Saje Winder, 2024 graduate of Brazoswood High School, has been honored with the prestigious Girls Scout Gold Award for her yearlong project, which led to the creation and completion of the Brazosport ISD STEM PreK - 6th Grade Resource Library. This project not only showcased Saje’s outstanding planning and organizational skills, but her enormous undertaking will continue to make a significant impact throughout the elementary schools in Brazosport ISD for years to come.
Winder was invited to share her traveling lessons during professional development for elementary teachers prior to the start of school. Saje’s STEM curriculum activities were designed and packaged to meet the TEKS in science, math, English, and social studies/history for grades pre-kindergarten through sixth. Lesson plans for the activities are available to the teachers online. To reserve and check out these well planned and packaged exercises through BISD’s Curriculum & Instruction department. The activities include exciting lessons from creating theme parks, to in depth looks at the solar system, to building and launching ‘stomp’ rockets! Winder has packed all the elements needed for elementary teachers to present these fun lessons for all students. By addressing the STEM curriculum and instruction educational resources, Saje’s project exemplifies the core values of the GSUSA Gold Award.
The Gold Award is the equivalent in stature and prestige as is the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Award. The Girl Scout Gold Award is a Take Action project that must include the following five elements:
(1) address a root cause of an issue that you feel passionate about that has a
(2) national and/or global link. Through your actions, you must demonstrate
(3) leadership while also creating
(4) sustainable
(5) measurable impact
Saje worked closely with BISD Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Brian Cole along with BISD’s curriculum specialists. Cole shared that over a year ago, Saje contacted him about her project for Girl Scouts. Winder wanted to create STEM kits and activities for teachers to use with students at the elementary level. At their first planning meeting, it was clear the plan and the passion that Saje brought to this project. Cole went on to state, “I am so grateful for Saje's time and hard work over the past year to make this vision of hers come to fruition. Seeing teachers explore the great activities during their PD day that Saje created for the elementary students will be amazing activities in the hands of our students. Saje did an incredible job!”
Saje is the daughter of David and Renee Winder. Her commitment to education and her community exemplifies the core values of the Girl Scouts USA Gold Award. Congratulations, Saje, on this outstanding achievement!