Girl Scouts Finish School Mural, Earn Bronze Award

A local girl scout troop earned its Bronze Award by helping to finish a mural, which was left incomplete for several years at the elementary school they had recently graduated from. 

On Sept. 20, Junior Girl Scout Troop 61128 hosted an unveiling of a recently completed mural at John F. Kennedy Primary School in Raritan. The troop members, also from Raritan, spent part of their summer vacation working on the mural that was started three years ago by JFK students and teachers.  

The scouts earned their Bronze Award, the highest award that a Junior Scout can earn, by completing this community-based project. The scouts spent a total of 20 hours working on finishing the mural and planning the unveiling event. 

The mural is housed in a busy hallway, and is seen by almost the entire student body and staff each school day. It contains characters from several favorite children’s books, including Elmer, Verde, Stella Luna and Franklin, and they share one thing in common—they stayed true to themselves in the face of adversity and each one overcame an obstacle in their story.  

Approximately 60 people were in attendance at the unveiling, including former JFK students who worked on the mural, Raritan Mayor Joanne Liptak, Girl Scouts Heart of NJ CEO Susan Brooks and Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer.  

A reception was held in the JFK Garden where students, scouts and JFK Art Teacher Claudia Browne, who was the leader of the mural project, received certificates of appreciation from the troop and school.