Sarah Huffman earns Girl Scouts' highest honor

Girl Scout Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont has announced that Sarah Huffman of Rutherfordton has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Her project, Colors and Creation, focused on giving children in grades K-2 in Rutherford County exposure to the arts since art programs are underfunded in the local school system for the younger classes.

Huffman, daughter of Marcus and Michelle Huffman, and a member of Troop 01891, organized art appreciation classes in partnership with The Friendship Club, teaching the kids about different art techniques and giving them the freedom to express themselves. She also painted two murals for Rutherfordton Elementary, as well as in the Electrical Trades department classroom at R-S Central High School.

By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, Huffman has become a community leader. Her accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart.

"Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and this young woman exemplifies leadership in all its forms," said Lane Cook, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont. "She saw a need in her community and took action. Her extraordinary dedication, perseverance and leadership, is making the world a better place."

The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. After the minimum requirements are completed, the Gold Award project is the culmination of a girl's demonstration of self-discipline, leadership ability, time management, creativity, initiative and a significant mastery of skills. Each girl must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and implementing her project, which must benefit the community and have long lasting impact. Since 1916, girls have successfully answered the call to go gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world.

Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.