Emily Haas of Granite Falls has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project focused on teaching elementary school students about plants and biodiversity.
To inform local children, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with Alexander County Soil and Water for her project, “Getting Kids Excited About Nature,” to introduce students to seeds and plant growth through various activities.
“Children are unaware of the importance of the environment around them,” said Haas, a Girl Scout of 12 years. “Knowledge of biodiversity and the world around them is at a low when it is most critical to preserve and protect these natural processes.”
Emily taught lessons at a local elementary school for their plant unit through seven sessions. These lessons included a reading activity, followed up by hands-on research on seeds and plants that students completed outside with her guidance. Additionally, she planted three pollinator gardens and created a website to share her project.
Girls in high school can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each Girl Scout must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out their project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact.
Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need, and those from the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
“Elementary students not only were able to get excited about nature and biodiversity but also learn how to plant from seed and use sustainable gardening practices which was the overall goal of my project,” said the Gold Award Girl Scout. “During this project, I learned that I love teaching kids.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and amazing career opportunities. In 2025, 30 GSCP2P Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award.
For more information about local Girl Scouting and leadership projects like earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org.
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