Troop Times
GSNYPENN Media Team Newsletter // June 2024
GSNYPENN Updates
Media Team Updates
- Marigold R., Junior, Potsdam, N.Y.
Welcome to our first issue of GSNYPENN Media Team updates. If you don’t know about our media team, we are a group of youth members who meet under the guidance of council Marketing staff to take part in commercials, photoshoots, help create content for council social media and other projects.
One of the cool things we’ve done this member year is taking part in the council’s 2024 cookie season commercials. We filmed the TV ad at the Syracuse Service Center in January, which featured Marigold R., Aurelia D. and Mia M. Fourteen Media Team members participated in a cookie season photoshoot the same day. Before that, Lydia S. and Eveleigh P. recorded cookie radio commercials at Galaxy Media in Syracuse.
Eveleigh P. and Lola H. participated in our welcome video in January. This video was made to get new Girl Scouts who joined in the spring excited to meet their troop in the fall.
In February, Mackenzie N., Abby M., Maddie R. and Mia R., took a trip to Destiny USA to help promote our Girl Scout Build-A-Bear giveaway
for cookie season. These media team members got to build bears, name them and pick out their own Girl Scout outfits.
Lydia S., Audrey W., Lola H., Mia M., Emma M., Mackenzie N., Caroline C., Alyson K., Serenity F. and Marigold R. even wrote the newsletter that you’re currently reading. As members of the Media Team, we have a lot of goals, including getting our fellow Girl Scouts more involved in the projects we work on. We want GSNYPENN media that comes from the Girl Scout’s perspective.
We thank you for reading our Media Team updates. Make sure to keep your eye out for more cool events!
GSNYPENN Interviews
GSNYPENN Staff Interviews
- Lydia S., Cadette, Liverpool, N.Y.
Hello, fellow Girl Scouts! Welcome to the staff interview section of the Troop Times! We thought this would be a great opportunity to highlight some of the staff that help make Girl Scouts strong every day. Did you know that 12 different staff teams support us through Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways? Together, they work to ensure we have the resources we need. For this article, I interviewed three staff members.
Zekia Shoots
Membership Support Manager (Maine Service Center)
Q: What is your favorite part about Girl Scouts?
A: My favorite part is working to change lives daily.
Q: Your role is a Membership Support Manager. Can you explain to our readers what you do?
A: I am a Membership Support Manager in the Maine office. I help support troop leaders so they can support youth in Girl Scouts.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming year for Girl Scouts?
A: Oh, I am excited for so many things. One has to be the open houses. I look forward to helping our recruitment team gain more youth members for Girl Scouts.
Jaclyn Strazzulla
Director of Product Programs (Syracuse Service Center)
Q: What is your favorite part about Girl Scouts?
A: I like being able to help our Girl Scouts reach their goals and try new things.
Q: Your role is the Director of Product Programs. How would you describe what you do?
A: I work with the council’s budget and help troops reach their goals during our Treats, Reads & More and Girl Scout Cookie programs.
Q: There were a lot of awesome rewards for the 2024 Girl Scout Cookie Program. What was your favorite this season?
A: My favorite has to be Cookie Camp!!!
Kuyana Worley
Customer Engagement Manager (Syracuse Service Center)
Q: What is your favorite part about Girl Scouts?
A: My favorite part is offering opportunities to youth members to gain leadership skills that they may not have otherwise.
Q: Your role is a Customer Engagement Manager. What is your job about?
A: I get to talk to caregivers about local Girl Scout opportunities. I also support volunteers by making sure their troops are registered. I also assist with certificates of insurance for troops setting up meeting spaces, cookie booths, etc.
Q: As a Customer Engagement Manager, you need to know a lot about Girl Scouts. How do you stay up to date to answer all the questions?
A: Our team has weekly meetings to discuss what is going on around the council. We also have chat groups with different staff teams. We also stay updated with GSNYPENN’s social media platforms and website.
This has been a great opportunity to meet some of the many unique staff members at GSNYPENN; I know I learned something new. If you are interested in seeing all the different departments and staff members, check out the staff directory on gsnypenn.org/staff. Make sure to keep looking out for new interviews in our future newsletters!
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Mental Health Tips
- Alyson K., Junior, Oneida, N.Y.
Mental health is important because it dramatically impacts your emotions and how you view your life. Here are 10 tips to boost your mental health:
Meditate - Focusing on one thing, like your breathing and blocking out other thoughts, can help you calm down and relieve stress.
Stay organized - When you’re organized, your body feels relaxed and calm because your brain isn’t trying to find where something could be.
Think positive thoughts - When you have positive thoughts, you feel more confident and braver. Look at yourself in the mirror for five minutes every day and say things like, “I can do anything,” “I am strong” or “I’m beautiful, and I know it.”
Get outside and stay active - Going outside can make your body feel better because your lungs get clean, natural air.
Have a strong support system - When you have supportive friends and family, you feel welcomed and accepted.
Be kind to everyone - You may ask, “How would kindness toward others positively affect me?” You will feel better about yourself when you receive responses like, “Thank you so much, kind person!” or “How sweet of you!”
Reduce cell phone and screen usage - This has a significant effect on your mental health because you’re not looking at a screen that can hurt your eyes and brain
Find confidence - You don’t care what people think about you when you’re confident. It helps when you’re optimistic because you can bounce back from negative comments. Don’t know where to start? Try to “fake it ‘til you make it!”
Get plenty of rest - Everything feels more challenging when you’re tired, so ensure you get enough sleep by sticking to your sleep schedule. For example, I go to bed at 9 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. each day.
Eat a nutritious diet - Eating healthy foods and drinking enough water will help you stay energized throughout the day to tackle any task.
Try one or all of these tips and stick with the ones that best boost your mental health!
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Mental Wellness Corner
Girl Scout Success Story
Girl Scout Spotlight on Gabby H.
- Serenity F., Brownie, Jordan, N.Y.
Gabby H. is a Cadette from Troop 60003 who proves that differences don’t hold us back. Gabby balances school, Girl Scouts, a job and now cheerleading.
Gabby is in her 1st year of all-star cheerleading at Cheer Athletics Rochester. She is on a CheerAbilities team named Starcats. A CheerAbilities team is made for people with special needs. Gabby and her team were undefeated in their first year as an Elite Team. They finished their season as national champions at the U.S. Finals in Buffalo, N.Y.
Gabby is a good performer, super strong and fun to watch. In cheerleading and Girl Scouts, Gabby likes to meet new friends and help others. We love that she inspires other people to try new things.
Congratulations to Gabby on a great first year of cheer and another cookie season in Girl Scouts!
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Local Story
Local Solar Eclipse Event
- Caroline C., Junior, Lacona, N.Y.
Girl Scout Troop 60237 will never again ask, “What’s a solar eclipse?” because they learned through personal experience. On April 8, the troop watched the eclipse in their co-leader’s backyard, and it was a splendid gathering! Everything was space-themed including the food, decorations and fun!
A solar eclipse is when the sun is hidden by the moon. Did you know we can predict a solar eclipse? On the website, Kiddle, the article “Solar eclipse facts for kids,” states, “An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the moon’s orbit.” This means you can figure out when an eclipse will happen.
Solar eclipses can be of different types. They can be a total eclipse, an annular eclipse, a hybrid eclipse or a partial eclipse. The troop experienced a total eclipse in the path of totality, which means they had a total darkness view. Yet even though they were in the path of totality, they still didn’t have a perfect view. It was cloudy outside, which made it difficult to see the eclipse at times. Once the sky grew dark, things got weird; the bugs came out, the coyotes howled and it was cold. Luckily, the animals returned to normal after a few minutes of darkness. To protect their eyes, the troop wore solar eclipse glasses. Overall, they loved the experience.
They also earned the Space Science Investigator badge. To earn this badge, they had to learn that a solar eclipse is when the moon, sun and earth are in line. They learned facts like the order of the planets and to not look at the sun before an eclipse. They also made shirts to show their love of the eclipse. It taught them how the plate covered the sun leaving only a little light. There are many facts about an eclipse they learned while earning this badge.
As mentioned above, there was a lot of space-themed food at the event. One Girl Scout mother, Tara A., baked half-moon cookies; there was even a gluten-free option. There were Capri-Suns which they loved and everyone got their favorite flavor. The candy bowl fittingly included Starburst, Milky Ways and Cosmic Brownies. The troops ate a lot of candy! There were healthy options, too, the whole fruit bowl was almost gone by the end.
A solar eclipse is very interesting, especially when you have a party after being educated about it. All in all, solar eclipses are nice and Girl Scouts in Troop 60237 had a great time learning facts and safety about them.
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GSNYPENN Event Recap
Fun Adventures with Girl Scouts
- Emma M., Brownie & Mia M., Daisy, Clay, N.Y.
Hello, Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways! We are super excited to tell you about the amazing events we have been a part of this year with our troops and Service Unit. Here’s a recap of the many cool things we did together.
Emma is a Brownie from Troop 60031 – Emma and her troop visited Tarrytown, N.Y., where they learned all about “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It was a little spooky, especially touring the cemetery, but also super interesting! We heard the story of the Headless Horseman and even got to explore some of the places mentioned in the tale, including Washington Irving’s home. We also visited The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze where we saw hundreds of carved pumpkins illuminating the path.
Mia is a Daisy from Troop 10038 - Mia and her troop took an overnight trip to visit Canterbury Stables in Cazenovia, N.Y., to finish up their Animal Observer badge. On this trip, they toured a working horse farm, learned how to care for the horses, fed them snacks and watched them practice riding. Then, they got into two groups and had a grooming competition with the horses. They brushed them and even got to braid their manes and tails. Both horses looked beautiful in the end.
Our Service Unit also had some really fun events this year. First up was the annual Trunk or Treat and both of our troops attended. Sadly, the weather didn’t cooperate this year, so we couldn’t decorate trunks. Instead, we used tables inside and had so much fun. There was a great turnout, tons of candy and super cool games and costumes.
Next up was World Thinking Day, where we celebrated cultures from all around the globe. Each troop represented a different country and we learned about their traditions, food and games. Emma’s troop represented Ireland and we sampled tea and Irish cheeses. Mia’s troop represented Aruba and we sampled gouda cheese and coconut water. We even got to try some other delicious snacks from Japan and Switzerland.
We have had a lot of fun events this year with our troops and Service Unit. We are looking forward to our June encampment where we get to sleep in tents or bunk beds and hang out with others around the campfire. Encampment is our favorite event of the year for Girl Scouts!
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Emma M.
Mia M.
What is Earth Day?
- Audrey W., Junior, Syracuse, N.Y.
The first Earth Day was started by Gaylord Nelson, who was a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. One day he was worried about the environment, so he set aside his work and organized the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
Earth Day is a day when we honor our planet, it takes place every year on April 22. It is a time to protect our planet and keep it healthy. It is very important to keep it healthy because Earth is the only planet we know that has life. If we don’t clean it up, lots of bad things could happen; plants could die, trees could get chopped down, there could be a lot of pollution and animals could go extinct. So, that’s why we take care of our planet. Littering is another important thing we can’t forget. Littering can be very bad because that trash will get washed or dumped into the ocean and animals could eat it and get sick or die. So, that’s why we clean our planet Earth.
Here are some ways you can help:
If you see trash, clean it up
Use reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles
Don’t use plastic straws
Recycle anything you can
Throw trash in the right bin
To support Earth Day, GSNYPENN staff members and the Girl Advisory Board participated in an AdoptA-Highway garbage cleanup near Camp Trefoil along Route 3 in Harrisville, N.Y.
Sources: “Earth Day.” PebbleGo, Capstone, 28 Apr. 2024, www.pebblego.com, Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, Inc. Facebook page
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Cookie Season Recap
My Cookie Season Experience
- Mackenzie N., Junior, North Syracuse, N.Y.
This is my first year with GSNYPENN as a Junior Girl Scout. What I really enjoyed about the cookie season was that you have your own Digital Cookie site where you can see your progress as you sell cookies. You get to sort the cookies when you receive them and you can deliver them directly to the person who ordered them. I learned that you can do anything with teamwork, good friends, a supportive family and a great troop!
Although I was unable to participate in cookie booths this year, I was able to give out cookie order forms and meet friendly people in my neighborhood. My dad also brought the form to his workplace for his coworkers. There are many levels of achievements and rewards you can earn with cookie sales, including an axolotl plush. If you complete certain tasks on your Digital Cookie site such as money handling, you can earn your Cookie Entrepreneur Pin. Overall, my first year as a Girl Scout was a fun experience.
I am also a part of the GSNYPENN Media Team where we’ve done photoshoots for advertisements, taken pictures in different Girl Scout uniforms dating from the 1900s to now and more. Our Media Team is a very fun and exciting group to be a part of, I am happy to participate.
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“Trolls Band Together” Movie Review
- Lola H., Junior, Oswego, N.Y.
“Trolls Band Together” is an exciting, bright and music-filled film starring Anna Kendrick as Poppy and Justin Timberlake as Branch.
My favorite characters in the film are Floyd and Poppy, who are kind, compassionate and lovable characters. In the movie, we find out that Branch has brothers he hasn’t spoken to in years and that they were once in a band called BroZone. One of his brothers, Floyd, gets kidnapped and that’s when Poppy, Branch and his brothers set out on an amazing adventure. Branch isn’t the only character with surprises for the audience in this film, Poppy also has one that is life-changing!
Overall, this movie is compelling and makes you want to watch it till the end! I love the music, animation and messages but the timeline didn’t seem to correspond with the two previous trolls movies. The confusing timeline is why I’m giving “Trolls Band Together” a score of 4 out of 5 Girl Scout Cookies!
Movie Review 9 Total Cookie Score: 4/5
Want to join our GSNYPENN Media Team?
Our Media Team was formed at the beginning of Member Year 2024 to bring a Girl Scout voice and perspective to council marketing and communications efforts and materials. Team members were selected through an application and interview process with Media Team advisors who are staff members in the council’s Marketing Department. Check council social media channels and our News of Note all-member e-newsletters closer to the end of summer for application information for MY2025! Questions? Contact GSNYPENN Media Team Advisor Amanda Coyle at acoyle@gsnypenn.org
gsnypenn.org • info@gsnypenn.org • 1.315.698.9400 or 1.800.943.4414