McLean High School senior Cathy Zhang recently completed the Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. Zhang, and her partner Sarina Saran, ran a summer enrichment camp at Providence Elementary School called FLASH (Financial Literacy and STEAM Heroes) that was designed to address specific weaknesses in the elementary school curriculum that the pair have noticed throughout their experiences in Fairfax County.
One half of the day was focused on financial literacy lessons, led by Zhang using paper money, plastic bags and paper boxes to make hands-on financial decisions. The other half of the day involved hands-on STEAM activities, led by Saran. This part of camp was focused on introducing students to the staples of the scientific curriculum. Each lesson illustrated different aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, each with an artistic twist.