Klein Collins Scout earns Gold Award

Klein Collins High School junior Danielle Thompson received the Gold Award in October, the highest honor bestowed upon members of the Girl Scouts of America.

Thompson, who has been a member of the Girl Scouts organization since joining as a Brownie 10 years ago, earned the award by leading a volunteer group that worked to build eight wooden picnic tables and six wooden benches for a new park. After the construction work was completed, she also organized a picnic as a way to show local families the benefits the park had to offer.

She was inspired to work on the project because she had memories of going to parks to watch her brother play in soccer games, and she felt that such family outings were becoming increasingly rare.

“When I heard about this, it reminded me of my childhood, and I wanted to bring that back to the community,” Thompson said.

The Gold Award, which is roughly the equivalent of the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts, requires a large amount of planning and work, including more than 100 service hours.

Thompson had won her Silver Award, the step below Gold, by working with other troop members to arrange monthly parties at a local retirement home.

“We worked on planning them and talking to the elderly there,” Thompson said. “It was really a way to plan things and learn how to be in charge of something.”

In addition to the Girl Scouts, Thompson is also involved in a number of other extracurricular activities. She has been in the percussion section of the band since she was in sixth grade, and she participates in a summer swim team.

Recently, she has been participating in a club that organizes community service efforts.

“It takes the concept of Key Club and tries to make it more of a global club,” Thompson said. “Every month we’ll do something for our community, but also we try to do things for communities abroad. I think that’s really cool. I’ve never been in a club like that.”

After she graduates in 2014, Thompson hopes to attend Boston University and major in political science.

ABOUT DANIELLE THOMPSON
AGE: 17
OCCUPATION: Student
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Attends Klein Collins High School
FAST FACT: Participates in Academic Decathlon.