Anderson Girl Scout wins National Gold Award Scholarship
October 21, 2021
Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands congratulates Zoe Willis, Anderson, for receiving a scholarship from Girl Scouts of the United States of America for her Gold Award on environmental awareness. Zoe addressed a community issue and found sustainable solutions to address it. She noticed when she first moved into high school that her school and community, like many others, were throwing a way huge amounts of recyclable, reusable, and compostable waste. Zoe’s first step was to create a recycling program, however when COVID hit, that plan was put on hold. She refocused her project to address the root cause of the problem, environmental education. Zoe coordinated efforts with teachers at schools around an Anderson County School District, a recycling coordinator, the administration at her high school, and a team of motivated environmentalist students (She created the EAC club).
Zoe used information from these experts to create an informational (earththeenvironmentandyou.org) website for teachers, students, and parents that contains materials to teach and learn about how we are impacting the planet and what changes can be made to make a difference. This includes lesson plans pertaining to environmental awareness for grades K-12, separated by age group and type of class, as well as a guide to creating a recycling program at school, and educational posters for students. With the help of the EAC, Zoe also created educational videos to be played in classrooms pertaining to topics such as Recycling, Composting, and the Rs of Sustainability. Anyone interested can find updates and more information on the Earth, the Environment, and You social media platforms Zoe created. Teachers across Anderson County have viewed her lesson plans and some have implemented her project.
Zoe will receive a scholarship of $2,060 thanks to sponsorship from Arconic Foundation and Kappa Delta Foundation.
The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable—earned by a high school Girl Scout who works to address an issue she’s passionate about in a way that produces meaningful and lasting change. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, Gold Award Girl Scouts provide innovative solutions to significant challenges.
If you would like contact information for Zoe, please email or call Karen Kelly.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1916, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
We’re Girl Scouts of the USA
We’re 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every girl to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with founder Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.
In the upstate and midlands of South Carolina, Girl Scouts are served by Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, call 1-800-849-GIRL or visit gssc-mm.org
