A local Girl Scout believes school bathrooms are not known to be the safest place, so much so she set out to make positive changes.
“I chose this project to turn the bathrooms from a negative space into an uplifting and encouraging space,” said Addison Winstead, who earned her Gold Award with the 80-plus hour refurbishment of the large girl’s bathroom at Stayton High School. “I wanted the motivational quotes and glittery pink paint to help the girls when they’re feeling down or having a hard time.”
According to her mother Brooke, Winstead thought softening the colors and putting motivational and uplifting quotes on the stall doors would be a great start. With her team of volunteers and project advisor Megan Schiedler, she painted all of the metal stalls a soft, glittery pink.
“She ran into difficulties here because the girls have a bad habit of defacing the bathroom stalls,” Winstead’s mom said. “She repainted more times than she cares to recognize, but with the help of admin and getting the word out, it seems to have slowed way down. That is the main reason the project took her so long to complete, in addition to the 80-hour time requirement.”
Now finished, the pink doors bear uplifting quotes such as “Never let anyone dull your sparkle,” “One kind word can change someone’s entire day,” and “Be the best version of you.”
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award within the Girls Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn this award, which is comparable to the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout standing.
Winstead has been in Girl Scouts for 10 years and is a member of Troop 21890. She has been a top cookie seller in her area, selling over 2,000 boxes per year for the last few years. She also earned her Silver Award by building a buddy bench for Sublimity Elementary School. Her troop enjoys traveling and has been to Disneyland twice. Members tagged Nashville as their final destination.
Earning both the Silver and Gold awards are two important milestones in Winstead’s Girl Scout career. GSUSA says the same vision, commitment and leadership that brings girls through the award process will carry each to new heights.
According to the GSUSA, Scouts who earn this award distinguish themselves in the college admission process, earn scholarships, and enter the military one rank higher than other enlistees.
“Through pursuing the Gold Award, Girl Scouts change the world by tackling issues they are passionate about to drive lasting change in their communities and beyond while they learn essential skills that will prepare them for all aspects of life. As a bonus, the Gold Award opens doors to a variety of scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, strong networking and amazing career opportunities, and much more.”
From its beginning in 1916, the greatest achievement in Girl Scouting has been a symbol of excellence and leadership that recognizes “the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary girls,” according to GSUSA.
Additionally, while the Gold Award has gone by many names, now all Girl Scouts who earned the First Class, Curved Bar, Golden Eaglet or Golden Eagle of Merit are part of the Gold Award Girl Scout Family.
For Winstead, Girl Scouts ends the fall after graduation. She plans to attend Chemeketa Community College on the Chemeketa Scholars program.
“I had so much help from classmates and felt really proud of the work that was done,” Winstead said of the bathroom update. “I wanted to make a difference in our school, and I feel like I achieved that.”
