Bob Jones senior assists pre-kindergartners to earn Gold Award in Girl Scouts
MADISON – To earn the Gold Award in Girl Scouts, Kate Ball is helping pre-kindergartners with whom she works to recognize their emotions and communicate their feelings.
“I’ve noticed many young children had difficulty identifying and expressing how they were feeling,” Kate said. “Because the children didn’t yet have the words or skills to understand their emotions, their frustration often led to crying or other emotional reactions.”
Kate focused on teaching young children about basic social and emotional skills. “I wanted to give them a strong foundation they could continue to build on throughout their lives,” she said. “My goal was to cope with frustration and develop healthier ways to respond to challenges.”
Seventeen-year-old Kate is a senior at Bob Jones High School.
For her project, Kate created a Social-Emotional Learning program to teach pre-K students how to recognize and name their feelings — and how to handle those big feelings in healthy ways. “Through books, games and crafts, I taught them that emotions like love, con- fidence, calm, anger, sadness and anxiety are normal and that they’re not alone in feeling them.”
Kate stocked a resource cart for school with lesson plans, books, calm-down boxes and emotional regulation toys. Teachers and future staff can use those items for years to come.
Her motivation grew from children’s reactions to the lessons and their improvement over time. “They were excited to participate, remembered the skills they had learned and gradually became better at identifying and managing their emotions,” Kate said. “Seeing that the project was making a real difference made all of the planning, preparation and effort worthwhile.”
To complete the project, Kate needed 30plus books, numerous craft supplies and emotional regulation tools, such as fidget cubes, weighted stuffed animals and sensory toys. To cover costs, she organized a garage sale and sold blueberries from her grandparents’ garden. She also created an Amazon wish list so others could support the project directly.
“The Madison community responded with incredible generosity and purchased most of the needed books, along with many craft supplies. I was completely blown away by the generosity of my friends and family,” Kate said. “This really showed me how willing that people are to help when they understand the importance of a project.”
Kate started in Girl Scouts as a Daisy in kindergarten. “I’ve been in Scouts almost 13 years! I’ve learned valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, organization and problem-solving. I have learned how to plan projects, manage my time, work with people who have different ideas and adjust when things don’t go as expected.”
“Girl Scouts has also taught me the importance of community service, responsibility and following through on commitments,” Kate said. “Most importantly, it has helped me become more confident, independent and willing to take initiative.”
Kate is in Troop 719. Leaders are Jennie Ball, Kate’s mother, and Susie Averitt.
At Bob Jones, Kate is a member of National Honor Society, Key Club, SGA Senate and Bob Jones Ambassadors. She serves as president of National English Honor Society and Future Teachers of America.
Kate has maintained all A’s at Bob Jones to achieve a GPA of 4.3. She is dual- enrolled at Auburn University this year.
Kate’s favorite subject at Bob Jones has been Teaching Pathways, covering child development, classroom management and educators’ responsibilities. The classes have given valuable hands-on experience with students at varying grade levels.
“Last year, I worked with a speech-language pathologist, which helped me understand how specialists support students with different needs. This year, I hope to shadow an occupational therapist to gain more experience in a traditional second-grade classroom with Ms. Morgan Lee at Midtown Elementary,” she said.
“These opportunities have strengthened my interest in education and helped me explore the different ways I can support students in the future,” Kate said.
Kate’s parents are Travis and Jenni Ball. They both work as pharmacists at Huntsville Hospital.
Kate plans to attend Auburn. She’s undecided among elementary education, speech pathology or occupational therapy for her major.
Kate works parttime at Playa Bowls and West Madison Pre-Kindergarten Center. She hikes, works out, travels and spends time with friends and family. “I especially like visiting new places and experiencing different cultures. I can’t wait for my senior trip this summer,” she said.
“However, one of my greatest interests is volunteering and helping others in my community. I enjoy volunteering at Manna House and Kids to Love. I also help with my church’s food pantry,” Kate said.
