

Callie Creamer

Corbin Garner

Winry Hughes

Darden Lee

Izzy Bolt

Julia Creamer

Kailey Gaudet

Laurie Hung

Kaylin Lee

Elle Bostic

Meg Crittenden

Damaya Gentry

Lucy Hutcheson

Xin Lee

Gabby Bouchard

Ella Cueny

Adelynn Gevry

Lakshita Ilango

Kayla Lempka

Sanai Bowe

Sofia Cuevas

Twisha Ghildiyal

Addison Illum

Ivonne Lepelley

Gabriella Bozzelli

Maliyah Cunningham

Delilah Godwin

Tristynn Isaac

Aubrey Liedke

Kendall Bradford

Natalie Cunningham

Ayanna Goode

Krystin Isom

Leyton Lightburn

Hayden Brainard

Norah Curvelo

Anazji Gordon

Riley Braithwaite

Caroline Davis

Kavya Goyal

Taylor Bricely

Harley Davis

Nathalia Gramacho

Gladdie Bridges

Bella Day

Price Green

Ariana Britton

Lucy Day

Leah Greenfield

Adaline Brown

Penny Day

Athena Guglielmo

Brooke Brown

Ella Deegan

Aubrey Guillaume

Marissa Brown

Abbyella Deladisma

Aanvi Gupta

Charlote Bruce

Valerie Deliou

Keely Hake

Natalie Bullard

Olivia Derderian

Elizabeth Hanlon

Margaret Burnette

Anne DeShazor

Heidi Hanratty

Charlotte Caldwell

Virginia Dickerson

Mallory Harry

Sarah Graves Caldwell

Makayla Dickey

Aurora Harvey

Ava Campbell

Bethany Dooley

Evelyn Hayes

Trinity Campbell

Noelle Doyle

Kaitlyn Hayes

Zoe Campbell

Michelle Duncan

Kyleigh Hayes

Brynn Canavan

Lulu Durzynski

Arabella Hays

Act as if what you do makes a difference.

IT DOES! Kayla Watkins, page 20

47 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Bronze

Cannon Adams

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta | 2022 Highest Awards | Bronze

Lucy Lina

Sarah Nelson

Autumn Rennie

Rory Sonderman

Shamara Vera

Ava Linder

Gwen Newman

Bryn Rippeon

Kayla Spencer

Maliah Vincent

Sayda Lindgren

Naomi Ng Yan Tun

Avery Roach

Molly Spencer

Bernadette Votin

Erin Lindsey

Vivian Nies

Autumn Roberts

Corriene Splawn

Caroline Votin

Charley Loiacano

Kenna Nolan

Anaya Robinson

Mahima Srikanth

Scarlett Votin

Taylor Lowe

Harmony North

Sheridan Rodgers

Elizabeth Stafford

Katelyn Walker

Vera Lowry

Grace O’Donnell

Eliza Rodriguez

Maxine Stahl

Teresa Walker

Riley Luther

Madeleine O’Neal

Nora Rodriguez

Alivia Stephenson

Khole Wallace

Olivia Ma

Madison Onley

Gabby Rosen

Ryleigh Stewart

Annie Wang

Aayushi Mahindrakar

Lucy Ortiz

Haiden Ross

Catherine Stott

Olivia Wang

Diya Malhotra

Renee Osborne

Deziree Rucker

Isabella Suter

Kaylee Warren

Laasya Mallavaram

Gabbie Owens

Maddy Rupp

Charlotte Sutherland

Kelsie Warren

Leah Martin

Taya Park

Gianna Russo

Anna Szymendera

Sarah Watkins

Sade Martin

Harlow Parker-Cruz

Isabella Russso

Trinity Taplin

Mica Weinberg

Gabby Mason

Hollis Parker-Cruz

Emily Sailors

Aniya Taylor

Mica Weinberg

Campbell Massey

Stella Parks

Priya Sanders

Layla Taylor

Rachel Weitz

Charlotte Matheson

Aditi Patel

Norah Scarborough

Jordan Teamer

Kaitlin Welling

Raina Matthews

Alexis Pattenaude

Annabelle Schaeffer

Niyla Terry

Kara West

Merrisa Mayfield

Amelia Paul

Claire Scott

Charlotte Thomas

Kersten Westbrook

Cheyenne McCoy

Malayah Paul

Ella Sertl

Lera Thompson

Fallyn Wheeler

Tinsley McCoy

Heavyn Payne

Madeliene Shah

Willow Thornhill

Aubree White

Claire McEnaney

Angela Peddapalli

Samira Shanks

Sanai Thornton

Jourdan Williams

Ava McFadden

Marissa Perry

Ayushi Sharma

Anna Katherine Thorpe

Sophia Williams

Lorelei McGahee

Bailee Peters

Anvesha Shinde

Becca Thorpe

Kyndal Winston

Iris McHaggee

Olivia Peterson

Addyson Shoemake

Ashlyn Thrasher

Josephine Wood

Katelyn Mcmillian

Elise Pinnock

Ella Siegel

Taylor Throne

Deanna Woods

Ruby McWilliams

Clara Pond

Tabitha Similao

Sophia Tiborczszeghi

Camille Wooten

Josephine Medico

Brianna Porter

Zoe Simpson

Zoie Tilford

Gabby Wright

Addison Melan

Emma Porterfield

Myra Sitafalwalla

Ellie Tippett

Jada Wright

Elizbeth Meldrum

Ansley Powell

Isabella Sleeman

Brikel Tomay

Lauren Wright

Ava Memmolo

Olivia Powers

Annie Smith

Carrington Townsend

Aleah Zafft

Mckenzie Merriman

Rose Pratt

Bryleigh Smith

Ambry Tran

Zoe Zellner

Sofia Micciche

Aimee Preble

Jillian Smith

Maya Tronolone

Sophie Zhou

Penelope Miller

Madison Pritchett

Honora Sonderman

Emma Rose Tucker

Ivy Zinn

AshylynMitchell

Alex Pruvenok

Kinley Mitchell

Bali Puplampu

Amelia Moelter

Alyssa Quick

Arianna Moore

Addison Quinn

Ava Moore

Sofia Quintero

Jordan Moore

Ainsley Racine

Olivia Moretrz

Isabel Ramo

Abigail Morlen

Kalie Rankin

Lydia Morley

Liberty Ratledge

Katherine Morris

Risha Rawal

Cara Mullins

Johana Ray

Sarah Myers

Nyla Redmond

Payton Myree-Adams

Nova Reichel

Kendall Nabors

Rylie Reid

Amelia Grace Nance

Lillian Reiss

Meghna Nataraj

Raya Releford

Reagan Neal

Stella Renals

Whatever you are, be a good one. Cameron Firestone, page 6

2022 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to all our 2022 Scholarship Recipients!

This year

$54K

in scholarship money is being awarded to Gold Award Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc. is pleased to be able to continue the scholarship tradition established in 1993. The scholarships, which are for graduating high school seniors, recognize outstanding Gold Award Girl Scouts by helping them further their educational opportunities. Recipients may choose their place of higher learning; it may be a college, university, or technical school, in or out of state. Recipients are chosen by the Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship Selections Committee, which reviews each application using a point system. Points are given based on leadership activities, involvement in the community, academic achievement, and, most importantly, the Girl Scout Gold Award project. Fifty percent of the total score is based on the quality and community impact of the project.

Scholarship Recipient

Gold Award Project Title

Phoebe Ellis

Stories on the Go: A Literacy Cart for Children

Zora Felix

Women in Technology’s WIT Girls Club

Bryn Hammock

Tiny Hugs

Samyukta Iyer

IuvaTech Innovation Hackinar

Piercia Johnson

“Loving Yourself” Teen Mental Health Workshop

Kennedy Jones

Woosah! Paint and Dance

Himani Kalra

Save the Girl Child

LynAnn Koh

Project Post-Pandemic Recovery for Students

Katie Maier

Picture Your Path

Aria Sharma

COVID Warriors!

Camy Teichman

Make Some Noise

Jiya Varma

Female Athlete Triad Curriculum

In honor of Helen Eidson, mother of Ann Hooper, high school seniors who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award are eligible for this scholarship, designated for books and supplies. Sponsored by Novelis, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta awarded two scholarships to girls who have shown an interest and passion for STEM and the environment in both their Gold Award projects and their future career paths.

1852_Gold Award Book 2022_Cover_FNL 1D.indd 4

2/25/22 2:58 PM

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors and Program Partners

2022 Board of Directors Officers

Directors at Large

Sonnet C. Edmonds, Chair

Erik Bryant

Sandi Moody

Susan Lazaro, Vice Chair

Susan Dimmick

Ellie Morris

Condace Pressley, Board Secretary

Fran Gary

Vish Narendra

Cathy C. Miller, Treasurer

Vivian Greentree

Denise Reese

Monique Honaman

Elizabeth (“Beth”) Schiavo

Marcia (“Marci”) Jerding

Tequila Smith

Amir Kazmi

Kathy Waller

Soon Mee Kim

Barbara Whiteside

Kathleen (“Kat”) Marran

Josh Williams

5601 N. Allen Road Mableton, GA 30126 800.771.1139 • GirlScoutsATL.org facebook.com/GirlScoutsATL twitter.com/GirlScoutsATL instagram.com/GirlScoutsATL https://www.linkedin.com/company/girl-scouts-of-greater-atlanta-inc./