When Angela Nauss of Wise, Virginia, visited Flag Rock Overlook in Norton, Virginia, she noticed that the flag that serves as the centerpiece of the attraction was not lit after dark. That visit sparked a project to light the flag and educate others about flag etiquette. She earned a 2022 Girl Scout Gold Award for her efforts.      

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.

“I was visiting Flag Rock Overlook with my family and noticed the flag didn’t have a light,” Angela shares. She knew that the United States Flag Code states that the flag must be properly illuminated if left out in the hours of darkness. “After talking to the Norton city manager, I learned that the city had wanted to do this project for some time.”

She went to work with the Norton City Council and others to make it happen – and learned a lot and overcame challenges along the way. First, the flag sits atop a large sandstone cap of Stone Mountain, and the project area was difficult to access. 

Measuring the flagpole and assessing the situation on Flag Rock Overlook.

Next came narrowing the options down to the ones that would work best for the site. “We determined we would use a mounted light, had to discuss where we would drill the attachment holes, then adjust the light and complete an extensive search for clamps large enough to work for the project,” Angela shares. “I learned that things will inevitably be harder than we may originally think, but that the end results are always worth it.”

Her favorite part of the project was talking to veterans and active-duty service members about her project and learning what the flag meant to them.

Now, Angela is attending Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, taking prerequisite classes for the nursing program. When not studying, she loves arts and crafts – especially painting, drawing, and sketching. She enjoys spending time with her parents, siblings, and dog, and kayaking with her brothers.

Angela describes herself as positive, sensitive, and helpful, and this project evokes lots of fond memories. “I loved standing on Flag Rock looking down at the city and up at the flag that flies so proudly over it.” That flag will be lit for future enjoyment, thanks to Angela’s efforts. 

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

These were the stickers that New Age Graphics designed for Angela; they were given to those who gave donations for her project.