Patch Blog: Girl Scouts Repair Tile Mosaic Mural at Mt. Washington Elementary

The last thing you should do is underestimate us.  We are Girl Scout Troop 1955 and we are here to make the world a better place.  To help prove this point, at the end of June 2011 four Mt. Washington Junior Girl Scouts – Molly, Isabella, Maggie, and Kestral - spent two of their first five days of summer vacation going back to school.  They weren’t sitting in a classroom, nor were they playing on the playground.  They were gaining practical skills, doing something they’ve never done before, and becoming connected to their local community in the process.

It all started when I stopped by for “Coffee with the Principal,” a Friday morning monthly ritual created by Mt. Washington Elementary's new principal Elizabeth Valentino.  Ms. Valentino noted that the tile mosaic was falling apart.  For years the mosaic wall mural along the walkway down to the lower yard had been in a state of disrepair.  The grouting was not finished properly and recently tiles had been falling off or were being knocked off by less than honorable characters.   Girl Scouts to the rescue. 

We came, we conquered, we grouted

Had any of the girls repaired a tile wall before?  No. As a Girl Scout leader, did I know anything about tiling?  Definitely not.  But Girl Scouts love a challenge – and undertaking this project was to be no exception.  After a little searching we found our “angel in contractor clothes” – Rick Herran.  Rick, both a kind father and local member of our community, graciously donated his time, tools, and expertise to teach the girls how to tile and repair the wall.     

With Rick’s guidance the scouts learned to use tools such as trowels, floats, and hammers (the last of which was used for breaking the tiles into mosaic pieces).  They mixed and applied Thinset, reconstructed the original design with newly broken tile, and then grouted two tile walls.  Two days later a previously unfinished project in disrepair was now a gleaming finished work of art.   

But they’re just girls

Whether it’s planting native grasses on the hillside or repairing a mosaic tile mural, the girls of Troop 1955 demonstrate what happens when we become active members of our community.   The entire Girl Scout program, regardless of the project, is designed to create leadership outcomes.  This summer four girls learned what they were capable of accomplishing together.  They worked together as a team, learned by doing, and expanded their contribution to their community.  As we wrapped up the last day, I asked the girls to stand back, take a look at their work, and be proud.  I told them, come early September, they could walk into school, see the wall, and say “I did that.” 

In the coming fall the Girl Scouts will be brain-storming on new ways to team together and make a difference.  Just wait and see what we do next!