Gold Award recipients inspiring change in Rockville Centre and beyond

Alexandria Casella (Troop 803)

In an effort to take action against pollution, Casella, a junior at Oceanside High School, decided to find creative ways to make recycling fun. She ran classes during which preschoolers and Girl Scout troops learned about the importance of recycling and created crafts with recyclable materials. She also created craft books and a website to inspire others to create recyclable crafts and help save the environment in the process.

Gina Pepe (Troop 803)

A dancer of 14 years, Pepe wanted to share dance with children with special needs. She held a dance program, called Together We Inspire, in which these children were paired with a teenage mentor who guided them through the weeklong journey. The students learned a routine, which they performed later in the week for their families. After the program, Pepe made a video and shared it with local dance studio owners to encourage them to implement such programs. Pepe is a junior at Oceanside High School.

Jourdin Yvonne Thomas (Troop 809)

Inspired by her grandmother, who experienced segregation in Birmingham, Alabama more than 80 years ago, Thomas implored her friends of all races to stop using the “N” word. They refused. Noticing the resistance to change, she drafted and administered a questionnaire to learn what people knew and thought of the racial slur, reaching people from ages 14 to 81. She created a public service announcement to stimulate dialogue and encourage people to learn more about the word’s evolution in American history. Thomas is a freshman at Dartmouth College.

Alexandra Eva Eastzer (Troop 809)

A freshman at Northeastern University, Eastzer created a permanent space in a local high school, which showcased a mural made by the school’s special education students. Her goal was to maximize the appreciation of the special education students’ creative skills. She created a binder for the special education directors with ideas for future murals and potential places to showcase them.

Caitlin McDonald (Troop 960)

A senior trumpet player at South Side High School, McDonald recognized the lack of free preschool music programs and created Little Maestros. She collaborated with local pre-kindergarten teachers, music teachers and librarians to introduce a music program. Bags with instruments, puzzles, videos and song books are available to borrow.

Angela Sourial (Troop 960)

A senior at South Side High School, Sourial tackled the decreasing population of honeybees by creating an activity in which elementary school students planted a colorful flower in a pot they painted to try to attract bees at their homes. She also made presentations — available on YouTube — and fundraised to donate children’s books about bees to a bee sanctuary.