I am a lifelong veteran of Girl Scout troop 30432, graduating out of the system last year with my troop. At this one year anniversary of moving on, I know it's time to look back at the after school club that changed my life.
1. There was a time when it seemed that everyone and their sister was part of the troop.
Back before the age of online photos, my troop size changed a lot. When I started in first grade, there were about ten girls in my troop. Two years later, our school cafeteria was just big enough to contain a troop of what felt like twenty. Fast forward to my senior year in high school and last year of scouts, we had a troop of eight.
2. Jamboree (or any camping trip) was what you lived for.
I'll be the first to admit that I used to hate camping with my family. But camping with my best friends at Girl Scout camp? Heck yes, I'm in!
3. You know exactly how your patches were supposed to look.
If they didn't look exactly right, it was okay. But by the time you were a junior, you knew how it was done.
4. Girl Scout cookie season is the best season.
P.S. Cookie season is from December to March.
5. Bridging doesn't seem like a big deal until it's your last.
This is a picture from our last bridging ceremony. We look happy here, but there was definitely some crying that night.
6. Speaking of bridging ceremonies... Sometimes you get to host your own.
After participating in four bridging ceremonies and attending at least three that we weren't bridging in, our council asked us to host a bridging ceremony. It was very rewarding.
7. Community service never feels like hard work with your friends.
Cleaning trails, refinishing campsites, helping younger girls plant seeds. Any kind of service project can be fun with your best friends.
8. There are awards for community service, but it's a lot more than cleaning a trail or two.
That's me on the left, and one of my best friends, Becca, on the right, being recognized for receiving the Silver Award. My project included gathering books and blankets for a women's' shelter and then working with some of the children there. Becca collected cat supplies and repainted a room in a shelter. In order to be recognized for a Silver Award, 50 hours of service must be completed. There are also Bronze Awards (25 hours) and Gold Awards (100 hours).
9. Juliette Gordon Low.
Ms. Low is the founder of Girl Scouts. If you haven't heard of her, I'm not sure you can call yourself a Girl Scout. Thank you, Juliette!
10. The Promise and Law.
As a Brownie or Junior, you definitely had the Promise and Law engraved in your brain. As you got older, the promise stuck, but you always prayed for a cheat sheet for the law. Nothing to be ashamed of, though, as the other girls always had your back, even if that meant everyone only memorized a line or two, so that everyone else could mumble that part.
11. The end of the year trip.
All that cookie money had to be spent somewhere. Some troops used it sparingly over the year, but we liked to save our money until May and do a big trip. One time we went to Plymouth and another time we went Whale Watching. I would say the best trip by far was going to an adventure park and zip lining the day away.
I would love to say thank you to the ladies who changed my life, both leaders and the girls. We had a wonderful 10 years together and I wouldn't change it for the world. And, in the words of Dr. Seuss, from our first bridging ceremony theme, kid, you'll move mountains. So get out there and move them!
