For the past few years, Village of East Williston Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente has been an administrator of a very different sort, as co-leader of a local Girl Scout troop.
Starting as an assistant leader and rising to the level of co-leader with two of her East Williston neighbors, Parente is helping to oversee the activities of Girl Scouts of America Troop 1283, comprised of middle school-aged girls from the Willets Road, and Kellenberg High Schools. The 12 members of the troop have advanced through all the Girl Scout ranks, starting as daisies, then brownies, and juniors – and now cadettes working toward their silver awards.
“What’s most impressive with our group of girls that they stayed on so long,” Parente said of the troop that numbers more than a dozen girls.
The troop members include Parente’s daughter, Emma, and Parente is conscious of sharing experiences of camping and other activities she herself enjoyed growing up. And she’s also acutely aware of passing on something her own mother gave to her.
“I always wanted to be a leader,” Parente said. “I was Girl Scout growing up and my mother was my leader.”
In fact, she said her mother, Pat Santousos, is still recognized as a leader by women who were members of her troop.
Parente is an attorney with the New York Racing Association. Her two co-leaders are also professionals: Suzanne D’Angelo, who is an accountant, and Patricia Golden, who is also an attorney.
“We’re all full-time career women, but the troop ran smoothly because we complemented our skills,” Parente said.
She said she hopes that as professionals, they are serving as role models for the girls in Troop 1283. The activities the troop engages in takes the women far afield from their respective realms of professional training.
The women have done cabin camping in Frost Valley in Catskills, which included zip-lining – holding onto a pulley attached to a rope on a point-to-point ride – and hiking. They also did overnight tent camping at Camp Bluebay in Suffolk last fall.
“The girls get to experience things that are outdoor-related and fun things like going to the city,” Parente said.
Last year, they experienced finding their way around New York City when they went to see “Billy Elliott” on Broadway and last week, they visited the I Fly trapeze company and got to see what working on a trapeze was like.
But as young women working on silver awards – the equivalent of merit badges in the Boy Scouts of America – the girls are learning valuable historical and cultural lessons as well.
Last year the girls did a group project to earn their bronze awards, creating individual presentations for an American Flag convention at American Legion Hall in Williston Park.
“Each girl had her own table and her own part of the project,” Parente said.
One girl had a display on history of flag while another prepared a presentation about the pledge of allegiance. Another member of the troop demonstrated flag etiquette, simulating the proper manner of displaying miniature flags backed with velcro outside houses, and government buildings. One Girl Scout partnered with her grandfather to demonstrate the proper way of folding the flag.
Today the emphasis in both Boy Scouts and Girl Scout organizations is on community service. Parente thinks her own Girl Scout experience served her well, and hopes the members of her troop benefit in a similar way.
“I think it gave me leadership skills and I think it’s giving the girls today the idea to take on their own individual projects. It’s a lot more about what you can do and bring back to your community,” Parente said.
She already sees that she’s planting the seed for her daughter to carry on what is becoming a family legacy.
“My daughter says now she’d like to be a leader some day,” Parente said.
