Girl Scouts of Cranford Annual Pinewood Derby
Submitted by Kerry Rokicki
The Girl Scouts of Cranford (Service Unit 48) recently held its 8th Annual Pinewood Derby, boasting entries from 39 different troops. More than 135 Girl Scouts of all ages participated with Cadette Troop 40688 of Hillside Avenue School and Senior Troop 40444 of Cranford High School coordinating all of the logistics for the COVID-19 compliant event.
In a typical year, Girl Scouts come together to race their handcrafted vehicles in a series of heats, but due to current health parameters a new format was used. Staggered drop off times were implemented to minimize in-person interaction and the races were broadcast live so families could watch the competition from home.
“I’m really proud of our troops for pivoting to a new way of doing things. It required ingenuity and perseverance,” noted Erin Esteves, leader of Troop 40688. “And I’m proud of the Girl Scouts of Cranford too. We had terrific support. It was a great event during a time when we all could use a little something extra to cheer about.”
The entrants used their engineering skills and creativity to turn blocks of pine wood into miniature cars which were then raced on a specialized track. The four Grand Champion winners were:
- 4th place: Olivia Kelly, Cadette, 6th grade
- 3rd place: Oliva Sanghavi, Daisy, 1st grade
- 2nd place: Mia Segal, Brownie, 3rd grade
- 1st place: Evelyn Gannon, Brownie, 3rd grade
In addition to speed, there were awards for other specialized categories. Those included most humorous, most detailed, most bling, best engineered car, best wedge car, best use of glitter, most original, best movie and TV themed car, best sports car and best in show.
Kyle Schoenfeld, a father of one of the Girl Scouts, was also instrumental to the success of the Derby. He coordinated the tech team which brought the races right into the homes of the families. The Girl Scouts of Troops 40444 and 40688 emceed and more than 100 families were tuned in for the final Grand Championship race.
“We are so happy we were able to continue this well-loved tradition,” said Stephanie Patterson, leader of Troop 40444. “And we are thankful to all the families that dropped off canned goods when they picked up their cars. Because of their generosity we were able to donate a car-load of non-perishables to Cranford Family Care.”
The races were held on Saturday, January 30 at the Cranford United Methodist Church. The Pinewood Derby concept was introduced to the Cranford Girl Scout community eight years ago as a way to get girls excited about STEM. STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
The Girl Scouts of Cranford boasts over 1,139 Girl Scout Members in 71 troops and Juliette’s making it one of the largest non-profit organizations in town. The Cranford Service Unit is a part of the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) Council which is part of the Girl Scouts of the USA. If your family is interested in learning more about local Girl Scouts or to find out more information on the Girls Scouts of Cranford, please visit cranfordgirlscouts.com.
