Girl Scouts in Platteville recently celebrated the birthday of founder Juliette Gordon Low and honored one of their own Girl Scouts who earned her Silver Award.

The birthday gathering was held at Westview Elementary School and hosted by Brownie Troop 5273, led by Rebecca Swensen. More than 50 Girl Scouts attended from other Daisy, Brownie and Junior troops in Platteville.

Savannah Kemerling received the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. Girls in sixth through eighth grades can work individually or in a small group to complete a Leadership Journey and a Take Action project that benefits the local community. As girls work toward this award, they develop leadership skills, give back to their communities and make our world a better place. A typical Silver Award involves at least 50 hours of service per Girl Scout. To earn the award, girls must discover a need in the community and develop a sustainable solution which will keep benefiting our world for many years to come.

Savannah’s project was a new Little Free Library that is on the grounds of the Stone Cottage. Thanks to the assistance of Leon Neuheisel, Savannah designed the two-story library inspired by the Bunny Cottontail house located in the garden near the Stone Cottage. The Little Free Library is designed to hold adult books on the top and children’s books on the bottom. The two began working together in June to plan and construct the Little Library which was placed at the Stone Cottage on Aug. 20. Savannah has taken on the responsibility of making sure the library is continually stocked with a variety of books.

Maggie Kleisath, Platteville community coordinator, served as Savannah’s project advisor.