Troy Girl Scouts Hold First Annual Cupcake Wars Competition

Girl Scout Service Unit 109 - Troy held their first annual Cupcake Wars competition on December 18, 2018! The theme was "Girl Scout Cookies" and girls came up with some VERY delicious desserts.  Guest judges were GSofSI CEO Loretta Graham, GSofSI Director of Product Program Kristen Gibbs and Girl Scout alum Sarah Phelps. 

Eight Junior and Cadette teams participated in the competition.  Each team made two cupcakes - one was required to include Samoas in the recipe and the other had to be inspired by a Girl Scout Cookie flavor of their choice.. The winning team was from Junior Troop #724.  

Read other recent Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois News

Girl Scout Troop From Troy Helps Clean Air in Classrooms

Cadette Girl Scout Troop #717 from Troy completed their Breathe Journey Take Action project by working with Sunnyside Nurseries to put plants in the classrooms at their middle school. Each plant removes volatile compounds from the air. They even recruited 16 teachers to take care of the plants over the summer! Great work, Girl Scouts!

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois: Around the Council May 2018

Check out the exciting things that Girl Scouts have been up to all around Southern Illinois!  See our photo album to catch Girl Scout troops in action!



Alton area Girl Scout Brownie Troop #55 had their first-ever camp out!  The girls went hiking, practiced first aid and put up tents!

Troop #792 from Madison County collected 192 lbs of tabs for the Ronald McDonald House of St. Louis - and received a trophy prize for their efforts! 

Cadette Troop #2141 from Charleston earned their Field Day patch where, among other games, they played a match of Quiddich! 

Girl Scouts from SU 202 ClinClair worked on their Outdoor Journeys, as well as Junior Aide and Leader-in-Action awards. 

Freeburg Troop #8349 learned a lot of OWL Flight School. 

Troop #8163 from Carbondale learning water safety

Troop #8163 from Carbondale has been busy - they learned water safety, earned their Pottery badges, went camping and explored the 3 Cheers for Animals Journey at Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge.

Marion Troop #8869 honored WSIL TV anchor Evie Allen with the Inspiring Woman award at their 2nd Annual The Empowerment Project and Empower You Career Fair.

Girl Scouts from SU 107 South Macoupin County marched in the Staunton Memorial Day Parade.

Girl Scouts from SU 101 Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana marched in the Alton Memorial Day Parade.

Girl Scouts placed flags on veterans' graves at the St. Peter and Paul Cemeteries in Waterloo to honor Memorial Day. 

Girl Scouts from Troop #238 held a Court of Awards and potluck. 

West Williamson County Girl Scouts marched in the Herrin Festa Parade. 

Girl Scouts at Scott Air Force Base learned more about firefighting. 

Troops #238 and #513 from Scott Air Force Base took a fire station tour and learned about the engines on the flight line. 

Girl Scouts from Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Troop #370 bridged to Ambassadors by serving as Pages in the Illinois House of Representatives. 

SU 202 ClinClair held an awards and bridging ceremony at St. John's United Church of Christ. 

Troop #130 from Wood River placed flags on veterans grave sites as part of their Memorial Day commemorations. 

Brownie Troop #744 and Daisy Troop #1044 volunteered to serve the monthly community meal in Gillespie. 

Troy Cadette Troop #717 completed their Breathe Journey Take Action project by placing plants in the classrooms at their middle school, thanks to a donation from Sunnyside Nurseries.  Each plant removes volatile compounds from the air.  

Girl Scout Troop #717 added plants to their middle school classrooms.

Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient Kaitlyn Barnett Is Keynote Speaker at GSSI's Annual Meeting

Kaitlyn Barnett speaking at GSSI's Annual Meeting

Kaitlyn Barnett addressed volunteers and girl members as keynote speaker of GSSI's 8th Annual Meeting on April 1 at Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon.  Kaitlyn discussed her journey asd a Girl Scout and how Girl Scouting empowers young women to be leaders in their communities. 

Kaitlyn has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.  For her Gold Award Project, named A Camp For Everyone, Kaitlyn helped make Camp Torqua more accessible for both campers and community members using wheelchairs.

At this year's Annual Meeting, Kaitlyn was also elected as an Ex-Officio Girl Member of GSSI's Board of Directors.  

Kaitlyn is the daughter of Thomas and Melissa Barnett and is currently a junior at Triad High School. 

Kaitlyn and her family

  

Kaitlyn Barnett from Troy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Kaitlyn Barnett from Troy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Camp for Everyone, Kaitlyn wanted all Girl Scouts and other members of her community to have the opportunity able to fully enjoy camping and outdoor activities. Kaitlyn took on several projects to make Camp Torqua in Edwardsville more accessible. She added a rock trail and sidewalk that connected the lodge to the restrooms. In addition, Kaitlyn installed a concrete ramp to the campfire ring and a threshold for the restrooms at the area known as Pumpkin Patch at the camp.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Kaitlyn learned valuable life skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. “Through this project, I have learned that I am filled with an abundance of patience and determination,” said Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn is the daughter of Thomas and Melissa Barnett. She is a junior at Triad High School. Kaitlyn has been a Girl Scout for 11 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.

Madeleine Renken from Troy Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Madeleine Renken from Troy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called "Graphing the Graveyard," Madeleine worked with the Troy Genealogical Society to photograph and document all of the graves in the Troy City Cemetery. In addition, her photos and documentations of graves and tombstones will be online through findagrave.com. She also performed some cemetery landscaping due to overgrowth. 

This Girl Scout Gold Award project was a rewarding experience for Madeleine. “Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I learned so much about the people who started my town and the citizens who lived in it and about Troy’s history as well,” said Madeleine. “I also discovered my ability to lead a group of people to achieve a common goal.”

Madeleine is the daughter of Shari and Bryce Renken. She is currently a senior at Triad High School. Madeleine has been a Girl Scout for 12 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.

Adrienna Ridgeway from Troy Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Adrienna Ridgeway from Troy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Flames of Glory, Adrienna gave back to Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Her project consisted of improving the fire pit area at Lisetta, which is part of GSSI’s Camp Torqua. Adrienna extended the area around the fire pit and added rock around the area. She built and stained benches for an expanded seating area. The fire pit frame was updated through cleaning and painting. Adrienna’s project now provides an updated, safe fire pit for other Girl Scouts to enjoy.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Adrienna gained valuable leadership skills that she’ll be able to use throughout her life. “I learned what a big responsibility it is to conduct and complete a project. I also learned to work as a team to accomplish my goal,” said Adrienna.

Adrienna is the daughter of Billy and Kelly Wood. She is currently a senior at Triad Senior High School. Adrienna has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Southwestern Illinois College and major in Psychology. 

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.

Marlaina Snow From Troy Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Marlaina Snow from Troy has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called C.A. Henning Butterfly Garden, Marlaina built a butterfly garden at the school. When the new school playground was built, the former butterfly garden was destroyed. She had fond memories of the old butterfly garden and wanted to bring it back to her school.

Her new butterfly garden has an outdoor classroom for students to explore and teachers to give lessons about butterflies and nature.  There are also multiple benches for students to sit on and many butterfly houses for the butterflies. 

Marlaina herself learned valuable lessons about goal setting and flexibility through the course of her project.

"Throughout my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I learned that not everything is going to go as planned," she said.  "Sometimes you have to come up with a new idea so your original goal will run smoothly."

She added that while doing her Girl Scout Gold Award project she learned that not everything goes as planned and sometimes you have to come up with new ideas so your original goal will go smoothly.

Marlaina is the daughter of Brad and Marla Snow from Troy. She is currently a junior at Triad High School. She has been a Girl Scout for 11 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 6 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.

Connie Fair from Troy Earns Girl Scouts' Honor Pin

Top volunteers were recognized at Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois' 6th Annual Meeting on March 28 at Rend Lake Resort. GSSI’s 4,500 Girl Scout volunteers play an instrumental role in providing leadership programming and opportunities for more than 14,000 girls in southern Illinois. 

“Girl Scouting in southern Illinois would not be what it is today without the dedication, passion and leadership of all of our volunteers,” said Appoo. “We are honored to present these awards to our exceptional volunteers as they are the driving force behind carrying out GSSI’s mission of building leaders for America. I Can’t Wait To continue working with these amazing volunteers to ensure all girls in southern Illinois can benefit from a premier Girl Scout Leadership Experience,” Appoo added. 

Connie Fair from Troy earned the Honor Pin, which  recognizes an individual’s exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), which has had measurable impact on two or more geographic areas of service, allowing the council to reach and surpass its mission-delivery goals.

Connie Fair, Service Unit #109, Troy, St. Jacob, Marine

“I love Girl Scouting because it provides opportunities for girls to learn about themselves through new experiences.”

GSSI Botball Team From O'Fallon Awarded at Regional Tournament

On April 12, GSSI teams from O’Fallon, Troy and Germantown participated in the St. Louis Regional Botball Tournament at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  While GSSI teams did not place in competition, the O’Fallon squad did receive the “Team Spirit” and “Spirit in the Face of Adversity” Judges’ Choice awards.   

Thank you to the following teams for all of their hard work and enthusiasm representing GSSI during this year's Botball season:

Coach Michelle Sparks and team members from O'Fallon and Granite City

Coach Sara Tipton and team members from Troy

Debra Beckmann and team members from Germantown

See photos 

GSSI Robotics Teams Compete in FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Regional Tournament

Members of the Lego Divas during FLL table competition. 

Four GSSI Robotics Teams competed in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) qualifier at Carriel Jr. High on Saturday, Dec. 7:  

The Lego Divas from Effingham,  coached by Dawn Quicksall and Matthew Blacker

The Robotic Gems from Washington Park, coached by Karmilia Prude

The Twisters from Troy/Marine, coached by Amy Beard and Sara Tipton

The Unknowns from Belleville, coached by Julie Herr

FLL is a robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds which is designed to get children excited about science and technology, as well as teach them valuable life skills.   Teams use a LEGO MINDSTORMS Lego set to build and program an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing surface.  The theme for this year’s tournament was “Nature’s Fury” and concerned natural disasters and how science can help aid prevention and recovery efforts.  Along with programming robots, teams were also evaluated on an elaborate research project, as well as how well they demonstrate FLL Core Values, which include teamwork, collective learning, active participation and gracious professionalism.  After practicing and preparing for months, teams meet at regional qualifying tournaments to be graded on the three elements, with the top teams advancing to state competition. 

The Lego Divas qualified for state competition during the FIRST Lego League (FLL) regional qualifier at Carriel Jr. High in O’Fallon on Saturday, Dec. 7.    They also took home the Project Award for their outstanding research project, the "Heat Buddy" a battery operated heated blanket designed to help stranded motorists.  

The Twisters from Troy/Marine completed the tournament with the fourth highest table score, while the Robotic Gems from Washington Park and The Unknowns from Belleville also had good showings during the competition. 

"We are so proud of all of our GSSI Robotics Teams and excited to see the Lego Divas advance to the next level of competition, " said GSSI's STEM Program Manager Mary Buchanan.  "Coaches and girls put countless hours of work into programming their robot, completing their research and practicing their presentation to get ready for FLL tournaments.  The girls are learning a lot -- not just about programming and research, but also about persistence, working together and dedication to achieving a goal." 

Eleven GSSI Robotics Teams will compete in the McKendree University Regional Qualifier on Saturday, Dec. 14.  The are:  G4SF from Ozark, The Tornado Twisters from Albers, Tornado Tech Girls from Pinckneyville, TBot 907 from Roxana, Robo Fury from Godfrey, GIR! Girls Investigating Robots from Staunton, Catastrophic Cadettes from Staunton, The Fireworks from Glen Carbon, The Purple Robot Penguins from O’Fallon, The Shiloh Robo Bears from Shiloh, Lightning Storm from Belleville.  Qualifying teams from both regionals will compete at the FLL State Tournament - Illinois Central on Jan. 18 at University of Illinois in Urbana. 

About GSSI's Robotic Program: 

In 2009, GSSI began its robotics journey with one robotic team.  This year, GSSI is sponsoring 25 Girl Scout robotics teams in three different leagues.  Robotics teams are a key component to GSSI’s initiative to get more girls in southern Illinois interested and involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).  Other STEM programming ranges from doing basic chemistry experiments with younger girls to teaching financial literacy during the Girl Scout Cookie Program to introducing older girls to career mentors in engineering and medicine.

“Engaging girls in STEM in exciting, relevant ways is vital,” said GSSI STEM Program Manager Mary Buchanan. “Research shows that many students, especially girls, drift away from STEM around middle school.  GSSI provides diverse opportunities to build and reinforce interest in these important fields.  As shown by our growth in the number of robotics teams, many girls are searching for ways to stay involved in STEM. and we strive to provide them with unique and constructive experiences.”

Girl Scouts has a long history of encouraging girls to participate in STEM.  The first STEM badges – the electrician badge and the flyer badge – were introduced in 1913!

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois serves 14,000 girls and 4,800 adult volunteers in more than 40 counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. Girl Scouting is focused on providing a premier Girl Scout Leadership Experience for girls in the 21st century, while ensuring the traditions and values that have been core to Girl Scouting since its beginning remain strong and relevant.