2026-2027 Inspire Discovery

SENSORY WONDERLAND Gold Award Girl Scout

Elyse, Girl Scout Ambassador Hazelwood West High School

CONGRATS!

Issue: The sensory garden at Ackerman School was worn down and missing key materials.

Root Cause: There was limited funding, volunteer support and staff time dedicated to maintaining the garden.

Sustainability: Students from the Ackerman Gardening Club will continue the upkeep of the garden.

Elyse is GSEM’s 2026 recipient of the $5,000 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship for post secondary education!

To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Elyse partnered with Ackerman School to rejuvenate their existing sensory garden and create an inviting space that provides children of all abilities a chance to find calm and peace. Motivated to give her little brother, who attends the school, a place for learning and connection, Elyse’s project showed the students that their environment and needs are worth investing in. Elyse recruited and led a team of volunteers to clean out the space and add new plants. To reduce on the cost, Elyse partnered with Forest ReLeaf, a local organization dedicated to growing a resilient tree canopy across Missouri, to donate new greenery for the refreshed garden and provide additional support to the school. In addition to planting new perennials to beautify the area, Elyse also constructed a bench for the students to relax on. To help children interact with the garden, Elyse created a scavenger hunt game that can help students learn how to identify objects of different textures, colors and sizes based on a hint card that describes the object. Elyse trained members of the Ackerman School staff on how to facilitate the game with their students. Elyse’s renovation of this important space will help students immerse themselves in nature for years to come.

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