Girl Scouts earn highest award

Four local teenagers have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, each girl must complete extensive leadership requirements, including thirty hours in a leadership role and forty hours of career exploration. Girls must also complete at least sixty-five hours of research, preparation, service, and evaluation for a project that serves a need in their community, locally or globally.

Emma Coleman of Fredericktown started a library exchange program for pre-schools to encourage literacy. Kelly Henson of Marble Hill completed a project that advocated for the prevention of teen suicide. Claire Jones of Portageville helped support her town's tourism success. And Sarah Mittrucker of Cape Girardeau created a "victory village" for the Special Olympics. "We are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of these young women," said interim chief executive officer Anne Soots, "With 2012 being our one hundredth anniversary year, it is even more special to see their leadership in and dedication to their communities."

Fewer than 5 percent of all Girl Scouts nationwide earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award annually. Thirty-three girls from Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland earned the award this year, and were honored at a special ceremony in the capitol building's house chambers in Jefferson City on June 2.