Girl Scout Troops 156, 99 and 500 all hosted bridging ceremonies during the month of June, their scouts moving up from one level of scouting to the next.

Scouts from two of those troops also received higher-level awards during those ceremonies as well.

Troop 156, a combined Brownie/Cadette troop run by leader Barbara Valletta, bridged their Brownies to the Junior level in an outdoor ceremony in Cranston earlier last month. Valletta congratulated the girls – who have been together since the kindergarten Daisy Girl Scout level – on their achievements as Brownies, and asked a special family member or friend to assist in the pinning ceremony. The girls will be Juniors when the troop begins its fall schedule and will be at that level for two years, through the fourth and fifth grades.

Troop 99, a Junior Girl Scout troop whose members have also been together since they were Daisies in kindergarten, bridged to the level of Cadette Girl Scouts on June 30. The girls will be Cadette scouts for sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Nicole Whittaker and Desiree Ciambrone have led the troop since its inception, and were recognized for their contributions of both time and talent as they move on at the conclusion of this year. Shannon Young and Christa Haid will be taking over as leaders of the troop in the fall.

During the ceremony, Elizabeth Cowart was awarded the first of three higher-level awards in Girl Scouts, the Bronze Award, along with the “Agent of Change” Girl Scout Journey, for her work with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Providence. After a Girl Scout troop field trip to the Providence RMH in the spring of 2013, Cowart decided to dedicate her birthday party that summer to the cause, organizing the creation of handmade gifts for those staying at the house during her party and requesting gifts and funds for the guests at RMH in place of birthday gifts for herself. At the conclusion of her party, Cowart was able to deliver two large baskets of gifts and supplies to the house.

Troop 500, a troop comprised of girls from Cadettes through Seniors, met at the new Girl Scouts of Southern New England (GSSNE) offices on June 17 for their bridging and awards ceremony. Training specialist Martha Frutchey from GSSNE was the guest speaker at the event. Samantha Evans, one of the scouts who bridged that evening to the Senior level, also earned the Silver Award, her second higher-level award since joining Girl Scouts as a Brownie Girl Scout in the second grade. Evans also earned the Bronze Award along with her troop as a Junior Girl Scout. Evans earned the Silver Award after spending approximately 100 hours volunteering after school at her former elementary school, creating games for the students in a new after school program housed there.

“I created 50 math games for the kindergarteners through sixth-graders there,” she said. “I created packets that had the directions and photos for every game and gave them to the program director so that they could use them after I was done with my project.”

Evans was required to dedicate 50 hours to the planning, organization and implementation of her project, but after volunteering every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m., Evans estimated that her actual hours totaled closer to 100.

“Not everyone earns the Silver Award,” said Frutchey. “This is really a testament to Samantha’s ability to be organized, stay focused and follow through on a project. This is an exhibit of her leadership skills and talents.”

Troop 500 bridged scouts to both the Senior and Ambassador levels and longtime leader Susan Marchetti stepped down to camping coordinator, while co-leader Joanne Evans has stepped up to continue leading the troop in the fall.