LHS senior earns Girl Scout Gold Award

Libertyville High School senior Alyssa Merchant has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award by leading a sustainability project promoting environmental education and water conservation in local schools.

For her project, Merchant designed, built and decorated rain barrels that were donated to five schools in the Libertyville area: Adler Park School, Copeland Manor School, Highland Middle School and Rockland School in District 70 and Oak Grove School in District 68. The rain barrels capture and store rooftop rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff while providing a free source of water for school gardens and landscaping. They also serve as hands-on educational tools, giving students a visible, real-world example of how small actions can make a meaningful environmental impact.

Merchant completed every aspect of the project herself, from construction to delivery to usage instructions, at no cost to the schools. She attended Oak Grove from kindergarten through eighth grade, making that donation especially meaningful.

Alyssa is an Ambassador Troop Member with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. The Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes projects demonstrating leadership, sustainability and lasting community impact. Merchant’s project will continue to benefit Libertyville students while promoting environmental stewardship across the community.

For more information about Girl Scouts visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.