Kaitlyn Michelle Hennelly

Washington Township Troop #80518

“Getting Social through Sports”

Kate’s Gold project, Getting Social Through Sports, combines her two passions in life: sports and special education. Her project focused on the importance of communication as an important life skill. Kate ran a weeklong camp for special education children, and kids without special needs were also welcome. Each session started with warm-up games to engage all the participants. Then, the kids rotated through a variety of activities, including sports like handball, soccer and field hockey, team-building exercises and dance. Throughout the sessions, Kate and her team emphasized the importance of communication, hard work, and dedication. The last session of the camp was an ice cream social and dance party that gave everyone a chance to try out their new communication skills. The skills were connected not only to athletics, but to everyday life. Kate chose her project because athletics are such a huge part of her life and have shaped her into the young lady she is. Through the project, Kate was able to share her love of sports with the special education community.

Kate has been a Girl Scout since Kindergarten. As a Junior Scout, Kate and her troop earned the Girl Scout Bronze award by collecting supplies for the Market Street Mission. The troop made lunch boxes to drop off for the Mission’s homeless outreach program in Morristown, NJ. As a Cadette, Kate earned her Silver award by setting up a summer sports program for the Musconetcong Valley Community Association. She also continued to volunteer at their after school program long after her Silver was complete.

Kate graduated West Morris Central High School in June 2019 and is attending Muhlenberg College on a scholarship to study special education. She participates on the Muhlenberg Mules field hockey team. In high school, Kate received the National Women in Sports for the NJSIAA. She was chosen as lead facilitator of West Morris Central High School for the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Summit. She participated in the Unified special education program at West Morris. She was a four-year varsity letter winner for field hockey. Kate is a peer minister at Our Lady of the Mountain Church in Long Valley. Kate’s older sister, Michelle, also earned a Gold Award. Her mom, Maryann, has helped Troop 80518 in many ways over the years by helping at meetings and attending trips. Her dad, Kevin, served as Gold advisor for one of the other scouts in the troop.