Skip to main content

Md. teen wins scouting award for restoring garden

By WTOP Staff

ED WATERS Jr.
The Frederick News-Post

THURMONT, Md. (AP) — A Thurmont teen has won the Girl Scout Gold Award by restoring a historic garden.

Hannah Barth, 17, a student at Catoctin High School and member of Troop 81200, spent nearly 80 hours clearing the garden at the Creeger House, 11 N. Church St., and placing heirloom plants in the beds.

The heirlooms, Hannah explained, are native plants that were in the original garden in the 1800s. The plants were donated by residents and organizations for the project.

“The Gold Award is more difficult than the (Boy Scout) Eagle Award because it has to have global impact, not just a local impact,” said Carie Stafford, Hannah’s troop leader.

Hannah likes horticulture and has taken courses in the field at Catoctin High, she said. Her goal is to go to college to study biology or chemistry. She is vice president of the Catoctin FFA.

Hannah began working on the project early this year and has been physically working in the garden since May.

“I took out what wasn’t historically accurate and put in native plants,” she said.

Hannah said she saw the garden as an opportunity for a Gold Award.

A Girl Scout must get approval for a Gold Award project, said Kay Barth, Hannah’s mother, who served as her troop leader several years ago. “There is a lot of planning involved.”

The process included submitting the project idea to the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, then working with a mentor, filing a 17-page report. Hannah’s mentor was Camille D’Anunnzio-Szymczak, of Virginia, who holds a doctorate in math. She worked on the project with Hannah via telephone and email.

The project itself was also labor-intensive, Kay Barth said.

“There were a lot of nonheirloom plants, ground cover and other growth. Many of today’s plants are hybrids, not true heirloom plants, but made to make them hardy. Hannah wanted to be accurate to the 1800s.”

Hannah’s presentation board, on display at the Creeger House, shows the initial overgrowth, the work in progress and finished garden. She also made an album of photos and information on the various plants; she installed signs identifying each plant in the garden.

A “global impact” aspect of the project included recycling and reuse of materials. Hannah made a new trellis for a climbing rose of three broken ones. She used many perennial plants that don’t need maintenance and made a French drain using sand and gravel so water would go back into the ground.

Boy Scout Troop 270, other girls from her troop and Venturing Crew 270, a team of boys and girls, helped with the initial clearing of the garden.

Stafford said Hannah was the first Gold Award recipient for the troop as long as she could remember, and the first Gold Award winner in two years in Frederick County.

Donna Voellinger, president of the Thurmont Historical Society, commended Hannah and said the project has enhanced the Creeger House, the home of the society, which dates to the early 1800s.

The climbing rose had been planted by the Creeger family, Voellinger said. The rose was placed in a bucket and nurtured until it could be replanted when Hannah finished the trellis.

“She did a fantastic job,” said Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird. “It really added a welcome splash of color to the downtown.”

___

Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote