Gold Award Spotlight: Reading and Literacy Access for Students

Girl Scout Macayla B. was awarded the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts, for taking action to create a library space at Northeast Academy for Aerospace & Advanced Technologies (NEAAAT).

NEAAAT, located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, is an innovative regional public school that fuels students with STEM-related skills to prepare them for the global workforce. Macayla graduated from the school this year, but made sure to leave a legacy behind with her Gold Award project.

The school was founded on the campus of an area college where NEAAAT students had library access. The school now operates in an independent and nontraditional space and does not have an area designated for use as a library. In addition, NEAAAT is listed as a Title I school, a school where at least 40% of the student body comes from low-income households, and relies on special funding for projects and renovations. Macayla recognized that a library, while not in the school’s budget, was a need for students who may not have ready access to reading materials elsewhere.

Macayla decided to help the school and its students with this added resource by creating a mobile lending library. She enlisted a team of volunteers and, with their help, collected over 850 donated books. Once the donations were collected, the books were each labeled, organized, and filed onto donated bookshelves. Macayla also created an online catalogue so that books can be checked out and taken home.

This project would not have been made possible if I had not had the courage to stand up and create change in my community,” Macayla said. “With this change, I hope that other students will also feel inspired to create change where they see fit, and not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.”

Congratulations, Macayla!

6/14/2024: Macayla was featured in The Daily Advance.

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