Girl Scout kindergartners lead adults in school lockdown
Windham Daisy Troop receives Safety Award pin for outstanding response
May 09, 2025
WINDHAM, NH – The kindergartners in Girl Scout Daisy Troop 65150 were honored by their school and Girl Scouts for their outstanding response to an after-school lockdown due to an accidental alarm activation on April 11. Principal Christopher Hunt presented the troop with the Girl Scout Safety Award pin, an award that requires a five-step process for being safe, tailored to each grade level. The presentation was made at Golden Brook School on Friday, May 9.
“What I was very impressed and very proud of – I heard that you taught and showed your leaders what to do,” Hunt told the troop at the presentation. “They’d never done one before, right? To me, that is amazing. I’m so proud of all of you for doing that.”
Troop Leader Stephanie Lohret said there were 13 of her 14 Daisies at the regular troop meeting in the art room at the school enjoying a karaoke dance party when the lockdown alarm sounded.
“They knew what to do,” she said. “We shut the blinds, closed the door and huddled in the classroom. We were there for probably a good 15 minutes.”
Lohret and her two adult volunteers kept the children calm as they waited for the all clear.
“It’s funny, they said ‘Where are our lockdown lollies?’” said Lohret. “Apparently when kindergartners lock down, everybody gets a lollipop to keep them quiet.”
Lohret noted that it was truly the girls who knew what to do in the lockdown. “The adults there had never experienced a lockdown drill, so we were relying on the girls. We were following the girls’ lead – talk about girl-led!”
Once a teacher came by to say the lockdown was done, the meeting continued as usual since everyone was calm.
Golden Brook School changed their policy following the incident to make sure after-school activities are checked first before sweeping the rest of the building. Hunt said they practice lockdown and fire drills six times a year.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving all Girl Scouts in New Hampshire and Vermont, is proud of this troop and its volunteers. The Girl Scout program emphasizes giving girls the opportunity to lead and the learning of life skills and works with schools to reinforce concepts like staying safe and respecting authority. Even with Girl Scouts as young as these Daisies in kindergarten, opportunities arise to practice leadership.
Learn more about Girl Scouts at www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
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Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
