Totally Teen Girls

August 2008

Inside: * Troop 542 goes to the beach! *Girl Scout Meghan Quinn shares her troop’s New York City experience! *Senior Scuba!

Also in this issue: 2009 Inaugural information, Destinations Orientations and the new Girl Scout Ambassador program level!

How do I get published?

TTG: Totally Teen Girls is a publication of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital for girls ages 11 and up.

Editor Belinda McBean

Manager of Program Services Brigid Howe

Deputy Executive Director

We’re always looking for articles, photos, drawings and anything else teen girls want to submit. If you have any questions regarding TTG content, getting published, or about becoming a TTG Teen Editor, contact: Belinda McBean Public Relations Assistant bmcbean@gscnc.org 202-237-1670 ext. 206 The best pictures for publication generally are close-up pictures of just a few girls. Photos should accompany an article or caption. *Note -- TTG editor reserves the right to shorten articles and crop pictures for the publication.

Lidia Soto-Harmon

Girl Scout Volunteer and Graphic Designer: Header Art and Color Scheme Carmel Steindam

Technological Assistance: Council Staff Angel Parsons, Online/Pubs Specialist

For information regarding teen programs, events, scholarships and awards, contact: Brigid Howe Manager of Program Services bhowe@gscnc.org 202-237-1670 ext. 211

More R esourc es Resourc esources GSCNC Main Website

Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital

www.gscnc.org

4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite M-2

GSCNC Teen Website

Washington, DC 20008

www.gscnc.org/girls/teen

www.gscnc.org

GSCNC Teen Programs www.gscnc.org/girls/teen/programs GSCNC Teen Forms www.gscnc.org/girls/teen/forms GSUSA Website www.girlscouts.org STUDIO 2B Website www.studio2b.org

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Blood Drive

by Tara Anderson, Troop 3838

Teen Troop 3838, of Prince William County, VA, in partnership with the American Red Cross, sponsored the firstever blood drive for the River Oaks community in Woodbridge, VA. We were able to collect 24 productive pints of blood with 40 individuals donating.

Those donations have the potential to save 72 hospital patients who rely on blood drives for life-saving blood.

As Teen Girl Scouts we strive to provide community service in all areas. This blood drive was our Silver Award Project. It was a wonderful experience for the troop and we hope to continue this effort again next year.

Thank you to the River Oaks community for helping Girl Scouts save lives!

By Girls For Girls Committee (BGFG)

BGFG is working hard to help GSCNC’s Program Department continue to create fun and interesting events and activites for Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors!

The committee also helps choose the President’s Award nominee and picks a theme for some council ceremonies. Currently, BGFG is working on events for the 2008-2009 Girl Scout year. If you are interested in learning more about the committee or would like to join, please contact the Teen Program Specialist at 202-237-1670 ext. 236.

Fun Times at Camp

Girl Scout Troop 3491 of Vienna, VA, has a great time at Camp Crowell.

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Memorial Day at the Beach

by Michelle Porter, Troop 542 Several teens and adults from Teen Troop 542 of Bowie, MD, took a Memorial Day weekend beach camping trip to Cape Henlopen, DE. While there, they swam in the ocean, took a tour of Fort Miles and the surrounding bunkers (sites that were used in World War II), and seined (fished with a drag net) in the Delaware Bay.

Adventure Scuba

Members of Cadette/Senior Troop 3910 of Prince George’s County, MD, enjoyed a lesson from Adventure Scuba, a local company that teaches scuba diving.

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They also took a night hike through the forest around the park, climbed to the top of an observation tower, had dinner in wonderful downtown Lewes, DE, and worked on some Interest Project patches. They are pictured here with the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse in the background.

Costa Rica

Teen Troop 3426 of Montgomery County, MD, enjoys the sunset during an eight-day excursion to Costa Rica. They went scuba diving, took mud baths, ziplined through the rainforest and learned about local culture and food.

Big Fun in the Big Apple

by Meghan Quinn, Troop 4445, Montgomery County, MD Since we were in sixth or seventh grade, my troop has been talking about going on a trip somewhere, so my troop leader, my sister, our four other troop members, our safety king and I headed for New York City.

When we arrived, we grabbed our bags and hailed taxis to the youth hostel where we were staying. We were pretty excited when we saw our bunk room. We briefly discussed plans for the next day, and then collapsed into bed.

The next morning we were up early out of sheer excitement. After breakfast, we rode the subway to an open air market. It was great. I think almost everyone bought something, from cider and bread to cheese and jam. We went to a dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, and everyone tried new things. By far, the most interesting food we tried was chicken feet. They weren’t that bad, just very tough! During lunch, Danielle, one of our troop members, had her aunt who lives in New York join us. She spent the afternoon with the troop as we went around Chinatown and SoHo, shopping, and stopping for treats at Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt shop. We were pretty amazed with the things we saw at Evolution in SoHo, like shrunken heads and lollipops with insects in them. Before dinner, we humored our leader and went to an exhibit of Irving Penn photographs at the Morgan Gallery. Much to our surprise, the things we saw in the museum were interesting. We ate a quick dinner at John’s Pizzeria, and rushed down to Times Square. We went to Broadway and saw the production of Spamalot. It was hilarious. We all enjoyed seeing the show and laughed at the coincidence that a sing-along (audience and cast) was the closing number.

Afterwards we almost got Clay Aiken’s autograph.

Sunday morning, we packed all of our stuff and left the hostel. Before catching the bus back home, we went to a costuming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Then, we walked through Central Park until we found the statue of Balto. After taking tons of photos, we all got our Silver Awards and bridged to Seniors by running a “victory lap” across a bridge in the park.

We ended up spending a lot of time in Dylan’s Candy Bar. The store has everything in it, all kinds of candy. After a scramble to get lunch and leave on time, we left the city on a sugar high, spending the ride home enjoying the sweets we bought. This really was an incredible trip. I had such a great time, and my troop’s already planning our next trip.

2009 Inaugural Day We anticipate that GSCNC will be asked to provide service during Inaugural activities on and around January 20, 2009, but the level of participation is unknown at this point.

Information will be posted on the GSCNC website and sent out in e-Edition as soon as it becomes available. Online applications to participate will be due by November 30, 2008. For more information, please contact the Teen Program Specialist at 202-237-1670, ext. 236

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Destination Orientations Do you ever see the pictures in TTG of girls traveling the world and think, “How did they do that?”

There is a Girl Scout destination for everyone. There are destinations for those interested in drama, the outdoors, natural history and so much more. Last year, over 30 girls from GSCNC were chosen to attend destinations around the world!

These trips may seem out of reach. Perhaps you think that they are too expensive, or that your application would never be chosen. These are common concerns, but they shouldn’t hold you back from trying. Girls who have gone on destinations say, “It was the best time of my life”, and “I’ve made friends from all over the country that I still keep in touch with.” Before you make up your mind that you’ll never be able to go, come to GSCNC’s orientation and learn how and why you should apply. There is something for everyone! Orientation dates are as follows: Washington, DC Council Office: Wednesday, October 1, 7 - 9 pm Saturday, October 4, 10 am - 12 noon.

Waldorf Council Office: Saturday, October 4, 2 - 4 pm Leesburg Council Office: Sunday, October 5, 2 - 4 pm For more information, go to http://www.studio2b.org/escape/destinations/.

Calendar of Events September 2- Gold Award Deadline (by 5 pm) 6- New Leadership Journey Programs (C,S,A), Camp Crowell, Oakton, VA 11-Gold Award Panel Meeting 21-New Leadership Journey Programs (C,S,A), Camp Brighton Woods, Brookeville, MD 30-Destination Orientations, GSCNC Office, Leesburg, VA October 1- Gold Award Deadline (by 5 pm) 1- Destinations orientations, GSCNC office, Washington, DC 4- Destinations orientations, GSCNC offices, Washington, DC and Waldorf, MD 5- Destinations orientations, GSCNC office, Leesburg, VA 9- Gold Award Panel Meeting

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November 3- Gold Award Deadline (by 5 pm) 13-Gold Award Panel Meeting December 1- Gold Award Deadline (by 5 pm) 11-Gold Award Panel Meeting January 5- Gold Award Deadline 15-Gold Award Meeting Looking ahead: April 1- Deadline for Congressional Aide, President’s Award, Gold Award Scholarship, Inclusion in In Your Honor Ceremony May 3- In Your Honor, Trinity University, DC

In Your Honor Over 500 friends and family celebrated the success of the 223 girls who earned the Gold Award, and the 78 girls who earned the Silver Trefoil from April 2, 2007 to April 1, 2008. The annual In Your Honor ceremony was held at Trinity University’s Center for Girls and Women in Sports in Northeast, DC, on Sunday, May 4.

Executive Director Jan Verhage welcomed the girls and families, praising their hard work and dedication. Guest Speaker Marieli Colon-Padilla, a member of the GSCNC Board of Directors and the Director of Hispanic Outreach for Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), spoke about the importance of service. Board President Diane Tipton addressed the audience and presented the 2008 President’s Award to Tamara Benchoam- Rogers, Julia Dahlin, Claire Fogarty and Hanna Herold. This award was created to recognize girls who have demonstrated their leadership and contributed to the growth of GSCNC. Each year, GSCNC is proud to recognize girls who have earned the Gold Award by presenting 10 scholarships and 10 savings bonds, generously funded by The Sara and Lawrence Phillips Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship Fund, and one scholarship funded by an anonymous donor in the name of Marilynn Carr. In addition, the Panelists who interviewed semi-finalists decided to fund a twelfth scholarship. This year’s recipients were: Elisia Clark, Elizabeth Khol, Maria Morran, Natalie Dubishar, Kelley Brady, Taylor Gentry, Nicole Birrer, Sarasi Jayaratne, LaToshia Ashley Butler, Amanda Lyon, Katie Mercuro and Christine Kennedy.

Yearbook Corrections!

GSCNC sincerely apologizes for failing to include or misspelling the names of the following Gold and Silver Award recipients in May’s edition of TTG Gold Award corrections: Nicole Birrer, Mount Airy, MD Project: Straighten Up Nicole organized a basement at a crisis pregnancy center by building shelves and sorting donated supplies.

She also held three diaper drives to stock the center.

Hayley Glover, Leesburg, VA Project: Family Literacy Enrichment for At Risk Populations Hayley provided 12 weeks of literacy enrichment at a Head Start program and for kids living in shelters. She created books on tape and planned activities like puppet shows, games, songs and arts and crafts.

Kathryn Ivie, Nokesville, VA Project: Pokemon League Play for All Kids Kathryn organized and implemented a Pokemon League for young children. She hoped to share her love of Pokemon and create a safe place for kids to have fun.

Leslie Shapiro, Olney, MD Project: Painting the Parks Leslie and her partner held reading and writing workshops for elementary school children.

Participants even got the chance to write their own books!

Silver Award corrections: Mary-Kate Bailey, Cara Modowski, Michelle Thiry and Taren Vail. **Look for the names of girls who earned the Gold, Silver and Silver Trefoil awards from April 2, 2008 to April 1, 2009 in next May’s yearbook edition of TTG.

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Make the Connection GSCNC and Booz Allen Hamilton are joining together for the fourth year to offer a mentoring program to give Girl Scouts in grades 7-12 a head start in planning for their future. Registering for Make the Connection means you are invited to various activities throughout the year. You can find registration information on the teen program page at www.gscnc.org/girls/teen/programs/maketheconnection.php. A random selection of all registrations received by October 10 will be used, with priority given to girls who did not participate last year. If you have any questions, please call 202-237-1670, ext. 236.

New Program Levels for Teens FAQ How is the Girl Scout Ambassador level different from the Girl Scout Senior level?

A: The Girl Scout Ambassador level is for girls in grades 11-12. GSUSA did a lot of research and found out what you probably already know: girls in grades 11 and 12 have different concerns and interests than girls in grades 9 and 10. To address that, GSUSA has added the new Ambassador level. The new materials for Girl Scout Ambassadors are designed to help girls navigate big issues while preparing for college, careers and futures as advocates for causes they believe in. The journey for Girl Scout Ambassadors, Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy, engages girls in an advocacy experience. Girl Scout Ambassadors are encouraged to “pass on” to younger girls some of what they learn on their journey. GSCNC is holding several programs that will only be for Girl Scout Ambassadors in the year ahead – look for Candlelight Yoga and more in the Mosaic Forecast.

How will girls bridge to Ambassadors?

A bridging award will be available for Ambassadors in spring 2009 and girls who begin the Ambassador level in fall 2008 may earn this award retroactively. GSCNC also encourages girls to participate in the fall Journey Kickoff Programs, as girls in the Ambassador level program will explore the new Journey and work together to suggest bridging requirements to GSUSA. What does this mean for the Gold Award?

At this time, requirements for the Gold Award are the same. GSUSA is working on the new prerequisites for the Gold Award, and it is almost certain that they will be closely aligned to the Senior and Ambassador Leadership Journeys, meaning that a girl can meet the prerequisites by completing either the Senior or Ambassador Leadership Journey. The new prerequisites will be announced in Spring 2009 and take effect in Fall 2009. As always, we will offer a transition period, so a girl who has started her Gold Award under one pathway will be able to finish it the way she started. A brand new Going for the Gold publication will come out in August 2009, with detailed information about the new processes.

What does this mean for the Silver Award?

At this time, the requirements have not changed. GSUSA is working on new prerequisites for the Silver Award which will be announced in Spring 2009. It is likely that they will involve the Cadette Leadership Journey, aMaze.