Severna Park High School sophomore Ella Rice is hosting a mental health workshop and talent show open to the community for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Photo by Meredith Winter
By Meredith Winter
For Severna Park High School (SPHS) sophomore Ella Rice, selecting an area of focus for her Girl Scout Gold Award project was not a challenge.
For years, she has been passionate about the topic of mental health because she has witnessed friends and family members struggle with it, including a loved one who died by suicide. Ella shared that she has wrestled with mental health as well.
So, for her Gold Award project – equivalent to an Eagle Scout project for Boy Scouts – Ella has planned a mental health workshop and talent show featuring student performances and a mental health professional as speaker. Titled the Beacon Festival, the concert-style event is slated for April 26 and will be held at the Severna Park Elks Lodge.
A member of Girl Scout Troop 531, Ella shared the inspiration for her project. “Sometimes it’s just helpful to know that you have a group of people who support you, and one of the best ways to bring the community together is through events,” she said. “And I think music is a really great way to relieve stress and you know, express yourself.”
She would know: Ella participates in SPHS’ bands and orchestra and sings in her church choir. She is a percussionist and plays a variety of instruments, including the snare drum in the marching band.
“I love music, and it was kind of like bringing my two passions together into something that would help the community,” she added.
Ella’s friends from school and scouting have stepped up to perform during the Beacon Festival, and she plans to contact the middle school to invite younger talent to participate as well. Along with a friend, Ella will emcee the event.
She recalled that last year SPHS hosted a mental health assembly with clinical social worker Tory Huesgen as speaker. Ella found her speech to be eye-opening. While planning her Gold Award project, Ella reached out to Huesgen, who agreed to speak at the Beacon Festival.
“My goal with (having a) mental health speaker is trying to provide some ways that the people watching the concert can realize signs of stress, or when to help anyone they love that’s struggling, but also recognize ways that they can improve their own stress,” Ella said.
“If we talked about mental health and its issues more frequently, people would probably be less afraid to speak up about what they’re going through,” she added.
Ella chose the name “Beacon” because she hopes the concert will be a beacon of light in the community and provide an opportunity to slow down in a fast-paced world. She hopes attendees will enjoy the opportunity to connect and be present for one another.
Following the event, Ella will propose an extensive summary of planning and executing her 80-hour project for review by the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland that will hopefully result in her receiving the prestigious Gold Award. But for Ella, the road to helping her community with mental health will not end there.
“This isn’t going to be a one-time thing. I’ve had some of my friends who are freshmen or younger (say), ‘Hey, this is a great idea. I want to continue this after you graduate.’ So we’re hoping for this to be an annual thing,” she noted.
Ella joined the Girl Scouts when she was in second grade. Over the years, she has enjoyed working at cookie booths, going on trips to Washington, D.C., mentoring younger scouts through projects and camps, and partnering with a fellow scout two years ago to earn her Silver Award through a project that was also focused on mental health.
“Ella has been fantastic,” said Elisabeth Latone, one of the leaders for Troop 531. Although Latone is officially Ella’s advisor for the project, she said, “She’s just been very much taking the lead, which is the idea with the Gold Award.”
Latone added, “One of the things that she’s identified is the need for mental health support and awareness within the community. And so, by organizing this concert, I think that’s a really fun way to get the community involved and talking about the issue.”
Ella is grateful for the support of her parents, younger brother who is a freshman at SPHS, friends and fellow scouts in bringing her Gold Award project to life.
The Beacon Festival is free and open to all, and will be held Sunday, April 26, at 5:00pm at 160 Truck House Road in Severna Park. Registration is not required.