Three seniors at Johns Creek high schools each earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2026, all from the same troop.

Hailey Roberts of Johns Creek High School, Abbey Hankinson of Northview High School, and Samantha Sterling of Chattahoochee High School are members of Troop 14494, led by Keri Michaelis of Milton. Each designed and carried out a community project addressing a different issue, reaching local students and families across the Johns Creek area.

Fewer than 6% of Girl Scouts nationwide earn the Gold Award, the organization's highest honor. Within the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Council, fewer than 4% achieve it each year.

Honoring female veterans

Roberts was inspired to create her project after visiting the Women's Military Memorial in Washington, D.C. She developed a hands-on curriculum for children ages 5 to 15 that includes reading stories of female veterans, making personalized dog tag necklaces, writing letters to active-duty service members through Operation Gratitude, and planting forget-me-not seeds.

She conducted seven workshops across Johns Creek, reaching nearly 100 students. Participants wrote 114 letters to service members and planted more than 1,000 forget-me-not seeds. Roberts published all her materials online, including a leader guide, presentation slides, and a full instructional video.

The Two Bridges Service Unit in Johns Creek has committed to running the program annually on Women Veterans Day, June 12.

Getting kids moving

Hankinson, a cross country runner at Northview, built her project around erasing the idea that exercise is punishment. Her "Exercise is Fun" workshops taught kids across Johns Creek about heart rate, hydration, and how muscle groups work together, using games and activities rather than lectures.

"I wanted to help to erase the stigma among kids that exercise is a punishment and encourage them to leave their screens and enjoy moving their bodies," Hankinson told Patch.

She also created an online course and website to share the curriculum nationally and partnered with a local preschool to install informational posters about stretching and fueling in its gym. Hankinson has been a member of Troop 14494 for 12 years, starting in kindergarten.

Heart health from personal experience

Sterling was diagnosed with Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome as a newborn. That experience drove her "Heart Heroes" project, which teaches middle school students about heart conditions affecting children and young adults.

With support from teaching and healthcare professionals, Sterling developed educational materials, launched a website, and led classroom sessions on recognizing warning signs of cardiac events in young people. She has been a Girl Scout for 11 years.

One troop, three Gold Awards

All three scouts have been members of Troop 14494 for more than a decade. The troop operates within Johns Creek's Two Bridges Service Unit.

For context, the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta recognized 126 Gold Award recipients in 2025 who collectively contributed 12,704 hours of service and generated $425,457 in value for community organizations, according to the council's Gold Award book.