2024 Reflections Program

Jasmine Gura To earn her Gold Award, Jasmine addressed the issue of declining bee populations in our area due to habitat loss and overuse of pesticides. Jasmine partnered with Forest Park Forever to construct structures for solitary bees and raise awareness of the importance of pollinators. Jasmine jumped into action, creating and testing multiple prototypes of bee houses, ultimately installing a special bee house at Bethesda Garden, as well as various private residential homes in the St. Louis area. Jasmine also designed information pamphlets to include with each bee house. Jasmine shared her prototypes with a middle school teacher in her school district, who plans to continue working with students to create and distribute more bee habitats each year. “For those unsure about starting their Gold Award, I would say ‘do it!’ It feels so good to start something this big and accomplish your goal.” Mckenna Hilgendorf Propelled by her passion for inclusion and accessibility, Mckenna created a beautiful sensory garden at the Ballwin Athletic Association so children of all ages and abilities can safely explore the association’s park using their five senses. She cleared out the area, mulched and planted the garden, and added a brick border around the area. The sensory garden also serves as a quiet and peaceful location where parents visiting the athletic association can take their children to deescalate big feelings and help them re-center. The Ballwin Athletic Association’s team is excited to keep the gardens maintained for decades to come. “I put leadership skills into practice like asking my peers to help with the project, and teaching them what to do. I overcame my fears by speaking with new people and engaging them on my project.”

District 6, Troop 766 Kirkwood High School 12 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award Graduating Girl Scout

District 8, Troop 2101 Parkway South High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout