Silver Stars: Hopatcong Girl Scouts Earn Second-Highest Award

Emily Magyar drove past the sign and smiled.

Sure, it'd been about 24 hours since Hopatcong Mayor Sylvia Petillo proclaimed July 15 "Emily Magyar Day." But Magyar didn't get to enjoy it. She was home sick.

No matter. Getting a day named in her honor came second to finally earning a Girl Scouts silver award, the organization's second-highest achievement.

Same went for the six other Troop 341 girls who nabbed the prize in June.

All were happy that the process was over. But they were also glad to have gone through it.

"With that award comes responsibility and leadership," Magyar, 15, said. "It feels so great to earn it."

Along with Magyar, entering her sophomore year at Hopatcong High School, Kiersten Atkins [July 6], Noel Diez [July 8], Christina Maddaluna [July 12], Alejandra Ortiz [July 19], Michelle Reid [July 22] and Jenna Suplicki [July 26] each earned silver awards and had days named after them.

Troop leader Betty Reid cried while watching the awards ceremony with her daughter, co-leader Jennifer Reid—Michelle's mother.

"It's a big commitment," said Betty Reid, who's been a troop leader for more than 30 years. "There's a little pushing and shoving on the leaders' part. But they came through and did a great job."

Earning a silver award is no easy endeavor.

Each of the girls, most of which have been involved in Girl Scouts for much of their lives, had to perform tasks that helped them explore careers, lead and make a commitment to overall self-improvement, according to Kathleen Caffery, who works with the Girl Scouts Daisies program.

"And, of course, all of the other fun things that come with scouting," Betty Reid said.

Then it was on to the hard stuff. The crew had to plan an event, and each member needed to log 40 hours of time working on it.

They decided to host a Girl Scouts encampment in Glen Spey, N.Y., during the last weekend in April.

It was a big success, as about 150 people turned out for games, activities, food and bonding.

"It made our hearts swell, for sure," Betty Reid said.

Magyar said the event was lots of work.

"We really needed to be leaders," she said. "So we needed to show the girls what to do. And we had to lead them through [activities]."

Soon after, they received their awards. But that wasn't all.

Petillo gave each of the girls a plaque, commemorating their achievement.

"We were quite surprised," said Magyar, who added her plaque's sitting on her dresser. "My leader had the idea to invite the mayor. We didn't expect to get plaques."

Her mother, Doreen, was ecstatic.

"She's become a leader," Doreen Magyar said. "She's really good with people. She's very confident in herself around people and she's not shy, which to me is a big deal. She's outgoing. She enjoys it."

Emily Magyar said she expects herself and the other girls to shoot for the gold award, the Girl Scouts top honor. For the gold, the girls have to plan a project on their own and complete almost double the hours of work.

Magyar isn't worried.

"I'm definitely going for the gold," she said. "It's very special."

Editor's note: If you're interested in signing your daughter up for Hopatcong Girl Scouts or if you'd like to become a leader, call Kathleen Caffery: (973) 398-4547 or (973) 534-8283.