Recent Seneca Valley graduate makes Girl Scout Gold
Seneca Valley Senior High School alumna Sydney Brower earned the Girl Scout Gold Award after leading a project at the school district focused on food allergy education.
She responded to the issue of young students not understanding the specifics of food allergies by building age-appropriate lessons for fourth- and 10th-grade students that included advocating for friends, reading food labels and understanding epinephrine use. The 10th-grade health teachers and high school curriculum board agreed to teach this lesson each semester, and Brower provided them with slide decks, worksheets and epinephrine training devices.
“I saw an opportunity to help strengthen awareness and understanding,” Brower said. “Food allergies affect about 1 in 13 children, yet they can still be misunderstood. My goal was to help educate others and promote empathy toward students with food allergies.”
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, and is awarded to Scouts who complete a community-oriented service project.
“I have been thoroughly impressed by Sydney‘s initiative and commitment to making a difference,” said Clare Calhoun, Brower’s project adviser and a health educator at Seneca Valley School District. “I am grateful for her efforts and contributions that have enhanced the health curriculum in our school district.”
By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, Brower positions herself as a community leader by advocating for others and utilizing leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart, according to a news release from Seneca Valley School District.
Brower graduated from Seneca Valley High School in May, and now she attends Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. She has been a member of the Girl Scouts for 13 years. She was supported in her Gold Award effort by numerous school district personnel.
A project in progress since July 2023, Brower’s accomplishment will be celebrated in spring 2026 at a ceremony for new Gold Award Girl Scouts in the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Council, according to the news release.
Brower is the daughter of Nick and Tatiana Brower, of Seven Fields.
