Girl Scout leader named October Volunteer of the Month
October 4, 2024 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Girl Scout Troop Leader Jessica Chenette. Courtesy photo
The Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains has named local Troop 30228 leader Jessica Chenette its Volunteer of the Month for October.
Chenette leads the troop with members from around the area including Waterbury, Montpelier, Richmond, Stowe and Moretown.
“Giving Girl Scouts a wide range of opportunities, allowing them to negotiate their own friendships, and providing field trips and travel is what Jessica Chenette has accomplished in her almost seven years with Troop 30228,” the organization said in its announcement of the honor.
The group is the council serving Vermont and New Hampshire. Chenette, 44, of Montpelier, has been involved with the Waterbury-based troop since her daughter was in kindergarten, and has seen it grow to where it has now split into two troops, divided by age. They occasionally combine for troop ceremonies and cookie sale events.
Chenette mentors 11 Girl Scouts in grades 4-8 at Crossett Brook Middle School. They work toward earning badges, do community service, go on camping and other field trips.
The scouts enjoy time outdoors and travel including camping at Little River State Park for National Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend and a visit to the Great Escape amusement park in New York where they camped at a nearby Girl Scout camp. “We definitely love to do field trips when we can,” she said.
Girl Scout Troop 30228 on a field trips to the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury. Courtesy photo
Chenette noted that four troop members are now working on their Bronze Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout in grades 4 or 5 may earn. “They're creating a dog sensory garden for the Central Vermont Humane Society,” she said.
The project involves making obstacles for the dogs to crawl on, a pool to play in, plants and other features to offer shelter and a comforting environment.
Other projects the troop has worked on include cleaning up for Green Up Day, holiday gift wrapping, food drives, and recently some community service following the summer floods. The girls now are looking forward to helping at Waterbury’s River of Light Lantern Parade ahead of the holiday season.
Chenette also schedules speakers to visit with the troop such as a recent visit from a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department staffer who shared animal pelts and skulls and had the youngsters try archery.
Timed with work on a Detective Badge project, Chenette invited a police detective to a troop meeting. “We had a police officer come in -- a real police detective -- and he set up a mock crime scene for the girls,” she recounted. The exercise included crime scene tape and dusting for fingerprints.
Jessica Chenette (back right) with Girl Scouts from Troop 30228 at an escape room. Courtesy photo
In addition to Chenette, the troop relies on several additional adult volunteers including Co-Leader Darlene Olson and volunteer Jessica Parks. Chenette said making those adult friendships and seeing her Girl Scouts grow motivates her to volunteer with the Girl Scouts.
When not volunteering, Chenette is a public health microbiologist for the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory and she spends time with her husband, daughter, and their houseful of pets.
More information on Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is online at girlscoutsgwm.org.