Left to right: Anna Dutkewych, Brooke Mitchell, Samantha Donaldson, Alexandria Taylor, and Sophie Moynihan. (Photo courtesy Tara Mitchell)
The Lincoln Girl Scouts hosted their annual Bridging Ceremony at St. Anne’s Church on June 10 when Scouts and troop leaders from fifth, seventh, and 12th grades and their families gathered to reflect on the past year and celebrate “bridging” to a new level of Girl Scouts.
Five LSRHS seniors “bridged” to adulthood as they graduated from high school and will be starting college in the fall. All five started Girl Scouts together in kindergarten have all received their Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts — see the June 15 edition of News Acorns for the projects by Samantha Donaldson, Anna Dutkewych, and Alexandria Taylor. The Gold Award is an individual service project that requires over 80 hours of work, identifying a need in the community, developing a sustainable solution, and implementing that solution through leadership and action. In addition to the previous three:
- Sophie Moynihan created a youth library for a Head Start center in Dorchester. She cleared out a space in the center, ran a book drive, and outfitted the space with books and library resources to help young families.
- Brooke Mitchell created an accessible Halloween by coordinating neighbors on a small road to host tables by the street to make trick-or-treating easier for children with disabilities, allowing kids to participate in this holiday by shortening the distance to walk without fear of dimly lit areas, scary decorations, or non-allergy-friendly treats.
Brooke was also selected by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM) as one of three Girl Scouts to participate in the GS Leading Women’s Award ceremony honoring girls and women whose leadership, dedication and impact strengthen the community. Brooke was paired with an adult mentor and participated in a “fireside chat” moderated by Sue O’Connell, commentator at NBC10 Boston, to talk about the importance of women developing leadership skills and confidence as they seek to make an impact in the world.
To learn more about Lincoln Girl Scouts, contact Tara Mitchell (taramitchell365@gmail.com) or Laura Taylor (lauranastos@yahoo.com).
What a rare and special connection these graduating Girl Scouts will carry with them for the rest of their lives! Kudos to them and their families who helped sustain their Scouting journey over the years.
I also know, as a former Girl Scout mom, myself, that the participating parents form deep and lasting connections. I will always be grateful for the wonderful Lincoln Girl Scouts program my girls were part of. I hope the next generation can keep it alive. It takes a village!