Three Island Girl Scouts Honored As Nantucket's First Gold Award Recipients

Three members of Nantucket Girl Scout Troop 66120 were honored in Camp Cedar Hill in Waltham during the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Council Gold Award Ceremony last week. Island residents Emery Bouchard, Carley Ray, and Hildee Mederios were among 33 girls in the state to receive this honor and are the first in Nantucket Girl Scouts History to be bestowed with this award.

The three girls have been members of Nantucket Troop 66120 since kindergarten and have completed projects as part of the process. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the Girl Scouts’ equivalent of the Eagle Scout rank that Boy Scouts can achieve.

Rays’s project was “Oysters in ACKtion.” She designed an oyster upweller to address her concern about the state of Nantucket Harbor and the unhealthy ecosystem caused by excessive fertilizer runoff.

“Carley understood that an increased oyster population could improve the overall water quality, so she designed and built an oyster upweller, a system that filters harmful nutrients from the water while supporting oyster growth,” the council said in their description of Ray’s project. “Carley educated Nantucket residents and visitors about sustainable gardening practices, water quality testing, and the vital role oysters play in maintaining healthy ecosystems with science fair demonstrations, oyster upweller site tours, educational brochures, and built a page on the Nantucket Land and Water Council’s website. Additionally, her efforts earned her recognition as Nantucket’s 2023 Environmental Advocate of the Year. Carley’s efforts will be sustained by the Land and Water Council, which will continue the upweller’s operation and tours, and maintain the educational resources Carley created.”

Bouchard’s project was “One Note At A Time.” She was troubled by the lack of free long-term music programs for local children and created a ukulele program for children in grades 1-3, teaching them to play music while building confidence, self-esteem, and stress-management skills.

“She collaborated with local organizations, including MUSACK, which donated six ukuleles, and the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club, which provided space for the classes,” the council said. “Emery’s efforts will be sustained through the music books she designed and the instructional YouTube videos she created. Additionally, Emery secured the Boys and Girls Club as the project’s next overseer and facilitator.”

Medeiros’ project was “Buddy Building.” Medeiros believed that a strong emphasis on friendship in an adolescent’s life could counterbalance the possibility of bullying, psychological distress, impaired brain development, and academic inferiority that are often present in children without strong social skills.

“Over 10 months, Hildee led monthly lessons that helped third-grade students develop social skills, build meaningful relationships, and understand the power of empathy,” the council said. “Activities included surveys, role-playing, and group tasks to foster connections and reduce social isolation. The program culminated in a Friendship Day celebration, where students pledged to be good friends and celebrated their bonds. Hildee’s efforts will be sustained by the staff of the Nantucket Intermediate School, who will follow the comprehensive lesson plan binder Hildee created. Additionally, Hildee’s work will be sustained through the students and their families, who all received a pamphlet detailing the importance of friendships, strong bonds, and their potential to stop bullying.”

The Gold Award is an individual award where a Scout must work on their project for more than 80 hours solely with her chosen team of experts and community members.

To receive this award, girls must be a registered Girl Scouts in grades 9-12 and completed a Girl Scout Silver Award. They must find an issue in their community that they care about, fully research that issue, form a team of experts and community members to assist in their gold award project, analyze the issue and come up with a plan on the root cause and how they will tackle it. Only about 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.