Menomonee Falls resident brings back Riverside Elementary playground games and earns highest Girl Scout honor

Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) has awarded Menomonee Falls resident and Girl Scout Zoe Oskarsson the highest honor in Girl Scouting—the Girl Scout Gold Award. Girl Scouts who receive this award are challenged to complete a variety of requirements and carry out a project that meets an expressed need in the community and beyond.

For her Gold Award project, Oskarsson wanted to give back to her old school, Riverside Elementary in Menomonee Falls. She had fond memories of a United States map that used to be painted on the playground blacktop during her time at Riverside, and decided to bring back the map – along with several other playground games – to the blacktop.

With the input of Riverside teachers, Oskarsson created plans for several colorful paintings on the playground along with corresponding classroom games that allowed teachers to utilize the blacktop map.

“Education of children is a national and global link,” Oskarsson said in her final Gold Award project. “Helping children find fun in learning is the best way to educate them.”

Oskarsson coordinated fundraising for the projects and hired painters to complete the playground games. She planned only to paint three playground games but was able to complete 12, with funds left over for additional playground equipment.

“I always knew that as a Girl Scout I could do anything if I put my mind to it, but this project allowed me to know just how far I could go with my leadership skills,” Oskarsson said.

You can read more about Oskarsson’s Gold Award project in her own words on the GSWISE blog.

Oskarsson is a sophomore at University School of Milwaukee. She aspires to earn a master of fine arts in New York and ultimately find a career that allows her to be on stage.

"Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and this young woman exemplifies leadership in all its forms," said Christy L. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast. "She saw a need in her community and took action. Her extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership, is making the world a better place."

About the Girl Scout Gold Award

The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. Since 1916, girls have successfully answered the call to go gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world. A Girl Scout who has earned her Gold Award immediately rises one rank in any of the U.S. military branches.