Janda Atchley of Knoxville wanted to attract endangered pollinators to Farragut High School’s campus, so she built a pollinator garden at the school and was named a 2021 Gold Award recipient from the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are high schoolers who address issues they’re passionate about by planning and implementing a project that produces lasting change in the community and beyond. It is the Girl Scouts’ highest and prestigious most honor.

Janda’s main goal was to attract pollinators through a beautiful garden area around a tree that incorporated a neglected and inoperative stone pond/water feature that had become an eyesore. The garden opened the door for discussion about pollinators, which fueled another project goal of education. It also elevated the landscape of the campus by turning the area into a colorful, attractive, and functional place. 

Before

After

Through planning, developing, and installing the garden, Janda honed her leadership skills, learned some new skills, and gained insight about herself. “Through communicating, networking, problem solving, budgeting, decision-making, and the physical endurance required to complete my project, I learned that I certainly have the ability to create lasting change and achieve goals for issues that I’m passionate about,” she shared.

Janda and her team, which included her troop leader who also is her mom, moved tons of stone, dug out roots, planted dozens of plants, mulched the area, installed a bat house and bird feeders, and troubleshot the issues with the pond that wouldn’t hold water. “The broken pond was one of our bigger issues, but we kept working until we found a solution!” Janda said.

Other obstacles included installing the garden during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was more difficult to orchestrate a project with such a large scale, and then keeping the young plants alive during the summer months that followed. 

Janda planning out her vision for the area.

Shopping for plants and supplies.

A work in progress.

Janda’s project budget was enhanced by her application for and receipt of the Joyce Maienschein Leadership Grant, which provided an additional $50. She also secured plant donations from businesses and individuals and used proceeds from Girl Scout Cookie sales to fund the project. By the time her project was complete, her team had invested $1,200 and 170 hours!

Today, Janda serves in the Air National Guard as a member of the 119th Cyberspace Operations Squadron as a Cyber Transport Systems Specialist. Another benefit of her dedication to the project is that all Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the armed forces enter at one rank higher above other recruits.

She plans to pursue a degree in computer science or environmental science in the future. In her spare time, you can find Janda spending time with her family, friends, and her pet pigeon, Romeo. 

Congratulations, Janda! Visit girlscoutcsa.org to learn more about the Girl Scouts.  

The beautiful results of hard work!