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Jenny Fazio knew her classmates did not have trouble reading, yet they chose not to read or appreciate literature. For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she wanted to change that.

“I started the first-ever book club at my school,” she said. Fazio graduated from Marquette Catholic High School in Alton and resides in Florissant.

“I led weekly meetings and wrote discussion questions for the books we read. I also wrote a ‘How to Start and Lead a Book Club’ manual, which I sent to other high schools in my community along with a letter explaining everything.”

She believes there are several contributing factors to teen illiteracy. She thinks books students read for high school English classes usually are not written for teenagers, so they learn to dislike reading after being exposed to such books. Additional illiteracy factors she cites are homework, extracurricular activities and distractions such as texting on smartphones, tablet computers and social media.

She scheduled her meetings before school started so classroom learning was not imposed upon. Members voted on how many chapters to assign for reading each week, which varied depending on homework loads, tests or exams. Fazio suggested books written specifically for people their age and she welcomed book suggestions from club members.

Trying to find a balance among books both males and females would agree to read proved difficult at first, so Fazio selected gender neutral titles. She reminded all members that they would not always be able to read a book everyone likes but she still expected them to read each book and come prepared to discuss their opinions.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest national award that a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador, girls in grades 9-12, can earn.

Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award requires a suggested 80 hours of planning and implementing a challenging, large-scale project that is innovative, engages others and has a lasting impact on its targeted community with an emphasis on sustainability.

Fazio said her project will be sustained beyond her involvement because she will train the new club leader to take over after she graduates. She also plans to spread the idea to other high schools via the manual.

“I constantly evaluated my performance and worked on improving my weaknesses,” Fazio said. “I think the most important thing I learned is to be confident in myself. If I am confident as a leader, then the club members followed my lead.

Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award puts girls among an exceptional group of women who have used their knowledge and leadership skills to make a difference in the world.

The award has several benefits. A Girl Scout who has earned her Gold Award and enlists in the US armed forces immediately rises one level in rank. Colleges and universities recognize the achievements and leadership abilities of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients by offering scholarship programs, and achievements of the Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are acknowledged by many government and non-profit organizations

Less than one percent of all Girl Scouts earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. They were recognized at a reception at Maritz in Fenton in June.

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