By Jaimie Julia Winters
Twenty years ago, Marybeth Kennedy was asked to start a Girl Scout troop at St. Stephen’s School in Kearny. Her daughter was just 3 years old and attending the pre-K program.
Kennedy agreed. What began with 41 young girls in the Daisy program has grown into a multigenerational Kearny tradition, with girls ranging in age from 5 to 18 over the years and 14 adult leaders helping guide them.
As Kearny Girl Scout Troop 12771 is going into its 21st year, Kennedy has had the opportunity to watch generations of girls grow from young Daisies into confident young women, and, in some cases, return to the troop as leaders themselves.
“Five girls have been with me since the first days as Daisies,” Kennedy said. “They have gone to college, got jobs, some got their master’s, got married, and have families. But they are now leaders in the troop and also give their time to other organizations. They chose to stay and give back to their community.”
That decision says something about what Girl Scouts can mean to a young person, Kennedy said. “Their roots are with Scouting. This is their home.”
Join the Girl Scouts!
The troop plans to hold an open house Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scout House, 635 Kearny Ave. Girls 5-18 can learn more about the Girl Scout experience in Kearny.
Building leaders
Troop 12771 has expanded alongside its original members. As the girls aged, Kennedy added Brownies and older Girl Scout levels. Today, the troop provides opportunities from Daisies through Ambassadors, serving girls from kindergarten through high school.
Kennedy said the program is about far more than badges and activities. She sees Girl Scouts as a place where girls learn to become leaders, take pride in their community, and recognize that problems can be opportunities to make a difference.
“Kids are told what to do all the time,” Kennedy said. “In Scouts, they come up with their solutions.”
Rather than simply being handed answers, the girls are encouraged to collaborate, consider different points of view, and work toward solutions that take those perspectives into account. Kennedy said that process helps girls understand that there are issues beyond their immediate surroundings—and that they have the ability to do something about them.
Making a difference
Over the years, Troop 12771 members have taken that philosophy into the community through a variety of service projects. Their efforts have included supporting Trap-Neuter-Return programs for cats and making donations to domestic violence shelters. The girls have also participated in civic events, veterans programs, and local community activities. Their commitment to service has earned the troop and its members recognition, including Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.
The Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, has already been achieved by three members of Troop 12771.
In 2022, Kennedy’s daughter, Faith, became the first member of the troop to earn the award after creating an innovation center in the Girl Scout house. Vanessa Costa earned her Gold Award by raising awareness about cuts to school arts budgets and creating a free program offering music, dance, and speech opportunities for children. Ava Landowski focused her Gold Award project on breast cancer awareness.
Three more girls are currently working toward their Gold Awards, while five are pursuing Silver Awards and 12 have earned Bronze Awards.
A trip to remember
The troop’s accomplishments aren’t limited to individual awards. Last year, members raised enough money to take the girls to Washington, D.C., where they participated in a particularly memorable ceremony: laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. For young Scouts, experiences like that can turn lessons about community, service, and history into something tangible.
It is also part of what Kennedy believes makes the Kearny troop special — the opportunity for girls to experience things they might not otherwise encounter while working alongside their peers.
A community behind them
Kennedy credits Kearny itself for helping the troop thrive.
“Kearny is amazing,” she said, pointing to the town’s many nonprofit and community organizations that regularly give back.
The Girl Scouts have worked with the fire department, Boy Scouts, the Women’s Club, and other local organizations. That network has allowed the girls to see firsthand how different groups contribute to the community and to become part of that work in the future.
The troop is also connected to the Kearny Scout House, which opened March 20, 1960, and has served as a meeting place and resource for West Hudson Scouting programs.
Looking toward the next 20 years
After two decades, Kennedy isn’t looking back so much as looking ahead. The troop plans to hold an open house Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scout House, 635 Kearny Ave., with the goal of introducing more younger girls and families to the Girl Scout experience.
Last year, the troop focused primarily on girls in fifth grade and older. This year, Kennedy hopes to expand again, creating opportunities for Daisies and younger Scouts while continuing to serve older girls. The goal is to make sure the tradition continues.
For Kennedy, the most rewarding part of the past 20 years may not be the awards, trips, or accomplishments. It is seeing girls who once arrived as young Daisies become women who continue to serve their communities and then choose to give that experience to the next generation.
Twenty years after Kennedy was first asked to start a troop for her daughter’s classmates, Troop 12771 is still growing. And if Kennedy has her way, the next generation of Kearny Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to find the same sense of belonging, leadership, and community that has kept the troop together for two decades.
