Four in Cedarville Class of 2008 Earn Highest Girl Scout Awards
By Amy Polk

Four Les Cheneaux area Girl Scouts, (from left) Karen Landreville, Carissa Sudol, MacKenzie Sudol, and Emily Pieri, received Gold Awards, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. The girls spent the past four years working on the achievement, and will be graduated from Cedarville High School this month.

For performing work that will have lasting impacts on their community, Karen Landerville, Emily Pieri, and Carissa and MacKenzie Sudol each received Girl Scout Gold Awards during an April 20 ceremony in Cedarville. Gold Awards are the greatest distinction a Girl Scout can earn, and reflect four years of community service in a chosen field. Under the careful watch of an advisor, scouts spend two years preparing and researching the project, and the next two years doing the work.

The girls will be graduated from Cedarville High School May 25.

"The girls have been together 13 years," Lori Pieri said tearfully, introducing her daughter, Emily, and the three other Gold Award recipients.

Reading the words of Mary Baker, who worked with the girls on one of the gardening projects, Mrs. Pieri described some of the memorable activities they participated in over the years, like birthday parties, field trips, games, and celebrations.

Boy Scout and Girl Scout members of the Color Guard (from left) Travis Schebel, Sarah Landreville, Nathanial Landreville, Matthew Landreville, and Daniel Landreville opened the Girl Scouts Gold Award Ceremony April 20 in Cedarville.

"I am so proud of you tonight," Mrs. Baker wrote. "Not many people can ever say, 'I have the Gold Award for Girl Scouts.' That is a real accomplishment that you will have the rest of your lives."

Mrs. Baker, a Cedarville resident and certified Master Gardener, helped several Girl Scouts become Junior Master Gardeners through educational sessions, hands-on work, and community plantings. The scouts also learned about water quality, natural resources, and careers in wildlife, science, and plant management.

She helped the scouts' families prepare a reception and award ceremony, and presented each of them with a gift. They in turn presented Mrs. Baker with a tea set they brought her from China, when they traveled there together as part of the Cedarville High School band last summer.

All four girls have served in the scouts for 13 years, and previously served on the Mackinac Island Governor's Honor Guard. They all earned Bronze and Silver awards for other projects.

Karen Landreville, the daughter of Jeannette and Jim Landreville of Hessel, designed and built a flower box for the scenic turn-around near Hessel. She also planted the flowers that will be showing in the next few months. Mrs. Baker and her parents assisted her with the project.

Miss Landreville is a member of the First Union Church of Cedarville's Youth Group, Cedarville High School Band, and National Honor Society. She plans to attend Saginaw Valley State University in the fall to study nursing.

Emily Pieri, the daughter of Lori and Leory Pieri of Cedarville, developed a theater program for elementary school children. In a series of workshops, she taught about 30 children in the third through fifth grades basic theater production skills. She was assisted by Lisa Dunn, Betty Struble, Nicole Yeager, Alice Coyne and her family, and many Girl Scouts. Her work inspired her to become a teacher, and she plans to pursue a degree in education while studying at Olivet College.

Carissa Sudol is the daughter of Linda and Dave Sudol of Hessel, and will be graduated from Cedarville as the class salutatorian. Her project was "to bridge the gap between young and older generations," she said, by bringing local artists to the Cedar Cove Assisted Living Community. She invited area artists and musicians to entertain the residents for about one hour each month. She was assisted by advisors Kim Dunn and Kim Gay.

She identified the need when she noticed the infrequent activities for residents in the early days of Cedar Cove's opening. She interviewed the residents to learn what kind of entertainment they wanted, then scheduled the artists to demonstrate, perform, and socialize with residents and staff.

Miss Sudol's twin sister, MacKenzie, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) to the Les Cheneaux Community Foundation, saw a need to bring younger people to the foundation, which gives grants to charitable, community projects. The YAC is comprised mostly of high school students, and does not have many middle school students involved.

Her project, called "YAC to the Future," was a way to introduce middle school students to the concept of philanthropy, and lay a foundation for future YAC members to replace the high school students. For the project, she encouraged Junior YAC members to interview elementary students to identify grant-worthy projects. Junior YAC will award grants for an elementary projector and science materials that can be used by the school.