The Daily Times

The brass ring may not have been up for grabs Jan. 13, but a Blount County teen definitely has her sights set on the gold — the Gold Award, that is, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

Hannah Rials, 16, is a sophomore at Maryville High School and is a Senior Girl Scout in Troop 53, led by Karen Gale. Rials’ Gold Award project was to present Cirque de Independence, a circus-themed dance for disabled young adults attending The Gate — Gateway to Independence. The event was held at First United Methodist Church in Maryville, and Rials and 17 trusted friends made sure the “circus” was as enjoyable as possible for their honored guests.

“The majority of us dressed up as circus characters,” Rials said. “I was the ringmaster, and we had clowns, acrobats, a bearded lady, a tattooed man, a fortune teller where they could get their fortunes told. We had a tightrope walk so they could want across the tightrope and get a glow necklace. We had several donations of large stuffed animals because that’s what some of the girls said they wanted to see at the dance. So we had a nice little animal section where we took some cardboard and made it into cages for them. We had the freak show with the bearded lady, the strong man, the glass eater, tattooed man, snake charmer. A professional magician donated his time.”

Activities were open from 6 to 7 p.m., and the dance took place until 8 p.m. Typical circus foods were served.

Highest award

Rials has been in Girl Scouts since she was 4 years old, beginning as a Daisy. After her family moved to Blount County from Georgia when she was 5, she joined a local troop and has been with several of the same girls ever since.

“We’ve worked together to get our Bronze and Silver awards, but the Gold Award is a solo project,” Rials said. “It’s the equivalent of the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts ... We’re not allowed to ask for donations from anybody, we have to have 80 hours of planning put into our project, and it somehow has to affect the world and be carried out in a lasting project that doesn’t just happen once.

“The Gold Award is the highest award. They have a big awards ceremony. We go up and they tell a little bit about your project, you get a pin and a couple of other things. It’s a pretty important project, and I’ve worked very, very hard to earn it in a few months where most girls do it in one to two years. I started my project in October and finished in January.”

Idea on the move

Rials said her grandmother in Mississippi worked with handicapped young adults.

“Ever since I was little I was around them and comfortable with them,” Rials said. “She told me about a Girl Scout troop that for about 12 years has done a dance like this, where they get a group of young adults together and have a night of fun. She told me about this and I thought it might be a good idea for the Gold Award project. So the dance moved from Macomb, Miss., to Maryville, Tenn., and now, my best friend who lives in Delaware is writing an article for her school paper on it and is hoping to bring it to Rehoboth Beach, Del. So it’s moving across the East Coast.”

About 20 guests attended Cirque de Independence. Rials said they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening. For example, one young man who is normally quiet and reserved became very animated during one of the songs.

“He started jumping up and down like a pogo stick and had this huge smile on his face,” Rials said. Seeing his and others’ reactions was the best part of the dance for Rials.

“I know some of the participants personally now, and to see them enjoying themselves and to see them having a normal experience that they don’t normally get to have is very special to witness and to know that I helped to make that.”

Rials plans to continue presenting the dance annually until she graduates high school, incorporating a different theme each year. She is sharing the idea with Junior Girl Scouts in hopes they will carry on the project after that.

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