Girl Scouts: Bridging Ceremony

Posted by My Heart Song

6/6/2012

Last Sunday my daughter's Girl Scout troop, along with many other troops that are part of the bigger regional group, held a Bridging Ceremony.  

 

 

Ceremonies are fairly common in Girl Scouts, being held often for various reasons such as new girls joining the troop or awarding badges the girls have earned through study and work. 

This Bridging Ceremony marks the end of another scouting year and is symbolic for the girls who are moving to a new level in scouting. There are daisies (for K and 1st Grade), Brownies (for 2nd and 3rd Grade), Juniors (for 4th and 5th Grade), and so on. Therefore, every other year the scouts "bridge" to the next level. This is when they would get a new vest (of a new color) and work with new curriculum geared to the new age level. 

It was HOT at this ceremony and it was outdoors at a local park. We all got a bit too much sun! The scouts had popsicles to enjoy - none for the siblings or parents, though. You can see that little brother wasn't pleased with how that worked out!

 

 

During the ceremony, flags are presented and the pledge of allegiance is recited. Then the girls are called one at a time to receive their bridging certificate and to walk across "the bridge." 

Since my daughter isn't continuing with Girl Scouts next year, this will be the last ceremony she'll participate in. The troop has one or two more get-togethers planned for this summer, as they continue to spend the cookie profits they earned.  

She very much enjoyed her first full year of scouting and has made a handful of good friends. We're thankful for the experiences of the past year.