The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To Serve God and my country.

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

3 p.m.Schuster Performing Arts Center

Wintergarden

2015

History of the

Girl Scout Gold Award

The Golden Eagle of Merit, the highest award in Girl Scouting from 1916

to 1919, marked the beginning of a long tradition of using prestigious

awards to recognize girls who make a difference in their communities

and in their own lives.

From 1940 to 1963, the Curved Bar Award was the highest honor in Girl

Scouting.

From 1963 to 1980, First Class was the highest award. To achieve First

Class meant that a girl was an “all-around” person with skills in many

fi elds and profi cient in one.

Since 1980, the Gold Award has inspired girls to fi nd the greatness

inside themselves and share their ideas and passions with their

communities. When earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, girls design,

plan and lead a Take Action project that will make a lasting change for

the better in their communities and beyond.

Thank you

Dayton

Jolene Hoggatt

Jessica Limbach

Eilanna Price **

Jean Sims

Suzanne Valle **

Laura Walter

Sarah Kelly-Staff Support

Toledo

Sheri Benton

Megan Gardam

Meredith Griffi n

Tracy Lustic

Rebecca Sarantou-Staff Support

*Committee members who participated on the Gold Award Ceremony Committee

** Chairs of the Gold Award Ceremony Committee

Lima

Laurie Collert

Karen Long

Phyllis Montrose

Diane Timmerman *

Karen Timmerman *

Megan Ramey-Staff Support

Cincinnati

Becky Crowley *

Ann Dougherty

Cassie Kiesey

Lindsay Mosovsky

Mary Nippert

Lisa Shafer

Elizabeth Vessell-Staff Support

Ron Valle, Photographer

Cayla Destefani, 2014 Gold Award Recipient

All the volunteers who helped the Girl Scout Gold Award recipients achieve their goals!

A special thank you to the following for their support and dedication!

Gold Award Committee Members

Pictures from today’s ceremony will be posted on

Shutterfl y at http://ronv.shutterfl y.com

Supporter Level

“Chanson triste” by Tchaikovsky Maria Trixia Pie Muñoz Apiado

Gold Award Recipient

Opening Suzanne Valle, Gold Ceremony Committee

Presentation of the Colors Carly Smith, Lauren Breitenstein, Kelci Culp,

Brianna Jameson, Maggie Kinney

Gold Award Recipients

National Anthem Ashley Chapski, Rachel Wehrman

Gold Award Recipients

Girl Scout Promise Stephanie Ravas, Gold Award Recipient

Girl Scout Law Kyly Borton, Gold Award Recipient

Invocation Melinda Meiring, Gold Award Recipient

Introduction of Special Guests Suzanne Valle

Welcome Roni Luckenbill, CEO

What it Takes to Earn the Gold Cayla Destefani, 2014 Gold Award Recipient

Presentation of Gold Awards I Roni Luckenbill, Eilanna Price, Gold

Ceremony Committee

Introduction of Speaker Alexis Youngpeter, Gold Award Recipient

Keynote Speaker Hope Taft, First Lady of Ohio 1999-2007

Presentation of Gold Awards II Roni Luckenbill, Suzanne Valle

Passing the Light and Spirit of Girl Scouts Mary Hayes, Gold Award Recipient

“Juliette” Song Cayla Destefani

Closing Remarks Suzanne Valle, Eilanna Price

Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confi dence, and character

who make the world a better place.

Gold Award Ceremony

Agenda

Keynote Speaker

Hope Taft

Hope Taft, as First Lady of Ohio, 1999-2007, focused on

promoting positive youth development; alcohol and other

drug prevention; and community volunteerism.

She transformed the Governor’s Residence into a Living

Museum to preserve the property’s rich heritage and

created a showcase of artistic, industrial, political, geological

and horticultural histories of Ohio for educational purposes.

This project includes the Ohio Heritage Garden, Ohio’s

botanical garden of native plants, designed to replicate

the major ecosystems of the state. She still oversees the

garden’s development and maintenance as chair of the

Heritage Garden Committee of the Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and

Heritage Garden, a non-partisan, non-profi t organization and organizes over 100

volunteers to help maintain it on a yearly basis.

She is an honorary Master Gardener and an Ohio Certifi ed Volunteer Naturalist. She

also is a certifi ed prevention specialist and has been involved in alcohol and other

drug prevention activities at the local, state and national levels since 1986.

She joined neighbors to form Little Miami River Kleeners and the Little Miami

Watershed Network to help preserve and protect the Little Miami River. She serves on

the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm’s Board of Directors and is a member of the

Garden Club of Dayton.

Hope Rothert graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1966 and married

Bob Taft in 1967. They live in the Dayton, Ohio area. The Taft’s have one daughter,

Anna. Anna started the Tandana Foundation in 2006 and recruited her mother to be

president of the board. The Tandana Foundation weaves friendships and empowers

communities in Ecuador and Mali, West Africa, through scholarships and volunteer

vacations.

Congratulations

to the 2015 Girl

Scout Gold Award

Recipients!

Girl Scout Gold Award RecipientsMaria Trixia Pie Muñoz Apiado—Troop 31133

Maria Trixia Pie Muñoz Apiado is a 2014 graduate of Kettering

Fairmont High School from Kettering, OH. She is currently a

freshman at Georgetown University, majoring in international

politics. Her school and community activities include playing

viola in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings, concert band,

symphony orchestra, swim team, National Honor Society,

Students Against Drunk Driving, History Honor Society, Latin

Club, Student Council, Peer Mediation, president of Junior

Council on World Affairs and Beeck Center Futures Fellows.

She has been a Girl Scout member for four years, with honors

and highlights including camping and cookie sales.

Having immigrated to the United States from the Philippines eight years ago, Apiado

decided to concentrate on helping recent immigrants. She gathered and trained

volunteers to tutor students in English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes

throughout her senior year. She manned a booth at World A’Fair passing out fl yers

focusing on places of worship, her ESOL classes and refugee resources from Catholic

Social Services. She organized a mosque tour for her Joint Council on World Affairs

members and an outing to an Indian restaurant. She also led tutoring sessions all

year long that introduced and connected classmates with immigrant children for

academic help and social connections. The year culminated with a joint graduation

party for the Filipino-American and African refugee communities.

Laura Ayers—Troop 20104

Laura Ayers is a Lima resident and 2014 graduate of Shawnee

High School. She is currently a freshman at Ohio Northern

University, majoring in music education. Her school and

community activities include pep band, jazz band, marching

band, concert band, Cantor at St. Gerard Church, Lima Life

Teen Youth Group, Students Against Drunk Driving, Ecology

Club and Venturing. She has been a Girl Scout member for 12

years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze

and Silver Award, American Mall all-nighter, COSI and earning

badges.

Ayers decided her project needed to benefi t her school’s music program. After

discussion with her band directors, she enlisted her community in a building and

organization project that repurposed the school band’s cluttered storage area so

that it was both functional, organized and made optimal use of space. Ayers taught

volunteers basic power tool usage, how to measure and cut and proper construction

safety techniques. Together, they built and installed new shelving, created storage

units and repurposed wasted space. In partnership with the fi fth grade band, Ayers

also created and facilitated an interactive educational musical symbols Twister game

that served as a concept review tool for the middle school music program.

Ashley Baughman—Troop 20545

Ashley Baughman is a Rockford resident and senior at

Parkway High School. She plans to attend college and major

in psychology. Her school and community activities include

choir, cross country, National Honor Society and youth group.

She has been a Girl Scout member for 13 years, with honors

and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award

and camping.

Passing the park every day, Baughman noticed the pioneer

garden was in poor condition. Understanding the importance

of useful and educational gardening spaces, Baughman

organized the rejuvenation of the pioneer herb garden at her local historical society.

Her intent was to help people in her community gain skills and knowledge about

gardening, learn to recognize the uses of plants in their lives and beautify what had

become an eyesore. After recruiting local volunteers, they dug out the old herb

garden and installed raised beds. They created a pamphlet guide to the garden to

teach community members about the plants in the garden. Baughman also created

and facilitated an interactive workshop for young children who gained a greater

understanding of the positive effects and uses of herbs in different aspects of

living. The garden will be maintained by the historical society and its volunteers as a

community resource.

Elizabeth Bish

Elizabeth Bish is a 2014 graduate of Beavercreek High School

from Beavercreek, OH. She is currently a freshman at Wright

State University, majoring in business management. Her

school and community activities include theatre, National

Honor Society and volunteer at Vineyard Church. She has

been a member of Girl Scouts for ten years, with honors and

highlights including Girl Scout Bronze Award, Camporee and

making swaps and crafts.

Passionate about cooking and nutrition education, she wanted to share that

knowledge with the North Dayton community. She approached the Dayton Vineyard

Church and was able to provide classes to the children at their after-school program.

Bish developed and implemented an eight week nutrition course highlighting a healthy

food plate, the food pyramid, nutrition labels and healthy snacks. She also focused on

food and kitchen safety such as hand washing and proper use of knives and kitchen

appliances. She devised menus and led the children in preparing meals. During the

Thanksgiving and Easter seasons, the children invited their families to come and eat

the traditional fare they prepared. The church has agreed to continue this popular and

successful program.

Friends Level

Bronze Level Candace BordersCandace Borders is a 2013 graduate of Ursuline Academy from Cincinnati, OH. She is currently a sophomore at Washington University in St Louis. Her school and community activities include track and fi eld, National Honor Society, Science National Honors Society, Democrats Club, AIDS Walk Leadership Board, Mock Trial, Student Ambassador, Peers As Leaders, Lion’s Roar School Newspaper, Writing Center Peer Tutor, Book Club, Hands Across Campus, Interfaith Club, MLK Day of Service, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Give Back and National Achievement Scholar. She has been a member of Girl Scouts for ten years, with honors and highlights including working on Journeys with her sister and partnering with NEWSTART.

Borders was inspired to make a difference in her community when she saw the commitment of First Lady Michelle Obama on eradicating childhood obesity. She began researching the issue and found that low-income families generally lack access to healthy foods and opportunities to exercise. Borders partnered with NEWSTART, a program developed to give low-income adults access to a healthy lifestyle. Discovering no program existed for kids, she created NEWSTART Kids, which encourages children to track nutrition and water intake, hours spent exercising and hours of sleep. She researched healthy eating habits, content development and development of seminar curriculum. She secured and trained volunteers and designed a seminar evaluation to measure effectiveness. The program currently targets families in Avondale and Bond Hill to help fi ght childhood obesity.

Kyly Borton—Troop 30694Kyly Borton is a senior at Archbishop Alter High School from Centerville, OH. She plans to attend college in the fall and major in nursing. Her school and community activities include soccer, cross country, track and fi eld, ice hockey, swimming and diving, gymnastics, Lancerettes Dance Team, French Club, Key Club, president of Students Against Drunk Driving, Knights for Life, Optimist Club and Student Ambassador. She has been a member of Girl Scouts for 13 years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze Award, meeting people and making life-long friends.

During a mission trip to Cairo, IL, Borton discovered there were schools desperately in need of student uniforms. She developed a program in which she collected gently used uniforms and donated them to students at low income schools. She matched donations based on color and style and distributed more than 1000 uniform pieces to three schools in the Dayton area. Borton was overwhelmed with the display of emotion from the kids and staff when she delivered them. She also developed a presentation for middle and high school students about positive attitudes in their daily life and how to build their self-esteem. The kids learned to have more confi dence in themselves. They learned how to take that into the community and share it with others who might be in need. A fellow Girl Scout troop decided to continue her project next year.

Lauren Breitenstein—Troop 31555

Lauren Breitenstein is a senior at Beavercreek High School

from Beavercreek, OH. She plans to attend the University of

Akron and major in biomedical engineering. Her school and

community activities include playing fl ute in marching band,

serving as historian for National Honor Society, theatre and

church lector. She has been a Girl Scout member for 13 years,

with honors and highlights including Girl Scout Silver Award,

resident camp and troop camping.

Breitenstein discovered that Parkwood Elementary School in Beavercreek was in need

of an outdoor education classroom for their special needs students. She spent time

with each child and asked them what they liked to do. After extensive research, she

found special designs for tables and easels that can accommodate these students.

She constructed a portion of the outdoor learning classroom which consisted of a six-

sided easel and two large tiled tables. She hosted two events, the fi rst introduced the

children to the outdoor classroom and learn all that it had to offer, and the second was

an open house for the volunteers and the community. As a direct result of her open

house, other special needs schools are interested in implementing her designs.

Ashley Mae Chapski

Ashley Mae Chapski is a 2014 graduate of Shawnee High

School from Springfi eld, OH. She is currently a freshman at

Wittenberg University, majoring in sociology. Her school and

community activities include tennis, soccer, softball, track

and fi eld, National Honor Society, Freshman Advisory Board,

Drama Club, Astra Club and dance. She has been a member

of Girl Scout for 11 years, with honors and highlights including

a troop trip to Tennessee, sending care packages overseas,

COTC volunteer and Girl Scout Bronze Award recipient.

Chapski is very passionate about the arts. Recognizing the diminished number of

art programs in local schools and surrounding communities, she was determined to

establish an after school art program at Possum School and The Ark. She felt it was

important to bring the program to the kids in their own neighborhood. Over a fi ve week

period, she worked with thousands of sixth grade students, teaching them various

aspects of the arts and surveying them on their topics of interest. Each week focused

on different art forms—painting, dance, crafts and theatre—enlisting the help of

dancers from the Wittenberg University Dance Department. As a result, Chapski was

able to bring a variety of hidden talents to the forefront.

Dd

Dawes direct, LLCINNOVATION CONSULTING

AND NEW BUSINESS INCUBATION

Mark Dawes, CEO

Dawes direct, LLC

Brand Journey Group

Procter and Gamble, Entrepreneur in Residence

mark@dawesdirect.com

513.520.0727

Silver Level Kelci Culp—Troop 46678

Kelci Culp is a 2014 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Mason

High School from Mason, OH. She is currently a freshman at

University of Cincinnati, majoring in marketing. Her school and

community activities included track and fi eld, competitive

cheerleading, National Honor Society and Science National

Honors Society. She has been a 12 year member of Girl

Scouts, served on the board of directors, attended the 2011

National Leadership Conference, traveled to Savannah,

Georgia and attended Twilight Camp in Pennsylvania. She is

also a Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award recipient.

Culp discovered a decreased lack of interest in reading when students entered 5th

and 6th grade in her local school district. Through her love of reading, enjoyment of

working with children and the school’s need for an increased interest in reading, she

developed a Book Club/Reading Program for the After School Enrichment Program

(ASEP). Through collaboration with the school’s ASEP Coordinator, she developed an

agenda for each meeting based on the needs of the students. She had an inaugural

session with six students in the 2012-2013 year and all enjoyed the program. She was

able to secure a donation from a local Half Price Books store to all of the elementary

schools in the Mason City School District. Kelci has worked with the Mason High

School National Honor Society to train student volunteers to continue her work each

year.

Sydney Czerniakowski

Sydney Czerniakowski is a Toledo resident and 2014 graduate

of St. Ursula Academy. She is currently a freshman at the

University of Toledo, majoring in exercise science. She plans

to become a doctor or physical therapist. Her school and

community activities include Lacrosse Team Captain, team

state fi nalist in water polo, School Ambassador, Student

Council, Middle Eastern Club, Campus Ministry and Jefferson

Award recipient. Her Girl Scout honors and highlights include

Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards.

In her project, Czerniakowski turned pillowcases into dresses for African children. She

chose a simple design that allowed her to teach others to make them using her sewing

skills and a lightweight fabric compatible with high temperatures. Czerniakowski made

a video of her project and created a brochure with dress design instructions. She also

collected donated fabric and embellishments, gathered volunteers and made 200

dresses. She donated extra fabric and instructions to her high school’s fashion class

and club who have committed to taking on this project for years to come.

Hadiya Harrigan—Troop 48716

Hadiya Harrigan is a 2014 Summa Cum Laude graduate of

The Seven Hills School from Lebanon, OH. She is currently

a freshman at Tuskegee University majoring in mechanical

engineering. Her school and community activities included

lacrosse (MVP), golf, gymnastics, Black Data Processing

Associates High School Computer Competition Team, John

P. Parker Tutoring Club and Operation Power Pack. She has

been a member of Girl Scouts for nine years, with honors

and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards,

camping and community service

Her passion for computer programming led her to research STEM careers and found

that STEM fi elds may be outsourced overseas in the future due to lack of technology

training. From her experience as a member of the Cincinnati Black Data Processing

Associates (BDPA) high school competition team, she was inspired to share what she

had learned through that program to inspire and educate others. Harrigan created

materials to educate others about computer programming and web development

and give people the opportunity to learn this useful skill. She researched text book

formats, created an outline of topics for each lesson, recruited BDPA members and

students to help write each lesson plan, fi nalized the published online PDF handbook

and led BDPA students though lesson plans. Harrigan has developed this handbook

and modules as an addition to the BDPA Camp that is held at Cincinnati State and as a

free resource for all students to increase their technology training.

Mary Hayes

Mary Hayes is a West Chester resident and senior at Lakota

East High School. She plans to attend college in the fall. Her

school and community activities include Student Activity

Committee in Action, student government, People to People,

Lead America, Cincinnati United Soccer Club, Interhospitality

Network, youth group and Matthew 25 Ministries. She has been

a Girl Scout member for 12 years, with honors and highlights

including the Girl Scout Silver Award, camping, JPA, PA and LIT.

Hayes was inspired to create a mentorship program between high school children and

elementary-age children when she saw a need of youth being disconnected to their

faith. Hayes drew on her experiences at her church and wanted to share her wisdom

to help youth become more comfortable with expressing and establishing their faith.

She developed a curriculum, recruited and trained mentors, recruited mentees

and implemented the fi rst round of the six week sessions in spring 2014. Hayes has

presented her mentorship program to 15 churches, including 13 in Ohio and two in

Peru. All 15 have agreed to adopt the mentorship program at their church. In addition,

the National Presbyterian Board has posted her “Stay Plugged into Your Faith”

mentorship program on their website, allowing access to this innovation program to

churches across the country.

Thank you to our Corporate Partners!Gold Level

“When you earn your Gold Award, you are making an investment

in both yourself and your future. Your achievement will bring a

lifetime of opportunities and you will stand out among the crowd.

Congrats on all of your success!”

W. H. (Chip) Carstensen, President, Block Communications

Way To Go

Frankie!

Love, Mom, Dad

and Jack

Congratulations

Monica!

Love, The Werden

Family

We love you

Stephanie!Mom, Dad,

Gabriella and Philip

Congratulations Mariah! We are

very proud of you.Love, Dad and

Mom

Congratulations Hadiya!

Love, Mom, Dad and HasaniJeremiah 29:11

We are proud of

you Claire!

Love, Mom, Dan

and Michael

Troop 31133

is proud of

Trixia and Claire!

Well done, Brianna! We are so proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad and Greg

Elizabeth Herting—Troop 30135

Elizabeth Herting is a 2014 graduate of Beavercreek High

School from Beavercreek Township, OH. She is a freshman at

Cedarville University majoring in math and physics education.

Her school and community activities include playing trombone

in the marching band, Pep Band, National Honor Society,

Christians in Action, Dayton Juniors Volleyball, youth group

leader and Junior Varsity Volleyball at Cedarville. She has been

a Girl Scout member for 12 years, with honors and highlights

including Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award, Camporee and

resident camp.

For her project, she wanted to raise awareness among children and adults regarding

the plight of the homeless. She planned and implemented a homeless mission project

with her youth group. The weekend-long endeavor began with packaging sack lunches

to hand out to the homeless on street corners in downtown Dayton, followed by a

shopping trip to a local thrift store where they were each given $5 and told to buy

something warm to spend the night in. They slept overnight in cardboard boxes in

the church parking lot where the temperature dropped into the 30’s. The following

morning, they spoke to the church congregation about their experience. Herting

led a Sunday school class in constructing fl eece-tie blankets to donate to homeless

shelters. She also made scarves and blankets and donated them to Hope House

Mission, Schneider House, House of Bread and St. Vincent de Paul. Many people have

learned about the homeless in the Dayton area because of her project.

Brianna Jameson—Troop 20158

Brianna Jameson is a Bellefontaine resident and senior at

Bellefontaine High School. She plans to attend Rhodes State

College majoring in biological engineering. Her school and

community activities include marching band; symphonic band;

National Honor Society; Our Daily Bread volunteer; and Family,

Career and Community Leaders Association. She has been

a Girl Scout member for 13 years, with honors and highlights

including Girl Scout Silver Award and Journeys.

Determined to impact rising youth obesity rates, Jameson designed a workshop to

teach children that healthy eating and an active lifestyle can be fun and easy. She

recruited more than 50 participants and volunteers as well as ingredient donations

from local community members. Jameson coached families on how to use ingredient

substitution to make their favorite recipes a healthier food choice and hosted a

community meal for those who attended the workshop. To promote an active

lifestyle, she included engaging activities, games and music that demonstrated how

much fun being active can be, and educated the families on the long term benefi ts of

healthy eating and being fi t. Jameson conducted a survey with the participants at the

end of the event to gauge their knowledge gained and their commitment to making

healthier ingredient and activity choices in the future. She had very positive results.

Maggie Kinney—Troop 30337

Maggie Kinney is a junior at Beavercreek High School from

Beavercreek, OH. Her school and community activities

include playing trombone in marching band and softball. She

has been a Girl Scout member for 12 years, with honors and

highlights including Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award and

camping.

Her project focused on encouraging children to go outside

and experience nature. She built a quarter mile long nature

trail within the Beavercreek High School land lab. Her

inspiration came from the Leave No Child Inside movement and the Growing Up

Wild Certifi cation program. With the help of volunteers, fallen trees were mulched to

provide a wood chip trail covering and logs were arranged to outline the boundaries.

She also made an outdoor discovery play area, an outdoor classroom, a deer

feeding station and a bird feeding area. A large downed tree positioned for climbing

and play is a huge hit. Additionally 17 tree identifi cation and wild fl ower signs were

constructed and installed. Kinney held an open house for Earth Day 2014 to introduce

the community to all the features of the new trail and planted 100 trees. The Greene

County Master Gardener’s Fairy Day held on the trail was so successful, that it will

become an annual event for the community.

Melinda Meiring—Troop 20462

Melinda Meiring is a senior at Marion Local High School from

Osgood, OH. She plans to attend The Ohio State University

and major in neuroscience. Her school and community

activities include band, softball, swim team, National Honor

Society, Scholastic Bowl, Pep Club, Math and Science Club,

4-H, youth Choir, Lector, Students Against Drunk Driving and

Varsity M Club. She has been a Girl Scout member for 11 years,

with honors and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze and

Silver Award and a troop trip to Gatlinburg.

Inspired while taking a self-defense course, Meiring’s project sought to prepare young

women in her rural community for diffi cult situations they may face as they attend

college, move to larger communities or in their daily lives. She wanted to educate

them about violence against women and its prevention. She worked with the St.

Marys Police Department to provide an interactive demonstration of self-defense

techniques at the Zahn Marion Township Branch Library. To increase the reach of her

project and help more women understand how to be safe and defend themselves,

Meiring and volunteers also created a video series showing the various self-defense

techniques and a safety checklist. The videos were published on a Facebook page

dedicated to preventing violence against women through education.

Alexis Youngpeter—Troop 20219

Alexis Youngpeter is a Findlay resident and senior at Van

Buren High School. She plans to attend college in the fall. Her

school and community activities include yearbook, Student

Council, National Honor Society, Project More and Hancock

Youth Leadership. She has been a Girl Scout member for 12

years, with highlights including a trip to Savannah, Georgia.

Youngpeter was inspired by her participation in “Coats for

Christmas” and wanted to help children from lower income

families. Many of these families had diffi culties participating in

Halloween festivities. She decided to help out by coordinating

a community event to provide costumes, bags, fun activities and safety education to

local families. She recruited volunteers and collected costume donations. She also

met with numerous community partners including the Findlay Police and Hancock

Sheriff Department, as well as the Findlay Village Mall to use their facility for the event.

Youngpeter and her partners provided more than 80 children with a free costume,

safety education and traditional Halloween activities. She has recruited members of

the community to repeat the event this fall.

Rachel Wehrman—Troop 20235

Rachel Wehrman is a Ft. Loramie resident and a senior at

Minster High School. She plans to attend college and major

in middle school education. Her school and community

activities include bowling, softball, band, drama and

statistician for basketball. She has been a Girl Scout member

for 13 years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout

Silver Award, Marion Medal, camping and horseback riding.

Recognizing the importance of preserving the past for future

generations, Wehrman ensured that the genealogies and the

fragile records of the cemetery at St. Joseph’s Parish in Egypt,

OH were preserved and available to all. With the help of volunteers, she created an

accurate record of each plot, designed a searchable website and put together a print

catalogue with photographic documentation and corresponding map. Wehrman and

her volunteers also facilitated a scavenger hunt for children at the parish’s vacation

bible school that educated younger members of the parish on the cemetery and the

history of past members of the congregation. Members of the parish have agreed to

update the website and the catalogue periodically to ensure the records are accurate

and current.

Monica Werden

Monica Werden is a Cincinnati resident and 2014 graduate of

Sycamore High School. Her school and community activities

include Japanese Club. She has been a Girl Scout member

for 12 years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout

Bronze and Silver Award.

Werden focused her project on the need for an offi cial

outdoor classroom at her high school. She was inspired

through her personal experiences in her Astronomy and

Geology classes, and a conversation with a forensics teacher

expressing how an outdoor classroom would be useful. After

polling multiple departments in the school to ensure the need the facility, Werden

met with the school’s Maintenance Supervisor to discuss logistics—addressing the

location of the sun, the standards of the school and accessibility. She then designed

the classroom, comprised of eight outdoor benches and one desk for the teacher.

She also purchased supplies through a generous donation, gathered a team of

volunteers to construct the outdoor classroom and created a manual to present to

other communities wishing to replicate the project. A neighboring local community

has contacted Werden about utilizing her plans to implement their own outdoor

classroom.

Claire Merryman—Troop 31133

Claire Merryman is a 2014 graduate of Kettering Fairmont

High School from Kettering, OH. She plans to attend college.

Her school and community activities include tennis, bowling,

National Honor Society, GSA and German Club. She has been

a Girl Scout member for 13 years, with highlights including

camping.

Merryman wanted to bridge older and younger generations

through a shared project. She wanted to break down general

stereotypes regarding the elderly, particularly those with

dementia and Alzheimer’s. Her project was divided into three stages. The fi rst stage

was holding monthly crafting sessions at Grafton Oaks Nursing Home in Dayton. Both

the volunteers and residents loved the crafts and the interaction. The second stage

was giving presentations about dementia and Alzheimer’s to various young people,

including using a stuffed toy neuron and nerve cell to help explain cellular changes.

The third stage of her project involved sustainability. She also developed a service

project for troops in her area to rotate going to a local nursing home on a monthly

basis.

Claudia Mescher—Troop 20462

Claudia Mescher is a St. Henry resident and senior at Marion

Local High School. She plans to attend Hocking College and

major in wildlife management. Her school and community

activities include band, Pep Band, softball, bowling, Math

and Science Club, Art Club, Drama Club, Catholic Youth

Organization and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She has been a

Girl Scout member for 11 years, with honors and highlights

including Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award, camping and a

troop trip to Gatlinburg.

A passionate proponent of recycling, Mescher wanted Country Fest to go green. Her

project was designed to decrease the pounds of waste from the festival in her town by

establishing an accessible recycling program at this popular annual event. Working in

conjunction with the festival committee and the local recycling center, she organized

a recycling system for the festival. She recruited volunteers to collect recyclables

during the event and operate a recycling awareness display. The festival planning

committee has committed to recycle at the event every year. Mescher also created a

recycling game session to educate children on the topic and facilitated sessions with

students at her local elementary school to inspire the next generation to “go green.”

Lianne Novak—Troop 41403

Lianne Novak is a Hamilton resident and senior at Talawanda

High School. She plans to attend Michigan Technological

University in the fall and major in math. Her school and

community activities include National Honor Society and

Women’s Leadership Institute at Michigan Tech. She is a

ten year member of Girl Scouts, with honors and highlights

including the Girl Scout Silver Award, Service Unit American

Girl Day and Journeys.

After reading national studies about the decrease of women in STEM careers and

connecting with peers who felt they would never use math in real life, Novak was

motivated to make a change. She discovered that some girls think women are

not supposed to go into STEM careers, even though they have similar test scores

to men. She also discovered that in elementary grades, boys and girls start the

school year feeling the same about math, but by the end of the year girls have more

anxiety about mathematics. With this research, Novak designed a website with

mathematics education pieces for girls, parents and teachers. Within the website,

she created photo stories with dolls in real life situations where math is needed. She

also developed a page for parents with ways to help support girls in math. In addition,

Novak printed photobooks to present to local elementary classes and to keep in local

libraries to educate girls on the importance of math.

Stephanie Frances Ravas—Troop 11098

Stephanie Ravas is a Perrysburg resident and sophomore

at Notre Dame Academy. She plans to earn a degree in

microbiology and then a PhD with a career in cancer research.

Her school and community activities include Junior Varsity

Volleyball, St. Margaret Princess Club, Latin Club, Astronomy

Club, Speech and Debate Team, Vacation Bible School

volunteer, City of Perrysburg Litter Control Board and The

Ohio Academy of Science. She has been a Girl Scout member

for ten years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout

Silver Award, having her mom and best friend participate with

her, horseback riding, camping, participating in both 95th and

100th Girl Scout Anniversary celebrations, helping people

through service, feeling empowered and being a leader.

In her project, she focused on providing intervention strategies for preschool children

entering school with fi ne motor developmental defi cits or delays. Ravas created

specialized enrichment teaching tools to be used at both school and home that help

children learn to complete daily routines and practice skills. She created six individual

self-help task charts and pieces to strengthen developmental milestone skills such

as: task sequencing and planning, self-help skills, and coordination skills. Ravas also

created and built two sets of cubbies for the classroom that further develop and help

children practice developmental skills of task sequencing and proper recall while

creating self-suffi ciency in the classroom.

Mariah Sampsel—Troop 40108

Mariah Sampsel is a West Chester resident, 2014 graduate

of Ursuline Academy and freshman at Loyola University,

majoring in biology. Her school and community activities

include Junior Olympic Volleyball, Peers as Leaders, National

Honor Society, Team Leadership Award and Presidential

Award. She has been a Girl Scout member for 12 years. Her

awards and highlights include Girl Scout Bronze and Silver

Award and the Marion Medal.

Sampsel developed a pet therapy program to enhance the lives of residents in

assisted living and nursing homes. Inspired by a research project with the United

States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, she saw the success of pet

therapy. Sampsel developed a program and proposed it to many assisted living

residential locations. She used her resources to fi nd a suitable therapy cat, oversee its

care and checkup, develop a therapy program and host eight successful pet therapy

sessions. Mariah was able to increase the way of life for the residents of Maple Knoll

Village and secured volunteers to continue the project for years to come.

Carly Smith—Troop 20243

Carly Smith is a Findlay resident and senior at Findlay High

School. She plans to attend the University of Georgia and

major in genetics. Her school and community activities

include tennis, National Honor Society, Junior Statesmen of

America, Dress a Girl Around the World and Student Athlete

Leadership Team. She has been a Girl Scout member for 11

years, with honors and highlights including Girl Scout Bronze

Award, 1st Place at Ohio State Fair for Outstanding Senior

Individual in Life Skills and Outstanding Senior Individual in

Science and Beyond.

Growing up with a passion for sewing and recognizing the decline of this useful life

skill among youth, Smith’s project sought to inspire a new generation of sewing

afi cionados. Recruiting skilled volunteers to serve as teachers, Smith created

lesson plans, trained the volunteers and organized beginner sewing workshops for

5th through 12th grade girls. The lessons taught hand-sewing techniques and basic

sewing machine skills. Each participant also created pillowcases that were donated

to residents at a local shelter along with encouraging messages composed by the girls

participating in the workshops.