RSS 2.0 FeedAugust 5, 2010, Wantagh Seaford Citizen
Wantagh Girl Scouts win Gold Award
Six from Wantagh receive high honor in Girl Scouts.
Perseverance, determination, and endurance are just a few words to describe what is needed in a young woman when she is pursuing a Girl Scout Gold Award.
Putting in at least 65 hours of work to improve their communities, Jamie Wandzilak, Michele Murphy, Nicole Visconti, Briana Cammarata, Lauren Dash and Eden Held of Wantagh joined the 67 Girls Scouts in Nassau County that achieved the highest honor in Girl Scouts, a Girl Scout Gold Award. These young women developed Gold Award community action projects, promoting acts of kindness and goodwill, which ultimately make the world a better place.
Jamie Wandzilak wanted to share her enjoyment of creating jewelry with younger children in her town. For her Gold Award project, she ran a series of workshops for students interested in jewelry making. While students enjoyed making various pieces during the workshops, she hoped to start them on a hobby that they could enjoy for life. Jamie is a junior at Wantagh High School who participates in track and is a member of National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society.
Michele Murphy’s Gold Award project was designed to make her community more aware of the importance of recycling. She began with educating first graders through a presentation and brochure that she created. She also approached county and town officials to receive the go-ahead to implement a recycling program in Wantagh Park. The park now has 19 recycling bins, which make it easier for park goers to make the green choice as they dispose of their bottles and cans. Ms. Murphy is a junior at Wantagh High School where she participates in track and plays PAL travel soccer.
Nicole Visconti addressed the issue of our environment with her Gold Award project entitled, “Dial Green.” Knowing how frequently cell phones are replaced with newer models, Nicole wanted to give residents of her community information about how these phones could be recycled so that there would be no adverse environmental impact. She collected cell phone and distributed information about how to recycle phones properly. As she spoke to younger children in her educational effort, she gave them reusable lunch bags. Nicole is a junior at Wantagh High School where she participates in volleyball and softball.
Briana Cammarata earned her Gold Award for her project entitled, “Creating A Place for Teens.” Using her design skills and creativity to renovate the teen youth room at a local church, she updated the décor to make the room a more appealing place to spend time. Through her efforts, teens in her community now have a safe, supervised and attractive place to relax, socialize, play games and watch movies. Briana is a junior at Wantagh High School where she is a member of her school yearbook staff. In addition, she participates in many community events, including Making Strides Walk and the LI Marathon.
Lauren Dash and Eden Held wanted to share their love of theater and the performing arts with children in their community. For their Gold Award project entitled, “Be A Star,” they teamed up to give elementary school students the opportunity to participate in a five-week series of performance classes, capped by a performance for friends and families. Lauren is a junior at Wantagh High School where she participates in Drama Club, Key Club and other community service organizations. Eden is also a junior at Wantagh High School where she is a member of Key Club and National Honor Society.
“We are so proud of all 67 young women who earned their Gold Award this year” said Donna Ceravolo, executive director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Just five percent of eligible Girl Scouts choose to ‘Go for the Gold’ and we are happy for those that achieved this honor.” On June 13, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County honored Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts between the ages of 15 and 18 at a special ceremony held at Adelphi University.
Gold Awards require a commitment of three years on the part of each young woman. It affords the teen the opportunity to learn about arts and humanities, cultural and global relations, personal well-being, technology and science, and any one of the innumerable issues facing young women today.
For more information on how to join, volunteer or donate to Girl Scouts of Nassau County call 516-741-2250 or visit http://www.gsnc.org
