Wellesley Girl Scouts earn leadership awards 

Wellesley Girl Scouts held an awards ceremony at Town Hall to present one gold and five silver awards to scouts who took action within their community during the past two years.

Kathrine Bedard received her Gold Award by creating Girlz to Leaders, a club at Wellesley High School which builds leadership skills for female students. As a class officer, Kathrine noticed this past year that only four girls were class officers out of a total of sixteen positions.

Her solution was to help ninth and tenth grade girls become more confident about stepping into leadership positions at WHS. The GirlZ to Leaders club had forty two members from all grades and an equal number of sophomores and juniors. Fifteen meetings were held with such topics as effective communication, team management, and problem solving.  Nearly two thirds of all participants felt that confidence in their leadership skills increased greatly. The GirlZ to Leaders club will continue next year.

Julia Andersson earned her Silver Award by holding two events to raise awareness of Stray Pets in Need, an animal shelter located on the Wellesley/Natick line. Julia and her father built a catio, an outdoor enclosure which allowed people to adopt a cat while staying safe and socially distanced. During the first two weeks of the catio, seven cats were adopted.

Olivia Caiazzo and Athena Maramaldi earned their silver award by working with Wellesley Natural Resources Commission to plant a black willow tree, entitled Tranquility Tree, in a clearing behind Town Hall. Athena and Olivia hosted a public event to promote nature as a way to feel positive vibes when experiencing loss and going through other emotions. WHS students from the National Honor Society are watering the Tranquility Tree this summer and fall.

Eliza Towle and Katherine Stewart earned their silver award by speaking to forty five people outside of Roche Bros. about the need for donations of feminine hygiene products. Although everyone knows to donate food, clothing, and toiletries, few people are aware that menstrual products are excluded from the benefits for disadvantaged girls and women. Katie and Eliza provided information about the Wellesley chapter of Dignity Matters, and they explained a bill before the Massachusetts legislature.