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Leadership program expands Girl Scouts’ horizons By Karen L. Trimbath
Fred Gadomski (standing, center), instructor in meteorology and one of the hosts of the public television program Weather World, gives Girls Scouts from around the nation an insider’s view of TV production. Penn State Public Broadcasting produces Weather World, which airs daily on WPSX-TV. The Girl Scouts toured the WPSX-TV studios in Wagner Building as part of a national leadership program titled Pick and Choose: It’s Up to You! Each year, Penn State Public Broadcasting conducts more than 50 tours for youth groups. Dave Shelly Penn State Image Resource Center	Nature photography, kickboxing and the search for signs of intelligent life in the universe were just a few of the activities available to the estimated 1,200 Girl Scouts who attended the Pick and Choose, It’s Up to You! leadership program held at the University Park campus.   According to organizers, the five-day event was one of the biggest, complex youth educational programs ever held at Penn State and one of the largest ever held for Girl Scouts in the United States.   Sponsored by the Hemlock Council, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., this leadership program is one of a series of “wider opportunities” offered to Girl Scouts. Wider opportunities are events that give cadets and senior scouts a chance to participate in national or international activities that expand their horizons.   “This program combines both fun and education in a way that fosters independence, knowledge and diverse friendships among girls,” Barbara Miles, program director for the Hemlock Council, said. “When we began planning the program three years ago, we wanted to provide a range of activities in four core areas — science and engineering, leaders of the future, athletics and the arts — and allow the girls to pick and choose their own schedule. This way, each girl can get the most out of this experience.”   Penn State Public Broadcasting was one of the opportunities available to the scouts. WPSX-TV staff members gave the scouts tours and demonstrated TV cameras and other equipment used in producing public TV shows in the studios located in Wagner Annex. The scouts also checked out other University landmarks, including the University Creamery and the Palmer Museum of Art.   Girl Scouts from all over the country, many sponsored by their local councils, and adult troop leaders attended the leadership program. The program kicked off with a colorful opening ceremony featuring a parade of decorative flags created by the troops to honor their cultural diversity. An outreach program of Conferences and Institutes and Penn State Public Broadcasting