A retort for letter writers A cute...

A retort for

letter writers

A cute word play on congratulations or a quick recovery? Either

way John Muir Middle School might want to place the “grad” in

quotation marks next year. That way, there will be no uncertainty for

Burbank residents wondering whether their school tax dollars are

being spent wisely.

Rex Bowlby

Burbank

Girl Scouts could use old library

As a member of Girl Scouting for more than 18 years in Burbank --

both as a girl and now a leader -- I am writing this letter to give

you an idea of what this program has meant to me over the years and

to urge everyone to support the effort to turn the old Buena Vista

Library into the Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley Council

Office.

I joined scouting in fourth grade, to our troop motto, “Girl

Scouting is Fun! Troop 401.” Through my experience in this troop, I

learned many valuable life lessons. I learned to volunteer, to give

to the community and to “leave a place cleaner than I found it.” Many

of my childhood memories are centered around my experiences in Girl

Scouting, including camping, selling cookies, zoo trips and more. Not

only did we have fun, we were growing and becoming strong,

independent women. As I grew older, I wasn’t just going on campouts,

but I was leading, planning and organizing them and getting outside

support. All the things necessary for 150 girls and their leaders to

have the fun-filled weekend that we were doing at age 16.

What I learned in girl scouting I could not have learned in

school. I learned to be independent yet lean on others, I learned to

laugh and sing silly songs, and how to be serious and reflective. I

also learned to camp, cook and sew, mariner skills like Morse code

and charting, how to serve and how to speak in front of large groups.

But most of all, I learned pride in my country along with myself and

what I was doing.

All of these experiences made me the woman I am today and led me

to give back to the program I loved so much as a child. So this past

year, I became a Daisy Leader with my mom. And I’m having a blast!

Girl Scouts in Burbank include more than 550 girls ages of 5 to 18.

These girls have the opportunity to grow and develop just like I did

as a girl.

We are a large presence here in Burbank, and with the use of the

Buena Vista Library we would have even more resources to reach out to

more girls who will all have the opportunity for growth and service

through this excellent organization.

Jaclyn Howard

Leader

Burbank Girl Scout

Troop 401