Sarah Emerman and Anne Murphy received the Girl Scout Gold Awards at a Court of Awards ceremony held in November. Both Plainsboro residents, they are seniors at High School South, have been involved in scouting for more than a dozen years, and are members of West Windsor Plainsboro Girl Scout Troop 1110. Their troop leaders include their mothers, Wendy Emerman and Carol Murphy.##M:[more]##
The Gold Award requirements include badge work, career exploration, leadership, and community service – before taking on an independent project. It is the highest award in Girl Scouting.
Emerman’s project, “Leader-Daughter Mystery Mayhem,” focuses on a weekend camping event at Camp Oak Spring in September. Guests received clues to solve the mystery by visiting stations featuring sports, games, hiking, arts and crafts, and boating. The overnight adventures also included a night walk, a sing-along bonfire, stories and skits, breakfast, and a flag ceremony. More than 200 leaders and daughters attended the event.
“My objective was to plan and run a successful event for my council (Delaware River),” she says. “I wanted to give something back to the Girl Scouts because I have done so much in my Girl Scout life.”
An avid hiker and snowboarder, she has participated in camp-ins and summer camp, attended a Wider Opportunity event in Michigan, and has been on numerous trips and participated in council events. She plans on studying political science in college.
Murphy’s project, “Amazing Art Around Us: Exploring the World of Pottery,” introduced pottery to children as well as developed projects appropriate for their age and abilities. She presented the program in different ways to children at the Princeton Arts Council and Girl Scout troops. She also packaged it with instructions and supplies so that Girl Scout leaders could run the program themselves.
“My goal for this project was for girls to have a greater awareness of pottery, to see the every day uses of pottery, and to encourage them to visit museums,” she says. “I hope to share my love of art with other Girl Scouts and children in the community.”
An active member of the High School South Chorus, she plans to pursue a liberal arts degree in college.
The awards were presented by Congressman Rush Holt, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, and Plainsboro Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis.
