Gold Award Girl Scouts

Noelle Bartul

Manhasset Service Unit

Troop 515

COVID-19’s Impact: An Electronical Timestamp

Congratulations, Gold Award Girl Scouts!

Angelina Bendetti Seaford/Wantagh

Service Unit

Troop 3440

Get in the Game

Angelina Bendetti recognized that many high school athletes who wanted to continue their sport in college did not know how to connect with college-level athletic programs. She understood that a visit with the college coach and team would be valuable help for students to formulate what kind of college they would like to attend. She created a manual and a website detailing the steps she followed to coordinate a college visit with an athletic team. She publicized this information to other teams in her high school.

During high school, Angelina participated in varsity softball and volleyball, and is the recording secretary of the Italian club. Angelina’s fondest Girl Scout memory was visiting the Ronald McDonald House for families of sick children. The troop got to cook desserts for the families and wish them well. Angelina will graduate high school in June 2023. She is attending University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for her college experience.

Noelle Bartul’s Gold Award project aimed to address the lack of a place where people could express how COVID-19 has impacted them. To create an accessible space where this could be accomplished, she learned to use a website-creator and establish her own website. This website permitted individuals to anonymously submit artwork or literature that expressed how COVID-19 has impacted them. Noelle shared the website in her community and globally, educating about its purpose and advocating for the website’s use. She partnered with Manhasset High School’s Art Honor Society, where the website has been published on the group’s Canvas page. Noelle’s project sustainment is in the skills individuals have gained to express emotions and in the website’s continued availability.

Noelle’s favorite pastimes include tennis, playing the violin, and creating digital artwork. By completing her Gold Award project, Noelle realized her talents in public speaking and creating and formatting websites. Noelle’s fondest Girl Scout memory is when her troop slept overnight at the Museum of Natural History. Noelle will be attending Barnard College in Manhattan this coming fall.

Ryan Benvenuto

ELLM Service Unit

Troop 2566

ShelfCare

Ryan Benvenuto created a book club called ShelfCare that focuses on teen mental health issues. Her mission was to find books that concentrate on mental health and use that as a tool for teens to open up about relatable issues. Ryan had students and teachers fill out surveys to gauge how they felt about teen mental health. The teens cited social media and academic pressures as main drivers toward their stress. Ryan partnered with Random House Children’s Books. Ryan launched a website, Shelfcare.org, to sustain her project and share the message with teens.

Ryan is a member of Lynbrook High School’s kickline team and varsity cross-country and track teams. She participated in student government and concert choir. Ryan’s fondest Girl Scout memories are selling Girl Scout Cookies with the support of a grocery store and creating Friendship Theatre, a theatre camp for kids, for her Silver Award project. Ryan is a graduate of Lynbrook High School and will be attending SUNY Oneonta in 2023 studying Elementary Education and Special Education in their Scholar’s Program.