Wrentham/Plainville Girl Scout Troop 789 marked a twelve-year run with a special bridging ceremony held on June 3 at King Philip Middle School. The nine senior girls, led by troop leader Tricia Barry of Wrentham, are known as the Mountain Goats. 

When asked about the troop’s longevity, Barry noted she never thought the girls would continue with the program this long. At the end of each school year, however, the girls kept signing up again. Upon entering high school, the girls made a group pact to stick with the Girl Scout program through the end of their high school years. 

Troop 789 challenged themselves by taking part in many unique and character-building activities and events that kept Scouting fun while strengthening their troop’s bond. The girls earned their Bronze Award by creating the Little Free Library on Wrentham Common, which is still in use today. They also trained and competed in four years of Operation Snowflake, a winter camping and skills competition, honing their skills of lashing, knot tying, dog sled, sawing, fire building, constellations, compass and three-person snowshoe, capturing ribbons in many events.  

They spent the night at both the Museum of Science and Mystic Aquarium and sold countless boxes of cookies (with a record 750 boxes sold at the outlets in one day during the pandemic). Troop 789 did lots of hiking, including several overnight trips to Mount Greylock and Mount Monadnock. The girls led camp skills workshops and helped to organize annual SPARK events for the younger troops. 

About half of the girls traveled to London on a Girl Scout EF Tours Stem-focused trip several years ago, where they explored the city and visited Stonehenge. During the pandemic, the troop developed a relationship with the town’s Landscape Committee and met as a group to clean up Sweatt Park and plant hundreds of bulbs. Additionally, Troop 789 provided the inspiration for the town to expand decorations during the winter holidays. The hours they spent with the Landscape Committee earned them the Commonwealth Community Service Award.

Troop leader Barry proudly told the girls at the ceremony, “Today you are strong, quick witted, confident, independent, intelligent, honest, outspoken and feisty women. Combined, you are a force to be reckoned with. Troop 789 has learned a lot from each other and about themselves while in Girl Scouts. The future is not ready for you. I look forward to your accomplishments. I am proud to have been your leader for 12 years. Now go out and change the world.”

All nine girls will be attending college in the fall.

To learn more about Girl Scouts, visit https://www.girlscouts.org/.