Group includes valedictorian, salutatorian, Gold Award Girl Scouts
AMHERST, NH – The Girl Scout community in Amherst and Mont Vernon achieved what could be a record-breaking 18 girls graduating from high school, many of them with the highest honors Girl Scouts can earn and two as valedictorian and salutatorian of their high school class.
Due to pandemic concerns, several smaller bridging ceremonies were held to honor the girls now moving to adult status. At one ceremony, they were described as energetic, curious, thoughtful, giving, driven, funny, artistic, passionate, creative, scientific, athletic, and most of all resilient.
A few community service activities that Troop 22171 participated in included building a bridge over a stream on an Amherst town trail, making assembly line cookies in a jar, holding shoe, clothing, food and book drives, assisting at the Garden Club plant sale, and becoming the Easter Bunny and Santa’s elves, to the delight of Amherst children. They helped make props for various school plays. They helped carry the flags during the Memorial Day parade and participated in the flag ceremony for World Thinking Day and town-wide bridging.
As a group, they have changed over time, shifting from individuals running around the basement at the Amherst Congregational Church to a unified group that, pre-pandemic, would find a corner of the living room and sit so close that you were practically on top of each other. As they crossed the bridge for the last time they officially moved from Girl Scout Ambassador to adult Girl Scout.
Spending these years with these young ladies has been a source of joy for troop leaders Crista Burrel, Stephanie Grund and Rebecca Robinson.
Troop 20061 was very passionate about community service and it was an integral part of the troop’s mission. During the holidays this past year, they made cookie jars for Share, a long-standing favorite troop tradition. Knowing that many of the elders in our community were lonely due to COVID restrictions, they wrote notes for the residents of Parkhurst Place and created floral arrangements to bring them comfort and joy throughout the holidays. The girls were planning on taking an end-of-year trip in 2021, but instead used all of their troop funds, as well as their cookie earnings, to create a “birthday closet” for the teenage female residents of the Nashua Children’s Home and to purchase newborn clothes for babies born at Lowell General Hospital.
Troop Leaders Lauren Tiso and Gillian Smith are proud of these smart, kind and generous young women and are looking forward to seeing the positive impact they will continue to have on all the lives they will touch in the future.
The Troop 22171 graduates and their future plans are:
- Saryn Bernard - Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Emma Brown - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Bailey Burke - Holy Cross (earned Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards)
- Paige Colby - Bennington College
- Evelyn Dowd - Bard College (earned Girl Scout Bronze Award)
- Gigi Goulet - Saint Anselm (earned Girl Scout Bronze Award)
- Anna Goyette - George Washington University (earned Girl Scout Bronze Award and is the salutatorian for Souhegan High School)
- Chloe Grund - Stony Brook University (earned Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards)
- Rachel Mazur - Lasell University (earned Girl Scout Bronze and Gold Awards)
- Abbie Robinson - University of Connecticut (earned Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
- Claire Sullivan - Smith College (earned Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards)
Also included in the ceremonies was 11th-grader Sydney Mazur, who is well on her way to following in their footsteps.
The Troop 20061 graduates and their future plans are:
- Kati Tiso - Florida Gulf Coast University – Nursing (earned Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, and is valedictorian of Souhegan High School)
- Georgia Craven - Hobart and William Smith - Political Science/Pre-Law
- Allie McCall - University of NH - Human Development and Family Studies
- Amanda Senk - St. Andrews and William and Mary – Economics
- Kyla Pascucci - Gardner Webb University - Exercise Science/Pre-Med
- Katie Jones - Fordham University - International Affairs
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains congratulates all on their many achievements.
Girl Scouts make the world a better place. Find out more at www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
About Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is recognized throughout New Hampshire and Vermont as a leading expert on girls. Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that helps girls take the lead—in their own lives and in the world. Through our exciting and challenging programs, Girl Scouts not only participate but also take the lead in a range of activities—from kayaking, archery, and camping, to coding, robotics, financial literacy training, and beyond! Serving girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
