NATIVE PLANTS NOW AVAILABLE FROM AUDUBON
Why choose native plants? They’ re beautiful, low-maintenance, don’ t need fertilizer, require less water, and come back each year. Plus they provide food and habitat for birds and butterflies. Pick up native plants for your yard at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, any time the nature store is open. Learn more at aswp. org.
FOX CHAPEL AREA HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR EARNS GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania( GSWPA) awarded O’ Hara resident, and Fox Chapel Area High School senior, Devon McDonald, the Girl Scout Gold Award— the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. she is the daughter of Iain McDonald and Kari Grimsby.
By earning the award, McDonald positions herself as a community leader, utilizing exemplary organization, communication and citizenship skills that set her apart.
“ When Devon approached me about being her advisor, I was unfamiliar with the Gold Award and wondered if this was just a task that was intended to‘ check a box,’” said Jennfier Ketler, LPC.“ It was clear, from our first meeting, that was not the case. Devon approached this project with the care and concern of someone who wants to provide young people with valuable tools to manage difficult emotions. She was thoughtful, open to feedback, and wanted her project to have value. She did a great job, by any measure!”
McDonald’ s project, Big Feelings Story Time, focuses on social-emotional education for children— a curriculum of story times, discussions, activities, and take-home materials. She worked with several local Girl Scout troops, and is setting up an annual program at Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’ Hara, and has shared her curriculum with two area schools, and Cooper-Siegel Library in Fox Chapel.
“ Children are often not taught about mental health until their teenage years. My project is a step toward raising awareness and helping empower children to regulate their emotional well-being,” said McDonald.
McDonald graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in June. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and was supported in her Gold Award effort by Ketler, her project advisor and a licensed professional counselor, as well as a team of educators and peers including Alison Francis, Hannah Parker, Rachel Machen, Jacob Milgrub, and Mairi Cooper.
She began her project in April 2024, and her accomplishment was celebrated at a ceremony for new Gold Award Girl Scouts in the GSWPA Council.
McDonald is a National Merit Commended Scholar, was co-president of both the mock trial and German clubs, competed on the diving and track teams, served as orchestra section leader of 2nd violins, and has worked as a lifeguard, part-time pool manager and swim team assistant coach. n
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