Wake Forest Girl Scout Breanne Smith of Wake Forest has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
For her Gold Award project, Happy Smiles, Smith hosted dental hygiene workshops for children to encourage them to regularly brush and floss their teeth and to visit the dentist.
After shadowing her dentist during appointments, she recognized that many children developed multiple cavities after eating sugary foods without brushing their teeth after, and that some feared visiting the dentist. This inspired her to develop a lesson plan about proper dental hygiene practices, which she taught to approximately 100 children at local schools and at Girl Scout troop meetings.
She further engaged them by singing songs, doing crafts, and putting on a puppet show that encouraged brushing, flossing, and healthy eating. Smith collected donations from local dentist offices and was able to provide the children with goodie bags containing dental hygiene products. She received much positive feedback on her workshops, and created a website with her lesson plans so that she can continue to share the importance of maintaining a healthy mouth.
Smith is the daughter of Scott Smith and Karen Ron and is a senior at Franklin Academy High School. She has been in Girl Scouts since 2004 and is in Girl Scout Troop #3836 led by Sheila Haines, Karen Ron, and Jenny Chang. In addition to Girl Scouting, she is active in National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and Junior Civitan. She is on her school’s cross country and swim teams and volunteers at St. Luke’s Youth Ministry.
“Through her project, Breanne has demonstrated she possesses the proven qualities of a community leader and the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement,” said Lisa Jones, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines. “She recognized a need in her community and took action to create a sustainable response.”
