Johns Creek High School Senior Earns Girl Scout Gold Award with Project Honoring Female Veterans

Hailey Roberts, a senior at Johns Creek High School and a longtime member of Girl Scout Troop 14494 (led by Keri Michaelis of Milton), has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for her community project focused on raising awareness about the history and contributions of female veterans.

After visiting the Women’s Military Memorial in Washington, D.C., Roberts was inspired to address the widespread lack of recognition for women who have served in the armed forces. She designed and implemented a hands-on educational curriculum aimed at helping children and youth understand the critical role women have played in the military and why their service deserves to be acknowledged.

Her curriculum includes a presentation, discussion questions, and several engaging activities: reading real-life stories of female veterans, making personalized dog tag necklaces, writing letters to active-duty service members through Operation Gratitude, and planting forget-me-not seeds as a symbolic tribute.

Roberts conducted seven workshops throughout the Johns Creek area, reaching nearly 100 students ages 5 to 15. Together, participants wrote 114 letters to service members and planted over 1,000 forget-me-not seeds. Each workshop measured increased understanding of the topic among students, with all participants demonstrating stronger knowledge and awareness by the end.
To make her project accessible and sustainable, Roberts published all materials online, including a leader guide, presentation slides, and a full instructional video. The Two Bridges Service Unit in Johns Creek has committed to using the program annually for Women Veterans Day on June 12, helping to ensure continued impact.

All materials and project updates are available on social media at @recognizingfemaleveterans on Instagram and Recognizing Female Veterans on Facebook.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is earned by fewer than 6% of eligible Girl Scouts each year and is the highest honor available in Girl Scouts.