West Hartford resident and Conard High School senior Grace Piccioli earned the Gold Award after completing her project supporting families and teens in West Hartford.

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Grace Piccioli, a senior at Conard High School, has been awarded the prestigious Girl Scouts Gold Award – the highest honor in Girl Scouting – for her impactful project revitalizing her church’s vacation Bible camp. Through her initiative, Grace provided accessible, engaging childcare for local families and created meaningful leadership opportunities for teens.

Grace developed the idea after researching community needs and recognizing a post-pandemic shortage of affordable summer childcare in West Hartford. Reflecting on her own positive experiences attending vacation Bible camp as a child, she saw an opportunity to revive and modernize the program at St. Peter Claver Church.

Noticing a lack of service opportunities for young teens, Grace structured the camp to also serve as a leadership training platform. She reached out to ninth- and tenth-grade confirmation students, marketing the program as a way for them to fulfill volunteer hours while developing skills and confidence. Grace held planning meetings, created training materials, and guided teen volunteers to lead activity circles during the four-hour camp days.

In describing the project’s success, Grace was quick to credit the support she received.

“I was so lucky to work closely with Mrs. Carol Moriarty, the Director of Religious Education at St. Peter Claver,” Grace said. “She guided me through every step and believed in the idea from the start. Her mentorship meant so much to me and really helped bring the camp to life.”She also expressed her gratitude to Father Christopher Ford, the pastor of St. Peter Claver, for supporting the project and encouraging its continuation.

The church plans to run the camp again this summer using the same framework Grace developed – further proof of her project’s lasting impact on the community.

Grace was formally honored alongside other Gold Award recipients from across the state at the Girl Scouts of Connecticut Gold Award Ceremony in New Haven on Sunday, June 8.

The Connecticut Girl Scout Gold Award scholarship winners from throughout the state include Grace Piccioli (top left). Courtesy photo

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