When someone thinks of Girl Scouts, one of the first things that comes to mind may be the cookies. Small parcels of ooey deliciousness in flavors to suit any taste. Similarly, when one thinks of Boy Scouts, they might think of cheesy popcorn or camping trips. However, being a Scout comes with its own rigors. After several years of membership in these programs, scouts may decide to tackle the Girl Scout Gold Award or attain the level of Eagle Scout, which are the highest honors Scouts can earn.  

To earn a Gold Award, each girl must complete two Senior or Ambassador journeys or complete one Senior or Ambassador journey and have earned a Girl Scout Silver Award. After completing either of these requirements, a minimum of 80 hours is suggested to complete the steps to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Scouts choose a community issue of personal importance, investigate the issue, gain others’ support, create a plan, get feedback, take action, and educate and inspire others.

Similarly, Boy Scouts strive to achieve their highest honor of reaching Eagle Scout. Requirements for reaching Eagle Scout include being active in a troop  for a period of at least six months after the scout has achieved the rank of Life Scout. Scouts must demonstrate that they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law in their daily lives. Scouts provide recommendations from friends, family, or employers; they are also required to earn a total of at least 21 merit badges.

Morris Hills students Rohan Kapoor, Adam Yaeger, Carrie Davis, Rushi Desai, Olivia Clifford, Sarah Ramadan, Christine Connelly, Michael Olsen, and Matthew Hallac  have worked extremely hard for several years to achieve these honors. Here’s a look at what some students did for their projects.

Rohan Kapoor:

Rohan is recruiting some help for his project, which is to take place in late July.

Olivia Clifford:

Olivia made over 100 hygiene kits for the homeless. She collected donations of hygiene products  for a few months and distributed the kits in early September at a local food pantry in Dover.

Sarah Ramadan:

Sarah’s goal was to improve the lives of girls in Haiti through education about reusable sanitary napkins. She made her own reusable pads (about 150) to ensure that women would have access to hygenic menstrual products. Sarah then travelled to Haiti to distribute the pads and educate other women.

Michael Olsen:

Michael is planning to build 4 Adirondack chairs for Lewis Morris Park in Morristown.