Find out more →]]>

Help us design the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians council patch.

GSCSA is sponsoring a patch design contest to highlight our Girl Scout council. Designs must be appropriate for all Girl Scouts and submitted exactly as directed.

Eligibility
The contest is open to all registered Girl Scouts in grades K-12 and adults. Entries must be submitted individually. You may enter the contest only once.

All entries must:

• be done in full color.
• be designed by person submitting the design.
• be no bigger than an 8 ½ by 11 inch white piece of paper.
• contain the full council name (Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians) or initials (GSCSA).
• include the following information: designer’s name, troop number and troop leader (if girl), level in Girl Scouting, phone number, email address, and home address.

Judging
The Volunteer Appreciation Task Force will judge all entries, choosing a winner from each age level and the final GSCSA council patch selection.

Other Information

• There will be one winning design per age level (Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, Adult) and a grand prize winner whose patch will be reproduced as the GSCSA council patch.
• Designer must keep a copy of design until the end of the contest. The winner will be announced at the Annual Meeting to be held at the downtown Marriott in Knoxville on April 21 at 12:30 p.m.
• The first 50 designers to submit will receive the new GSCSA patch free after the contest has concluded.
• Original artwork will not be returned to the winner.
• GSCSA retains the right to make modifications to the final design as necessary to produce the patch to meet GSUSA standards.
• Entries that do not meet the specifications or are not submitted by March 15, 2012, will be disqualified.
• All entries become property of GSCSA.

Deadline
Mail, email or bring your design to your local service center by March 15, 2012. All mailed entries must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2012. E-mail submissions and questions may be sent to Amanda Meade at ameade@girlscoutcsa.org.

Find out more →]]> March 12 commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the first troop in Savannah, Georgia. This year is our 100th birthday!

We celebrate our birthday during Girl Scout Week, starting with Girl Scout Sunday and ending with Girl Scout Sabbath on Saturday. This weeklong celebration allows members all faiths to celebrate on their chosen day of worship.

This year’s Girl Scout week is March 11 – 17.

The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians has created a flyer that can be distributed in worship bulletins, printed out double-sided and then cut and handed out as stand-alone flyers, shared through an electronic newsletter, or shown as part of an A/V presentation.

Click here for a printable version of the flyer. In the Girl Scout spirit of conservation, we are allowing each troop to print its own flyers, rather than ordering large quantities that are difficult to distribute and might go to waste.

Beyond distributing flyers, girls are encouraged to take an active role at their place of worship and be recognized as a Girl Scout. If a place of worship is the troop sponsor, girls may want to volunteer to perform a service such as greeting, ushering, or doing a flag ceremony.

Find out more →]]> Girl Scouts Forever Green, our 100th Anniversary Take Action Project, is a global effort to improve the environment and protect natural resources. Our council is participating in the Reuse portion of the project in February and making a yearlong commitment to environmental efforts.

For your convenience, a single website has all the information you need to complete the project from beginning to end. Simply go to http://girlscouts.org/gsforevergreen/ for all the details you need to be Forever Green.

Help reduce waste!

Here’s one project you can do to help reduce our use of plastics.

Learn how to turn an old t-shirt into a reusable bag.

Find out more →]]> Wear comfortable shoes and bring a snack for a day of exploring the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center. You’ll see what the facility always has to offer and get a look at special scout programming available for troops.

The center’s mission is to promote environmental stewardship through conservation, education, and research, and by connecting people with the land.

Date: March 10
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Fee: Free for scouts in uniform
One adult per scout is admitted for half-price
Location: Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center, 400 Garden Road

For more information, call (423) 821-1160, ext. 0.

Click here for the event flyer or visit their website for more information.

Find out more →]]> Your troop is invited to join the Seneca Service Unit’s Totally 80s Mall Madness Slumber Party at Hamilton Place Mall. Girls will rock out to music, have lots of activities to choose from, and even make crafts. Girls get a patch, and everyone gets a T-shirt to remember the fun night.

Date: May 4 – May 5
Time: 10 p.m. – 5 a.m.
Location: Hamilton Place Mall
Cost: $25 Girl Scout
$10 Chaperones and Volunteers
One troop leader is admitted free with her troop

The registration deadline is March 1 with no exceptions.

For more information, contact Kreistie Lewis, the service unit’s event coordinator, at (423) 355-0506 or tru2yababy@yahoo.com.

Click here for the event flyer and registration sheet.

Find out more →]]> Your service center’s Girl Scout shop is making changes to improve customer service. Here are some of the items you’ll find on our shelves:

• The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting (discounted to $16.87 through March12)
• New Badges
• Journey Activity and Skill Building Sets
• Cookie Merchandise (while supplies last)

You can’t miss each shop’s section dedicated to 2012 Year of the Girl merchandise, including totes, badges, buttons, stickers, and a themed T-shirt.

We will have camp merchandise in time for spring troop camping and summer resident camp. Look for collapsible water bottles and other items geared for camp.

Meanwhile, we are closing out some council branded merchandise, and don’t forget that last year’s cookie dough expires on February 28.

Find out more →]]> Individuals and troops are invited to an 10-hour scrapbook crop sponsored by Troop 40109.

Date: April 21
Time: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: White Oak United Methodist Church
2232 Lyndon Avenue, Chattanooga
Fee: $50 per person (Get a $10 discount if you register by March 1.)

The fee includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, a raffle and door prizes. Classes are available, and vendors will be on-site for shopping and make and takes. Bring your own snacks or shop from the troops bake and beverage sale. Register by April 1 to reserve your space.

Click here for registration information.

Find out more →]]> Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to the International Tea in Johnson City.

Girls will use “passports” as they go on a scavenger hunt to visit 23 booths representing countries from around the globe.

This is one of our most popular annual events, with approximately 400 girls in attendance. It is hosted by the Woodland Oaks Service Unit.

Date: March 24
Location: 111 Legion Street, Johnson City
Time: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Fee: $7 for Girl Scouts and $5 for others

For more information, contact Stephanie Duncan at dssecd63@earthlink.net.

Click for more information and registration form.

Find out more →]]> The Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Diocese of Knoxville cordially invites you a special luncheon as the Most Reverend Richard F. Stika recognizes diocesan scouting programs and leadership. This luncheon honors adult volunteers for the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America, and the American Heritage Girls for their service to Catholic youth in the diocese.

In recognition of this faith-based partnership, GSCSA would like to pay the $15 luncheon fee for adult volunteers who would like to join council staff at this event. Please e-mail Jeri Engle  no later than March 1 to make a reservation.

Date: March 24
Time: 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: All Saints Church Parish Hall
620 North Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville

Find out more →]]> The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is hosting several events just for Girl Scouts.
To sign up for any of these activities, please call 865-482-1074 or sign up online at childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

All Girl Scouts

International Festival
Enjoy an exciting day at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge’s International Festival. Daisies will spend the day enjoying the entertainment, food and crafts with their leader arriving at 10am. Brownies and Juniors will arrive at 8am for separate activities (games, craft, a scavenger hunt in our new “Kids Go Green garden-weather permitting, and more). In your reserved room eat lunch at noon and a special show of “Spice of India”. Come and share the excitement of experiencing the foods, games, ceremonies, dances, music, storytelling, and exhibits from more than 15 countries. Attending Brownies and Juniors will receive an International Festival Patch. All girl scouts must register in advance.

For inquires contact Janice Reedy at jreedy@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Date: February 18, 2012
Time: 8am for Brownies & Juniors, 10am for Daisies
Fee: Regular Admission of $9 for Daisies, $14 for Brownies & Juniors
Limit: 45 brownies, 35 Juniors
Deadline: February 14, 2012
Tagalongs: Must pay Festival admission: Adults $11, Seniors (62 & Older) $10, children 3-17, $9, 2 & under free

Brownies

Pottery
Join our professional potter Sherrie Carris to create beautiful clay art. She will talk about where clay comes from, teach two clay building techniques and how to handle clay with care. You will hand-build a pot and sculpture in clay, then paint and glaze. Bring a sack lunch and a drink.

Ages: Brownies
Date: Saturdays February 25, March 17, & April 14
Time: 10am-2pm
Fee: $12.00 girls, 2 adults needed to help
Limit: min 10, max 20
Deadline: November 5, 2011

Brownie Adventure Hike
Explore the “Kids go Green” trail with expert Bucky Smith. Learn what gear to take with you,, try out a hiking skill, pack a snack, and go on a scavenger hunt. Bring a nose-bag lunch with something munchy, crunchy, sweet, and juicy.

Ages: Brownies
Date: April 14, 2012
Time: 9 am–1 pm–Bring a nose-bag lunch
Fee: $10 girls, 2 adults needed to help
Limit: 20
Deadline: March 23, 2012

Cadettes

Book art
First, learn how a book is made by taking it apart and restructuring it into an altered book. The second project- make an accordion or star book from various types of paper. Your final project will be to create a memory book or personal journal pulling it together using various binding techniques. Bring a sack lunch and a drink.

Date: March 17, 2012 Deadline: March 10, 2012
or April 7, 2012 Deadline: March 31, 2012
Time: 10am-2:30pm
Fee: $10 girls, 2 adults needed to help
Limit: 20