2015 was another very good year for Girl Scouts!

In January, we tried for a record… a cookie dunking record that is! Even though we didn’t break the official record, we had lots of fun and laughs trying.

In February, we cheered on our Robotics Teams as they moved to the regional finals!

Every March we celebrate Girl Scouts’ Birthday and our Volunteers! This year, we honored 90 amazing volunteers who do so much for our girls at our Adult Recognitions Ceremony! Recognizing those people who give so much to our girls and our community can never be overdone…we’re firm believers in saying “Thank You!”

In April, Girls Go the Distance Walkathon focused our attention on fun and fitness and was a great way to bring our girls, their families and friends and members of our community together to share a fun filled day in the outdoors learning about healthy living.

Our Annual Meeting in May gave us some new Board Members and the opportunity to consider changes to our Bylaws.  And in May and June we celebrated our girls who have earned the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.

In June, the Board of Directors approved the recommendations to make major upgrades to the Girl Scout Service Center on Ring Road, including making the building more accessible for people with disabilities, and giving us more public space for our volunteers and girls to use and enjoy.

July and August brought us soooo much fun, a lot of laughs, and a whole bunch of friends at Camp Blue Bay and Summer Fun Day Camp. At the Farm at Oyster Bay almost 100 girls volunteered hundreds of hours to plant, tend and harvest organically grown crops that are then donated to local food banks. – So much learning and friendship occurs in all of our many outdoor program opportunities.

In addition, we had our second year of partnership with North Shore –LIJ Health System to present a Career Exploration Camp for 20 girls who learned all about the workings of a major medical system.  Two other Girl Scouts were also chosen to complete a summer internship at the for Medical Research. 

With school starting back up in September, Girl Scouts jumped into “Back to Troop” mode with local and Council activities including the Bowling Bash! 

In October we celebrated with Julie K., Nassau County’s first Girl Scouts Gold Award recipient to be named a Girl Scouts of the USA National Young Woman of Distinction. Julie’s work on creating a bee colony and educating us on the importance of bees to a healthy ecological system made us all very proud! 

The fall also gave our girls expanded opportunities to explore the world of STEM in GSNC’s Second Annual STEM Conference at Hofstra University and in our first partnership event with Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology. Girls and their parents learned from working scientists what it takes to become a successful research scientist at the Feinstein Institute.

We also established GSNC’s first Girls Who Code Club for 25 middle to high school girls who are learning the various “languages” of coding and basic computer science concepts.

And while all of these Council highlights reflect lots of excitement and learning, they really don’t hold a candle to the ongoing work of Girl Scouts that occurs throughout the year in Girl Scout Troops and groups. That is where the real benefits of Girl Scouting continue to shine, and step by step, through Journeys and Badges, around campfires and on outings, with crafts and the Cookie program, Girl Scouting continues to build girls of courage, confidence and character… Discovering, Connecting and Taking Action to make the world a better place!

We can’t wait for what 2016 has in store and particularly look forward to celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Girl Scout Gold Award. Let us know the highlights of your Girl Scout year!