Girl Scouts earn Award
Local Girl Scout Troop #40195 received the highest award a Girl Scout cadet can earn, after completing a service project at the local Peter Burr Farm.
The troop, which consists of Kate Cauvel, Kristina Kandalis, Lily Kessler and Sarah Wabnitz, all Shepherdstown Middle school students, earned the Silver Award for a special workshop they held at the historic Farm on May 18.
As the Silver Award requires that cadets organize an event that brings awareness to something in the community, the group decided to showcase the Burr Farms unique history.
Known as the “oldest house” or oldest standing wood frame in West Virginia, the Burr House set the stage for day-long workshop dedicated to learning and living history.
Dressed in period costumes of their own making, the four middle school students, lead a group of 35 second and third grade children through a series of historical games and exercises, such as corn husk doll making, and butter churning.
“We taught the girls in the 1700s,” said Sarah Wabnitz, explaining the days events.
Wabnitz explained that the four troop leaders visited the farm a few weeks prior to their workshop in order to first learn the skills they’d be teaching for themselves.
Wabnitz said she was happy to play both student and teacher.
“I enjoyed learning about the 1700s,” she said. “And I liked teaching younger students.”
Kristina Kandalis called the workshop “fun.”
“And I liked giving back to the community,” she said
Kandalis’s mother, Barbara explained that the Burr Farm was chosen to highlight its sometimes overlooked historical significance.
“Not a lot of people even know it’s there,” she said.
The historic Peter Burr House is located in Bardane, W.Va. and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.