Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England recently honored three young women from Wrentham for earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Each teen took on a community-focused project that addressed important needs and left a lasting impact.

Sammy Hughey: Supporting Mental Health in Elementary Schools

Sammy Hughey created kits to help young students manage anxiety.

Sammy Hughey earned her Gold Award for her project titled Calming Corner Kits for Elementary School Students. With a passion for children’s mental health, Sammy created specialized kits for every K-3 classroom at Delaney Elementary School in Wrentham. These kits included stress-relief tools such as books, coloring pages, fidget toys, posters with breathing exercises, and positive affirmations—all designed to help young students manage anxiety and stress in a healthy, effective way.

To make her vision a reality, Sammy collaborated closely with the Delaney School principal and school counselors throughout the academic year. She also organized fundraisers and solicited donations from local stores, friends, and family to gather the materials for the kits. Additionally, she created resource documents for teachers to further support their students’ emotional well-being.

Sammy presented her project to the teachers at the start of the school year and received positive feedback from the staff. 

Lillian James: Helping Classmates Excel in Spanish

Lillian James helped implement an after-school Spanish tutoring program.

Lillian James was also recognized with the Gold Award for her project Sí Se Puede: Strengthening Spanish Education in Schools. After noticing that many of her classmates were struggling with Spanish but hesitant to ask for help, Lillian took action to fill the gap. She created an online resource hub filled with study guides and helpful materials for Spanish students and worked with school leadership to revive a Spanish-specific tutoring program.

Lillian partnered with the Spanish National Honor Society to recruit volunteers for after-school tutoring. Because of her efforts, the program has seen steady student participation and measurable improvement in student performance.

Kate LaPlaca: Food Pantry Cookbook Helps Clients Cook Nutritious Meals

Kate LaPlaca wrote a cookbook to help food pantry clients cook simple, nutritious meals.

Kate LaPlaca earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award for her project, Food Pantry Recipe Book. Partnering with the Wrentham Food Pantry, Kate created a cookbook titled Cheap and Easy Meals, featuring simple, nutritious recipes using ingredients commonly found at the pantry.

She assembled meal kits for her overnight oats recipe in mason jars, accompanied by one of 35 hand-painted pottery bowls she crafted. These were distributed to families during pantry pickups. Kate also organized a food drive to collect ingredients for the featured recipe and made the cookbook available online to ensure long-term impact.

Find Kate’s recipe book here: https://sites.google.com/view/cheapandeasymeals/home.