2011 Silver & Gold Program by Girl Scouts of Colorado

Silver Gold Celebration

May 26, 2011 • Penrose House Pavilion • Colorado Springs

Welcome

Emcee, Nikki Saucedo, 2009 Gold Award Recipient

Flag Ceremony

Color Guard, Widefield High School, Navy JROTC

Introductions

Megan Ferland, President and CEO, Girl Scouts of Colorado

Recognition of Gold and Silver Award Recipients

Nikki Saucedo

Recognition of Bronze Award Recipients

Eliana Wackerman, 2011 Silver Recipient

Closing Remarks

Connie Campbell, 2nd Vice Chairperson, Board of Directors,

Girl Scouts of Colorado

Reception

We are immensely proud of this evening’s Bronze, Silver and Gold Award recipients! Each of these young women leaders have worked hard to learn more about themselves and the world around them as they set out to make the world a better place. In honor of them, we invite you to consider making a thoughtful donation to Girl Scouts of Colorado. Look for the donation envelope in your program and help us ensure future generations of young women in this state benefit from Girl Scouts’ leadership experience. Donations can also be made online at girlscoutsofcolorado.org.

Many thanks to: El Pomar Foundation – use of facility Lockheed Martin – design and printing of all Bronze, Silver & Gold Celebration materials

2010-11 Girl Scout Bronze Award Recipients Colorado Springs and Pueblo

Julie Austin

Holly McKibben

Julie Austin

Holly McKibben

Kylie Andrews

Savannah Nicholas

Kylie Andrews

Savannah Nicholas

Sawyer Brannen

Mary Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hara

Sawyer Brannen

Mary Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hara

Natalie Brown

Allison Roten

Natalie Brown

Allison Roten

Alex Campbell

Skyler Rufi

Alex Campbell

Skyler Rufi

Olivia Doherty

Abbey Schott

Olivia Doherty

Abbey Schott

Alysa Driscoll

Angela Smith

Alysa Driscoll

Angela Smith

Jackie Dunn

Cora Spalding

Jackie Dunn

Cora Spalding

Lauren Ferguson

Mackenzie Spreitler

Lauren Ferguson

Mackenzie Spreitler

Zoe Hendricks

Hazel White

Zoe Hendricks

Hazel White

Amilia Knight

Skyler Williams

Amilia Knight

Skyler Williams

Cecilia Knight

Denver Wolf

Cecilia Knight

Denver Wolf

Additional 2010-11 Girl Scouts Silver Award Colorado Springs and Pueblo

Libby Acker

Lindsey Schwarz

Libby Acker

Lindsey Schwarz

Aubrey Blood

Catherine Supinski

Aubrey Blood

Catherine Supinski

Sabrina MacNeir

Julia Tremaroli

Sabrina MacNeir

Julia Tremaroli

2011 Silver & Gold Celebration Program Booklet Corrections

Silver & Gold Celebration 2011 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. 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. Mission Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of Colorado makes it easy, meaningful and fun for girls and volunteers to grow as leaders. Girl Scouts provides a safe place for girls to explore their world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from science, technology and the environment to healthy living, anti-bullying and financial literacy. For nearly 100 years, Girl Scouting has been helping each girl develop her personal leadership skills and make friends that last a lifetime. Girl Scouts is also a great place to enhance job skills and give back to your community as an adult volunteer. In fact, Girl Scouts of Colorado serves 29,500 girl members and 9,500 adult volunteers across the state. For more information on how you can get involved, visit girlscoutsofcolorado.org, call 1-877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org. Many thanks to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company for the printing of the Silver & Gold Celebration 2011 materials.

Silver and Gold Celebration 2011 Girl Scouts of Colorado is proud to honor the accomplishments of the young women who have earned the highest awards in Girl Scouting. The awards require leadership skills, organizational abilities, time management, perseverance and a sincere desire to be of service to the community. Although the Silver and Gold awards are independent of each other, the Girl Scouts who have chosen to pursue these awards exemplify the courage, confidence and character needed to make the world a better place. This book you hold in your hands honors the award recipients from all across the state. Ceremonies are held throughout the state to honor awardees in each area. The award progression starts with the Bronze Award, the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn. It is achieved by earning badges, other Girl Scout recognitions and leadership awards, and a service project of 15 hours that shows understanding of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

The Silver Award is the highest award that can be achieved by Cadette program level Girl Scouts and is completed by earning Interest Project Awards, learning about career options and developing a service project where girls apply the skills, knowledge and abilities learned through Girl Scouting. Many girls work together as a troop on these projects, but each girl is responsible for her own specific part of the project. On average, each girl devotes around 100 hours to fulfill all the requirements for her Silver Award. As the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, the prestigious Gold Award is the single most demanding award that a Girl Scout strives toward. It is not unusual for a girl to put in more than 200 hours to complete the requirements and project. Leadership, determination, perseverance and creativityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;skills developed through the progressing levels of the Girl Scout programâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;are necessary for the successful completion of the project. The essence of the Gold Award is a personal challenge requiring a girl to stretch her skills and abilities and step forward as a leader to meet a community need for which she has a passion and a will to create a sustainable change. Everyone in the Girl Scout community is immensely proud of these exceptional young women. They are leaders among their peers and in the community. We hope you will take inspiration from their accomplishments and perseverance and share it with others. Their work has accomplished so much for so many throughout the state.

2010-2011

Gold Award Recipients Taylor Ashcraft, Colorado Springs Miranda Baker, Littleton Abreana Bardossas, Parker Sarah A. Beals, Englewood Emily Beckman, Colorado Springs

Andrea Eichacker, Centennial Emily Elkins, Colorado Springs Maggie Essig, Berthoud Kayla Fochtman, Arvada Eilish Forward, Denver Zoe Anne Fritz, Denver

Teagan Boda, Pueblo West

Kailyn Gramly, Highlands Ranch

Lauren Bony, Montrose

Melissa Haenze, Colorado Springs

Megan Buehler, Golden Margo Calhoun, Englewood Rachael Carter, Berthoud Tanya Maria Chichester, Arvada Ellie Ciccarelli, Denver Mallory Drew Cottingham, Parker Caitlin Crawford, Colorado Springs Nichole Davidson, Colorado Springs

Cayla Harris, Denver Emily Haskins, Centennial Stephanie Higgins, Highlands Ranch Kimberly Hoilman, Highlands Ranch Jessica Jaffe, Englewood Mackenzie Ellen Johnson, Larkspur Marcia Jolly, Longmont

Melissa Rose Dixon, Denver

Nicole Marie Justice, Aurora

Elizabeth Driver, Colorado Springs/Black Forest

Marissa Kaufmann, Englewood

Heather King, Colorado Springs

Glynnis Page, Louisville

Torri Kling, Highlands Ranch

Coleen Parker, Colorado Springs

Rachel Marie Krohn, Littleton

Stormy Lynn Pyeatte, Montrose

Kara Leachman, Larkspur

Dana Sanelli, Arvada

Sara Lillard, Littleton

Bianca Marie Seivley, Westminster

Grace Lounsbury, Superior Sara Madiska, Berthoud

Cary Shaffer, Lakewood

Carrie Martin, Greenwood Village

Courtney Elizabeth Smith, Golden

Kirsten Martin, Colorado Springs

Madeline Smith, Pueblo West

Jennae Mayhew, Aurora

Katherine Toldy, Colorado Springs

Caroline Bailey Meserve, Littleton Hannah Marie Murphy, Parker Kathleen Murphy, Colorado Springs Alexis Musselman, Denver

Samantha Wonders, Colorado Springs Rebecca Yukman, Colorado Springs Kristen Zwiers, Castle Rock

Rebecca Christine Nelson, Colorado Springs Sarah Elise Nelson, Westminster Kelsey Shea Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, Morrison Samantha Olvera, Colorado Springs 5

Taylor Ashcraft

Colorado Springs Rampart High School “Workshop for Female Athletes on Knee Injury Prevention” After having the misfortune of sports injuries causing tears to both of her ACLs in two consecutive years, Taylor Ashcraft’s goal of playing soccer at a college level came to an end. Her new life goal became to help prevent other girls from experiencing what she had to go through. So, for her Gold Award project, she held a free workshop for female athletes on knee injury prevention. Taylor invited an orthopedic surgeon from Kansas to come speak to the girls about the mechanics of the knee. The surgeon also taught the girls exercises to strengthen their knees. In addition to the workshop, Taylor gave coaches, sports clubs, gyms, workshop attendees and others in the community, an informational packet describing the dynamics of the knee and diagrams of exercises she put together in collaboration with her physical therapist. “As my planning furthered, I had to be adjustable and make adjustments to reach my goal,” said Taylor. “The most challenging obstacle I had to overcome was knowing that if I had gone to a workshop like I provided a few years ago, I may not have torn both of my ACLs.”

Miranda Baker Littleton Littleton High School “Planting the Seeds of Leadership” Miranda Baker knew right away that she wanted her Gold Award project to involve two of her greatest passions – the environment and kids. Last summer, she worked with financially struggling families at an elementary school in northern Littleton to plant a community garden. She had previously volunteered at the school. Through this project Miranda had the opportunity to learn and teach gardening skills, mostly to the children of these families. The first part of the project involved planting carrots, radishes, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, basil and sunflowers. She also taught skills in weeding and watering. After the planting concluded, Miranda continued to meet with the families, teaching them more about edible plants, as well as about the weather and how rainbows are made. She enjoyed providing a craft at each of these meetings to help the children understand the concepts being taught. Miranda had concerns that the community garden might not grow, but soon realized she wasn’t just growing plants, but teaching these kids to be leaders in their community while teaching them to love their mother earth.

Abreana Bardossas Parker Colorado Virtual Academy “Summer Book Club for Teens” The Parker Library, “a home away from home” during Abreana Bardossas’ childhood, was the beneficiary of her Gold Award project. After talking with library staff and learning more about their needs, she decided to spread her love of reading by setting up a summer book club for her peers. Abreana hosted five bi-weekly book club meetings. She advertised the book club through the library and community websites like YourHub.com. They discussed four books, including The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The School of Essential Ingredients, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and Peak. Abreana was somewhat disappointed that only between one and four participants showed up for each of her meetings. However, she feels that those who did participate had an opportunity meet the goals for her project, which included providing a safe place for teens to socialize and have fun as they discussed books. Abreana learned flexibility and tolerance when the book clubs meetings didn’t go as smoothly as she planned. “I had to learn to be flexible and go with the flow.”

Sarah A. Beals Englewood Cherry Creek High School “S.P.O.T. Suicide Prevention of Teens” In her first three years of high school, four students in Sarah A. Beals’ high school committed suicide. When she found that the school was not doing much in the way of prevention, she decided that she would for her Gold Award project. During her senior year in high school, Sarah created a group called S.P.O.T., or Suicide Prevention of Teens, dedicated to informing students about the presence of suicide in the community and community resources that could help. One of the events created by the group was a school wide Suicide Awareness Day on April 8, 2010. The day included a school assembly with a guest speaker and an informational booth that could be visited throughout the day. Outside of Suicide Awareness Day, Sarah and her group made many appearances, and, in no time, became a well-known and useful organization within the school. Sarah quickly learned during the course of her project that teamwork was important. “I could do it by myself, but with the group helping me, I didn’t go crazy,” said Sarah. S.P.O.T. is a student group that continues today at Cherry Creek High School.

Emily Beckman Colorado Springs Discovery Canyon Campus “Amazing Race Using Public Transportation” For her Gold Award project Emily Beckman helped people with disabilities in her community. She designed and executed a curriculum to teach those with disabilities how to use the public transportation system in Colorado Springs. The root of the issue behind Emily’s project was budget cuts affecting services for people with disabilities. By teaching people with disabilities to use the public transit system, they would have to rely less on the special services that were being cut. First, Emily learned about the public transportation system. She then taught 12 people with disabilities how to use the system. At the end of the project she created a curriculum for local organizations and school districts to keep the learning process going. One of the organizations that benefited was Goodwill. There were many people who Emily worked with throughout the project, which proved to be challenging, but she persevered. “I hope by teaching people to use the public transit system we can give them back their mobility,” said Emily.

Teagan Boda Pueblo West Southern Colorado Early College ”Birthday in a Box” While growing up, Teagan Boda always wanted to help children of families with emotional or financial problems. She met her goal during her Gold Award. Teagan created “Birthday in a Box” by filling boxes with special items that help a parent give their child a happy birthday. Included were party supplies for at least eight people and certificates for free admission to the Pueblo Zoo and Children’s Museum. There were also food certificates, including Little Caesars, cupcakes from Banquet Bakery and ice cream from McDonald’s and Cold Stone Creamery. Additionally, Teagan purchased or made a small gift for each birthday child. The boxes were age-and gender-specific so the party would fit the individual child. She recruited volunteers through Pueblo Christian Academy (PCA) and her school to help put together the boxes. The first 40 boxes went to the YWCA, and the leftover supplies went to the PCA Preschool so they could continue the project in the future. “In order to meet my goals, I learned time management and how to prioritize each step,” said Teagan. “My biggest area of personal growth was learning to appreciate all that I have.”

Lauren Bony Montrose Montrose High School “Preventing Teenage Suicide” After witnessing the devastating effects of teenage suicide, Lauren Bony decided to do something about it. For her Gold Award project she organized a teen suicide awareness street dance titled “Dancing in the Wind.” Lauren’s street dance provided a way for people to learn about teen suicide, its risks and its prevention options. It also created a safe and fun event for community members to get out and enjoy a beautiful Colorado summer evening. Lauren worked with many volunteers and community organizations to make this event a success. She met the challenges of working with volunteers to ensure the jobs got done correctly and in a timely manner. Lauren grew with the experience of bringing the different aspects together into one well-rounded event. “One thing I learned through the event was that even with great planning, things go wrong, and when they do, if I don’t give up, I’ll succeed,” said Lauren. The street dance Lauren created will be carried on in future years by a teen suicide prevention organization, the Second Wind Fund of Uncompahgre Plateau.

Megan Buehler Golden Golden High School “Viewing History” Megan Buehler wanted to see that the history going on around us never gets lost. So, for her Gold Award, she visited with 12 adults and recorded their life history. Megan sought volunteers through the Willow Glen retirement community to put her project together. She found the project rewarding to families from a family history perspective, as well as for her to learn more about life in an era she didn’t experience. Many of the older adults she interviewed had the commonality of growing up in the Great Depression, but each had a very different story to tell. It took Megan roughly 75 hours to complete her project. At the conclusion of her project, each family received a DVD recording of their interview. One of the adults who Megan interviewed told her that “with each person’s death a library goes with them because of all of the information that they knew was then lost.” This quote became the motto for Megan’s project and one of the reasons she is proud of what she did.

Margo Calhoun Englewood Cherry Creek High School KIPP on Water Rowing Clinic For her Gold Award project, Margo Calhoun organized a first-ever rowing course for at-risk 11 to 14-year-olds from the KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy. Margo is a three-year rower for the Mile High Rowing Club. Fellow Girl Scouts and teammates from the Mile High Rowing Club helped with the rowing course that served 12 students. The course included both indoor rowing practice and instruction before taking what they learned to the Cherry Creek Reservoir for a day-long event on the water. Margo also created a booklet for the course with basic rowing information and safety measures. She really enjoyed working with the KIPP students and seeing the kids’ passion for being on the water. Margo especially liked letting the kids try something new. She says she learned a lot about leadership, how to organize an event that will run smoothly, time management and to not get overwhelmed by a daunting task. “I learned that if you take it one step at a time, it is really not so difficult,” said Margo. The Mile High Rowing Club is planning to hold similar events like this in the future.

Rachael Carter Berthoud Berthoud High School “PHD Softball” For her Gold Award project Rachael Carter decided to pass on her love for the game of softball. She organized her 12 years of knowledge, experience and passion for the game into a book of fundamentals for new coaches. It was a challenge for Rachael to write her book to an audience that would be new to the game. To overcome this challenge she held two clinics for young girls over the summer to teach the game to others. Rachael’s final book included the correct ways to throw, catch, run, bat, slide and field in the game of softball. She also included dugout cheers and drills coaches could use to benefit their teams. Rachael distributed the book to coaches through the Berthoud and Loveland Recreation Departments. Rachael hopes that the skills learned through her book will one day help a girl with the dream of playing and competing at a high level. She learned through her project that she definitely wants to coach softball in the future.

Tanya Maria Chichester Arvada Pomona High School “A Caring Keynote” Tanya Maria Chichester’s Gold Award project focused on sharing people’s musical talents. She gathered a group of fellow musicians who performed a program for residents in nursing homes. Tanya found it difficult to find musicians who would commit ahead of time to be part of her performances. However, she realized that for musicians it is important to perform in front of an audience to perfect their art. When she promoted that fact, she had 14 musicians, from singers to piano players, for her two performances. Once she had the musicians, she worked with the activities directors at the nursing homes to set up the performances and promote them to residents. Tanya feels the residents at the nursing homes really enjoyed the performances. Many of the residents smiled and even sang along with the music. For an extra special touch at each performance, she made a card that each resident could take away with them to remember the performance for years to come.

Ellie Ciccarelli Denver East High School “The Inner Me” Ellie Ciccarelli’s Gold Award project focused on promoting inner beauty to young girls because she knew that this was a skill that would help these girls for life. Ellie took a creative approach to her project. She set out to find a group of girls who were in need of clothing, with the goal that the clothing wasn’t the key to their inner beauty. Ellie ended up working with 20 girls between kindergarten and 5th grade at Place Bridge Academy. She collected clothing items from the Park Hill neighborhood. Ellie met with her girls several times to hand out the clothing donations and discuss beauty. The final part of the project was “The Inner Me” show. This show allowed the girls to display their beauty and newfound self-confidence, not by wearing the latest fashion or hippest jewelry, but by walking down a “runway” as individuals. “It was so gratifying to see these young girls with bright, youthful smiles on their faces walking down a runway. I can’t even begin to explain how it felt to see the pure delight in their eyes,” said Ellie.

Mallory Drew Cottingham Parker Chaparral High School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pool Savvyâ&#x20AC;? As a young girl, Mallory Drew Cottingham remembers fondly being taught to swim by high school girls. That one experience blossomed into a high school swimming career for Mallory, and later her Gold Award project. Mallory put together a two-day event during the summer of 2010 to teach 11 children how to be safe around water. There were five stations at the event, including a pool rules station at which the kids colored and acted out different pool rules, a craft station where kids designed a bag to carry all that is necessary to bring to the pool, a swimming basics station where kids learned basic swimming and a game station where kids learned safe games to play at the pool. She recruited family and friends, including lifeguarding peers, to help her with the event. In all, Mallory spent more than 80 hours putting this event together. She met challenges working with people of a variety of ages during this project. Mallory is confident that those who participated have the pool savvy skills to pass along to others.

Caitlin Crawford Colorado Springs Discovery Canyon Campus “Amazing Race Using Public Transportation” For her Gold Award project Caitlin Crawford helped people in her community with disabilities. She designed and executed a curriculum to teach those with disabilities how to use the public transportation system in Colorado Springs. The root of the issue behind Caitlin’s project was the budget cuts affecting services for people with disabilities. By teaching people with disabilities to use the public transit system, they would have to rely less on the special services that were being cut. First, Caitlin learned about the public transportation system. She then taught 12 people with disabilities how to use the system. At the end of the project, she created a curriculum for local organizations and school districts to keep the learning process going. One of the organizations that benefited was Goodwill. There were many people who Caitlin worked with throughout the project, which proved to be challenging, but she persevered. “I hope by teaching people to use the public transit system we can give them back their mobility,” said Caitlin.

Nichole Davidson Colorado Springs Mitchell High School “Baby Proofing on a Budget” For her Gold Award project, Nichole Davidson wanted to help parents keep their children safe even if they had limited financial resources. She researched and then created a presentation and safety kit of resources. The organization that benefited from Nichole’s project was the Life Network, which works with many families in the community. She first created a PowerPoint presentation of low-priced items families could use to “baby proof” their home. Then, she fashioned a mini-safety kit with “everyday items” from around the house, such as electrical tape, cups and washcloths that could be used by a family if there were no means to purchase any safety items. Nichole’s hope is that her materials will prevent fewer infants from dying from preventable accidents in the home. “I learned that no matter what I put my mind to, and no matter how hard it seems, I can do it,” said Nichole. “I realized that if I just sit down and work on something, it isn’t as hard as I thought it was.”

Melissa Rose Dixon Denver East High School “Spreading around the Music” Inspired by the love of music and a desire to give back to the choir at her school, Melissa Rose Dixon created a Music Folder Cabinet to store the choir students’ music folders. She also organized a group of Girl Scouts to visit a retirement home and sing holiday carols. Melissa didn’t act alone in her project. She recruited seven students from her school to build the cabinet and teach songs to the Girl Scout troop. These volunteers walked away with many of the same skills Melissa learned during this project, including how to use tools to build something, as well as leading children in singing. An additional skill Melissa learned was her ability to see a project from start to finish. Now that her school has a music cabinet, choir students no longer have to carry music between classes. Additionally, Melissa is proud that she communicated her joy for music to the Girl Scouts she worked with and the residents of the retirement home. In fact, the Girl Scouts she worked with had never sung in front of others before they participated in this project.

Elizabeth Driver Colorado Springs/Black Forest Discovery Canyon Campus High School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Music Catalogue for Calhan Schoolsâ&#x20AC;? When Elizabeth Driver saw how desperate the band director of Calhan Schools was when he was trying to go through 40 years of sheet music on his own time, she knew it was an opportunity for a Gold Award project. She put her organizing skills to good use and created a computer database to catalogue the music. Elizabeth began her project by sorting and organizing the music, which filled more than 10 overflowing, full-sized filing cabinets. She then re-filed the music and entered the information into a computer database. It took her more than 80 hours to complete this project. Elizabeth enjoys organizing and learned to use the Microsoft Access computer program to create her own database with reporting options. At the end of her project, Elizabeth trained volunteers on how to maintain the organizational system she created. Elizabeth says she learned firsthand what it is like to be the leader for a purpose. And she is proud she was able to help a community organization and have a lasting effect on the quality of its program.

Andrea Eichacker Centennial Arapahoe High School “Special Needs Community Room” After seeing first-hand the financial struggles group homes for special needs kids have, Andrea Eichacker decided to redecorate the living room at one of the homes. Andrea’s brother has special needs and her family had recently had a hard time finding room for him in a home. Andrea recruited fellow Girl Scouts to help with her project. Much of the work with her project involved painting the room. Thankfully she was able to get discounted paint as she ended up having to get low fume paint because many of the home residents were unable to leave their rooms during painting. A major challenge of Andrea’s project occurred when the melamine paneling that covered half of the wall could not be removed or painted over. She also had to learn to compromise when selecting the paint color for the room with the house manager. The six residents of the house, as well as the staff benefited from Andrea’s project. “I learned that I have to trust my judgment on tasks in order to accomplish them,” said Andrea. Her hard work inspired an article about other volunteer projects and needs in the home’s community newsletter.

Emily Elkins Colorado Springs William J. Palmer High School “Playhouse for Kid’s Place” For her Gold Award project, Emily Elkins built a playhouse for the Kid’s Place childcare center, which Pikes Peak Family Connections created for at-risk children when their parents need a break. She chose this project because of her love of children and a desire to learn new skills while helping a great organization. Emily used the construction expertise of the father of one of her Girl Scout friends and the commitment of family and friends to help make her plans a reality. In addition to construction, she painted the inside of the playhouse yellow and the outside blue with white trim. Emily also made window curtains. She faced challenges in securing donations to purchase materials to build the playhouse and finally got some help from Home Depot. After 80 hours, a lot of hard work and flexibility working around building the playhouse in the middle of the winter, the project was complete. She feels she learned through this project how to work in a team and ask for donations. The Kid’s Place staff is excited and grateful for the playhouse and promised Emily that the playhouse will continue to enrich the playtime of children for years to come.

Maggie Essig Berthoud Berthoud High School “Museum Coloring Book” To help children learn more about her town’s history, Maggie Essig collaborated with the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum to create a 12-page coloring book. Working with others was an essential part of Maggie’s project. The Berthoud Historical Society, the Berthoud Surveyor newspaper and local artists partnered with her along with the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum. These partners helped her put together the illustrations, historical elements important to the book and printed the first-run of the final document. In all, Maggie spent more than 90 hours on her project. Using a computer to create the final product was one of her largest learning curves. Once she finished she held a two-hour open house at the museum to unveil her project. Many people attended the Open House and took interest in the coloring book as Maggie planned the event during the town’s annual “Christmas in Berthoud” event. “I have learned so much about my town’s history while making a coloring book,” said Maggie. The museum posted Maggie’s final coloring book on their website.

Kayla Fochtman Arvada Ralston Valley High School “Retirement Home Talent Shows” Kayla Fochtman set out to bridge the gap between older and younger generations through an ageless language that can reach all people, music. For her Gold Award project she organized a year-long series of musical performances and visits with residents of two retirement communities. Kayla utilized her connections with her piano teacher and area Girl Scout troops to find musical performers for her project. She ran into difficulties locating retirement facilities that would let her present her program but finally found two locations that agreed to work with her. After each performance, the performers and residents met together to talk about the music or daily happenings such as school. Kayla estimates her project reached about 80 residents. “I learned you can’t be dissuaded by obstacles,” said Kayla. “You have to meet them in a different way. When you finally overcome that obstacle, it’s even more rewarding in the end. “ Kayla believes she greatly improved her communication skills throughout the project, and plans to produce talent shows in the area’s retirement homes in years to come.

Eilish Forward Denver East High School “Learning Tools For NAMLO’s Students” For her Gold Award project Eilish Forward decided to help children in another part of the world. She created learning games for school children in Nepal. NAMLO, an organization that helps build schools in Nepal, graciously accepted Eilish’s idea and donation because they thought it could help students learn math and reading skills in a fun way. She used volunteers from her high school to make six different games. One of the reading games is called Magnetic Fish. This is a miniature fishing game that helps kids learn new words. If they catch a fish with a word on it they know they keep it, but if they don’t know the word they must throw it back. Eilish feels that she learned important life skills, such as how to set and stick to goals, as well as leadership skills, such as organization and communication, through this project. She plans on making more learning games for these children in the future. Eilish also hopes one day to be able to visit Nepal and see first-hand the impact she has made on these children.

Zoe Anne Fritz Denver East High School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plug It In and Saveâ&#x20AC;? For Zoe Anne Fritzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gold Award project she chose to audit the energy consumption of homeless shelters in the Denver metro area. It is her desire that her project will help the shelters save money while reducing carbon emissions. Zoe chose this project because she is passionate about saving the environment and helping those who are less fortunate. She visited three facilities and measured their energy consumption in their appliances using a Watts Up meter. A Watts Up meter displays the number of watts an appliance uses and the average cost to run the appliance per month. Once she collected all this information she worked with volunteers she recruited to compile the information, and then shared it with the organizations. She originally thought that along with her energy audit she would be able to help the shelters purchase new energy-efficient appliances. However, when the funding for that fell through Zoe presented the reports to the organizations along with tips to conserve energy instead. She also provided her contact information if they had questions. Zoe donated her Watts Up meter to the Denver Public Library in hopes it will help other organizations reduce their energy consumption.

Kailyn Gramly Highlands Ranch ThunderRidge High School “Hands of Christ Community Service Club” Kailyn Gramly is involved in her church and various other volunteer opportunities because community service is one of her true passions. This passion led Kailyn to her Gold Award project, where she formed a community service club called “Hands of Christ” at Pax Christi Catholic Church. This service club raised money and collected supplies from the church community to help people in organizations across the United States, such as Share Our Strength and American Cancer Society. Kailyn sustained her project by integrating the club into the church’s youth group program. “By making a community service group, I strived to show high school students that community service is worth more than just the 20 hours needed to graduate,” said Kailyn. Kailyn plans to continue with her community involvement and leadership development in college by joining the Johnson and Wales University Community Leadership Institute, which involves teaching students to be better leaders by working with the community and nonprofit organizations.

Melissa Haenze Colorado Springs Widefield High School “Mural of Hope” After being born with an underdeveloped top jaw, Melissa Haenze knows what it’s like for families that face stressful and unhopeful medical situations. She partnered with an organization close to her heart, the Ronald McDonald House near Memorial Hospital, to paint a mural in the back yard of the house. Melissa views her mural as something that will bring hope, inspiration, love and joy to those spending time at the Ronald McDonald House. Ideas for the mural came from families and staff. The brightly colored mural included inspirational quotes and a tree, representing life, as well as small silhouettes of children. The Ronald McDonald Club at Fountain Valley helped Melissa paint the mural and agreed to maintain it in the future. Despite the cool weather of the fall, Melissa found enough days above 50 degrees to make sure the paint on her mural dried. “I learned that by taking the time out of your busy schedule to make an impact on your community, you could change the lives of many people,” said Melissa.

Cayla Harris

Denver Bishop Machebeuf High School “Cheers for Cheerleaders” Cayla Harris’ brother suffers from cerebral palsy. For her Gold Award project, she helped children with special needs by holding a cheerleading clinic for them. Cayla has cheered since age 8. Cayla recruited volunteers from her cheer team and set up a clinic where she taught nine girls and nine boys dances and cheers. Campers also got to play games, and she secured donations for food for the camp. Due to the success of the first clinic Cayla plans to hold another cheer clinic. It is her hope that her school will continue the tradition in the future. “It was the first time I had planned an event by myself,” said Cayla. “I had to be really organized, and I learned that I can manage my time. The campers really enjoyed the clinic. They smiled throughout the day. Later I visited the schools of those who attended my camp, and they remembered me and wanted to perform all the cheers that they learned.”

Emily Haskins Centennial Arapahoe High School “Littleton Recycles!” Emily Haskins is passionate about preserving the environment and working with kids. She crafted her Gold Award project on improving the recycling programs at Peabody Elementary, Powell Middle School and Arapahoe High School. She started by learning about each school’s recycling status. At Arapahoe, she arranged for a larger recycling bin to be switched out with a smaller one. At Powell she asked Waste Management to donate 70 large deskside recycling containers and two 96-gallon recycling containers. At Peabody Elementary, Waste Management agreed to donate 25 large desk-side recycling containers and two plastic wall huggers. Emily also led presentations to the student body at Peabody Elementary about recycling and planned a recycling drive for the whole school. Each grade brought in a different item, and the school collected 12,033 recyclable items. Additionally, to remind kids to recycle, she made a display about the amount of time it takes for trash to decompose in a landfill. “Through education about the environment, the Littleton Public School District is already greener and cleaner since many of its students have a better understanding about waste recycling,” said Emily. Emily plans to become a wildlife biologist or an environmental lawyer. 32

Stephanie Higgins Highlands Ranch Rock Canyon High School “Unified Fan Club” For her Gold Award, Stephanie Higgins created a new club at her school, the Unified Fan Club, for high school students wanting to help the special needs sports program. Stephanie saw to the club’s success by first recruiting students to join. She did this through hanging up posters at her school and talking to her peers. The club ended up with 21 members. These members mentored 13 special needs players. Stephanie and her club also worked to promote the games of the special needs sports program through the school by hanging up posters, intercom announcements, posting information on the school’s website and submitting announcements to the school’s TV newscast. These efforts resulted in 75 people coming to a home game. Stephanie is proud of being able to pass on her passion for helping special needs students through the creation of this club. She feels this first-time club taught her peers something new. Stephanie says she learned to be more organized through this project and improved her communication skills.

Kimberly Hoilman Highlands Ranch Mountain Vista High School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Orphan Quilts (Learn, Sew, Give)â&#x20AC;? When starting her Gold Award project, Kimberly Hoilman knew that she could do something with sewing because she is always at the sewing machine. A conversation with the Rafiki orphanage led her to sewing quilts for beds in their new dormitories. There were many challenges Kimberly overcame to complete her project. She found it challenging to recruit high school kids to help her with sewing the quilts. However, after she figured out teens were more willing to work in groups, and the hours could help them meet their high school community service requirement, she had 25 teenagers who helped her with her project. She feels many of her volunteers walked away with new basic sewing skills. Kimberly also feels she learned a lot about public speaking through her project. In all, Kimberly sent 50 quilts to the Rafiki orphanage. She plans to continue to work with her community to invite them to make quilts. She has already reached out to the Firehouse Quilt group, Arapahoe County Quilters and several church quilt groups. The orphanage also promoted their need on their Facebook page and website.

Jessica Jaffe Englewood Cherry Creek High School “Ronald McDonald House Helping Hands” Jessica Jaffe began her Gold Award project because she wanted to help and restore the joy in the lives of children and their families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House families spend most of their day at the hospital. When they get back to the house the parents are exhausted and the children are often bored and restless. Jessica wanted to help them and put a little normalcy and enjoyment in their day. She came up with arts and craft projects and game days for the children and their families to enjoy. Jessica also provided recipes for the families and organized supply drives to help stock the ingredients. To keep expenses down Jessica contacted local stores to donate the supplies she needed. “Through this project I have found my voice,” said Jessica. “I have learned that I have the ability to lead people and make a difference.” Jessica plans to continue volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House.

Mackenzie Ellen Johnson Larkspur Douglas County High School “Bat Boxes” For her Gold Award project, Mackenzie Ellen Johnson decided to help people become more aware of the importance of bats. She accomplished this goal by making pamphlets, holding community meetings and building bat houses. Mackenzie first had to research more about bats. After conducting her research she worked with a local bat expert to check her findings. Mackenzie then started making pamphlets and setting up meetings at the library. She held multiple meetings for her community. One of the facts she stressed during the meetings was that bats really don’t like humans and are rarely harmful. She also taught the community that bats help pollinate plants and eat insects, especially mosquitoes that could be potentially carrying West Nile. After conducting her meetings Mackenzie decided that getting the word out was not enough so she started building bat boxes. She hoped that the community would be willing to put the bat boxes on their houses. Mackenzie got materials donated from Lowe’s. A group of volunteers helped assemble the multiple bat boxes. “Thankfully people were interested enough to not only learn about the bats, but help invite them into our community by putting up bat houses,” said Mackenzie.

Marcia Jolly Longmont Holy Family High School “The Children’s Hospital Craft Kits” Having previously been a patient at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Marcia Jolly knew she wanted to help other patients for her Gold Award project. Marcia created and donated craft kits for The Children’s Hospital. The craft kits included everything needed to make the project and instructions were in English and Spanish. She designed most of the kits for patients to do individually in their rooms but some were for larger groups to work on. Marcia gathered donations of both craft supplies and recyclables from Girl Scout leaders, Girl Scout day camp, friends and relatives. Once she had collected all her items Marcia looked online and through different magazines to find crafts that would work with what she collected. She also gathered 600 coloring books generously donated by MindWare Corporation. In the end Marcia assembled nearly 800 craft kits and collected four large boxes of craft materials. “Throughout this project I have learned to find creative solutions to the different obstacles I’ve encountered,” said Marcia.

Nicole Marie Justice Aurora Homeschooled “Dancers Without Prejudice” Nicole Marie Justice’s passions for working with children and dance led her to her Gold Award project. She taught a free lyrical dance class at a local church for 11 low resource girls, ages 11 to 18. On a weekly basis for 20 weeks, Nicole led her worship dance team for an hour and a half and taught the girls how to use ribbon props and do simple choreography. After her students learned the fundamentals Nicole worked with the girls to create a “tribute to winter” dance performance. They performed in front of an audience of about 100 church members, family and friends. She feels she grew as a leader and teacher through her project. Her biggest takeaway was that “kids love to learn something new and challenging, and they all learn differently.” Nicole plans to continue to teach kids to dance and encourage them to hold regular performances in the community. “My biggest challenge with my Gold Award was dealing with the changes in my community organization,” said Nicole. “But I learned to be flexible with the people I was working with and how to improvise.”

Marissa Kaufmann Englewood Cherry Creek High School “Brent’s Place Buddies” Marissa Kaufmann knew at the beginning of her Gold Award adventure that she wanted to do something where she would make an impact on people and have fun at the same time. To accomplish this, she planned fun events for the patients and their families at Brent’s Place. Brent’s Place is a temporary housing facility for kids with cancer and their families to stay before and after they receive treatment at local hospitals, usually for bone marrow transplants. In planning her events Marissa had to make sure she followed the very strict policies about what you can and cannot bring into the house because of the critical level of cleanliness that the patients need. Her family and friends volunteered to help at the parties, which served 60 patients and their families. “When working at Brent’s Place I learned how much I like helping people and being with people in need,” said Marissa. “I could go to Brent’s Place and just be who I am and everyone really appreciated it. It was nice to feel like part of the Brent’s Place family. I will continue to volunteer at Brent’s Place for the rest of my life!”

Heather King Colorado Springs Colorado Springs Early Colleges “Service Before Self” “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.” These core values of the Air Force Academy are also personal values that Heather King sought to exemplify in her Gold Award project—creating a Student Government Association (SGA) at her high school, Colorado Springs Early Colleges (CSEC). Her inspiration came from the 2010 Colorado Columbine Girls State Program, which teaches students about the legislative process and encourages them to positively exercise their voices through a student government. Heather purposely designed a challenging election process at her school by requiring that candidates participate in a selective application and interview process to attain campaign eligibility. This ensured the commitment of the elected students and also mimicked the intensely competitive atmosphere of typical United States government elections. As a result, the inaugural CSEC SGA is now hard at work developing projects, like a talent show and the Junior/ Senior Prom, which help elevate school spirit and foster teamwork between students and staff. “The SGA can bring out the hero in every student by helping them impact the world, regardless of their chosen career field,” said Heather.

Torri Kling Highlands Ranch ThunderRidge High School “Helping Hand for Harrison” Torri Kling’s Gold Award project helped raise awareness about Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital, a non-profit veterinarian clinic that caters to low-income and elderly people. She began by organizing a fundraiser at Ranch View Middle School to raise money to buy wish list items for the hospital. Then she designed an educational wall at the Highlands Ranch Public Library to educate and raise awareness, as well as visited a local daycare center to do dog and cat craft projects. “It was important for me to get the word out because Harrison is a volunteer run hospital,” said Torri. “The people who go to Harrison for vet services can’t afford the high dollar services provided by the veterinarian clinics around my community. I wanted to give Harrison another community to pull from to gain volunteers and future donations.” Through the course of the project, Torri learned that it takes continual persistence and organization to run a project, as well as networking skills. Her future career goal is to become a marine biologist with a focus on sharks, dolphins and whales. She currently attends Colorado State University.

Rachel Marie Krohn Littleton Heritage High School “Dragontales Revival” For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Rachel Marie Krohn decided to revive Dragontales at her local elementary school, Normandy. Dragontales was a publication distributed at the end of the year that contained a piece of writing from every student at the school. Rachel selected this project because she enjoys writing and believes that being articulate in writing is important to master. She also believes that children should see writing as fun. Rachel invited students to participate through presentations at the school. She also gained support from the school’s teachers, who reminded students to submit writing or collected submissions. Due to lack of enthusiasm from some of the students and teachers, Rachel had to alter her goal of 100 percent student participation, and instead published with as many submissions as she could get. A total 278 students and 11 teachers participated in the project. “I learned that I can be confident when dealing with adults, and that I am capable of taking on and completing a large project,” said Rachel. Rachel left the school with a binder of information and advice on how to publish Dragontales in the future.

Kara Leachman Larkspur Douglas County High School ”Signs for School Safety” Kara Leachman decided to pursue a Gold Award project around safer driving. She targeted drivers in school zones for the safety of children walking home and being picked up by parents. To meet her goals, Kara built and posted six signs in six area school zones that said “Drive with Caution. Drive with Care. We have many children, but none to spare!” Local artists from area schools helped her with the signs, and the Home Depot and Sherwin Williams helped provide the materials. Additionally, she prepared a Jeopardy game containing facts about safer driving, which she shared with six 6th grade classes. ”I learned that it may not be easy to lead a large project, but through that I learned how to pursue and reach goals,” said Kara. “I learned how to use tools, budget, pursue donations, and overcame my dislike for talking to strangers on the phone and the time crunch I left myself to complete my project. Each step of my project helped me to learn that the pressure I put upon myself leads to my actions and goal completions.” Kara left detailed maintenance instructions at each of the schools that received a sign.

Sara Lillard Littleton Rocky Canyon High School “Helping to Understand” Sara Lillard recognized that some students in her community faced challenges transitioning from middle school to the harder and faster-paced high school curriculum. So for her Gold Award project she created a tutoring program. Sara’s free tutoring program helped younger students solidify their understanding of the basic core classes, starting with math and science. She held her tutoring program before school for any student seeking academic help. Sara recruited students from her high school to help her tutor. As a result of her program she expanded her Gold Award project to include collaborating with a Parent Assessment Team at a local elementary school. Her team assessed nearly 1,000 students each week on a revolving, but ongoing basis, to help the school determine where there had been academic improvements and where additional improvements needed to be made. “The tutoring experience was wonderful, and it helped me further realize how much I enjoyed being part of the academic system,” said Sara. “Through this project I learned to be persistent yet flexible, determined but yielding and passionate with patience on my trek to help my community meet its educational needs.” 44

Grace Lounsbury Superior Monarch High School “An Introduction to Music” For her Gold Award project Grace Lounsbury organized an “Introduction to Music” day for the six elementary schools that feed into Monarch High School. The event at Monarch High School allowed third and fourth graders and their siblings to try out as many band instruments as they wanted. As the children played instruments, their parents browsed handouts which provided information on how to get started in music, private lessons and where to acquire instruments. Grace recruited volunteers for the event from the bands at Monarch. She collaborated with Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts and Lafayette Music to print all the fliers. Flesher-Hinton Music Company provided all the instruments for the event and Chipotle donated lunch for the volunteers. This project will be continued annually by the Monarch High School band. “I pursued this project because I have a passion for music. I wanted to give students the opportunity at an earlier age to discover their own passion for music, in hopes that they might stick with it longer and make music a stronger connection in their life.” Grace plans to minor in music in college and play in as many music ensembles as possible. 45

Sara Madiska Berthoud Berthoud High School “Making the Library User Friendly” For Sara Madiska’s Gold Award project she created pamphlets for her local library that listed books related to seasonal themes, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. She felt that this could be a valuable resource for the families with young children who use the library. Sara worked with her friends, family and library staff to put together the pamphlets in both hard copy and electronic versions. A strong motivator for Sara during this project was pride for her community. She also used the project as an opportunity to learn more about herself and what she might like to do in the future. “In the completion of this project I learned that I am a strong, motivated, young woman who can do anything that she sets her mind to,” said Sara. Sara had to work with some unfamiliar computer programs, and she also had to direct some of her elders in the upkeep and continuation of the pamphlets. The library is enjoying the new resource and plans to sustain it by adding new books to the pamphlets and keeping the online versions of the pamphlets updated.

Carrie Martin Greenwood Village Littleton High School “International Pen Pals” Carrie Martin chose her Gold Award project because she wanted to give elementary students an idea of life in another culture. She set up a pen pal program at a local elementary school. Finding a school that would allow her to do her project was Carrie’s first challenge. Finally, Peabody Elementary embraced the idea. She began her project by teaching the students some basic Spanish. Then she worked with them to write four separate letters. After the first letter, Carrie learned that teaching a large group of kids who are not necessarily on the same page, can be difficult. So she designed templates for the remaining three letters. Carrie also taught the kids about different Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico, Spain, Chile and Guatemala. She found a contact in Venezuela for the students to send the letters through a friend she had met at the 2010 International Baccalaureate Student World Conference. “I knew I liked to work with kids, and this experience has solidified my career plans to teach,” said Carrie. This project earned Carrie a summer job at Peabody, and she plans to work with the students to write additional letters to their Venezuelan pen pals.

Kirsten Martin Colorado Springs Vista Ridge High School “Playhouse for Kid’s Place” A passion for working with children led Kirsten Martin to build a playhouse for the Kid’s Place, a Pikes Peak Family Connections childcare center for at-risk children. Home Depot graciously donated the wood and some other materials to build the playhouse. Family and friends also lent support for the project by volunteering to help as well as donating construction materials. Kirsten feels she learned a lot about how to cut wood, hammer a nail in straight, and, finally, how to measure so that each side fits together. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to get the hang of hammering or sawing, but when you do it over and over it gets easier,” said Kirsten. “It is a very rewarding process to build something from just a pile of wood into a playhouse.” Kirsten says she learned that building anything takes a long time to figure out and even longer to execute. She is proud that the playhouse will bring joy to many children for years to come.

Jennae Mayhew Aurora Hinkley High School “Sharing the Spirit of Christmas” An interest in children, a love for the Christmas holiday and a desire to lift the spirits of those in need inspired Jennae Mayhew in her Gold Award project. She organized a Christmas card and ornament-making drive to benefit The Children’s Hospital. Jennae worked with several groups of children and adults to hand make Christmas cards and ornaments. She held several events for volunteers from the community to help. For those volunteers without an artistic thumb she offered tips, techniques and assistance. A unique volunteer event occurred when Jennae organized a “Christmas in September Party” for the women and children from a shelter called House of Hope. She invited children of her church and a nearby daycare center to the party, and during the party the children made ornaments for themselves as well for The Children’s Hospital. Jeanne learned a lot about project coordination and overcoming the many challenges that kept arising throughout the project process. “Learning to take control and having the initiative to lead several people through a process to completion of a project is definitely one of my biggest accomplishments,” said Jennae.

Caroline Bailey Meserve Littleton Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning “Jewelry for Joshua” For her Gold Award project Caroline Bailey Meserve taught jewelry-making classes at Joshua Station, a non-profit organization that provides transitional housing for families. She chose this project because she believes all kids should know what it feels like to create something beautiful. Caroline started her project with a jewelry drive. She then took apart the jewelry she received and used the beads and fittings for the classes. She recruited one volunteer per class to help her teach and manage the kids. Caroline learned through this project that though she may struggle with logistics more than anything else, she is good at problem solving. At the end of her project she left the jewelry-making supplies at the facility so they could carry on the classes in the future. “Before I worked with these kids I thought this project was all to help them and their families,” said Caroline. “But I think I ended up getting the most out of the experience. It’s a cliché, but the satisfaction that comes from helping others is truly a great feeling.”

Hannah Marie Murphy Parker Eagle’s Wings Academy “Science Backpacks”

After hearing kids talking about how much they dreaded science Hannah Marie Murphy decided to use her Gold Award project to change that. She put together 11 science backpacks for students at Trinity Lutheran. Each of the backpacks had a different science theme, such as bugs or weather. Hannah filled the backpacks with educational books, fun games and reusable experiments she purchased on the Internet. She is grateful for the volunteer time and donations from her Girl Scout troop, family and community businesses that made the project a reality. Hannah donated the backpacks to the school library for the 50 kindergarten through 2nd graders to check out and use. Hannah is most proud of overcoming her shyness and learning to speak on the phone to adults she did not know. “My hope is that the community will benefit from my project later on. Perhaps years later a child whose love of science began by using one of the backpacks will go on to discover something that helps the community, like a new source of energy,” said Hannah.

Kathleen Murphy Colorado Springs Coronado High School “Therapeutic Harping” A passion for playing the harp and sharing the beautiful music she makes, led Kathleen Murphy to choose therapeutic harping as her Gold Award project. Interested in helping to comfort and heal , Kathleen gave harp lessons to nursing home residents at Sunny Vista, and she played her harp for residents who could not participate. She faced challenges in teaching some of the residents due to their physical and mental limitations, but she adjusted her teaching style to make it a success. To ensure that her project will continue for many years to come, Kathleen shared her experience and techniques with other harpists in Colorado Springs. She has developed a curriculum of harp therapy lessons and inspired these harpists to continue the project. “Through my project, I learned that I love working with the elderly and being a teacher,” said Kathleen. “It gives me great pleasure to bring joy to those who are lonely. I am touched when their faces brighten at my arrival or as they work diligently at mastering a song.” Kathleen has recently completed her certification in this technique and plans to continue providing harp therapy and volunteering in the community.

Alexis Musselman Denver Kent Denver “Project Don’t Turn Away” Alexis Musselman decided to pursue a Gold Award project to help a community issue she wanted to learn more about – homelessness. To meet her goal, she redecorated a room where a family lived at The Brandon Center, a safe house/homeless shelter for women and children. With the help of volunteers from her church and school, Alexis redecorated the room with new sheets, comforters, blankets and pillows, as well as cleaned and painted and hung some new artwork on the walls. One of the challenges she overcame was her lack of organization. However, she learned she loved working with children and people, and hopes she might have the chance to do similar work in the future. In fact, she plans to redecorate another room at The Brandon Center. The Brandon Center holds a special place in Alexis’ heart as not only did she decide to pursue her Gold Award project there, but she has also continued her service to the center as a volunteer. Alexis says her time spent at The Brandon Center “has been such an eye-opening experience.”

Rebecca Christine Nelson Colorado Springs Cheyenne Mountain High School “Don’t be a Daisy” Having several friends and family members who were victims of domestic violence, Rebecca Christine Nelson decided that addressing the issue, especially among teens, was the perfect project for her Gold Award. She made a public service announcement for her community. Before starting her project, Rebecca needed to learn more about this sensitive issue. So she partnered with TESSA, a local organization that helps women who are victims of abuse. The campaign concept she created taught young girls about unhealthy relationships and provided information on how to get help. In the campaign, a daisy shows up on the screen and moves as a gentle piano melody picks up in the background. The daisy then begins telling of her amazing boyfriend, but becomes wilted as she realizes that her relationship with her boyfriend is abusive. “There are many women out there who do not realize that they are in an abusive relationship or how to avoid it,” said Rebecca. “I hope that my project will impact girls for years to come.” Rebecca collaborated with musician Christopher Iverson and computer editor Tyler Roth to put together the final public service announcement. She distributed the final announcement to local high schools and TV stations. 54

Sarah Elise Nelson Westminster Westminster High School “Multiple Sclerosis Awareness” Sarah Elise Nelson raised awareness for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for her Gold Award project. She pursued this project because her uncle suffers from MS, and she knows that many lack the knowledge of this disease that has a huge impact on life. Sarah had a booth at both the Westminster and Broomfield city fairs. At these booths, she shared information, as well as had hands-on demonstrations for visitors. The demonstrations showed how debilitating MS can be for not only the sufferer, but their family. Sarah also presented to a number of smaller local groups, including a younger Girl Scout troop and a Rotary Club. To sustain her project and reach a different audience, she capped off her project by creating a YouTube video about MS. “The biggest challenges that I had to face were following through with my goal and communication,” said Sarah. “I had to learn to overcome my fear and speak out in order to raise awareness effectively.” She is proud of the fact that she got audiences of all ages engaged in her project. Sarah feels she accomplished her goal and helped many new people better understand MS.

Kelsey Shea O’Connor Morrison D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School “The Sky’s Not the Limit” The inspiration for Kelsey Shea O’Connor’s Gold Award project was a 2008 trip to Mt. Evans set up by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to see the Perseids Meteor Shower. Kelsey created a similar experience for incoming 7th grade students. A diverse group of girls from four different middle schools participated. Financing came from the community. At the conclusion of her project, Kelsey donated her project notebook to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in hopes similar programs would happen in the future. “I learned that in empowering others, you empower yourself,” said Kelsey. “The Gold Award taught me that ambition is a powerful thing. I learned that reaching for something that you believe is out of your reach, and then taking it one step at a time will get you farther than if you only stayed within your reach, even if you don’t reach your full goal.” Kelsey is currently attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on a fiveyear AFROTC scholarship. She is dual majoring in computer engineering and space physics, with a specialization in particle physics and cosmology. She plays ice hockey in her spare time.

Samantha Olvera Colorado Springs Fountain Valley School of Colorado “Ronald McDonald Club” For her Gold Award project, Samantha Olvera created a club at her school dedicated to helping the local Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home for families to stay in near the hospital when their children are hospitalized. Samantha recruited 15 members for her club. The club painted a mural on the cinderblock wall surrounding the back yard of the Ronald McDonald House as their first group project. The club will continue to do monthly activities to help the Ronald McDonald House with services that they are not already receiving from their other volunteers. Some of these activities include seasonal decorations, painting, baking and family activities for the guests such as barbecues. “I was born with medical problems, and my family benefitted from the Ronald McDonald House,” said Samantha. “I can relate to the emotional struggles of parents with children in the hospital, and my project was my way to give back to the Ronald McDonald House, as well as a way to get students at my high school involved in community service.”

Glynnis Page Louisville Monarch High School “The Mohi Garden” Glynnis Page constructed a garden for Monarch High School for her Gold Award project. She felt her school’s campus was pretty bare, and she wanted to do something to make campus more enjoyable for staff and students. Putting together this garden was no easy task for Glynnis. After gaining approval from several district officials, she created a design for the garden and gathered donations and volunteers to plant the garden. She had some difficulties in finding volunteers for her project as many people were out of town over the summer. However, family, friends and members of the school’s National Honor Society stepped forward to help. Glynnis’ garden is fairly large and includes a statue of the school’s mascot, a coyote. High school staff, students and the families -- about 1,600 people total -- enjoy the garden each day. The National Honor Society at Monarch High School will care for the garden in the future. “This process has really taught me how to get motivated,” said Glynnis. “For so long I would talk about doing several activities, but there comes a time when you have to stop saying and start doing.” She attends Colorado State University.

Coleen Parker Colorado Springs Discovery Canyon Campus “Amazing Race Using Public Transportation” For her Gold Award project Coleen Parker helped people with disabilities in her community. She designed and executed a curriculum to teach those with disabilities how to use the public transportation system in Colorado Springs. The root of the issue behind Coleen’s project was the budget cuts affecting services for people with disabilities. By teaching people with disabilities to use the public transit system, they could rely less on the special services being cut. First, Coleen learned about the public transportation system. She then taught 12 people with disabilities how to use the system. At the end of the project, she created a curriculum for local organizations and school districts to keep the learning process going. One of the organizations that benefited was Goodwill. There were many people who Coleen worked with throughout the project, but she learned to be flexible in order to persevere. “I discovered that using public transportation is complicated even for a person without disabilities,” said Coleen. “Because of this project, I learned how to approach people I do not know for help with things I need or do not know.”

Stormy Lynn Pyeatte Montrose Ridgway Secondary School “Costume Inventory” The performing arts are a big part of Stormy Lynn Pyeatte’s life. For her Gold Award project, she worked to organize the costume collection at a non-profit organization, Weehawken Creative Arts. Weehawken has a very large costume collection. When Stormy first began her project, the organization of the collection was a nightmare, and she found it daunting to know where she should start. But determined, Stormy managed to sort, mend and label 500 costumes, as well as organize them into easily moveable bins. She also photographed all the items and put together a binder of where each item could be found. Weehawken officials are very impressed Stormy’s organizational system, they say it saves them time, and they plan to keep it updated. “There were many challenges I had to overcome, but the biggest one was finding time to actually do my project,” said Stormy. “I was working a full-time job while trying to do my project. By doing this project I learned a lot about commitment. There were times when I was worried that I may not be able to finish what I had started. So I set deadlines and stuck to them.” She is currently attending Sante Fe University.

Dana Sanelli Arvada Holy Family High School “Hustle, Hit, Never Quit” Dana Sanelli selected her Gold Award project because she loves tennis, but thinks the sport gets minimal publicity and is not thought of as a sport for kids. She started playing competitive tennis in seventh grade, but wished that she had started earlier. Dana set up the “Hustle, Hit, Never Quit” tennis camp, where eight girls tried their hand at tennis. They all received donated rackets and balls, and through her coaching came away with enthusiasm for the sport. Dana also volunteered at her former grade school gym class and discussed active lifestyles with the classes. Her parents and her sister were a huge help to her at the tennis camp after she lost her volunteer support at the last minute. Dana plans to expand her program in her community in the future and to recruit more of her high school tennis team as volunteer coaches. “I discovered that a leader is needed to take charge and do whatever is necessary to provide a worthwhile experience, especially when things start falling apart,” said Dana. Dana recently received news of her official appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.

Bianca Marie Seivley Westminster Holy Family High School “A Thyme to be Green” Bianca Marie Seivley’s Gold Award project consisted of two parts. She first planted an herb garden at the Volunteers of America Center (VOA), and then worked with economically disadvantaged youth at Head Start. To start the gardening project, Bianca collaborated with the dietician and director of child programs at VOA, a landscape artist from Westin Landscape and Design and her family. She secured donations of mulch and compost for the garden. According to VOA, the finished garden “provided basil, rosemary, mint and other fresh herbs for their 31 meal sites and encouraged seniors to use herbs and spices to replace the sodium they commonly use to season their food.” Bianca gardened and led other environmental activities with the children at Head Start. She hoped to share a more eco-friendly lifestyle for people of old and young age. More than 1,500 seniors and 35 preschoolers benefited from her project. “I stepped out of my comfort zone, talked to people I had never met before, improved my professionalism and communication skills, and just trusted that with time management and a well-organized plan, the project would go smoothly,” said Bianca.

Cary Shaffer Lakewood Green Mountain High School “Different Yet The Same” Cary Shaffer pursued a Gold Award project to build a new kind of understanding of the differences in the world. She did this by planning curriculum and leading a week-long geography unit for a first and second grade class at Hutchinson Elementary School. During her class, Cary took the students on a trip around the world. They explored each of the seven continents and participated in games and activities related to each of these different areas. The project concluded with a parent-student potluck where foods of different heritages were shared. Cary hopes that by bringing these different cultures to the classroom, the children learned that there are differences in our world, but also many similarities. She turned over her curriculum to the school at the end of the project. “The first day of my project I had a massive anxiety attack. I was very scared. I had never experienced teaching an entire class by myself before,” said Cary. “Once I arrived at the school, seeing the excitement in the students impressed upon me the importance of doing my project and moving on from the obstacle I faced.” Cary hopes to one day become a teacher. 63

Courtney Elizabeth Smith Golden Golden High School “Graffiti Art for Youth Room” Courtney Elizabeth Smith saw a need for the youth group from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to have a place to hang out. For her Gold Award project, she set out to create a room for them. Courtney’s project included designing and remodeling two main rooms at the church to create a room for the youth. She recruited volunteers from the church, her high school and family. Courtney faced challenges in finding an area to move the room items when they painted the room, but finally used a newly built church garage as the storage space. Another part of Courtney’s project included the establishment of a drawing class at a local elementary school. This experience taught her how to lead her church remodeling volunteers in painting a mural in the new youth room. The room remodel benefitted the church because it encouraged more youth to come to church. “Throughout this project I learned and became more confident in teaching people the importance of art,” said Courtney. “This project was a big accomplishment for me, especially with all the time and effort I put into it.”

Madeline Smith Pueblo West Pueblo West High School “What Do You Stand For?” Madeline Smith realized middle school girls struggle with self-image and may make bad decisions because many times they buy in to the messages coming from their peers and the media. For her Gold Award project, she decided to develop a curriculum to help youth build their confidence. For eight weeks, Madeline met with 25 fifth grade girls at a local elementary school. They talked about their role models, influences, individual skills and talents, learning styles and goals for the future. Madeline couldn’t believe how much more responsible, respectful and self-assured the girls became in just eight weeks. “By the end of the program, they were happier and more confident in themselves, and I am sure they will approach middle school with determination and a positive attitude,” said Madeline. “As a future teacher, this endeavor helped me develop my patience and understanding for adolescents.” Madeline created a website (https://sites.google.com/site/ forwhatdoyoustand/) so that other youth and school groups can use the material. She also gave her curriculum to the local health department. Her curriculum can be modified for middle or high school groups, as well as working with boys or mixed gender groups. 65

Katherine Toldy Colorado Springs Discovery Canyon Campus “Lifetime Language” Katherine Toldy fell in love with the Spanish language and culture when she spent a summer in Bogotá, Colombia. This led her to her Gold Award project where she created a Spanish curriculum for the fifth graders of Discovery Canyon Campus. Before her project, Katherine’s school offered no Spanish classes until students entered sixth grade. She first taught a Spanish lesson in front of each fifth grade class, and then students could sign up for an after-school club for four additional lessons. Katherine’s students learned Spanish numbers, colors, time, days of the week, months, seasons and food. The final lesson was a “Spanish Immersion” where students ate Spanish foods, watched dances and spoke in Spanish. She recruited her fellow Spanish Honor Society members of the Botero Chapter to help her with the project. Katherine’s teacher, Señora Tamara Lobb, helped her write the curriculum. “I feel that knowledge of another language and culture creates students who are more globally minded, which is essential in today’s global community,” said Katherine. “I created a curriculum that involved learning through songs and games. By doing this, students associate fun with learning, and therefore wish to learn more in the future.”

Samantha Wonders Colorado Springs William J. Palmer High School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Outreach Bags for Urban Peakâ&#x20AC;? During a school field trip to Urban Peak, a teen homeless shelter in Colorado Springs, Samantha Wonders gained a sense of empathy, which spring boarded into a project of creating necessity kits for homeless teens. She set out to help teens who are homeless, as well as raise awareness for this growing community issue for her Gold Award project. Samantha recruited family, friends and other peers to help her with her project. These volunteers spent time putting together kits of items that teens need, including washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, socks and lip balm, among other items. She also spent time with these volunteers to educate them on teen homelessness. Due to the economy, she had to knock on a lot of businesses doors to receive enough items to fill the necessity kits. In the end, Samantha made 100 necessity kits. The kits were made for Urban Peaks Street Outreach Teams, who connect with those who are still homeless out on the streets. She also left behind a booklet of the supplies she donated to the shelter in hopes others will take on this project in the future.

Rebecca Yukman Colorado Springs William J. Palmer High School “Bellacapella” “For several years, my mom and I went regularly to visit a hospice patient named Tim Tregarthen. He was a fascinating man; an economics professor with innumerable talents stifled by Multiple Sclerosis. His patience with an autistic daughter, a wife who abandoned him and his steadily decreasing health inspired me then and still does today. I remember feeling as though such amazing people as Tim are often forgotten at hospice, which many view as merely the end of the road. Tim managed to survive and move to California after several years, however, I never forgot the plight of those in hospice.” This memorable experience, along with Rebecca Yukman’s love of singing, led her to her Gold Award project. She formed her own a cappella choir, called Bellacapella. Rebecca recruited her fellow singers, arranged the music herself and began rehearsals. In December, the group began touring nursing homes. For the culmination of Rebecca’s project, they sang for hospice patients and brightened their Christmas. To ensure their legacy as a choir, they recorded a CD, as well as have a YouTube video, that can be enjoyed for years to come. Rebecca plans to continue to lead Bellacapella and will volunteer with them more in the future.

Kristen Zwiers Castle Rock Douglas County High School “Chair Huggers” When Kristen Zwiers learned that the Instructional Support Services Department of her school district had huge budget cuts, she knew that she had to help kids in her classes with autism and other learning challenges. She created a project called “Chair Huggers,” which are sweatshirts with bean bags sewn into the sleeves that go over the back of a child’s chair. The weighted sleeves wrap around the child’s lap, and the gentle, yet constant pressure helps children stay focused during the school day for longer periods of time. Chair Huggers are used by the school district for children with ADD and autism. Kristen gathered donated supplies and created a system to sew the Chair Huggers. She also created an ADD awareness video. Kristen has plans to expand her project into several elementary schools in Douglas County and will train other volunteers using handouts and fliers. “I recruited volunteers and participants through Facebook,” said Kristen. “I invited all my Facebook friends and was happy with the diverse outcome of participants. I had friends from my classes, my school band, my Girl Scout troop, and even guys from my brother’s Boy Scout troop.”

2010-2011 Silver Award Recipients Region 3 Madison Estabrook Region 4 Eliana Wackerman Region 5 Kaitlyn C. Baker Cynda Murrow Lisa H. Shileny Region 6 Kaitlyn Lechner Allison Ward Region 7 Caroline Lily Curtis Abby Dickerhoff Troop 10199 Diamond Craig Kara Petterson Troop 33109 Shawn Carpenter Troop 40036 Ashlin Gray Anne Martens Troop 40045 Beth Allen Troop 40070 Lauren Kennedy Troop 40086 Kaylin Gentz Lauren Saultz

Troop 40282 Adrianna Danford Jenessa Horne Alessandra Mann Lucy Partlow-Loyall Troop 40401 Amber Carrion Troop 40420 Savannah Breaker Kelsey Graczyk Julie Miller Elisa Nasby Brianna Ott Troop 40622 Carolyn Given Troop 40635 Megan Beaudoin Emma Howard Shannon York Troop 41626 Emily Krizmanich Troop 41976 Sarah Bockelman Stephanie Huisingh Bridget Parker Amanda Powell Srishti Singal Alissa Staub Troop 43886 Cayla Aljets Kaitlyn Hanson Makayla Jewell Madleine Robinson Ashey Templeton

Troop 50033 Magdelena Hester Jennifer Horst Michelle Lozano Lauren Sides Troop 50123 Briana Weaver Troop 50320 Emma Coffey Arianne Ellis Nelly Grantham Cera Hammond Delaina Moore Mackenzie Patrick Troop 50716 Alex Alvarex Samantha Marie Griffin Lily Mellblom Troop 51373 Elyn Barkmann Danae Duran Audrey Lambert Chloe Levesque-Etling Tayen Madsen Molly McCallum Anna Morgenthaler Troop 51444 Abby Bierzychudek Sydne Green Kendra Jeffrey Margaret Kennedy Kirby Lamar Mackenzie Owens

Troop 51705 Sarah Farley Christine Johnson Renee Lynch Elizabeth Tidwell Natalie Youse Troop 51989 Erin Ganley Rebecca Kosten Kai Kresek Cassie Neslin Troop 52110 Brynne Davis Grace Dorgan Meredith Greer Emma Hesse Samantha McConnell Annalise Pflueger Lauren Vanicelli Troop 52121 Lakota Bennett Rowan Seabolt Troop 52446 Sophie Iannacito Emily Redmon Laura Wagner Kristen Yexley Troop 52680 Kayla Cartellone Sydney Davis Maddie Dillon Sarah Evans Nora Forrestal Aubrey Garrick Elena Rentz 71

2010-2011 Silver Award Recipients (continued) Troop 53039 Mariah Cladis Katelyn Nagle Troop 53217 Helen Brewer Patricia Miller Catherine Lundstrom Lisa Wilkening Troop 60008 Nina Asher Troop 60252 Haley Henderson Georgia Hepp Allison Sitler Troop 60360 Jacki Bennett Baily Holsinger Shelby Holsinger Elli Kopp Anne Pore Kimmy Smith Liz Wigdahl Troop 60547 Noalani Benedict Madeline Martin Elizabeth McClain Nieca Robinson Cristina Trimpe Mara Watkins

Troop 60837 Allison Arnold Annie Bashaw Rowan Quirk Brooke Smith Kiera Spain Laurynn Tansley Troop 60855 Madison August Madison Crepeau Christina Enloe Antonia Fornaro Kenzie Haberkorn Eva Kasyon Kayla Reed Kiera Sweeney Troop 60911 Maria Lynn Johnsen Shelby Moore Troop 60950 Kalyn Bonn Justine May Alyssa Rock Jamiya Wilson Troop 61041 Kaitlin Logue Alexis Schroeder Emily Walker Troop 61055 Elizabeth Fugikawa Ria Kim Keely Leuenberger Kristen Melon Megan Venette

Troop 61165 Maddie Barton Kirsten Brandes Peyton Cottingham Megan Detwiler Ashley Jones Troop 61401 Sarah Lague Troop 61432 Courtney Grubb Katie Lawall Madison Turner Megan Veto Katelyn Veto Troop 61512 Emily Anderson Grace Atchison-Reynolds Natasha Breakall Nicole Cheng Alicia Helseth Lacey Pederson Lauren Wade Troop 61682 Jillian Desmond Kate Donahue Kate Laughlin Abby Lease Cassie Robertson Rachel Shaw Tori Shaw Kathleen Whalen Troop 61928 Katherine Fedorco Sarah McKinney Crystal Marie Roen Aliah Wasserman

Troop 62185 Ashlea Walker Troop 62227 Brianna Bullock Jazzmyn Boykins Jamie Howell Paige Harper Troop 62269 Alyssa Alderson Laura Carney Victoria Dante Payton Dearborn Jordan Frerichs Amaris Gorman Devon Moreland Amber Robinson Kelsey Theriault Kelly Winn Troop 62286 Morgan Bergstrom Amanda Burget McKenna Cook Brianna Cooke Madeline Cravens Emily Dew Megan Rebecca Henry Garrett Ann Nevins Amanda Slater Troop 62360 Jackie Gallegos Katie Hunter Maddie Longo Annaleah Whitaker

2010-2011 Silver Award Recipients (continued) Troop 62439 Christina Bommarito Miranda Erickson Hannah Larsen Sara Millar Maile Wibbens Troop 62677 Abby Curry Madelyn Flin Madison Heline Christiana Holladay Cassidy Klein Jenna Quirk Jessica Rimer Kate Rimer Troop 62812 Sydney Bryant Megan Campbell Ashley Fehrer Nicole Miller Courtney Montejano Danielle Obrecht Stephanie Samar Allison Spontarelli Kerri Spontarelli Amelia Sundblad Troop 63313 Miranda Carlson Serna Fettes Kylie Moeller Kerstin Stein Troop 70038 Ally Guerrero Brittany Wallace Larissa Willkomm

Troop 70044 Tessa McIntire Troop 70066 Linda Baker Leina Hutchinson Savanna Inman Tori Wagner Troop 70224 Jessica Calzolari Emily Calzolari Aislinn Jeske Troop 70239 Selena Wellington Troop 70282 Katie Garrels Troop 70642 Lindsey Marquez Annabelle Westley Troop 70694 Shannon Calvert Jordan Conilogue Brooke Cornelius Lynne Cornelius Kristin Mitchell Troop 70719 Kylie Britt Kasey Britt Emily Johnson Shannon Scott Jessika Warden Madelyn West

Troop 70800 Brittany Ballard Hailey Ewing Caralyn Elizabeth Rose Fitzpatrick Kelly Parrish Emmalee Zian Troop 71092 Anna Bovio Taylor Haas Hannah Johnson Lia McLaughlin Emma Ward Troop 71135 Holly Huggins Malaika McCullough Mattie McGarey Kate Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Kathryn Wible Troop 71709 Callie Page Troop 71919 Taylor Hale Amy Kalinski Carolyn Ryan Troop 72221 Laurel Hale Maddie Hankla Megan Kleppe Sarah Kleppe Katie Martinez Emma Parent Ashley Shuler Vani Topkar

Troop 72281 Colleen Finlayson Jessica Gonzales Mallory Metzler Troop 72341 Emma Berdanier Josie Hoyt Alex Keenan Rose McElhaney Alexa Stringer Alexandra Young Troop 73908 Megan McCambridge Troop 83334 Janna Dorren Morgan Kaiser Jane Maltby Cheyenne Schwenke Nicolette Stieb Mickayla Zink *Best efforts have been made to include all Silver awardees. If we have missed anyone, please let us know, and we will make the correction on the website.

You have touched the future Silver & Gold awardees receive much moral support and encouragement from their troop leaders, advisors, parents, families and mentors. To all those who have provided encouragement, support and guidance to these young women â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thank you. They could not have done it without you. There are volunteers in each area who work with the girls earning the awards. Their dedication to helping the candidates accomplish their goals and to stretch their abilities is sincerely appreciated. Western Slope advisor: Mary Ann Deard Heidi Brungardt Sarah Daniel Angila Snyder Rachael TerLouw Pikes Peak and San Luis Valley advisor: Marty Lockhart Kelly Dias Molly Gustafson Audra Koch Kathi Reddan Metro Denver advisor: Gwen Piehn Erica Oakley, co-chair Lezlie Wright, co-chair Casey Ambrose Kathy Ambrose Ann Barthrop Amy Costello Rae Ann Dougherty Felica Goett Paula Millsapps Kathy Minter Betsy Poell Ann Southam Ambra Virban Amy Wright North and Northeastern advisor: Gwen Piehn Linda Hildebrant Janet Mulay Linda Robinson 76