Girl Scouts of Heartland in Ohio will recognize Granville’s Paige Hartshorn with the Girl Scout Gold Award – the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.
Hartshorn and other Gold Award recipients will receive their awards at the Highest Awards Ceremony on June 9 in Columbus.
For her project, Hartshorn was inspired to educate her community and raise awareness about climate change and the effects of pollution on the environment. Through an educational initiative called A Greener Granville, Hartshorn shared how people can make small changes to improve our planet and reduce the harmful human impact on the environment. She reached audiences at farmers markets and library events, as well as during classroom activities.
Hartshorn graduated from The Hill School, a boarding school in Pennsylvania, in 2023 and is currently attending Drexel University in Philadelphia.
The Girl Scout Gold Award honors girls in grades nine through 12 who demonstrate exceptional leadership through sustainable and measurable “Take Action” projects. The Gold Award is the top honor under the Girl Scouts Highest Awards program, a national program that demonstrates a Girl Scout’s dedication to enhancing her leadership, creativity and dedication in the community. Girls spend a minimum of 80 hours completing the steps to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts, like Paige, exemplify Girl Scouts values by tackling important issues in their communities and creating lasting change,” said Tammy Wharton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Heartland in Ohio. “Her project embodies the leadership qualities and commitment to service that characterize the Gold Award. I applaud our 2024 Gold Award Girl Scouts for being innovators, big thinkers and role models.”
In 2024, 16 girls in the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland 30-county region will receive the Gold Award. The Gold Award is given to less than 6% of Girl Scouts each year, and each Gold Award Girl Scout spends one to two years on her project. Approximately one million Boy Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916.
Information submitted by Girl Scouts of the Ohio Heartland.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville resident earns top honor for Girl Scouts
