Scout troop shows initiative

Troop 1639

The spirit of altruism is alive and well in the Conejo Valley, as recently demonstrated by local Girl Scout Troop 1639. Troop members tackled repainting the cafeteria at Thousand Oaks High School. Motivating the project was Girl Scout leader Jacqui Irwin, who had noticed the rundown condition of the cafeteria while assisting with the annual Conejo Community Holiday Dinner held last Christmas in the school cafeteria.

Along with her two co-leaders, Christine Nuttall and Patty Takata, Irwin felt it would be "a great experience" for the girls in the troop to paint the cafeteria, and the girls showed immediate enthusiasm for the project.

"Even with the bond money spent at area schools in the past few years, many of the schools are still in desperate need of repairs," said Irwin. When troop leaders approached the school’s facilities manager, Jay Moulder, he was grateful for their offer and had the cafeteria patched and primed prior to the troop members’ arrival with paint buckets and brushes in hand. Southern California Edison donated $300, and the troop added some of their "cookie money" to buy supplies.

The troop, which has been together for six years, has completed several community service projects, according to Takata, including feeding the homeless, collecting toiletries for Lutheran Social Services, putting together Christmas packages for Meals on Wheels, sending Girl Scout cookies to the troops in Afghanistan, cleaning local beaches and planting trees.

"The troop’s activities . . . have been teaching the girls that the world does not revolve around them but rather that they are stakeholders in the community in which they live," said Takata.

The team of brush-wielding Girl Scouts included Erin Takata, Kelsey Greene, Stevie Jackson, Stephanie Geske, Elyse Nuttall, Kathryn Irwin, Lauren Barnett, Kristy Bailey and Roxanna Farjadi. Family and friends who lent a helping hand to the project included Matt Irwin, Kyle Woodruff, Emily Arndt and Erin Triplett.

Thousand Oaks High School has a list of jobs that it hopes members of the student body, parents or community groups will help out with, according to Irwin. The facilities manager, Moulder, said that if the school could get some time donated by parents, with or without specific expertise, "they could quickly tackle small but important jobs." Those interested in helping out at Thousand Oaks High School are encouraged to contact Moulder at jmolder@conejo.k12.ca.us.

Christine Nuttall summed up the sense of accomplishment the troop felt through their participation in sprucing up the cafeteria.

"Our girls feel empowered and understand that if they see something that needs to be fixed, or someone who needs a helping hand, they can make a difference. Our girls are learning the value of focusing on a solution and taking action."