South County Junior Allison Belkowitz Goes for the Girl Scout Gold Award

South County junior Allison Belkowitz went for gold on Tuesday - specifically, the Girl Scout Gold Award. Belkowitz hosted a "play-in-a-day" event at South County Middle School, and oversaw more than 70 elementary and middle schoolers creating multiple productions for their parents from scratch. 

"In the area there are a lot of underprivileged kids who can't do things like go to a theater summer camp," said the 16-year-old Belkowitz. "This is an opportunity for these kids to learn something new and gain an appreciation of the arts."

The students were broken up by grades and spent three hours designing sets and costumes and writing and rehearsing their scripts. South County middle school drama students also assisted Belkowitz in the event. 

"Seeing how well this worked and how enthusiastic the kids were, this is the kind of activity I want to incorporate into more classes," said Alexis Rose, drama teacher at South County Middle School.   

Belkowitz lives in Fairfax Station, and started scouting when she was five years old. She has earned her Bronze Award, Silver Award and Silver Trefoil Award through the Girl Scouts.

The Gold Award is the pinnacle of achievement for the scouts. Only high school students are eligible, and there are seven criteria that participating scouts must meet: 

• Identify an issue
• Investigate it thoroughly
• Get help and build your team
• Create a plan
• Present your plan and gather feedback
• Take action
• Educate and inspire

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