Senior BHS student Jalissa Johnson is working towards gaining a Gold Award through the local Girl Scouts program. 

 

A Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of America, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, created in 1916.

 

For Jalissa to earn her Gold Award, she must first get her project approved by the Gold Award council and  the project must have an aspect to it that is sustainable.  

 

Last July, another Becker High School student and Girl Scout — Morgan Meyer — gained her Gold Award for establishing a project on cystic fibrosis.

 

Jalissa, who comes from a farming family, knew her project was going to be centered around farming because she wants today’s (and the future’s) youths to realize the benefits and rewards of being a farmer.

 

“My Gold Award project is centered around teaching children about where their food comes from and farming,” Jalissa said.

 

After getting her approval  from the council, Jalissa put in 80+ hours and worked through a final report process.    

 

“I had two aspects to my project,” she said.  “One part was the quiz boards, with questions that teach children more about farming.”  

 

The boards she created can be currently viewed at the Sherburne History Center until the Farm Friends Barn is built.  

 

“The second aspect of my Gold Award centered around teaching children about where their food comes from and farming. In the summer of 2016, I spent one week assisting with vacation bible school at my church.  We had a farming theme and I led some of the activities, teaching the kids about farming.”  

 

Jalissa also spent four days with around 40 girls last summer with two days spent at Becker City Park teaching girls about farming.  

 

“On the second day, we went to the Kelley Farm, which is a historic farm in Elk River,” she said.  “There we taught the girls about farming in the past.  On the third day, we took another field trip to my family farm in Fair Haven.”  

 

Jalissa’s grandfather, Howard, has a dairy farm  off Co. Rd. 44 — about 20 miles southwest of Becker. 

 

“We showed the girls our robotic milkers and automatic calf feeders,” Jalissa said.  “The girls spent the day learning about how we farm now and the new technologies that have helped us advance farming.”

 

Jalissa also showed them how they make homemade ice cream and butter.   

 

“I spent more than 100 hours over a four-year time period on my project,” she said.  

 

Jalissa has had many mentors and advisors over the years including Jean Johnson, who works for the USDA Farm Service Agency and Norm’s Farm Market.  

 

“Jean Schmidt, our service unit advisor, helped me run the day camp,” Jalissa said.  “I also got help from my troop members, Samantha Moonen, Mary Gooner and Morgan Meyer, and other girls in my service unit.”  

 

Jalissa’s troop is number is 411 and features four girls. Their troop leader is Sherry Meyer.

 

Jalissa also credits her father, Jamie for his support as well as Matt Hemelgarn, who put in many hours of his time to help her build her quiz board.   

 

“The Gold Award teaches you so much about yourself,” she said.  “While working towards the Gold Award, I was pushed to be more organized, creative, and more of a leader than I ever have been.”  

 

Jalissa had to present her project to the Gold Award committee twice — once to get approval to start her project and once to get the final approval of earning the Gold Award.  

 

“Both times were extremely nerve wracking,” she said. “But once everything was over, it was amazing to see how much work I had put into this project and have my project officially recognized as a Gold Award project.”   

 

After high school graduation, Kalissa plans on attending the University of Minnesota-Morris and major in biology with a pre-vet focus.   

 

In high school, Jalissa has been part of the swim team, basketball team and is in the National Honor Society.