While the Eagle Scout is the highest honor a Boy Scout can achieve, the Silver Award is one of the highest honors for a Girl Scout.

Parkway West freshmen, Sarah Booth, Allison Wills, Lauren Schumacher, Nicole Moore, Mariel McMindes, Ellie Nazzoli and Gabrielle Nickel achieved their Silver Award over Labor Day weekend.

In order to achieve a Silver Award, Girl Scouts must meet the following criteria:

1. Identify issues cared about.
2. Build Girl Scout Silver award team.
3. Explore surrounding community.
4. Pick Silver Award project. The project must be done in local community, not just the Girl Scout community.
5. Develop project.
6. Devise project plan and begin.
7. Reflect, share, celebrate.

“We spent a year planning the project, but it only took about three months to actually build the garden,” Booth said.

The girls planted specific flowers that would attract butterflies.

“We had to go to the Butterfly House to ask a specialist about how to attract butterflies. He told us what flowers to plant and we looked around the gardens. It was so much fun,” Moore said.

During Labor Day weekend, the butterfly garden earned the Silver Award. In addition to the Silver Award, the garden was given recognition as a national butterfly garden by the City of Chesterfield.

“The fun part was planning where we were going to plant certain flowers. The hardest part was having to dig up everything and watering every week because it was so hot,” Moore said.

The garden is in the shape of a butterfly and lies in Eberwin Dog Park off of Baxter road.

“The garden was also dedicated to Ainsley Freeman who used to be in our troop. She was killed in a murder-suicide, and we wanted to honor her,” Booth said.