Sterling Meetinghouse News

• 

By Danielle Ray

Members of Girl Scout troop 30518 have completed the projects and steps necessary to earn their Silver Award, the highest award a Cadette can earn.

“I am beyond proud that these girls have completed their Silver Award,” said Nickole Boardman, who along with troop co-leader Janet Smith has a daughter in the troop. “They came up with an idea and worked hard to make that idea a reality.”

The girls, all high school freshmen, split into two teams and completed their community projects in October of last year, although they began working on their Silver Award in January of 2019.

Grace Lannon, Aaliyah Cooper, and Laela Boardman each built a picnic table for Chocksett Middle School and Rowan O’Connor and Katherine Smith crafted benches for the tennis courts in town – all from scratch, start to finish. 

Grace said she got the idea for the project after noticing their middle school was lacking places to sit outside. 

“One day at recess a friend and I were talking about how we want to eat outside on nice days so we could have more fresh air,” she said. “We went to [our Principal] Mr. LaBreck and told him the idea and then it moved on from there.”

The three girls each built their projects by hand with a variety of material and tools – wood, bolts, screws, palm sanders, polyurethane stain, etc., purchasing the supplies with funds generated from cans redemption, nut sales, and donations.

“I enjoyed how directly it was connected to our lives, even if COVID-19 kept us from using the tables when we were still Chocksett students,” Aaliyah said. “It felt great to finish the tables. It really feels like we made a difference that will change the lives of Chocksett students forever, which is awesome.”

Laela, who has been a Girl Scout for a decade, said she enjoys being part of the organization and her journey in it, including the Silver Award project. 

“Girl Scouts has always been a great way to spend time with friends and make a difference in the community,” she said. “The best thing I’ve done in Girl Scouts is going on trips and learning new things, like getting CPR and first aid certified and how to defend ourselves through self-defense classes.”

Rowan and Katherine, who have also been Girl Scouts for 10 years, each built a bench for the Sterling tennis courts. They funded their project with cookie sales funds and donations. 

“Our silver award project is about giving back to the community and being passionate about others,” Rowan said. “When we realized that the tennis courts didn’t have a place to rest or socialize, we realized we could fix that. I enjoyed the building process of the benches – sanding, staining, and assembling it was the most fun. It felt great to complete it like another thing checked off the list – Silver Award.”

When asked what her favorite part of the project was, Katherine said “that’s easy”.

“The best part was getting to use power tools, she said. “It felt awesome getting the benches done, because people can use the benches to relax and socialize for many years to come.”

Nickole Boardman said the projects were significantly delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges and setbacks presented along the way, the girls persevered and completed their projects – a feat unto itself during these challenging and unprecedented times.

“The picnic tables were a lot of work and the girls learned a lot about the process,” Nickole Boardman said. “They needed to brainstorm, come up with an idea that helps the community that they are passionate about, agree on it and figure out how to complete it. They needed to use power tools to cut, sand, stain and assembly the tables. They gained confidence and skills that will last a lifetime. They worked together as a team and were proud of their work.”

Nickole Boardman said it has been gratifying for her and Janet Smith to lead the young women and that they have enjoyed making lots of wonderful memories together over the years. 

“The best part about being a Girl Scout leader is watching these girls grow and mature,” Nickole Boardman said. “Now that they are all in high school, it is amazing to look back and remember their younger years. We have been on many trips together including a weekend away at The Inn at East Hill Farm in New Hampshire as well a trip to Boston for the day which included Blue Man Group show, a duck boat tour, shopping, lunch in the park, swan boats and dinner out – we had a blast. We earned these trips by selling a lot of Girl Scout cookies. We have also enjoyed many camping trips at Camp Green Eryie. We really have been blessed with a great group of girls.”