Submitted by Jennifer Tassmer
(October 8, 2022) —Higganum resident Ava Tassmer (HKHS Class of 2022) recently earned her Gold Award, the most prestigious award a Girl Scout can earn. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn their Gold Award. A minimum of 80 hours is dedicated to planning and carrying out the project, which must benefit the community, be educational, and have long-lasting impact.
Ava has been part of the HKHS cross-country team the past four years; after sustaining multiple injuries, she developed an interest in sports safety. This, combined with her love of cross-country and the HK team, led her to choose a project that was close to her heart and melded these interests.
HK cross-country has an incredible record. This past year, the Boys team won their 11th overall state title, and the Girls team won their 5th state title. Yet the team’s trail system was in great need of repair; washed-out areas had created huge ruts and were putting athletes at risk of injury.
Working closely with mentor, HKHS teacher and cross-country Coach Sean Gallagher, they were able to troubleshoot the issue. With a great work crew, lots of stone and hard work, they were able to create a long-term solution to the erosion issue in that area of the trail. Team Captain Izzy Berardino said “The quality of the trail has really improved. I remember my Sophomore year it was barely runnable, but since Ava’s project, the team has been able to safely run the front trail again.”
Ava also constructed posts that were engraved and painted to mark the miles on the course. In addition, she recreated a map of the course that shows the route and mile markers. This will be used for the HKHS team and for visiting cross-country teams to help home meets run smoothly and safely.
Ava has been a member of Higganum Troop #60772 since kindergarten. Her experiences with the troop and the support she received helped lead her to taking on this enormous project. Ava shared her experience, stating, “This project taught me a lot about overcoming challenges, working with people, and the importance of perseverance. I had a lot of setbacks along the way, but I am glad I kept going and saw it through.”
Ava is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science at the University of Vermont, with plans of becoming a physical therapist.
Photos by Jennifer Tassmer
