Girl Scout Maddie Buzza from Mapleton Troop 1133 recently celebrated the completion of her Girl Scout Silver Award project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of one of her three Little Free Libraries that she built and stocked with books.
The libraries, all in Mapleton, are at the Post Office, outside the Mapleton-Chapman-Castle Hill Town Office and at the Mapleton Lions’ Hall. Buzza thanked the town, post office and Lions Club for permitting her to install the three Little Free Libraries on their properties. The small structures contain books for both children and adults which can be borrowed without charge anytime. She said Town Manager Dave Dionne, Road Supervisor Chris Woodworth and Lions Club member Dale McHatten helped make these libraries possible.
Most importantly, she thanked her father, Aaron Buzza, for his help in building the library boxes and the mounting them on their posts. Additionally, she thanked her Scout leaders, Jennifer Buzza, Nancy Winslow and Laurie Amero, and other members of her troop who supported her through this project.
Buzza spoke to the Lions Club about her project during their meeting last week and expressed her thanks.
To achieve a Silver Award, the highest honor a Cadette Girl Scout can earn, a candidate must log a minimum of 50 hours of time researching, planning and implementing a community service project. The library project puts Buzza well on her way, and she looks forward to receiving the Silver and starting work to earn the Gold Award, which is the highest award in Girl Scouts.
Her success in Scouting is similar to that of her mother, Jennifer Buzza, who received her Silver Award at her daughter’s age on the way to earning her Gold Award. Active participation in Girl Schools and earning these awards are becoming family traditions for the Buzza family.
DI teams in Tennessee
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- DI PRESENTS — Destination Imagination teams and the Presque Isle High School manager, Valerie Black, visited the SAD 1 school board meeting to share the results of last year’s DI teams and their trip to Global Finals in Knoxville, Tenn. From left are Black; students Sarah Craig, Ally McLellan and Skyler Ellis; and Julie Stephenson, Presque Isle Middle School team manager. (Photo courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
Mapleton Elementary School teacher Valerie Black recently reported to the SAD 1 school board the success of the district’s Destination Imagination teams.
This past year four district teams attended and competed at the state level. Two of the teams won their state competition and became eligible to attend the Global Finals for Destination Imagination, held in Knoxville, Tennessee, where teams from around the world learned and competed in a variety of activities.
Black managed the Presque Isle High School team while Julie Stephenson managed the Presque Isle Middle School team.
A number of students attended the school board meeting and assisted in the DI presentation, including Sarah Craig, Ally McLellan and Skyler Ellis. They explained that the Global Finals culminate every Destination Imagination season. Scheduled festivities include the Destination Imagination Tournament, interactive exhibits, pin trading, skills workshops, international events and more.
The SAD 1 teams joined over 1400 teams attending from around the world. Teams consist of two to seven members, who are prepared by their schools to work together to problem-solving and present solutions to challenges. DI is designed for kindergarten through university level students.
Black said annually, DI offers seven new standards-based challenges that involve hands-on learning and foster students’ creativity, courage and curiosity in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine arts and service learning. MSAD 1 students needed to learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process.
Team members thanked the school board, administration and their teachers for helping them become successful teams.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
