MAHONING VALLEY Eight area Girl Scouts receive Gold Award
The service projects included creating an educational planetarium bubble and making quilts for a Bazetta family.
Eight girls recently received the Gold Award, Girl Scouting's highest honor.
The final requirement is to complete a Gold Award Project, which must represent at least 50 hours of effort. Less than one percent of all girls in Scouting complete the requirements for the Girl Scout Gold Award. The award is roughly the equivalent of the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts.
About one project
As their Gold Award project, the Girl Scouts of Troop 192 worked with Joy Gottron, naturalist at Austintown Township Park.
The young women had previously created an educational planetarium bubble at the park. At the request of the naturalist, the site was converted into a cave environment to be used as a teaching tool for young people throughout the community.
ULauren Polcha of Crabwood Drive in Austintown, daughter of Betty and John Polcha, is a junior at Austintown Fitch High School.
She is a member of Troop 192, which is led by Barbara Bott and Barbara Yarina, and has been a Girl Scout for nine years. Her other Girl Scout awards and honors include the Girl Scout Silver Award and the Cadette and Senior Girl Scout Leadership Awards.
UHeather Hays, daughter of Nancy L. Hays, of Beechcrest Drive in Austintown, is a senior at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.
She is a member of Troop 192 and has been in Girl Scouting for 10 years. Her other Scout awards and honors include the Silver Award and the Cadette and Senior Girl Scout Leadership Awards.
UStefanie Keshock of Sheffield Drive in Austintown, daughter of Jerry and Diane Keshock, is a senior at Austintown Fitch High School.
She is a member of Troop 192 and has been a Scout for 12 years.
Her other awards and honors include the Silver Award and the Cadette and Senior Girl Scout Leadership Awards. She is a member of the high school's Drama Club, concert choir and National Honor Society. She is a valedictorian for the class of 2002.
UMegan Norris of Oakleigh Avenue in Austintown, daughter of Mary Jo and Daryl Norris, is a senior at Austintown Fitch High School.
She is a member of Troop 192, and has been a Scout for 12 years. Her other awards and honors include the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award. She is active in girls track and summer softball. She also coached the Austintown Little Falcons Cheerleaders.
Other troops
UChristina Kazda of Liberty Street in Girard, daughter of Linda and Larry Kazda, is a senior at Trumbull Career and Technical Center. She is a member of Troop 784, which is led by her mother, Linda Kazda, and has been in Scouting for 13 years.
For her Gold Award project, Kazda filled folders with construction paper, writing paper, word searches and coloring books. These folders, along with crayons, pens, pencils, crafts and playing cards, were put into bags which she had made, and were given to children at Forum Health Tod Children's Hospital.
Her other awards and honors include the Career Exploration Pin, the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award and the Senior Girl Scout Challenge.
As their Gold Award project, the girls of Girl Scout Troop 189 quilted seven blankets made of recycled denim jeans. These quilts were given to a family of 12 in Bazetta, which consisted of many foster children with special needs.
UMegan Gray of Earl Drive Northwest in Warren, daughter of Thomas and Gloria Gray, is a senior at Champion High School. She is a member of Troop 189, which is led by Diane Gavazzi and Donna Livingston, and has been a Scout for 13 years.
Her other awards and honors include the Girl Scout Silver Award. She is a member of student council, Key Club, National Honor Society, Help Our Planet Earth group and soccer.
UKim Osborn of Cadwallader-Sonk in Fowler, daughter of Leonard and Ann Osborn, is a junior at Mathews High School. She is a member of Troop 460, led by Deanna Ludwick, and has been a member of Girl Scouting for seven years.
For her Gold Award project, she conducted a book drive, collecting six bookcases and more than 1,400 books, which were donated to Ronald McDonald House, Someplace Safe, Beatitude House, Sojourner House, Brookfield Retirement Home and the Children's Center of Mercer County.
Her other awards include the Silver Award, Program Aide and Leader-in-training award. She is a member of Students Against Driving Drunk. She also works with a troop whose members have multiple handicaps.
UChristen Clemson of Ridge Road Northeast in Cortland, daughter of Mike and Barbara Clemson, is a senior at Maplewood High School.
She is a member of Troop 568, led by Barbara Jo Clemson, and has been in Scouting for 11 years.
For her Gold Award project, Christen collected used educational and entertainment CDs, videos and audio tapes, and donated them to Tod Children's Hospital.
She has received the Silver Award. She also served as a Scout representative to the Trumbull County Junior Fair Board the last four years. She is a member of National Honor Society, 4-H, volleyball, softball, track, basketball, Library Club, French Club and the Youngstown State University English Festival. She was state Division III discus champion in 2001.