Massapequa High School senior Kelly Mullooly returned to her roots for her Girl Scout Gold Award project, leading a composting project for third graders at Birch Lane Elementary School. During a pair of presentations in January, Kelly taught students about the positive effects of waste reduction on the environment, then helped them start their own compost bins.
Kelly’s days in the scouts started when she was a kindergartner at Birch Lane. In fifth grade, her troop did a “No Trash Tuesdays” project for their Bronze Award which encouraged the use of reusable containers for lunch every Tuesday. By tracking the number of trash bags used during lunch every day, they determined it to be a success.
“It was great to see that our efforts had truly made a difference,” Kelly said, “and I wanted to continue working on projects that had a similar goal of helping the environment.”
For the Gold Award, which is the top honor in Girl Scouts, Kelly connected with Birch Lane Principal Stephen Aspetti and Magnet/STEAM teacher Kelsey Downey. Ms. Downey, a lifetime Girl Scout herself, became Kelly’s mentor for the project.
The “Kid Komposting” project began with an informative session on Jan. 16, in which she taught third graders about composting – what it is, what can and cannot be composted and how it helps the environment. Kelly returned on Jan. 25 and showed students how to make a composting bin. They were asked to bring in food scraps and an empty container from home, while Kelly provided soil. She guided the youngsters through the process. When they were done, students received completion certificates.
“I hope the lesson, along with that information, encourages a lot of families to give it a try and start their own compost pile at home,” Kelly said.
Ms. Downey welcomed the opportunity to help a fellow Girl Scout with her community service project. She said that from the beginning, Kelly’s passion for composting and the environment were evident.
“She understands that the earlier we begin to recognize and have a hands-on role in protecting our environment, the more likely we are to adopt these practices into our everyday lives,” Ms. Downey said. “Kelly hopes that teaching the third graders about composting now is just a small step towards them becoming passionate about conservation and protecting our environment.”
Ms. Downey added that she was proud to see Kelly’s planning and hard work come together. The third graders were engaged and excited throughout the project, particularly as they created their own compost bins to take home.
Kelly, who belongs to Troop 2524, had to complete 80 hours of service related to her Gold Award project. That included writing her proposal, designing the presentations and working with the third graders. She is grateful to Ms. Downey for her expertise as a teacher, which allowed Kelly to plan and implement a lesson relatable to third graders.
In addition to her work with the Girl Scouts, Kelly is a varsity cheerleader for Massapequa High School and member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, the Chordettes vocal group and the National, Spanish and Tri-M Music honor societies.
Photo captions:
1: Massapequa High School senior Kelly Mullooly taught third graders at Birch Lane Elementary School how to make a compost bin for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
2: Students mixed water and soil with food scraps they brought from home.
3: Kelly Mullooly checked in with Marco Romeo, left, and Vincent Carre as they made their compost bins.
4: After completing an environmental-themed project for her Bronze Award as a fifth grader, Kelly Mullooly returned to her former elementary school to bring environmental awareness to third graders.
5: Kelly Mullooly’s mentor for the project was Kelsey Downey, Birch Lane’s Magnet/STEAM teacher.
Photos courtesy of the Massapequa School District