Mohonasen senior earns Girl Scout Gold Award

Jocelyn Howe, a Mohonasen senior and member of Girl Scout Troop 2520, has earned her Gold Award. To earn her Gold Award, Howe planned, fundraised and built a book walk along the nature trail behind Middleburgh Elementary in Middleburgh, N.Y., where her mother is the school counselor. The book walk consists of 20 plexiglass wooden stands with pages from books related to the local species of the area. 

The project took over a year to complete, with Howe putting in more than 90 hours. She worked with about 20 sponsors and local businesses to get the materials she needed. 

The Girl Scout Gold Award is equivalent to the Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts, with only 4% of students earning the distinction. For her Bronze Award, Howe’s troop worked together to fundraise money for a new bench outside Pinewood Elementary, and for her Silver Award she made dog toys and sewed blankets for an animal shelter.  

Mohonasen High School Principal Craig Chandler joined Howe at the book walk for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 14. Other special guests included State Assemblyman Chris Tague, Middleburgh Central School Superintendent Mark Place, MCS Elementary principal Amy Irwin and MCS librarian Nancy Williams.