TSnews

GODDARD – Girls Scouts in Troop 40266 planted a tree as part of an Earth Day celebration on Monday evening at Linear Park in Goddard.

The Scouts, along with the Goddard Chamber of Commerce, also held a ribbon-cutting to mark the occasion and to kick off Neighbors United, the annual community betterment effort that will take place this Saturday.

The ribbon cutting was the idea of troop member Melody Ellis, daughter of troop leader Leah Ellis. In addition, the Scouts debuted four images by Mulvane artist Sydney Westfall. The images are of the girls planting a tree, and will be part of a book featuring a total of a dozen images. The elder Ellis asked Westfall to create the images that are based on the members of the troop.

Ellis also wrote a poem that her daughter read during the ribbon cutting. She said her daughter asked for the ribbon cutting, with Melody saying “We’re not celebrating our tree enough.”

“She has no shortage of audaciousness,” Ellis said about Melody.

The girls also presented Mayor George Liebe with a T-shirt that matched the ones they were wearing. He vowed to wear it during Neighbors United on Saturday.

The new tree is planted in the western half of Linear Park along the north sidewalk. A small plaque marks the spot with the names of the 13 girls in attendance and their leaders.