What is Girl Scouting in Barrington?
We currently have over 200 Girl Scouts, including 3 Daisy troops, 4 Brownie troops, 4 Junior troops, 2 Cadette troops, and a Super Troop (6th-12th graders), plus dozens of volunteers who lead, co-lead, and assist-lead troops; help with the fall product and cookie sales; teach skills to Girl Scouts of all levels; coordinate town-wide events; and facilitate communication between the families and scouts in town with GSSNE (Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England) Council and GSUSA.
We generally keep each troop organized by grade level in order to encourage that troop staying together through the elementary-aged program. We encourage troops to include girls from all three public K-3 schools and the private schools, to encourage an increased sense of community within Barrington and not just in each neighborhood.
Each troop is organized by at least two co-leaders who have completed all of the requisite training and volunteer-clearance. Beyond that, each troop is different, based on the interests of the leaders and the girls within the troop. Some troops focus more on badge earning, some more on service, some on adventure, some on getting outdoors, some on all of the above. Some meet weekly, some bi-weekly, and some once a month. All troops ask that their parents are involved in some meetings, outings, projects, etc. All troops need help from parents around fundraising, including the annual Girl Scout cookie sale. All parents that help with the troops need to be volunteer screened and members of Girl Scouts (see the volunteer page for more information).
Each scout and troop participates as able in the Events listed on the Home page of this website, including a fall and spring Bike Path Clean Up, The Hootenanny (sing-a-long), a Book Swap, a Thinking Day celebration, a Sweetheart Dance, the Memorial Day Parade, and an end of year/Bridging ceremony.
The Daisy years (k-1) are focused around earning petals and going on "journeys" that teach the 10 parts of the Girl Scout Law (see below). It is a time for team-building and taking short trips, going on small adventures, trying their hand at new games and activities as they prepare for their Brownie years. Daisys wear the blue vest or smock.
The Brownie years (2-3) are focused on broadening their understanding of the Girl Scout Law, and expanding their leadership and responsibilities. Many girls go on their first overnights as Brownies, attend Museum outings, become involved in service projects, and earn badges about everything from Bugs to Pottery. Brownies wear the brown vest or sash.
The Junior years (4-5) are a time for girls to really increase their independence. By the second Junior year, girls are running meetings themselves, making plans for the year in consultation with their leaders, and becoming more involved in camping, adventuring, and service. They earn badges about everything from Detective Work and Drawing to Inside Government and Simple Meals. Many Juniors earn The Bronze Award, one of three higher awards in Girl Scouts. Juniors wear the green vest or sash.
Cadettes (6-8), Seniors (9-10) and Ambassadors (11-12) are in individual troops or are part of the Super Troop (combined 6-12th graders) in Barrington. Girls go on multiple trips, including camping challenges, each year. Cadettes may earn The Silver Award, and Seniors and Ambassadors may earn The Gold Award. Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors wear a khaki vest.
The "Curriculum" for Girl Scouts is based on a recently updated program with books and badge information based nationally. There are multiple on-line resources as well. At the core, however, it is all about the following Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law:
Promise
On my honor, I will try
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
("*Girl Scouts makes no attempt to define or interpret the word “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. We look to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word “God.”")
Girl Scouts is an opportunity for girls of all interests, abilities, speeds, strengths, courage and confidence to come together and learn independence, responsibility and service, supporting, encouraging and sharing with each other along the way.
If you would like to learn more about Girl Scouts in Barrington, please contact Emily Conner.
Our Gold Award Winners, 2015
We generally keep each troop organized by grade level in order to encourage that troop staying together through the elementary-aged program. We encourage troops to include girls from all three public K-3 schools and the private schools, to encourage an increased sense of community within Barrington and not just in each neighborhood.
Each troop is organized by at least two co-leaders who have completed all of the requisite training and volunteer-clearance. Beyond that, each troop is different, based on the interests of the leaders and the girls within the troop. Some troops focus more on badge earning, some more on service, some on adventure, some on getting outdoors, some on all of the above. Some meet weekly, some bi-weekly, and some once a month. All troops ask that their parents are involved in some meetings, outings, projects, etc. All troops need help from parents around fundraising, including the annual Girl Scout cookie sale. All parents that help with the troops need to be volunteer screened and members of Girl Scouts (see the volunteer page for more information).
Each scout and troop participates as able in the Events listed on the Home page of this website, including a fall and spring Bike Path Clean Up, The Hootenanny (sing-a-long), a Book Swap, a Thinking Day celebration, a Sweetheart Dance, the Memorial Day Parade, and an end of year/Bridging ceremony.
The Daisy years (k-1) are focused around earning petals and going on "journeys" that teach the 10 parts of the Girl Scout Law (see below). It is a time for team-building and taking short trips, going on small adventures, trying their hand at new games and activities as they prepare for their Brownie years. Daisys wear the blue vest or smock.
The Brownie years (2-3) are focused on broadening their understanding of the Girl Scout Law, and expanding their leadership and responsibilities. Many girls go on their first overnights as Brownies, attend Museum outings, become involved in service projects, and earn badges about everything from Bugs to Pottery. Brownies wear the brown vest or sash.
The Junior years (4-5) are a time for girls to really increase their independence. By the second Junior year, girls are running meetings themselves, making plans for the year in consultation with their leaders, and becoming more involved in camping, adventuring, and service. They earn badges about everything from Detective Work and Drawing to Inside Government and Simple Meals. Many Juniors earn The Bronze Award, one of three higher awards in Girl Scouts. Juniors wear the green vest or sash.
Cadettes (6-8), Seniors (9-10) and Ambassadors (11-12) are in individual troops or are part of the Super Troop (combined 6-12th graders) in Barrington. Girls go on multiple trips, including camping challenges, each year. Cadettes may earn The Silver Award, and Seniors and Ambassadors may earn The Gold Award. Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors wear a khaki vest.
The "Curriculum" for Girl Scouts is based on a recently updated program with books and badge information based nationally. There are multiple on-line resources as well. At the core, however, it is all about the following Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law:
Promise
On my honor, I will try
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
("*Girl Scouts makes no attempt to define or interpret the word “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. We look to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word “God.”")
Girl Scouts is an opportunity for girls of all interests, abilities, speeds, strengths, courage and confidence to come together and learn independence, responsibility and service, supporting, encouraging and sharing with each other along the way.
If you would like to learn more about Girl Scouts in Barrington, please contact Emily Conner.
Our Gold Award Winners, 2015
- 6 of the 26 Gold Award Honorees in the GSSNE Council are from Troop 426. The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. Since 1916, girls have successfully answered the call to go gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world.
- Casie Castello, a junior at Barrington High School, taught others to make, and then made, more than 250 knit hats that were “distributed to newborn infants in impoverished communities around the world.”
Laura Culligan, recently graduated from Barrington High School, created a “full-length documentary based on interviews she conducted with several military veterans about their perspective on their service.” She was also awarded the Young Woman of Distinction award from GSSNE for this project. Her video can be seen on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAVSrxjhBf0.
Emily Deslauriers, a junior at Barrington High School, created and ran a “weekly tennis program for children ages 5-12 at the Boys and Girls Club of East Providence,” and created an on-line resource for other tennis instructors, their students, and their families.
Amy Harff, a junior at the Wheeler School, earned her Gold Award by “giving art and poetry lessons to underprivileged children around Rhode Island and turning their art into cards to be delivered to patients at Rhode Island Hospital.”
Leah Sirmalis, a sophomore at St. Mary's Academy Bay View, designed a “summer camp program for the city of East Providence to empower children to participate in sports with confidence.”
Vivian Tian, a junior at Barrington High School, “wrote, directed, and edited a short film about the lives and hardships of children under foster care in order to promote greater understanding toward foster children and encourage viewers to get involved in foster care.” Her movie can be viewed on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A5aYOh-3jk.