Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England recently announced that Barrington’s Emma Francis Marvelli has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. 

Marvelli earned the award for her project, titled “Coach Robert Gourley Advocacy Campaign and Hammer Throwing Awareness.”

For her Gold Award project, Marvilli set out to show the importance of hammer throwing at Barrington High School and across the country. She spoke publicly about the sport and her coach, the late Coach Gourley. Marvelli helped raise more than $7,000 as part of the program — that money was used to buy hammer throwing equipment for the school and a dedication bench that will soon be installed. 

“Now that it is June of 2024, almost a year after my final report was accepted by Girl Scouts, I have had a lot of time to reflect on how my project has impacted my life,” Marvelli said. 

“For starters, I am a student at Washington and Lee University which is one of the most difficult institutions in the United States to get admitted to and succeed at. I attribute this accomplishment to my Gold Award project and the 13 years of my life dedicated to Girl Scouting. When applying to this University, I was told that being a Girl Scout of this level revealed a lot of other attributes about myself. This is because of the lessons that Girl Scouts learn through community service, outreach, cookie/nut sales, budgeting, and more. Especially with my Gold Award, I gained problem-solving skills and leadership skills that I would not have learned otherwise.”

Marvelli joins the millions of Girl Scout alum around the world who have successfully created, developed, and executed “Take Action” projects that have positively impacted their communities and the world, earning Girl Scouts’ highest award.

“The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting, acknowledges the power behind each Gold Award Girl Scout’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers. They are our future, and it looks bright!” stated a press release from Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.

The Gold Award follows a Silver Award Marvelli earned years ago. Her Silver Award community service project brought more than a half-dozen new trees to Barrington. The then-BHS freshman received donations from Redwood Nursery, Lowe's, and Home Depot, and coordinated with the town arborist to plant the trees on the land surrounding Woods Pond.