Clear-Lake-area Girl Scout achieves Gold Award

Girl Scout Senior Trezlyn Garza recently earned the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Gold Award.

Garza, along with fellow Girl Scout Senior Marie Ann Ridenour, spent more than nine months teaching mentally handicapped, non-verbal children sign language throughout Houston. She taught sign language to more than 14 interested groups, including the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, and to students at Houston and Kemah schools. She also helped develop eight student books and two teacher books, each with 134 pages containing all the signs taught to the students.

“I learned that I could help younger children, handicapped or not, learn the use of sign language in the real world,” said Garza, a senior at Clear Lake High School.

The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve. Less than five percent of girls who join Girl Scouts earn this recognition. It takes more than 100 service hours and two to three years of work to complete the award requirements, which include planning and completing a project that is a service to the community.

As a Girl Scout, Garza earned her Silver award and enjoys camping, backpacking and nursing. After graduation, she plans to join the Air Force.