Megan Katsirebas joined Girl Scouts in second grade. Growing up in Epsom, it have her space to broaden her outlook and her interests.

“I met a whole bunch of friends,” Katsirebas said. “But then once high school hit, everyone kind of left because they got too cool for Girl Scouts.”

By the time she reached Pembroke Academy, Katsirebas, now a freshman at Franklin Pierce University, found herself alone in her once full troop. Still, she chose to continue until graduation and take on a project to obtain her Gold Award, the culminating accomplishment a Girl Scout can achieve. She set about restoring the Scout House, an old community building where decades of Boy Scouts had been meeting. The house restoration had previously been slated as an Eagle Scout project but fell to the wayside when the pandemic hit. Katsirebas decided to take ownership of the project herself.

“As they left, and it was just me and my mom, it was like, ‘Why are we doing this?’” said Katsirebas, whose mother served as her troop leader. “But it taught me a lot about perseverance and dedication and the importance of being your own reason to get things done. You don’t have to worry about other people or what they’re doing. You are your own reason to push through. So it was discouraging, but it was also inspiring.”

The Scout House, which burned down in the ‘90s and was rebuilt, needed a new roof. Katsirebas, whose project balanced organization and leadership with the execution of her plan, enlisted the help of Dustin Fifield, a former Eagle Scout who had helped rebuild the roof decades ago and now works in the roofing business.

“He knew what roofing would be perfect and what needed to be done for the building, because he had already previously built the building,” Katsirebas said.

She amassed a small team to restore the structure and decided to build a ramp for the house’s entrance, in addition to redoing the roof.

“The project needed to be done for the sake of the town and the building itself,” Katsirebas said. “Just knowing that I was the one that got this team together and pushed for this to get done, it’s a great feeling.”

Though she initially wanted to quit after finding herself without any more fellow scouts in her troop, Katirebas ultimately decided to persevere through the year and complete her project to give back to Epsom, where she has lived her whole life.

“It’s just a part of our town’s history,” she said. “We used that so many years ago as our schoolhouse, and now we’re using it still as a meeting room for Boy Scouts. It’s just an important thing.”

Katsirebas had little experience with construction tools prior to her project. She seized the opportunity to learn from those on her team and build confidence along the way.

Carrie Loszewski, vice president of engagement for Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, explained that Gold Award projects aims to foster leadership through the creation of sustainable change. These projects require an 80-hour minimum commitment and often take multiple years. Katsirebas said her efforts spanned 2021-2024 with all the planning and construction.

“I think it is a testament to Megan’s perseverance that she saw this project through despite weather conditions that made work difficult and equipment issues,” Loszewski said. “For a teenage girl to take on a construction project involving roofing and ramp-building meant that she had to learn to use tools and to organize teams to finish the work. I know this experience will pay off in many ways as she goes through life, knowing she can see big projects through to the end.”

Katsirebas finished her project earlier this year, concluding her time as a Girl Scout. Now, she has shifted focus to becoming a veterinarian. Still, she emphasized that in all her future endeavors, she’ll take with her the values she’s learned and the emphasis on community engagement that Girl Scouts instilled.

“It’s a great way to meet people, and it’s a great way to get involved in the community and learn valuable skills like leadership, and just how to be a better part of the community and make more impacts,” Katsirebas said.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com.