Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is delighted to announce the remarkable accomplishments of this year's Girl Scout Gold Award recipients from Ursuline Academy of Dallas.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting, recognizing young women who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, initiative, and a commitment to positively impacting their communities. These Girl Scouts have invested significant time, effort, and passion into their projects. They have showcased remarkable skills in problem-solving, project management, and community engagement that is worthy of recognition and admiration.
Mary Borkowski '24: Bringing Joy through Sensory Toys (DEIA-RJ)
Mary’s project benefited autistic children within the community. After seeing how sensory toys help her autistic brother, Mary decided to create sensory toys for local youth and organizations serving the autistic community who lacked the financial resources to purchase them. With support from volunteers, Mary made 107 sensory items to donate to various community organizations for distribution. Items included marble mazes, manipulation mats, weighted lap pads, and sensory blankets. Additionally, Mary created a YouTube channel where she shared tutorials on making her sensory items, hoping to inspire others to carry out a similar project.
Olivia Isbell '24: Art that Impacts (Cultural)
Olivia addressed the lack of access to arts education in lower-resourced communities. Knowing that children develop imagination and creativity through art, Olivia partnered with Brother Bill’s Helping Hand to host an art camp for children in kindergarten through second grade. With support from her volunteers, Olivia planned a three-day art camp for approximately 25 kids. Activities included watercolor painting, paper crafts, and drawing. She also coordinated a backpack drive for all camp attendees to have a new backpack for the upcoming school year. Olivia provided additional supplies and instructional videos for the kids to continue their new love of art. Olivia will graduate from Ursuline Academy of Dallas in 2024.
Audrey Pierce '25: Sensory Walk (Education)
Audrey’s project supported preschoolers at the Vogel Alcove learning center. Vogel Alcove provides services for children and families experiencing homelessness in Dallas. After learning about the benefits sensory tools can provide children who have experienced trauma, Audrey helped children engage in different feelings through their sense of touch. With her volunteers, Audrey built a sensory walk from various materials, including pipes, rocks, rope, wood, and turf. The new walk encourages the students to be outside and clear their heads before returning to the classroom. The teachers have incorporated the sensory walk into their lessons and will continue its use.
Caroline Rippel '25: Music Wall at Vogel Alcove (Poverty)
Caroline’s project supported Vogel Alcove, an organization that provides services for children and families experiencing homelessness in Dallas. Together with her volunteers, Caroline created a music wall for children to explore their creativity and musical ability in a safe environment. By having access to the music wall, the children at Vogel Alcove will gain the opportunity to discover a new passion for music. In addition to the music wall, Caroline also provided documentation on how to create her project and shared extra instruments with the organization for future use.