Kathryn “Katie” Bush of Knoxville noticed that children’s learning and activity levels decrease during the summer, which could lead to behavioral and attention problems. She addressed this issue by creating an at-home summer camp and was named a 2021 Gold Award from Girl Scouts of 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 most prestigious honor.

Katie’s at-home summer camp offered age-appropriate activities, including a website with tutorial videos. The activities were designed to prompt creativity, exercise, and being outdoors. Her summer camp also included fifty-five take-home activity kits with learning solutions that supported many kids during the pandemic. Her original project idea was to oversee an outdoor skills station at a local Girl Scout summer camp, but the global shutdown in March 2020 forced a change in plans.

“I discovered an opportunity and a need for the camps since everyone’s summer activities were being canceled,” Katie shares. “My favorite part of the project was seeing how happy kids were while doing the activities. Parents would send me pictures, and I even hosted a couple of Zoom meetings to answer questions and see what each kid had accomplished.”  

Katie saws wood into pieces and drills holes in it to create her birdhouse-building kits.

The need to socially distance and the shutdown during those early pandemic days created challenges such as gathering needed supplies, which impacted her timeline. Another challenge turned out to be a good one: “I had an overwhelming response for kits, which was a bit of an obstacle at first since I did not expect such a need for my project.”

Looking back on her years as a Girl Scout, Katie says, “Several of my best memories are from trips I have taken with my troop. We visited the Savannah, Georgia, birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, and Nashville. Both were incredibly fun bonding experiences with my Girl Scout friends.”

Katie did a video about making Cajeta, a Mexican caramel sauce. 

Here Katie is readying milk cartons as part of her video on orienteering. Orienteering is a competitive sport in which participants find their way to various checkpoints across rough country with the aid of a map and compass.

Today, Katie is a senior at Hardin Valley Academy, busy as a member of the color guard (spinning and tossing flags, rifles, and sabers while dancing!) and applying for colleges. In college, she hopes to study chemical engineering.

In her free time, her favorite things to do are draw, listen to music, and watch television. She enjoys time with her mother, father, sister, and friends, as well as her dog and cat.

Through her Gold Award experience, Katie shares, “I learned that I can do more things and reach more people than I ever thought possible when I set out to do something. I feel like I made a difference in many children’s lives, which makes me very happy. I learned that it is always good to be direct and clear to avoid miscommunications. I also gained more confidence and flexibility and am very proud of what I was able to do. I am excited for what I can do in the future.”

We are excited for Katie’s future, too! Congratulations, Katie.  Visit girlscoutcsa.org to learn more about the Girl Scouts.   

This girl is hard at work building and painting a birdhouse she received from Katie’s program.

Katie pictured with one of her happy at-home summer campers.