Metea Valley juniors earn highest Girl Scout honor

NAPERVILLE, ILL - Metea Valley High School juniors Amanda Brennan and Elena Fazio of Girl Scout Troop 51951 have been awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award, an exclusive honor earned by only five percent of active Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout Gold Award recognition goes to girls in grades 9-12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable "Take Action" projects.

This past summer, Brennan held summer camp sessions to introduce basic musical concepts to the preschool and elementary-aged homeless children at Bridge Communities in Naperville. "I wanted these children to experience a musical summer camp that they normally would not have a chance to attend," she said. "I hoped to create a fun environment where they could play instruments, dance, sing and be distracted from the stresses of homelessness."

Her project proposal was approved by Jill Garbaliauskas, director of children's programs at Bridge Communities and implemented in collaboration with Shelley May-Hutchison, District 204 elementary music teacher, who helped with lesson plans, musical resources, and teaching methods. Brennan, a musician in the Metea band program, enlisted several of her fellow band and orchestra friends to assist during the camp which ran every Saturday for the month of July. The camp concluded with a dinner recital for the Bridge families where the children performed music on recorders, glockenspiels and hand drums for their parents. Todd Downing, a local children's performer, also played his guitar and led a singalong.

For her Gold Award project, Fazio designed and painted several large wooden game boards and bean bags for the Naperville Park District's Halloween Happenings event, held at the Riverwalk Park every autumn. Her project proposal was approved by Lynette Hoole, volunteer coordinator at the Naperville Park District. Fazio wanted to create games that would encourage children to play outside away from electronics. "I want the kids to see that you don't need a TV, computer tablet, or video game to have fun; not all games need to be electronic," she said.

Halloween Happenings gathers hundreds of families together to play games, participate in tractor hay rides, and spend time outdoors. The game boards were used at the last event and children who participated received small prizes. The games created by Fazio's project will be used for future park district events geared to preschoolers. They feature hand-painted characters, spinning snowmen and snowflakes.

Both girls began their journey to their Gold Award as girl scouts at May Watts Elementary School. Brennan joined in kindergarten and Fazio joined in second grade. As eighth-graders at Hill Middle School, they both earned their Girl Scout Silver Award doing a project for Naper Settlement with the girls in their troop. They crafted and donated old-fashioned pioneer toys such as Jacob's ladders, rag dolls, and spinning tops for the various camps held at Naper Settlement.

Brennan and Fazio will be recognized by the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana at a Gold Award ceremony on May 20 at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.