Smriti Ganjoo, a sophomore at High School South, has earned the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest award for Girl Scouts. Her project, Read2Succeed2012, involved running a book drive and expanding the classroom reading books into a library at Habitat for Humanity’s after school program run by Kiya Green. Her troop leader, Louisa Ho, introduced her to Green, who became her mentor. “Kiya was incredible and did a lot of juggling of schedules for me,” says Ganjoo. “I’m so thankful to the kids who were so sweet and so upbeat when I met them.”
“I’ve always been in love with books, and libraries are a huge part of my life,” Ganjoo says. “I remember one summer where I went to the library daily, checked out about 10 novels, and then stayed up until 4 a.m. reading all of them so that I could go to the library again the next day. I was always so blessed to have access to libraries that were so well-stocked. It bothered me that many kids didn’t have access to the same facilities that I did. I wanted to change that.”
Ganjoo started her book drive last summer. “The neighbors were really generous,” says her mother, Shashi Ganjoo. “We’d be gone for an hour, and when we came home, there would be a box of books near the front door. People we’d never met would call us and tell us that they had books for us. We received new books at least once a week.” The drive yielded close to 500 books from the community.
After the book drive, Smriti began creating book shelves. “I knew that it would be hard to make the shelves myself, but I had no idea exactly how challenging it was going to be,” she says. “It’s so much more than just tapping a hammer against a nail. It’s designing, planning, and creating. But I’m so glad I didn’t give up and just buy them. I was so proud of myself after the final coat of paint dried.”
Smriti also made the library cozier and made it possible for kids to check out books from their library. She also did a workshop with the kids, where she read to them and did a craft based on a Dr. Seuss book with them.
In addition to Girl Scouts, Smriti enjoys singing and playing the piano. She has been dancing for close to 11 years. In her spare time, she tutors kids who need help in school.
“I’m incredibly thankful to the community for everything they’ve done for me,” Smriti says, “I’m also really grateful to my parents for not kicking me out of the house when I walked into the house with more paint on my face than on the wood.”
#b#Silver Award#/b#
Radhika Gupta and Emma Kothari, both freshmen at High School South, recently received their Girl Scout Silver award for teaching dance at a summer camp for children with special needs. Both members of Troop 70216, their leader, Kate Henkel, was the first one to tell them about the SKOR program based at YMCA Hamilton. Kathy Rhead, the head of the program, was their project advisor.
They met with Rhead to introduce the project to her and plan it out, and everything fell into place.
Gupta and Kothari choreographed dances based on the ability of the four groups divided by age and functionality. The songs included “You Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, “What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing” by One Direction, and “The Ants Go Marching In” from Barney.
“When we first choreographed the dances at home, we created very basic steps such as pointing, turning, and clapping,” says Gupta. “When we got to the camp and saw the campers in person, we had to change some of the steps based on their abilities; some steps we made easier, and some steps we made harder.”
“The children were able to get an exposure to dance and in addition, were able to get some physical exercise during the week,” says Gupta. “At the end of the week, we invited other campers and their parents to come see their kids perform.”
Gupta, 14, began her Girl Scout experience as a Daisy when she was six. “I am a dedicated Girl Scout and greatly enjoy giving back to the community,” she says. “I plan on continuing Girl Scouts until I graduate.” At South she is involved with SAASA (South Asian Association), JSA (Junior Statesmen of America), Science Club, orchestra, and the freshman soccer team.
A dancer since age four, Gupta has studied Indian classical, jazz, and hip hop and has performed in groups and competitions. She is currently taking hip hop classes at Princeton Dance Theater in Plainsboro.
“I wanted to share my passion and dedication to dance with kids who aren’t able to experience dance,” she says. “It is difficult for kids with special needs to dance and I wanted to give them the opportunity to dance and have fun. This project really helped me develop leadership qualities and help others in something I am passionate about.”
Kothari, 14, also began her Girl Scouting when she was six. Her activities at South include membership in SAASA, JSA, the Improv Club, and the freshman soccer team. Passionate about dancing, singing, and theater, she is involved in this year’s musical. A dancer for many years she also studies hip hop at Princeton Dance Theater.
“I wanted to teach these children because dance is a big part of my life and I wanted these kids with special needs to experience it too,” says Kothari. “I am so privileged to have had the opportunity of spending a whole week with the kids at SKOR; they really are incredible, beautiful people; inside and out. They taught me so much in that one week; not only did I learn about them but I learned so much about myself. We both had such a great experience and plan on returning to SKOR next summer and doing some volunteer work there.”
If you are interested in joining Girl Scouts as a girl or an adult volunteer, contact Louisa Ho at 609-371-2119 or E-mail girlscoutswwp@verizon.net.
