Photo by Brent Addleman
Members of the Brownie Troop 20709 and Junior Troop 90957 of the Girl Scouts participate in a flag ceremony during yesterday's meeting at the First Presbyterian Church in Ridgway.

By Brent Addleman

Editor

For Tecla Pontious, being a girl scout is more than just selling cookies.
For over 60 years, Pontious has been involved in girl scouting and witnessing young girls grow and mature into young women makes the journey of scouting worthwhile.
“We’re more than selling cookies and camping,” Pontious said from the First Presbyterian Church during Monday’s meeting of Brownie Troop 20709 and Junior Troop 90957. “This is where you build the kids. You empower them to be the best that they can be.
“There is a lot of potential for growth for these girls. We start from Daisies and for these girls to grow, I have some neat, neat kids. I’ve been doing this for 60 years.”
The goal of girl scouts is to provide the young girls with a foundation of their futures built in confidence and the spirit of giving.
“Our goal is to give each girl courage, confidence and character,” Pontious said. “We just did a whole series about the wetlands and ecology. They learned a lot. They learn self-reliance.”
So far, the girl scouts have learned about water, wetlands and, even, Africa.
“We discovered the water cycle,” Pontious said. “Then we talked about wetlands. Natalie Aiello came. She has her master’s degree in that type of work. We talked about Africa and recycling. The whole thing took from November until a week ago to finish all those projects.
“We go camping, we do a lot of things.”
Possibly the most important of the girl scout lessons are the ones learned that the girls will carry for the rest of their lives.
“There are a lot of life lessons,” Pontious said. “When they come here I will not have them belittle each other. We have kids that won’t leave the troop because they feel safe here. This is a safe place. We have rules to respect yourself and respect others. They all learn together. It is hands-on and they all learn.”
Over the years, Pontious has watched many young girls take their journey through the ranks of Girl Scouts. Two very special young women are attached with a fond memory.
“Many years back, I had two girls that were selective mutism,” Pontious said. “By the end of the scouting year, they were talking. They started doing the flag ceremony, which before they never did. They interacted with each other.”
The scouts partake in many activities, including service projects.
“What we did, we went to Ridgmont,” Pontious said. “We do two service projects a year and we do one for the church. Because this is where we meet, and we try to do something nice for the church. It is giving back what we learned, contributing to society. That is what we do.”
Pontious has a long history with GIrls Scouts, dating back to her youth, and feels every girl should become a Girl Scout.
“I recommend it for every girl,” Pontious said. “It is a safe place where girls can grow in confidence and character. It is a worthy organization.”