Design Detectives - Day 6

Day 6 Design Detectives – This is the final installment of the Design Detectives! Day 6 was spent showing off all the cool challenges we did all week to our parents, GSHS Staff and Miss Wendy from GSUSA. The girls presented their final Re-Designs to the audience and all did an outstanding job!!!

Thank you to Janis from the Memphis office who came down to hang out with us for the last two days of the week to take pictures and video of the girls and their projects.

Thank you to all of you who have followed us this week via our Blog and FacebookJ

Design Detectives - Day 5

Day 5 – Today was the last full day of Design Detectives. The girls finished working on their re-design projects to present in front of their parents, GSHS staff and Ms. Wendy Friedman, Project Research Analyst from GSUSA. The Design Detectives also created a Kicking Machine and tried their hands at Marble Madness. It was another great day at Design Detectives.

GSHS Regional Program Specialist, Marlowe Brownlow, who organized Design Detectives and who spent the week with the girls had this to say, "The week comes to a close tomorrow at the Re-Design Presentation. I know I can speak for the adults who worked with the 17 wonderful young ladies and say that we will greatly miss having these girls around everyday. Girls you hold the world in your hands and I am confident that you will make this world a better place. Thank you for joining us this week."

Design Detectives - Day 4

Today the Design Detectives worked on making Rubber Band Cars, finished their re-designs of their Paper Tables and started their Re-Design Projects. We were joined by Laura from the Memphis Service Center who came down to see what this group of creative young ladies have been doing all week!

COMMUNITY EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

JUNE 25, 2010

JULY 2010: THE ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, is searching for a select group of young people to serve on our Youth Advisory Board (for 2010-2011) and roll up their sleeves for a few hours a month of critical thinking, engaging conversations, good fun, new friendships, and high-profile leadership.

Applicants must be between the ages of 8 and 17 years old when membership begins July 2010 and live in the United States. Interested youth can visit empowerme2b.org for more information.

Design Detectives - Day 3

Day 3 Update – The Design Detectives took a trip to the Sardis Dam Field Office today and met up with Mr. Dale who is a Civil/Electrical Engineer. Mr. Dale showed us around the Dam and spillway area of Sardis Lake. We got to explore the inside of the Dam’s control room, saw the area that is used to keep the Dam from breaking apart in case of an earthquake and other really neat sites that keep the Dam in working order. Even Mr. Tim our bus driver enjoyed today’s fieldtrip. After eating lunch at Sardis Lake we got back to work and learned about open and closed circuits using lights & buzzers and made sections of a dance pad like the video game Dance, Dance, Revolution. We also had three visitors today: Raleigh and Stacey from the Memphis Service Center and Natalie from the Jackson Service Center. We are looking forward to more visitors during the final three days of Design Detectives.

Girl Scout to Testify at Congressional Hearing on Cyberbullying

Courtesy of GSUSA Blog Posted: 22 Jun 2010 11:07 AM PDT

In testimony to the U.S. House Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, Girl Scout Dominique Napolitano, 15, from Long Island, New York, will discuss cyberbulling from a teenager’s perspective. As part of her presentation to the subcommittee chaired by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Dominque will explore the challenges young people face in navigating life online and dealing with the bullying that takes place online and through social media. Awesome!

Girl Scouts of the USA is continuing to take the lead in highlighting the importance of online safety for girls, highlighting their innovative online safety campaign called LMK (Let Me Know), launched by Girl Scouts of the USA and Microsoft Windows. LMK (Let Me Know) has been previously featured at the California’s Women’s Conference in Long Beach, CA, and at the Family Online Safety Institute 3rd Annual Conference in Washington DC.

While the full scope of online threats, such as cyberbullying, are difficult to measure, we do know that nearly one in six U.S. children grades six to 10 (that’s 3.2 million students) are victims of online bullying each year, according to the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges. Bullying is not "just a phase" or behavior in which "kids will be kids." The repercussions of cyberbullying can be so grave that at least 13 U.S. states have passed or are proposing laws to make it a crime.
LMK includes an interactive Web site for parents and girls, as well as an e-newsletter for parents. The e-newsletter and parent site are designed to provide parents with guidance and also serve as a tool to help families have open and honest conversations about the dangers that lurk in cyberspace.

Kudos to Dominique!

Design Detectives - Day 2

Today the Design Detectives spent the morning at GE Aviation in Batesville, MS. This was a first for GE Aviation and Girl Scouts Heart of the South. We toured the plant where they make parts for the engines of Boeing airplanes. After the tour we met up with 5 of the plants women engineers from various fields, one was a Chemical Engineer, one an Environmental Engineer, two were Industrial Engineers and the last was a Mechanical Engineer. The Design Detectives were able to learn about what type of schooling is required to be an engineer, how much they earn in their careers and what our new friends do at the GE plant. We spent the rest of the day working on our engineering challenges for the day.

Design Detectives - Day 1

Monday June 21st

Today at Design Detectives, girls learned about the Design Process that engineers use when they are dreaming up new items for us to use in our day to day lives.

The girls designed and made a ‘Better Paperclip’, started to build their toothpick bridges and built a table out of cardboard, newspaper and duct tape. We also took a field trip to Ace Hardware in Oxford where we got to see all the tools and building materials that some engineers use in their careers.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

JUNE 18, 2010

JUNE 19: GIRLS' GOLF DAY
Come join the Mid-South Junior Golf Association/The First Tee of Memphis for Girls' Golf Day! Just for girls, food, fun, games and a introduction to the wonderful world of golf.

When: Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Firestone Park, 900 Firestone Ave. Memphis, TN 38107
Cost: FREE!

CLICK HERE for event flyer and registration information.


JULY 2010: THE ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, is searching for a select group of young people to serve on our Youth Advisory Board (for 2010-2011) and roll up their sleeves for a few hours a month of critical thinking, engaging conversations, good fun, new friendships, and high-profile leadership.

Applicants must be between the ages of 8 and 17 years old when membership begins July 2010 and live in the United States. Interested youth can visit empowerme2b.org for more information.

Product Sale Top Sellers and Drawing Winners

Girl Scouts Heart of the South Product Sale Top Sellers and Drawing Winners

Congratulations to all of our girls for their hard work this year!

2009 Fall Product Sale Top Sellers
Girl’s Name Service Unit Troop # $ Amount Sold
# 1 Monica Byers Benton 40059 $2,558.00
#2 Melissa Flowers Whitehaven 10131 $1,630.00
#3 Kimberlee Roberts Carroll 40455 $1,450.00
#4 Symeria Purnell Leflore 30093 $1,235.00
#5 Fran’kesha House Leflore 30093 $1,223.00


2009 Fall Product Sale Drawing Winner
Girl’s Name Service Unit Troop # Prize
O’lecia James Bolivar 30144 Nintendo Wii


2010 Cookie Sale Top Sellers
Girl’s Name Service Unit Troop # # Boxes Sold
#1 Ruth Black Crit-Ark 10636 4500
#2 Katherine Tackitt Itawamba 20611 4369
#3 Victoria Vaughn Cordova 10723 2729
#4 Megan Brown Cordova 10468 2656
#5 Kimberlee Roberts Carroll 40455 2539


2010 Cookie Sale Drawing Winners
Girl’s Name Service Unit Troop # Prize
Mikyle Smith Bolivar 30144 Karaoke Machine
Karrington Thomas Olive Branch/Byhalia 10685 Karaoke Machine
Kimberlee Roberts Carroll 40455 Karaoke Machine
Kellee Mitchell Southoak 10116 Nintendo Dsi
Jassmine Dickson Horn Lake/Walls 10224 Nintendo Dsi
Corandriea Pledge Winston 20157 Nintendo Dsi
Lauren Morris Southoak 10789 Sony PSP
Brandi Smith Tishomingo 20037 Sony PSP
Ariel Lawrence Lee 20095 Sony PSP
Emily Marshall Pontotoc 20350 iPod Touch
Katherine Tackitt Itawamba 20611 iPod Touch
Kenyetta Gatewood Leflore 30093 iPod Touch
Bethany Hardy Southaven 10208 Nintendo Wii
Jamesha Hodge SWS-West 10482 Nintendo Wii
Joely Smith Gibson 4008 Nintendo Wii

Join Us at the Field of Greens!

Top Three Reasons to Visit the Field of Greens This Summer

1. Keep your girls connected over the summer! Schedule a fun day at Shelby Farms where your troop can take advantage of all the things the park has to offer: picnic, explore the trails, see the bison, paddleboat on the lake and visit the Field of Greens. What more information about the park to help you plan? Visit the park’s website at www.shelbyfarmspark.org.
2. Be a part of our very first Girl Scouts Heart of the South council-wide take action project! Troops have an opportunity to come out and work in our Field of Greens, a garden that feeds the community. All harvested produce goes to the Memphis Food Bank.
3. Earn a special patch! Girls who visit the garden at least three times between now and September 1st will earn a special Field of Greens patch. Girls and adults that attend at least once will receive an invitation to our Harvest Festival in the fall… a great way to start off the new Girl Scout year!

Click here to register your troop for a visit to the Field of Greens.

Questions? Contact Raleigh Walker at raleigh.walker@girlscoutshs.org.

Bridging Memphis Youth With The World

The Mid-South Minority Business Council Presents the "2GMBE: Developing the Next Generation of Global Entrepreneurs" on Tuesday June 29, 2010 from 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
at the Memphis Cook Convention Center's Exhibit Hall. The exhibit hall will be open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Second Generation Minority Business Entrepreneurship (2GMBE) seminar will provide young people with an alternative avenue to economic prosperity—entrepreneurship. This session will present reasons to start businesses while young, showcase young Memphis entrepreneurs that have built successful global business partnerships, and MMBC will “dial-up” new opportunities for our young people to partner with other young people from around the world.

Special Guest: Deidra Shores, Memphis’ own winner of the Today Show Kid Reporter Contest

Girls Scouts & their parent /guardian(s) are invited to attend this event for FREE!

Tickets are needed for admission into the seminar & the exhibit hall.

Tickets are limited and offered on a “first come-first served” basis!

Get yours today! Contact Tosca Nance at Girl Scouts Heart of the South, 800.727.8104 or Tosca.Nance@girlscoutshs.org

Free WWMD Kit Offer to all Girl Scouts

Environmental Service Two for One Deal!

Participate in BOTH World Water Monitoring Day and National Public Lands Day and Get a FREE Test Kit

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is partnering for the second year with National Public Lands Day (NPLD) to offer 100 free water test kits. To receive a free kit, sites must register with WWMD and indicate that they are affiliated with NPLD, or register with NPLD and indicate that they are affiliated with WWMD (registration is free through both programs).

Participation in the WWMD program can help Girl Scouts earn credit toward the "Get With the Land" or "Water Drop" patches. Kits will be shipped between now and September as long as supplies last. Please contact wwmd@wef.org with questions.



About WWMD:
In 2006, the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) developed a partnership with World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD). Through the WWMD program, Girl Scouts learn about the quality of their local waters by testing for dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and turbidity (or clarity). These parameters represent basic elements that help determine water quality. Girl Scouts then submit their data into the worldwide database, where it is included in the annual WWMD report produced at the end of monitoring activities performed each year. In 2009, Girl Scouts participated from 32 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Records show that 248 sites were monitored and nearly 2,200 Girl Scout

United Way of West Tennessee's 2010 Day of Action

This year's Day of Action will be focusing on flood relief and disaster recovery. We will be assisting local food banks and disaster recovery efforts throughout West Tennessee.

Take Action Today!

Where: In communities throughout West Tennessee
When: June 21, 2010
Why: To assist those affected by the recent floods and economic conditions
How: 1) By donating food and supplies
2) Cleaning up homes and areas impacted by the flooding

Projects:
Are you doing local projects either through a County's Disaster Recovery Services, local church or agency or if you are helping a friend or neighbor; let us know. The recent floods left some with a large mess and many with out a home. Let us all work together to clean it all up.

Donate Today!

Suggested Food Items Needed:
Canned Meat, pasta, spaghettios, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, tuna, rice, beans, chili, canned stew, canned soups, canned meals and jars of baby food

Suggested Disaster Recovery Items: (please only donate new items)
Five-gallon buckets, bug spray, cleaning supplies, his & her shaving cream, his and her razors, soap, shampoo, his and her deodorant, tooth brush, tooth paste, wash cloths, baby bottles, baby shampoo, Pampers, baby wipes, baby wash/soap, baby oil & lotion, coloring books & crayons

Please bring the items to a local food bank or the United Way office. PLEASE notify the United Way of your project or amount collected.

To register or if you have questions, please contact us at:
United Way of West Tennessee
1341 North Highland Avenue
Jackson, TN 38301

(731) 422-1816 or Call 2-1-1

give@unitedway.tn.org

Day of Action History
Each year, United Ways across the country mobilize communities to advance the common good on the National Day of Action. Held on June 21, the longest day of the year, with more daylight hours than any other, The Day of Action is the perfect day and the perfect way to show what it means to

LIVE UNITED.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

JUNE 4, 2010

JUNE 5:COVINGTON FISHING RODEO
Covington (TN) Fishing Rodeo tomorrow morning at First Baptist Church, located at Hastings Way and Hwy. 59 South, from 7:30-11 a.m. Children
under age 13 are welcomed to participate!

JUNE 12: SHINE THE LINE: SHELBY FARMS GREENLINE VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UP
The Shelby Farms Greenline opens in a few short months and this your chance to get involved in this historic project. Join hundreds of friends, fans and neighbors of the Shelby Farms Greenline in a massive one-day clean-up effort. We will be meeting at various staging areas along the trail. Be sure to RSVP to get your assignment!

Wear long pants and sturdy shoes. Bring water and gloves and any tools that you may have. A picnic will follow at Shelby Farms Park.

RSVP & more information: Sandee Daniels / 901.767.PARK ext. 309

JUNE 15: PROJECT POLAR BEAR
From goat-mowing patrols to no idle zones—Project Polar Bear is a way for small groups of young people to make a big difference! Our contest challenges teens to create community projects that reduce carbon emissions. Grand Prize teens win a trip to Churchill to see wild polar bears.

Ready, Set, Go!
Polar Bear International (PBI) has extended the deadline for teens in our area to register for Project Polar Bear's Summer Session. The deadline for teens between the ages of 14 and 18 to register for Project Polar Bear is now June 15, 2010. This program is a great way for teens to spend the hot summer working to keep the arctic cold for polar bears.

• Muster up a team of two or three teens (ages 14 to 18), plus an adult advisor to guide you (not to do your project for you!)
• Choose a theme and create your project (follow the link for ideas and inspiration)
• Register with a participating Arctic Ambassador Center zoo near you—or sign up in the "at large" category
  

Please direct all interested teams of teens with an adult advisor to register HERE.

If you are not familiar with PBI's action oriented teen program, visit their Project Polar Bear Contest page.

For further information, contact Kathy Myers with PBI.

Kathy Myers
Director of Programs
Polar Bears International
Cell: 619-248-8721
Fax: 619-639-0301
aac@polarbearsinternational.org


JUNE 19: GIRLS' GOLF DAY
Come join the Mid-South Junior Golf Association/The First Tee of Memphis for Girls' Golf Day! Just for girls, food, fun, games and a introduction to the wonderful world of golf.

When: Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Firestone Park, 900 Firestone Ave. Memphis, TN 38107
Cost: FREE!

CLICK HERE for event flyer and registration information.


JULY 2010: THE ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, is searching for a select group of young people to serve on our Youth Advisory Board (for 2010-2011) and roll up their sleeves for a few hours a month of critical thinking, engaging conversations, good fun, new friendships, and high-profile leadership.

Applicants must be between the ages of 8 and 17 years old when membership begins July 2010 and live in the United States. Interested youth can visit empowerme2b.org for more information.

Design Detectives

Do you want to change the world? Spend the week completing awesome experiments, tons of hands-on activities and engineer your own invention. You’ll have the opportunity to meet women who are engineers and take some exciting field trips. You don’t have to be great at science, or know anything about engineering, or even be a Girl Scout.! Just come to be bold, inventive, and creative, meet new people and have an awesome time! The Design Detectives – Engineering Day Camp is funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of Education.

WHEN: June 21-26
June 21-25: 9 a.m. - 4p.m.
June 26: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

WHO:
Girls entering grades 6-10 in Fall 2010

WHERE:Regents School of Oxford, 14 CR 130, Oxford, MS
COST:$30.00
MIN/MAX: 0/60

TO REGISTER OR FOR QUESTIONS?
Marlowe Brownlow, marlowe.brownlow@girlscoutshs.org
Phone: 662.226.0255
Toll free: 1.888.453.2034

Project Polar Bear's Summer Session

From goat-mowing patrols to no idle zones—Project Polar Bear is a way for small groups of young people to make a big difference! Our contest challenges teens to create community projects that reduce carbon emissions. Grand Prize teens win a trip to Churchill to see wild polar bears.

Check out the dates, rules, themes, and prizes for this year's contest.

Ready, Set, Go!

• Muster up a team of two or three teens (ages 14 to 18), plus an adult advisor to guide you (not to do your project for you!)
• Choose a theme and create your project (follow the link for ideas and inspiration)
• Register with a participating Arctic Ambassador Center zoo near you—or sign up in the "at large" category
  

Polar Bear International (PBI) has extended the deadline for teens in our area to register for Project Polar Bear's Summer Session. The deadline for teens between the ages of 14 and 18 to register for Project Polar Bear is now June 15, 2010. This program is a great way for teens to spend the hot summer working to keep the arctic cold for polar bears.

Please direct all interested teams of teens with an adult advisor to register HERE.

If you are not familiar with PBI's action oriented teen program, visit their Project Polar Bear Contest page.

For further information, contact Kathy Myers with PBI.

Kathy Myers
Director of Programs
Polar Bears International
Cell: 619-248-8721
Fax: 619-639-0301
aac@polarbearsinternational.org

Wall Street Journal Believes in the Business of Cookies

Courtesy of GSUSA Blog

Good Morning Everyone - Take a moment and direct yourself to a fantastic piece in The Wall Street Journal's Blog The Juggle. The article is titled "The Latest Career Training Tools: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs", and it highlights The Girl Scout Cookie Program as a leader in building business skills and savvy in young girls. Definitely read the entire article, and let me know how the Cookie Program has influenced your life and career.