Tis the Season - For Girl Scout Cookies!
by Piper Mangold
by Piper Mangold
Girl Scouting in the United States began in 1912, 113 years ago, when Juliette Gordon Low organized the first troop in Savannah, Georgia. It is modeled after Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America and before that, Cub Scouts. They are both youth organizations that participate in outdoor activities such as canoeing or backpacking; volunteer projects, such as running food drives, and visiting nursing homes; and learning events such as first aid training or trips to cultural events. However, Girl Scouts are exclusively for female-identifying members, and when it was first created, most Girl Scout troops were segregated by race according to local regulation. The first troop for Black girls was founded in 1917, and the first Black troop leader was Josephine Holloway. During the World Wars, all Girl Scout troops sold defense bonds, grew victory gardens, and collected waste fat and scrap iron in order to help the Allied forces who were fighting abroad. By the 1950’s, Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) had begun significant efforts to desegregate troops, and Martin Luther King described it as “a force for desegregation.”
Now, there are approximately 3.7 million girl scouts. Girls are divided by their age range: Daisies (Kindergarten-1st graders), Brownies ( 2nd and 3rd graders), Juniors (a4th through 6th graders), Cadettes (7th through 9th graders), and Seniors (10th through 12th graders). Their uniform varies slightly, but always displays badges and pins earned after a girl completes a large project or achievement.
The largest project they do is the Girl Scout Cookie Sale. It began in 1917, when individual troops sold homemade batches in order to financially cover troup trips and yearly expenses. In 1933, the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council first commercially sold the cookies. Now, 200 million boxes are sold per year. The young members buy the cookies from a factory and get reimbursed from their sales. For every box they sell, they make $1 for their troup, which funds camping trips and other expenses throughout the year.
Alice Godfrey, a sophomore at CAPA is a Girl Scout and “has been doing [the sale] for a decade.” She describes the process as “a lot of work, and it’s a lot of pressure…to sell as many cookies as possible,” but finds the experience rewarding because it helps her set “a lot of entrepreneurial goals, it's very goal oriented, it makes you feel accomplished ‘cause it's not just cookies, like water conservation and food insecurity.” Through Girl Scouts she has been able to distribute care packages, help issues such as water conservation and food insecurity, and go to the beach with her friends. Thin Mints are her favorite, and she sells them in the art room during fourth period. Support your local Girl Scouts! It's not that hard, when they’re giving you treats in return.