May 8, 2008

Blooming in the garden of Girl Scouting

Service Unit 642 celebrates accomplishments

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

If you want to witness inspirational girls and young women, attend a yearly Girl Scout awards ceremony.

On May 4, Girl Scout Service Unit 642 presented “Blooming in the Garden of Girl Scouting,” awarding their young women bronze, silver, gold and 10-year pins at Cornerstone Community Church. Keynote speakers included District 10 Councilmember Nancy Pyle, the Family Giving Tree Queen Elf and Executive Director Jennifer Cullenbine, Girl Scouts of Northern California Program Director Marla Howard, Older Girl Program Manager Jennifer Moyen- Logan and Awards Event Committee members Margaret Almeida and Wendy Hartman.

“It’s a pleasure to be here and see these proud young women, leaders today and in the future, as we celebrate their incredible accomplishments in Girl Scouting,” said Pyle who was also a Girl Scout. “The young women who choose this path come from a diversity of backgrounds and places, yet are unified by the incredible experience of being a Girl Scout and working together on projects that build courage, confidence and character.

“The skills you have developed and the passion with which you’ve accomplished the goals and projects we are celebrating today will serve you in every aspect of your lives, now and in all your future endeavors,” added Pyle who presented the organization with $250.

A particularly inspiring part of the awards is the traditional candle-lighting ceremony. This year Girl Scout daisy Tatiana Kohlbrenner-Rios, Brownie Isabella Terrizzano, Junior Maggie Garg, cadette Jheel Patel and Senior Kailey Erickson lit the candles and spoke of the development each level provides for members.

“Like a flower garden, Girl Scouting is about growth and progression,” said Howard. “From the first smile of the daisy Girl Scout as she earns her first petal to the senior Girl Scout freely devoting time and energy to helping others, it is a journey full of challenges, dreams and opportunities. Girl Scouting allows them to become their very best, belong to something bigger than themselves, believe in themselves and others and build a better world.”

Bronze awards
Girl Scout Troop 67 members Kristyn Almaraz, Theresa Geiser, Catherine Li, Caren McCarthy, Tara Saha and Timothea Wang earned their bronze award under the leadership of Becky McCarthy and Angela Geiser for their “Rock and Roll Baby” project, creating newborn blankets and clothes.

Troop 347 members Hailey Adamski, Tiana Caruana, Natalie Cortez, Heather Dewis, Sara Kestel, Mercedes Ryes, Gloria Ruiz, Kayleigh Sharkey, Davyna-Skye Smith and Agnes Soper have been together since they were daisys. Under the leadership of Karen Adamski and Anita Tomberlin with advisor Tawni Kestel they earned their bronze award for a Humane Society Silicon Valley donation drive. The girls presented a spay/neutering promotion and made pet toys for their project.

Troop 499 members Maggie Garg, Delaney Gaydon, Diana Hatamian, Jeana Lindsley, Erin Pang, Katrina Preble, Mihika Ram, Hannah Silverglate, Nikaya Southorth, Tiffany Tharenos, Christina Tobias and Samantha Uppalapati under the leadership of Kimberlie Garg and Susan Gaydon were bronze award recipients for their pet beds and toys for Humane Society Silicon Valley. The girls presented the organization with 102 animal beds and 173 cat and dog toys with a total of 241 hours of volunteer time.

Troop 1223 Girl Scouts Elizabeth Garza, Megan Hively, Sidney Johnson, Kathryn Kalbfleisch, Samantha Pavlosky and Alyssa Rentera organized a community pancake breakfast and fed over a 100 homeless people at Trinity Church. They’re troop leader is Judy Renteria.

Girl Scouts Natalie Spoelstra. Kelsey Gurrola and Kirat Sachdev receive their gold award at the Blooming in the Garden of Girl Scouting event held May 4. Photo by Jeanne C. Carbone

Troop 1469 members Monika Devlin, Julia Dye, Tara Homara, Kathryn Kavanagh, Becky Rangel, Taylor Rogers and Taylor Schmidt raised donations for Operation Care and Comfort. Under the leadership of Sue Rogers and Joanna Schmidt they shipped 8,000 pounds of needed items to troops in Iraq.

Troop 368 members Morgan Conmy, Marissa Easton, Annie Estrade, Caitlin Flammer, Sanika Kulkarni, Cassie Lascola, Ovilee May, Abby McLachlan, Kara Nieders, Courtney Wong and Alexandra Zuccero made pet adoption kits for the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. Troop leaders are Renee Conmy and Melissa Estrade.

Troop 1348 members Alexandra Drechsler, Olivia Fuqua, Krizia Layam, Amanda Lewis, Alyssa Mansker, Erin Nguy and Brielle Turturici decided to help children a world away. Under their Troop Leaders Lisa Fuqua and Elizabeth Drechsler their African library project raised and sent books to 251 Botswana students.

Girl Scout Ashlyn Hertzberg received her bronze award for her project “Juliette A Little Something.” Her advisor was Peggy Hertzberg.

“Most of these girls have completed their projects as a group effort and in doing so have learned a little more about themselves, the world around them, and the impact they can have on others,” said Howard.

Silver awards
Troop 1243 members Alyssa Conmy and Erika Ghose received their silver award for raising donations for kitten season under Girl Scout leader Brigitte Ghose. Christine Franks organized an adoption awareness day under the leadership of Jennifer Moyen-Logan.

“This award is the highest that can be earned by a cadette Girl Scout ages 11-14,” said Almeida. “It is a symbol of accomplishments in Girl Scouting and the community. Many girls at this level complete their projects on their own, or work on their own portion of a larger project.”

10-year pins
Girl Scouts who achieved 10 years in the organization were Kayla Barekat, Caitlin Cosentino Roush, Kailey Erickson, Erika Ghose, Nicole Kohlman, Kelsey Pope, Tori Ross, Sarah Sendig, Stephanie Skoog, Stephanie Spindler, Kimberly Tobias and Sarah Yeider.

“All of these girls have given a decade of their time and in doing so they have grown in the garden of Girl Scouting,” said Hartman.

Gold awards
Girl Scout Kirat Sachdev was presented with a gold award for her project of strengthening the importance of volunteering. Kelsey Gurrola was awarded for creating mother-daughter self-defense courses. Luren Drygas’ project was autistic art, Natalie Spoelstra organized “Animals, People and Fun—Oh My,” and Lauren Traina’s effort was San Jose Conservation Corps’ charter school library.

“Like a rare and beautiful flower, there are a very special few young ladies who have given themselves above and beyond and earned the Girl Scout gold award,” said Cullenbine. “This is the highest award that a Girl Scout may earn. These Girl Scouts have not only grown personally but have left their marks on Girl Scouting and their community. With each gold award the garden of Girl Scouting is forever changed.”