Lake County Gazette

The Big Hollow School District Board of Education received a presentation from a local Girl Scout troop on a variety of projects, both those that were completed and others that are coming soon, during the board's meeting on May 8.

The board welcomed scouts and leaders from Girl Scout Troop 45856, with troop leader Tisha Eisenmenger leading the presentation. She introduced some of the scouts who were in attendance to the board, such as senior Lauren Verde, who explained their troop is made up of “juniors and cadets, and then I'm a senior," and she told the board that most of the students in the troop go to Big Hollow Schools.

Eisenmenger and some of the scouts explained some of their previous projects, such as the Volo Bog Fairy Door project. In the spring of 2021, the troop created, decorated and wrote stories for characters hidden behind the "fairy doors" they had crafted, Eisenmenger explained. They worked with the Volo Bog, an outdoor nature walk and preserve, to be able to place the fairy doors along the walk with signs giving details about the hidden inhabitants. The doors helped raise awareness and funding for bridge and path repairs the Bog needed to make, and the troop donated $450 to the cause.

In 2022, the troop planted flowers and plants for a butterfly garden at the Lake County Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve. The station is now deemed a Monarch Butterfly Way Station. The troop is also working with Gold to create a similar flower garden and butterfly station outside of the Big Hollow Middle School.

The troop invited Gold to a troop meeting in February to present the idea, and Eisenmenger noted that several scouts will receive their bronze award on the completion of this project, while senior Lauren Verde will receive her silver award.

The troop will also host a community clean-up day on Sunday, May 21 to clear out the overrun nature center in front of Big Hollow Primary school.

"So, that is the start of our projects and all our projects we've done so far. So, we really can't wait to see it all come together slowly getting there," Eisenmenger told the board.