Local Scout earns Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Gold Award

Sarah Christian, a senior at Independence High School, has earned the highest honor in two Scouting organizations: Scouting America and Girl Scouts of the USA. Approximately 6% of Scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout according to greatriverscouting.org and approximately 5% of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, according to the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.

Christian has been a Girl Scout for 13 years. She joined Troop 71176 in kindergarten. She has earned the three highest awards in Girl Scouts: Bronze, Silver and Gold. 

For her Bronze Award project, Christian and her troop built bookshelves and held a collection drive to collect books and board games for the Jennings senior center recreation room. For her Silver Award, she and her troop built benches for the fire circle at the Waterfront site in the Richfield Heritage Preserve.  

In 2019, Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) welcomed young women into their Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scout) program. Christian is a founding member of Troop 652G in Brecksville at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church. 

In 2024, Christian completed her Eagle project. She built three picnic tables and refurbished the outdoor cabinets and countertops at the High Lea campsite in the Richfield Heritage Preserve. 

For her Gold Award Project, Sarah wanted to share the sport of geocaching and promote the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting activity in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device to hide and seek containers throughout the world.

Christian wanted to give back to Camp Manatoc in Peninsula where she spent five summers attending Scouts BSA resident camp. She installed two geocaching courses: one at Camp Manatoc and one at Camp Butler. She held a Cub Scout geocaching workshop and a Scouts BSA Geocaching Merit Badge workshop. 

Camp director for Camp Manatoc, Chris Noga, was pleased with the turnout for the workshops and plans to hold more in the future under her instruction. He also plans to add the Geocaching Merit Badge as an option for summer resident camp in the future. Christian is the first Girl Scout in Northeast Ohio to complete her Gold Award Project at a BSA camp.

Photo caption: Sarah Christian refurbished the outdoor cabinets and countertops at the High Lea campsite in the Richfield Heritage Preserve. Photo submitted.