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News provided by South Pasadena Girl Scout Service Unit
The Gold Award is the highest achievement that can be earned by a Girl Scout and requires at least 80 hours of planning and implementation on a challenging project that is innovative, engages others, and has a lasting impact on its targeted community. Nationwide, only about 6% of all eligible Girl Scouts achieve the Gold Award.
Alice Bock
Alice Bock noticed that the St. James Youth Center, which serves middle schoolers after school, needed some physical improvements. Alice completed her Gold Award, Youth Center Upgrade, by working with the Youth Center Director Susanne Nava. Alice spruced up the Youth Center by installing a security gate and painting a mural. She also taught cooking classes, virtually and in-person, and tutored students after school. Alice has been a Girl Scout since Kindergarten.
Ava Dunville – Troop 16221
Ava Dunville completed her Gold Award entitled, Civics for Youth. She partnered with Care First South Pasadena and Marengo Elementary School where she taught students about current events, leadership, voting, government, and advocacy. Ava created a curriculum that can be used at Marengo in the future. The project culminated in students writing their own public comments, which demonstrated that they were growing and developing their own voices, a skill that Ava also learned during her 13 years as a Girl Scout.
Ava Feldman – Troop 3161
Ava Feldman was inspired to complete her Gold Award project, Elementary Video Learning, because she saw the increasing education gap due to online learning, specifically in elementary school-aged children. She created a website, accessible to all of the third-grade classes in South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD), which featured short informational videos on the curriculum she developed. Ava also set up a mentorship program between high schoolers and a third-grade class. Ava’s favorite memory as a Girl Scout was when her troop traveled to San Francisco for the Golden Gate Bridging ceremony, which was a fantastic troop bonding experience.
Sadie Metcalfe – Troop 5391
Sadie Metcalfe partnered with Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley on her project entitled, Let’s Talk Sex. She worked to increase awareness among high school students about birth control and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the San Gabriel Valley by creating a comprehensive sex education website (www.letstalksex.org) and conducting interviews and hosting a webinar with healthcare professionals in the field. She also taught a sex education class and held a condom distribution event at the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. Sadie has been a Girl Scout for 11 years.
Katherine Moses
A Girl Scout since Kindergarten, Katherine Moses was inspired by her passion for animals and growing concern for environmental justice to partner with the Los Angeles Zoo for her Gold Award project. Her goal was to promote wildlife conservation and encourage zoo visitors to adopt more sustainable habits in their daily lives. She created 10 visual displays each spotlighting an animal found at the zoo, a human-caused issue faced by that animal, and ways for visitors to help. Her Sustainability Signage Gold Award project was featured in the zoo’s widely distributed magazine ZooView.
Maureen Parker – Troop 16211
Maureen “Mollie” Parker partnered with the Child Educational Center, specifically working with its summer and afterschool programs, for her Gold Award project, My Emotions and Me. She wrote and illustrated a self-published children’s book When the Rainbow Visits. Mollie also curated a supporting curriculum exploring social and emotional topics aimed at preparing children with the necessary skills to lead a healthy and present lifestyle. All materials from this project, including the curriculum and a digital copy of When the Rainbow Visits, are available on a website (https://www.myemotionsandme.com/). Mollie has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and particularly enjoyed the visit to San Francisco when her troop participated in the Golden Gate Bridging ceremony.
Julia Shadmon – Troop 16751
Julia Shadmon decided to bridge the generation gap between adults and teens when discussing current issues by creating The Dear Parents Podcast. She worked with her high school peers, community members, and school clubs to ensure that each podcast episode was informative. The series has six episodes with discussions covering body image, the college admissions process, gender identity, and more. Her project helped create an open, honest conversation between older and younger generations.
Annette Woo –Troop 3141
Annette Woo wanted students to learn financial literacy basics while they are still young to help build proper saving habits and gain a better understanding of monetary decisions. For her project, Financial Literacy for Youth, Annette provided eight virtual lessons during the summer. She worked with Judy Neeb of the South Pasadena Public Library to ensure the accuracy and relevancy of her financial literacy lesson materials. During her 10 years as a Girl Scout, Annette particularly enjoyed the troop bridging ceremonies which mark the transition from one level of Girl Scouts to the next.
Jacqueline Yipp – Troop 16211
In high school, Jacqueline Yipp developed an avid interest in journalism inspiring her Gold Award on Making Journalism Fun and Accessible. She created, filmed, and edited lessons on journalism for children at the Boys and Girls Club covering topics ranging from pitching an idea for an article to interviewing people. Although COVID-19 prevented Jacqueline from teaching in-person classes, she used her creativity to transition the lessons into video tutorials. A Girl Scout for 13 years, Jacqueline’s favorite troop memory is of the regular meetings at Eddie Park where her troop bonded together.
Not featured: Cloe Maurer – Troop 16221, and Teja Moe – Troop 5391
