Outstanding Girl Scouts Honored As Young Women Of Distinction

Press Release Desk
Updated ·7 min read

Press release from Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains:

Oct. 30, 2020

More than 100 Girl Scouts were honored Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Young Women of Distinction ceremony held by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving girls across New Hampshire and Vermont.

The young women being honored included 11 Gold Award Girl Scouts, 23 Silver Award Girl Scouts, 57 Bronze Award Girl Scouts, the 11 top Girl Scout Cookie sellers this year, six counselors-in-training, seven who earned Girl Scout Service Bars, and eight who earned Journey Summit Awards.

For the first time, the ceremony took place outdoors, at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, in deference to the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks were worn and the audience was socially distanced.

Patricia K. Mellor, CEO of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, and Martha Manley, First Vice President of the council’s Board of Directors welcomed the Girl Scouts and their families and friends. Dr. Mary Jo Brown, founder and president of Brown & Company Design was the keynote speaker, and Debra E. Margolis, Vice President of Medical Directorship, ConvenientMD also offered remarks. Brown, who was a Girl Scout along with her mother and daughter, encouraged the Girl Scouts to continue being the leaders of tomorrow, just as they are today. She described 10 imaginary badges girls might work toward, even if they don’t actually end up on their sashes or vests, such as the “I Define My Own Success” badge or the “Think Big” badge.”

The Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards are the highest achievements available to Girl Scouts in their respective age groups. Each requires a Girl Scout or team of Girl Scouts to choose a project that will make their community, state, country, or even the world a better place. These young women are a result of what Girl Scouts offers—programming that develops courageous leaders and visionary change-makers.

The following girls reached this remarkable level of achievement:

Gold Award Girl Scouts –

  • Sierra Dinndorf of Bedford, NH; Historical Bedford Remembered

  • Emily Galeva of Lebanon, NH; Breaking the Stigma of Youth Mental Health in High Schools

  • Chloe Gross of Deerfield, NH; EcoKids Environmental Program

  • Alexandra Herr of Bedford, NH; 13 Before 13 hiking list

  • Emma Kinsey of Durham, NH; Herstory

  • Alexis Kouwenhoven of Bristol, VT; Managing Stress and Anxiety

  • Abigail Robinson of Amherst, NH: Souhegan Literary and Arts Magazine

  • Emma Rothe of Hopkinton, NH; Hopkinton Nature Walk

  • Mallika Saksena of Stratham, NH; Dancers Without Borders

  • Chloe Tardif of Hudson, NH; Special Olympics Hudson Chapter

  • Katherine Tiso of Amherst, NH; Stress Less

Silver Award Girl Scouts –

  • Books with Buttercream - Julia Daniel, Amherst, NH

  • Caring Cards - Marjorie Vincent, Amherst, NH

  • Cool Rides for CHAD - Victoria Feikert, Springfield, VT; Kylie Tilton, Claremont, NH; and Patience Tuttle, Charlestown, NH

  • COVID-19 Scavenger Hunt - Jenna Dinndorf, Bedford, NH

  • Creating a Buzz Around Plastic - Avery McCaffrey, Essex Junction, VT; Charlee Olio, Essex Junction, VT; and Nora Robertson, Essex Junction, VT

  • Dog Agility Course - Johanna Stone, West Rutland, VT

  • Educational Bee Hive - Isabella Falcone, Auburn, NH

  • Educational Plaques at The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill - Caitlin Fitzgerald, Bedford, NH; and Josephine Russel, Bedford, NH

  • Girl Scouts for Gaga - Molly DellaValla, Jackson, NH; and Autumn Verran, Jackson, NH

  • Hats for Cancer Patients - Morgan Summerton, Sunapee, NH

  • Maelin's Masks - Maelin Lambert, Merrimack, NH

  • Making Masks for Hospitals - Samantha Laflotte, Merrimack, NH

  • Outdoor Expansion - Isabella Simonds, Gilman, VT; and Hailey Williams, Lunenburg, VT

  • Project Backpack - Chloe Hall, Stratham, NH

  • Project Hope is the Cure - Noelia Cardoza, Litchfield, NH

  • Tapestry of Hope/Weave of Love - Milena Whitney, Bedford, NH

  • The Mask-Aids - Amelia Gregory, Merrimack, NH

Bronze Award Girl Scouts –

  • AMS Rocks & Garden Clean Up - Anna Parisi, Amherst, NH; Hazel Schuft, Amherst, NH

  • Bronze Award Team Project - Amalia Ditrolio, Hollis, NH

  • Building Birdhouses for Milton's Town Forests - Ohana Alexander, Evelyn Bushey, Lily Duanais, Meika George, Sydney Gorton, Kelsey Heath, Kendall Heath, Noelle LaCroix, Olivia Lang, Elise Mansfield, Catherine Preuss, Sara Rogati, Elizabeth Wilson, and Lauren Wilson, all of Milton, VT

  • GSGWM Mask Making - Sofia DiFillipo, Nashua, NH, and Ellie Olivier-Hinkle, Nashua, NH

  • Helping Those in Need During COVID-19 - Kayla Smith, Epping, NH

  • Hillsborough – Deering Memorial Garden Rehab - Caia Kimball, Concord, NH

  • Hospital Helpers - Ryleigh Covey, Hooksett, NH

  • I Protect You, You Protect Me: Sewing Masks for All - Maisie Emerson, Contoocook, NH

  • Julia's Hand Sanitizer - Julia Balzano, Salem, NH

  • Making PPE and Helping PPE Charity - Mary Kavanaugh, Exeter, NH

  • Mask Cut-Outs - Alexia Gurshin, Exeter, NH

  • Masks and Cookies Roam Until They Find a Nursing Home - Adrianna Sidelinger, Putney, VT

  • Masks for Camp Lincoln - Callen Myers, Exeter, NH

  • Masks for EDMES - Delaney Paquin, Derry, NH

  • Masks for Millions - Allison Okenquist, Nottingham, NH

  • Masks for My Friend Charity - Rowan Snyder, Hollis, NH

  • Outdoor Expansion - Lillian Blais, Lunenburg, VT; and Alia Williams, Lunenburg, VT

  • Pandemic PPE Project - Emily Banacos, Milton, VT

  • Personal Protection for Exeter - Addison Linscott, Exeter, NH

  • Personal Protective Equipment Team - Amalia Gloss, Exeter, NH

  • Personal Protective Equipment Team - Sarah Prouty, Salem, NH

  • Pet Protection - Madison Batchelder, Gracie Dube, Ella Duchette, and Shelby McDonald, all of Plymouth, NH

  • Picnic Tables for BGS Outdoor Classroom - Quinn Doherty, Concord, NH; and Madison Duffy, Concord, NH

  • PPE Team Project - Cadence Friend-Gray, Abigail Marcotte, and Evangeline Paoletti, all of Nottingham, NH

  • Project Earsaver - Sophia Sellitto, Salem, NH

  • Protecting Others with PPE - Noelle Prince, Bedford, NH

  • Save the Bees - Ava Fisher, Amherst, NH; and Kathrine Henry, Amherst, NH

  • Shaker Road School Buddy Bench - Ryley Chipman, Concord, NH

  • Shooting Star Sewing - Abbygail Warriner, Glover, VT

  • Vaera's Marvelous Masks - Vaera Squirrell, South Burlington, VT

  • Wearing a Face Mask is an Act of Love - Molly Daniels, Danville, VT

  • Westford Farm to School - Leah Doran, Sophia Frederick, and Addison Minor, all of Westford, VT

The Journey Summit Award is earned by completing three Journeys within an age level. A Journey is a larger experience than a badge and includes a sustainable Take Action project. The following girls earned this award:

  • Brownies - Riley Benson, Bedford, NH; Josephine Estevez, Pelham , NH; Ava Greenwood, Pelham, NH; Margaret Sweeney, East Kingston, NH; Alexandra Wrisley, East Kingston, NH

  • Junior - Katerina Benson, Bedford, NH

  • Cadette - Caroline Hunt, Newton, NH

  • Senior - Kacilynn Hernandez-Feliciano, Newton, NH

There are two Service Bars, the Cadette Community Service Bar and the Service to Girl Scouting Bar. A Service Bar is earned by making a difference in the community or Girl Scout council and practicing the values of the Girl Scout Law. Girls complete at least 20 hours of service with an organization of their choosing. Earning these awards were:

  • Cadette Community Service Bar - Amy Campbell, Merrimack, NH; and Hanne Stuke, Hopkinton, NH

  • Service to Girl Scouting Bar - Nora Carlen, Amherst, NH; Glorianna Gill, Mont Vernon, NH; Katherine Pappas, Mont Vernon, NH; Shya Mahar, Amherst, NH; and Braelyn Wilson, Mont Vernon, NH

Counselors-in-Training are Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors who mentor young girls in a camp setting as they build skills toward becoming a camp counselor. To earn this award, Girl Scouts complete a leadership course designed by the council on outdoor experiences and work with younger girls over the course of a camp session.

This year’s CITs are Athena Anthos, Ballston Spa, NY; Katelynn Budzyn, Naugatuck, CT; Sarah Getschmann, Exeter, NH; Elizabeth Keefe, Milton, VT; Glenna Ricard, Windsor, VT; and Linda Ricard, Windsor, VT.

Top Cookie Sellers - Through their participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program— the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world—today’s Girl Scouts are learning critical life skills, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. This year’s Top Cookie Sellers used the skills and knowledge they learned from our Girl Scout Cookie Program and the latest technology of our Digital Cookie platform to meet, and in many cases, exceed the sales goals they set for themselves. They are:

  • Kacilynn Hernandez-Feliciano, Newton, NH - 5,508 packages

  • Liliane Gordon, Hinesburg, VT - 2,432 packages

  • Caroline Hunt, Newton, NH - 2,323 packages

  • Acadia Buck, Lebanon, NH - 1,890 packages

  • Sarah Barnwell, Rindge, NH - 1,812 packages

  • Kortney Darling, Groton, VT - 1,746 packages

  • Adrianna Sidelinger, Putney, VT - 1,590 packages

  • Cailan Field, Hampton, NH - 1,500 packages

  • Keyara Blake, North Woodstock, NH - 1,500 packages

  • Bailey Blondin, Barre, VT - 1,377 packages

  • Scarlett Casey, Nashua, NH - 1,375 packages

Girl Scouts everywhere become young women of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Learn more about Girl Scouts in New Hampshire and Vermont at www.girlscoutsgwm.org.

This press release was produced by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains. The views expressed here are the author's own.

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch