August 14, 2002
Girl Scouts spend week as island honor guards
Mackinac Island Honor Scout duties includes raising giant American flag
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Eleven area Girl Scouts spent a week in July on Mackinac Island as part of the Governor's Honor Guard.
Part of the Mackinac Island Honor Scouts program, duties for these teen girls included raising and lowering flags at Fort Mackinac, guiding tourists and helping out as needed at the fort.
One of the highlights of the week is raising what the scouts refer to as the 'Big big,' an oversized American flag that takes more than 20 people to raise or lower and can only fly in excellent weather. The scouts were pleased to be able to unfurl this twice during their week.
Ashley Steele, a ninth-grade home school student in Traverse City, completed her first tour of duty with the Honor Guard. She was stationed outside of the Beaumont Memorial House and also helped with flag duties and kitchen patrol.
"I learned the most from my guidepost," Steele said. "I could listen to the tour guide and the interpreter inside and it really gave me a lot of information about the house."
"Being an Honor Guard is a great way to learn about the island," she noted.
Making new friends is also a benefit of participating in the Honor Guard.
"I like meeting new scouts from around the state," said Teresa Mork of Suttons Bay, who just completed her third stint on Mackinac. "It is a good program, especially for people who want to get leadership experience."
The program also includes time off so the girls can take advantage of recreational opportunities on the island - including the ever-popular swimming in the Grand Hotel's pool.
"The program is really cool because we get to work but we have free time for swimming, biking and shopping," said Kristy Bucco of Traverse City, an Honor Scout for three years who this year helped in the children's discovery area and the visitor's center at the fort.
Mackinac Island Honor Troop 147 is based in Grand Rapids and includes scouts from four councils, including the Crooked Tree Girl Scouts Council. Honor Troop 147 is one of 14 Boy Scout and Girl Scout Honor troops that serve one-week tours on the island every summer.
The goal for program participants is to provide an opportunity for service and leadership. Members are admitted to the program at the beginning of each year and a five-month training program begins in February. The monthly training sessions are held in Grand Rapids and Grand Haven and cover history of the island and Fort Mackinac plus the basics marching and flag raising and lowering.
Girl Scouts are selected for the program based on their history in scouting, community service, leadership experience, ability to be away from home for a week and references. Girls from the previous year have preference during the admission process. Over the years, competition has increased for the few open slots available each year.
"As word has gotten out, more and more girls are applying," said Marlene Heeres, an Honor Scout leader for six years and a Girl Scout leader for 11 years in the Crooked Tree Council. "We had 20-25 applications last year but were able to take in three new girls."
Heeres became involved in the Honor Scouts shortly after her daughter, Jamie, joined the program. She sees many benefits to the girls from the experience.
"There's a maturity, a closeness because they've made friends and bonded with girls from out of their community," Heeres said. "Friday night, the final night, is a real moving experience for the girls - I don't think anybody leaves with a dry eye."