Two NW Kan. Girl Scouts earn highest Gold Award

GSKH

HAYS — Two northwest Kansas high school will be honored with the Girl Scout Gold Award during special ceremonies tomorrow in Hays.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, comparable to the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts.

Melanie Cotton is a 2016 graduate of Logan High School. She took action to help local senior citizens enjoy the outdoors. Cotton learned woodworking and constructed a wooden bench and planter box for Logan Manor Community Health Services, an assisted living center in Logan.

Emily Lowe is a Kirwin resident who will graduate in May from Thunder Ridge High School. She made a flag deposit box to make it easier for members of her community to properly dispose of old flags.

“I did this to benefit the soldiers in my community and show them there are still kids out there who care,” Lowe said.

Cotton and Lowe will be recognized during Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s Recognition Breakfast and Annual Meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 1 in The Hadley Center’s Heritage Room, 203 E. Eighth St., Hays.

The Gold Award recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through Take Action projects that have a sustainable impact in their communities and beyond. Girl Scout Gold Award recipients who join the armed forces enter one rank higher than other recruits, and they qualify for exclusive scholarships.

“Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is truly a remarkable achievement, and the young women who earn this award exemplify leadership in all of its forms,” said Liz Workman, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “They saw a need in their communities and around the world, and took action. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance and leadership are making the world a better place.”

Other Girl Scout Gold Award recipients being honored this weekend include: Alexandra Adkins of Wichita, Maureen Botros of Wichita, Suzanne Fehr of Waverly, Ericka Hiser of Wichita, Elizabeth Kemper of Montezuma, Shawna Mendenhall of Concordia, and Shayna Snavely of Concordia.