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This Iowa City Girl Scout developed prairie education in her community
Kaitlyn Schmidt-Rundell earned the ‘Gold Award,’ the highest achievement award offered in Girl Scouts, for her conservation efforts
Dec. 26, 2023 6:00 am, Updated: Dec. 26, 2023 7:21 am
IOWA CITY — A Girl Scout in Iowa City has earned the highest award given by the organization for developing prairie education in her community.
Kaitlyn Schmidt-Rundell, from Iowa City, achieved the Gold Award for creating opportunities for local residents to learn more about Iowa prairies, the plants and wildlife living in the ecosystem, and the impact prairies have on the local environment.
“Many prairies have already been destroyed, and there aren't many natural prairies left in the world. This causes there to be fewer prairies for people to see and for them to understand how they can impact our environment,” Schmidt-Rundell said in a news release from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.
The Gold Award is available to girls in high school who create sustainable change on a community or world issue. Gold Award Girl Scouts address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change, and lead a team of people to success. As they take action to transform their world, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and the world need.
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, according to a news release. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.
Schmidt-Rundell created eight signs and installed them throughout the prairie at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 140 Gathering Place Lane, Iowa City, with information about plants that thrive in the prairie like the purple coneflower and ironweed.
Schmidt-Rundell graduated from high school in May and is now in the pre-dentistry program at the University of Iowa.
According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship, according to data from the Girl Scouts.
Changing the world doesn’t end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award. Ninety-nine percent of Gold Award Girl Scout alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.
Girl Scouts work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges — whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends.
Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit GirlScoutsToday.org.
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