Community Troop Spotlight: St. Helena Elementary
Third grade girls at St. Helena Elementary in Norfolk, Virginia are benefitting from a partnership with Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast (GSCCC) and our Community Troop program. Rochelle McMorris, a Norfolk Public Schools (K-4) math specialist, and GSCCC's Community Troop Manager Tameika Hopkins, are helping girls who may not have easy access to Girl Scouts otherwise, have opportunities to grow within the Girl Scout Leadership Experience through the Community Troop Program. Community Troops are led by trained Girl Scout staff members, called community troop specialists, who guide girls through activities in various schools, churches and community centers, as well as virtually.
Girls take part in engaging, challenging, and fun activities like earning badges, traveling, selling cookies, exploring science, getting outdoors, and doing community service projects—all part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. They also participate in activities that interest them while building skills along the way. Community Troop Manager Tameika Hopkins said, "St. Helena Elementary requested art-based badges for their students. They recently earned their Jeweler badge with plans to earn their Painting badge."
We believe that all girls deserve the opportunity to develop into tomorrow’s leaders, and when girls participate in Girl Scouts, they benefit in five important ways:
- They develop a strong sense of self;
- They display positive values;
- They seek challenges and learn from setbacks;
- They form and maintain healthy relationships; and
- They learn to identify and solve problems in their community.
The Community Troop Program serves girls in grades K-12. Approximately 1,000 girls participate annually and all girls in the program come from communities within our Council.
