Riverwood Student Earns Girl Scout Gold Award

From Riverwood International Charter School: Riverwood International Charter School senior Natalie Peek received the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, an awards program for high school students doing exceptional volunteer work to advance the cause of race relations. Ms. Peek received $1,000 cash and an expense-paid trip to Princeton University for a race symposium for winning the prize.

Peek received the Princeton Prize in Race Relations based on her volunteer project, titled “March On,” which she did in the process of earning her Girl Scout Gold Award. “March On” arose out of her alarm over the lack of awareness of the past and present struggles with African-American civil rights, and current threats to voting rights. She researched the Implicit Association Test, a computer-based survey that shows, regardless of the race of the test-taker, most people have a positive association with white faces and a negative association with black faces. She learned that those subconscious biases will persist, except when people are exposed to more black history and learn about stereotypes in society.

Determined to help address the situation, Peek set out to continue to increase racial awareness at her school, church, and community. For Riverwood International Charter School, she collected a set of 36 copies of the John Lewis graphic novel about civil rights titled March: Book One. Peek worked with Riverwood faculty to incorporate the graphic novel into an interdisciplinary lesson plan which included both 9th grade literature as well as social studies classes. The productive discussions at school inspired her to broaden her reach to the larger community.

Using her Girl Scout Gold Award project as a vehicle, Peek expanded the discussion to 1st and 2nd graders at her church, the Optimists Club, the Rotary Club, and the Horizons Day Camp. The feedback she received confirmed the positive impact of her work: students who had never known of the civil rights struggles were enlightened, and adults who did not speak about "race issues" became more open and engaging on the topic. During the scope of her year-long project, more than 180 students and 150 adults benefited from her activities. In addition, the inclusive lesson plans she helped write will become a continuing part of the school's curriculum, reaching an estimated 200-300 students each year.

Peek received her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious award that Girl Scouts can earn, on February 26, 2017. She has been a member of Troop 25408 since she started as a Daisy and Brownie at High Point Elementary. Peek embodies the attributes of Gold Award recipients as she has made a positive mark on her community and a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Photo courtesy of Riverwood International Charter School