Gold Means Something More

At Chatham Hall, gold is part of our identity. It appears in our traditions, our teams, and our celebrations. And, for Eleanor W. ’27, gold has taken on a deeper meaning. 

This summer, Eleanor submitted her final report for approval of her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. The award challenges girls to identify a meaningful community issue, address its root causes, and lead a sustainability-focused project that creates a lasting impact. Earning the award requires a minimum of 80 hours of planning, leadership, and implementation. In Chatham Hall fashion, Eleanor’s work became much more than a project; it was a transformation that affected both the individuals involved and the community as a whole.

Eleanor chose mental health and well-being as her issue of impact, and included the following themes: health; outdoors; healthy relationships; art, culture, and heritage; and education. Inspired by research on the benefits of time outdoors for teenage girls, Eleanor set out to renovate an underused fire pit near our tennis courts and connect it to Chatham Hall’s Fitness Trail. Her efforts transformed our lower campus into a community gathering space for reflection, mindfulness, and movement. Drawing on both her passion for wellness and her love of the arts, she infused the project with creativity and intention while bringing others into the process. 

With guidance from her project advisor, Beth Barksdale, and art teacher, Elsabé Dixon, Eleanor had to envision, design, and plan the project and gain approval from leadership for updates to our campus. Then, working alongside students, faculty, staff, family members, and community volunteers, she managed each phase of implementation, including specific work days and community-wide events, while working within her budget and a tight timeline.
 

The transformed trail now features oak-leaf markers, colorful art-pole stations, updated signage, a revitalized fire pit gathering space, and a touchstone tradition where hand-painted stones are scattered along the trail as symbols of encouragement, gratitude, and belonging. Three custom-designed mural posts were created and installed throughout the trail, which invite visitors to pause, reflect, and engage with one another through shared messages and experiences. Each participant literally left their mark on the trail. More than 150 members of the Chatham Hall community participated in painting, hauling posts, and moving dirt, all to help bring Eleanor’s vision to life. Final touches will include two signs to be posted along the trail with a map, completing this portion of the trail revitalization project.

The major part of the project culminated during Chatham Hall’s Earth Day Chapel, when the community gathered beneath the canopy of trees to experience the trail firsthand. Following the service, students placed touchstones along the trail, officially opening the space for community use. As they walked together, they were invited to slow down, notice the beauty around them, and reflect on their connection to one another, the natural world, and themselves, a powerful reminder that growth often begins when we make space to pause and listen.
 
"I believe that through this project, I have successfully created awareness and appreciation for how nature can benefit my classmates and the School. My classmates appreciated the opportunity to paint their own touchstone, and I was told numerous times how much they enjoyed the activity. The entire School community was outside, painting rocks, on this one special event day. Then, for the project’s debut, everyone was outside again for our Earth Day service, and we all walked the trail together, placing our touchstones at the base of the newly installed art poles. Many students had never walked the Fitness Trail prior to this day, so we definitely succeeded in creating awareness of the trail. Another goal of mine was to make this a new tradition, and I am pleased to share that the touchstone activity will be a part of new girl orientation going forward." - Eleanor W. ’27