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SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Council fetes local Girl Scouts

By Mary Brienza, Staff Writer
    The township council presented several local Girl Scouts with proclamations recognizing earning their ýPage=001 Column=001 OK,0004.06þ Silver Awards at the Feb. 9 council meeting.
    Jodi Hansen and Shifali Reddy were given the award for their work on a Lake Nelson Fourth of July Parade.
    Meenu Mathews, Pooja Shah, and Harita Vellalath were given the award for putting on an environmental play they performed.
    Nidhi Thomas was given the award for her work with an animal shelter, “helping man’s best friend.”
    The Silver Award is the highest award for 11 to 14-year-old Girl Scouts, and is the second highest award in general, according to Michelle Tompkins, media manager for the Girls Scouts of the USA.
    It is not that common for girls to receive the silver award, Ms. Tompkins said.
    The highest award is the Girl Scout Gold Award, and only about 6 percent of scouts receive it, Ms. Tompkins said.
   ýPage=001 Column=002 OK,0008.04þ There are six steps required to receive the Silver Award, Ms. Tompkins said.
    The girl must be 11 or going into the sixth grade to begin and has to be 12 years old or in seventh grade to work on step two, she said.
    The required project must be completed before start of 10th grade, she said.
    There are three interest awards the Scout must receive in Girl Scout promise and law, along with 15 hours in a leadership role, and study a career, Ms. Tompkins said.
    The next step is to set goals for self- improvement, and then to reach out to other girls, Ms. Tompkins said.
    Then the Scout must find an issue they are passionate about, use their voice to address their passion, learn more about it, and then address the issue in project that should take ýPage=001 Column=003 OK,0008.04þ 40 hours, Ms. Tompkins said.
    The community project must be approved by their troop leader, and the scout must evaluate guidelines and ýPage=010 Column=004 OK,0000.06þ safety and must document any hours put in, how their role in the project is unique, and list any accomplishments, and if a group they must list their individual role, Ms. Tompkins said.
   ýPage=010 Column=005 OK,0000.06þ The Girl Scouts is a girls’ organization founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low and empowers young girls through various activities, according to the organiza tion’s website.