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Rutherford Girl Scouts earn top award




Rutherford County Gold Award Girl Scouts at the annual Salute to Outstanding Leadership Awards. From left, Savannah Cornwell, LaVergne; Haley Pelham, Murfreesboro; Alicia Byrnes, Milton; Molly Gilliland, Murfreesboro; Sidney Starling, Murfreesboro; and Hannah Tritschler, Murfreesboro. DAN EPRIGHT

Rutherford County Gold Award Girl Scouts at the annual Salute to Outstanding Leadership Awards. From left, Savannah Cornwell, LaVergne; Haley Pelham, Murfreesboro; Alicia Byrnes, Milton; Molly Gilliland, Murfreesboro; Sidney Starling, Murfreesboro; and Hannah Tritschler, Murfreesboro. DAN EPRIGHT

Six young women from Rutherford County earned Girl Scouting’s Gold Award on April 29 as more than 700 Girl Scouts, parents and leaders gathered at Lipscomb University for the Girl Scouts’ annual Salute to Outstanding Leadership Awards.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador can earn and is achieved by less than six percent of Girl Scouts nationally. Completion of the signature Gold Award Project means a Girl Scout by definition has left her mark on her community to create a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Alicia Rose Byrnes of Murfreesboro is a member of Troop 1844 and her Gold Award project, “Engineers of the Future,” focused on late-elementary-school-aged students. She addressed the students’ lack of exposure to engineering curriculum until late into their high school careers or college, which contributes to a shortage of students entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) career fields.

Byrnes wrote an age-appropriate curriculum and taught it to fourth- and fifth-grade students after school at Reeves-Rogers Elementary School and Bradley Elementary. “There were some tough parts,” Byrnes said, “but I really enjoyed working with the kids and teaching them about engineering. I think they did a really good job, and I had a lot of fun.”

Murfreesboro’s Haley Pelham is a member of Troop 1562, and her Gold Award Project is titled, “Church Renovation for Struggling Community.” Pelham helped renovate Mt. Moriah Baptist Church to help DeKalb County residents become aware of the resources the church offers. Pelham cleaned, painted and renovated the church building and fellowship hall. She also re-bound songbooks, helped spread the word on available community resources and planned fun events for the church’s community. Pelham’s Gold Award Project has increased membership and will be continued by the church’s members.

Molly Gilliland of Murfreesboro is a member of Troop 2685, and her Gold Award Project is called “Make Restaurants Safe for All.” Gilliland petitioned state legislators and leadership in the Tennessee Department of Health to include a phrase in the state’s food code requiring annual training for food service workers on the causes of cross-contamination and steps for its prevention. Her project was inspired by her struggle with allergies.

“It was very fun,” Gilliland said. “It was a little stressful at times, but I definitely got a lot out of it and had a lot of fun doing it. I didn’t think I would get as far as I did and just knowing that I could do it is really good.”

Hannah Tritschler, also of Murfreesboro, is a member of Troop 2865, and her Gold Award Project is called, “It Feels Good to be Organized.” Tritschler knew that volunteers and staff had to fight clutter to retrieve items from the children’s ministry supply loft at her church. She built shelving units to consolidate and organize the worship resources to minimize searching for required materials. The project is being sustained through the check-out system established by the director of the children’s ministry.

Murfreesboro’s Sidney Starling, a member of Troop 1562, entitled her Gold Award Project, “Mental Health Awareness Project.” It brings public awareness to mental health resources available in Middle Tennessee. Starling created a production studio to record a series of podcasts featuring mental health professionals sharing statistics and stories. The project is growing through social work and the efforts of interns for the Office of the Mayor of Murfreesboro.

“I picked the project because, in the seventh grade, my Sunday School teacher committed suicide,” Starling said. “I tried to develop a project that would stop people from committing suicide and to help save one more life. The project was a lot of hard work, but I had a lot of fun doing it.”

Savannah Cornwell of LaVergne is a member of Troop 2289 and earned her Gold Award last year. Her continuing contributions led to her selection for the Agenia Clark Gold Award Scholarship this year. Established in 2015 under the Sue Peters Foundation for Girls of Courage, Confidence and Character, the scholarships are only available to Middle Tennessee Girl Scouts who have earned the Gold Award and have also met specific leadership criteria.

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