Elwood Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award With Beach Recycling Project

ELWOOD, NY — Four members of Elwood Girl Scout Troop 1619 recently earned their Silver Awardafter they installed a recycling station at Crab Meadow Beach in October, the Elwood School District announced.

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School freshmen Megan Scully and Rebecca Stawecki, along with friends Maeve O’Connor and Jacqueline O’Grady of St. Anthony’s High School, set up the station so that beachgoers can select baskets from the station and pick up anything that will harm the ocean and recycle it before returning the baskets.

The Silver Award is the second highest award that Girl Scouts can earn, demanding a minimum of 50 work hours per girl to complete the project.

Once they began planning, O’Connor, O’Grady, Scully and Stawecki were determined to try and make a difference in the reduction of sea pollution to help sea life, making that the main focus of the project.

After partnering with sustainability company Relic, the four students presented their
project to the town and Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, asking for their help and permission
to proceed with further action. Once permission was given, they worked to build awareness
and raise funds for the project, including making posters and bookmarks and hosting a
garage sale.

Huntington Town Councilwoman Joan Cergol cut the ribbon with the group of students.