Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Katelyn Elias from Breese has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Retiring the Stars and Stripes, Katelyn wanted to increase the respect given to the United States flag in her community. She wanted to help educate people what the flag means to this country and how to properly retire the flag. Katelyn began by collected flags in her community that were in need of retirement. Then, she organized a flag retirement ceremony which she presented to the public. Katelyn also made presentations on the topic to other Girl Scouts, 4-H groups at her local library.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Katelyn gained valuable leadership skills that she’ll be able to use throughout her life. “After this project, I learned that I have more self-esteem than I thought I had,” said Katelyn.
Katelyn is the daughter of Jeff and Kelly Elias. She is currently a sophomore at Central Community High School. Katelyn has been a Girl Scout for 10 years.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.
