First Posted: 3/13/2015
LIMA — Seven area young women have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.
This award is the highest award that Girl Scouts in grades nine through 12 may earn. To achieve the award, girls commit at least 80 hours to a specific project over one to two years. The girls’ project includes community involvement outside the Girl Scout structure and providing an innovative approach. About 6 percent of Girl Scouts nationwide earn this award.
Area girls earning this award include:
Laura Ayers, of Lima, is a 2014 graduate of Shawnee High School and a freshman at Ohio Northern University. Ayers enlisted her community in a building and organization project that repurposed the school band’s cluttered storage area. Ayers also created and facilitated an interactive educational musical symbols Twister game that served as a concept review tool for the middle school music program.
Alexis Youngpeter, of Findlay, is a senior at Van Buren High School. Inspired by her participation in “Coats for Christmas,” she wanted to help children from lower-income families at Halloween. She coordinated a community event to provide costumes, bags, fun activities and safety education to local families during Halloween. She also met with community partners including the Findlay Police Department and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Findlay Village Mall to use their facility for the event. She and her partners provided more than 80 children with a free costume, safety education and traditional Halloween activities. She has also recruited members of the community to repeat the event this fall.
Carly Smith, of Findlay, is a senior at Findlay High School. Smith created lesson pans, trained volunteers and organized a beginner sewing workshop for fifth- through 12th-grade girls. The lessons taught hand-sewing techniques and basic sewing machine skills. Each participant created pillowcases that were donated to residents at a local shelter along with encouraging messages composed by the girls participating in the workshops.
Ashley Baughman, of Rockford, is a senior at Parkway High School. Baughman organized the rejuvenation of the pioneer herb garden at her local historical society. She and her volunteers dug out the old herb garden and installed raised beds. They created a pamphlet guide to the garden to teach community members about the plants in the garden. She also created and facilitated an interactive workshop for young children who gained a greater understanding of the positive effects and uses of herbs in different aspects of living.
Brianna Jameson, of Bellefontaine, is a senior at Bellefontaine High School. Jameson designed a workshop to teach children that healthy eating and an active lifestyle can be fun and easy. She coached families on how to use ingredient substitution to make their favorite recipes a healthier food choice and hosted a community meal for those who attended the workshop. She engaged participants in activities, games and music that demonstrated how much fun being active can be, and educated the families on the long-term benefit of healthy eating and being fit.
Claudia Mescher, of St. Henry is a senior at Marion Local High School. She designed a project to decrease the pounds of waste from the popular Country Fest in her town by establishing an accessible recycling program at the popular event. Working with the festival committee and the local recycling center, she organized a recycling system for the festival. The festival planning committee has committed to recycle at the event every year. She also created a recycling game session to education children on the topic and facilitated sessions with students at her local elementary school to inspire the next generation to “go green.”
Rachel Wehrman, of Fort Loramie is a senior at Minster High School. Wehrman ensured that genealogies and the fragile records of the cemetery at St. Joseph’s Parish in Egypt, Ohio, were preserved and available to all. She created an accurate record of each plot, designed a searchable website and put together a print catalogue with photographic documentation and corresponding map. She and her volunteers also facilitated a scavenger hunt for children at the parish’s vacation Bible school that educated younger members of the parish on the cemetery and the history of past members of the congregation. Members of the parish have agreed to update the website and the catalogue periodically to ensure the records are accurate and current.
Ohio Newspapers Foundation announce scholarship and internships
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Newspapers Foundation has broadened scholarship opportunities for students majoring in one of the following newspaper industry related fields: journalism, advertising, marketing and communications.
For college students there are three $1,500 university journalism scholarship, one $1,500 Harold Douthit regional scholarship and one $1,500 ONWA annual scholarship. For Ohio high school seniors there is one $1,500 minority scholarship. Interested students must attend an Ohio college or university. The scholarships will be awarded in May.
All scholarship applications require an essay and examples of activities that demonstrate a commitment to a career in the newspaper related field. The deadline for all application is March 31.
Application and eligibility information can be found on the Ohio Newspaper Association website at http://j.mp/1G4Rweo.
The office of The Ohio Newspaper Association offers two paid summer internships; a publications/public relations internship and an advertising internship.
Job description, qualifications, salary and contact information for these positions can be found at http://j.mp/1G4RgMt. The deadline date for intern applications is April 3.
Columbus Grove dental practice awards bikes
COLUMBUS GROVE — February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The Columbus Grove Family Dentistry celebrated this occasion by giving bikes away to children at Columbus Grove Elementary School and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School. This is the 11th year the practice has given bikes away. A total of 44 bikes have been given away.
Dr. Shana Schnipke-Duling, with Columbus Grove Family Dentistry, conducted an educational school visit to the fourth-grade classes at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School and Columbus Grove Elementary School. Students were taught how to keep their mouths and teeth healthy.
Students who participated in the educational program were given the opportunity to enter their names in a bike drawing. Dr. Earl J. Recker and Dr. Shana Schnipke-Duling drew the winning names on March 6. One set of bikes, a 24-inch girls and a 24-inch boys bike were given away at each school.
Bike winners at Columbus Grove Elementary School were Kailee and Anden. Bike winners at St. Anthony Catholic School were Hanna and Trent.
Girl Scouts honor woman of distinction
LIMA —Girl Scouts of Western Ohio announced the 2015 Woman of Distinction award recipients. Awards will be presented to Ann Fasett, with The Equestrian Therapy Program; Barbara Brahm, of The Ohio State University; Laurie Collert, of Findlay City Schools; Esther Baldridge, of the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities; and Stephanie Jolliff, of Ridgemont High School and FFA.
The Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Woman of Distinction Awards honor exceptional women who have made significant contributions in five key areas: Healthy Living; Financial Empowerment; Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math; Leadership; and Community Responsibility.
The women will be honored at The Inn at Ohio Northern University 5:30 p.m. April 16. The event is sponsored by Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships, American Trim, St. Rita’s Health Partners and Unverferth Manufacturing Co. Tickets are $50. Reservations can be made online at http://j.mp/1G4S9EU or by contacting Erin McPartland at [email protected] or calling 567-225-3541.
