Morgan Flett of Merrimack earned Girl Scouts’ highest honor for program
MERRIMACK, NH – Children in Merrimack are now able to discover and enjoy the sport of field hockey, thanks to a Gold Award Girl Scout who has created a feeder program in town.
Morgan Flett, 17, of Merrimack, is a senior honor student and active athlete at Merrimack High School, who realized that students were not joining middle or high school field hockey teams because there were no instructional or recreational programs being offered to younger people in the sport. She decided to change that, and created her Merrimack Field Hockey Feeder Program, for which she earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor, the Gold Award.
Around eighth grade, “field hockey was an option, but not well known,” Flett said. “As I got to high school, less and less girls were coming up. There was a really small team, so I wanted more interest.”
Flett designed field hockey clinics for children in grades 3-8, offering them both in person and online through videos. She also put together five-week plans, options for games, and what skills to teach and when for others to use for their own field hockey program.
“I do believe that all of Morgan’s efforts will definitely create an interest for all ages of players,” said Ann McLean, MHS varsity field hockey coach and advisor for Flett’s project. “As of now, we have a middle school program but nothing to teach the younger kids how to play. The first time that they are seeing field hockey is in the seventh grade, with no knowledge of the sport. Morgan had a good number of participants and we are hoping this will bring an interest to the sport and to increase the participation numbers. There are few camps in the area for kids that want to play field hockey. By having these clinics, they will develop an interest to play in the future.”
As with so much of life over the past 18 months, COVID-19 kept this Girl Scout from her original plans, but she overcame that obstacle by working with small groups during the summer of 2020, and then put her full plan into action this past summer.
“This summer, I was able to run my big clinic,” she said, “and got a lot of interest, which was so exciting!”
Both girls and boys participated in the clinics, and her high school teammates helped to run them.
“Morgan is a great role model for our sport and program,” said McLean. ”For two years, she has brought attention to our sport and has worked with Merrimack residents to share her passion. With the base and direction that she has given us, we now have a foundation to begin with and hopes of increasing the numbers back into our programs.
Flett has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, enjoying camporees, earning badges, learning to cook, helping the Humane Society, selling cookies, and more.
“I like giving back and having fun at the same time,” she said. “We always fund a good field trip for the end of the year. One year we had a lot of money, so we did an overnight at Great Wolf Lodge.”
Flett is an AP student, a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and a multi-sport athlete who is captain of her field hockey team. She plans to attend college, with an eye toward becoming a lawyer for sports and entertainment figures.
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Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1916, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Sarah Hardy has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
- University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
- Twenty-two young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award so far in the 2020-2021 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable!
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.
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.
