A good skate: Scouts upgrade Ted Williams Camp park
Troop members, from left, Avery Vanihinger, Makenna Bradshaw, Allison Foster, Mayson Steder and Lily Goldsmith. Photos by Sandy Quadros Bowles
Avery Vanihinger, left, and Lily Goldsmith at the mural they are painting.
Troop members, from left, Avery Vanihinger, Makenna Bradshaw, Allison Foster, Mayson Steder and Lily Goldsmith. Photos by Sandy Quadros Bowles
Avery Vanihinger, left, and Lily Goldsmith at the mural they are painting.
LAKEVILLE -- Through creativity, determination and 50 hours of hard work, local Cadette Girl Scouts are skating their way to a silver award.
Members of the Freetown Lakeville Cadette Troop 82251 have cleaned and painted the skate park at Ted Williams Camp to give the facility a fresh new look.
They are also painting a mural on one of the ramps and adding a first aid kit to help skaters stay safe.
That work is scheduled to earn them a silver award, which is the highest award a Cadette girl scout in grades 6-8 can earn as part of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts.
The silver award, the rough equivalent of an Eagle Scout designation in Boy Scouts, requires the girls to identify and complete a project to help the community.
The girls selected the skate park renovations “to raise awareness about skatepark safety and etiquette and encourage kids and families to help make the park a positive community space,’’ Cadette Lily Goldsmith said.
“Through this project, we are using our voices to raise awareness about skatepark safety and etiquette and encouraging kids and families to help make the park a positive community space,’’ she said in a presentation Sept. 19 at the newly refurbished park.
Skateparks teach lessons that go beyond riding, she said. Learning a new skill, or falling and trying again, takes courage, perseverance, confidence and problem-solving, she noted in her talk.
The girls met with the Lakeville Parks Department to get approval for their plan.
For the safety component of their work they “researched common injuries and safety issues at skateboard parks and examined what was needed,’’ Cadette Scout Avery Vanihinger said.
The work was overseen by troop leaders Ashley Foster, Alicia Vanihinger and Niki Edington.
Avery Vanihinger and Goldsmith are also painting a mural on one of the ramps. The mural depicts features sunflowers and rainbows, which were chosen specifically.
Sunflowers, Goldsmith said, “bring joy and have a positive impact’’ while rainbows “show there’s joy everywhere in the world.’’
