Big Feelings Story Time: Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum

“Children are often not taught about mental health until their teenage years. My project is a step towards raising awareness and helping empower children to regulate their emotional well-being.” —Gold Award Girl Scout Devon McDonald

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania would like to congratulate Devon McDonald, Gold Award Girl Scout of Allegheny County Troop 52242, who was selected as the recipient of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship for our council! The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council with a $5,000 academic scholarship, whose project demonstrated measurable and sustainable impact while addressing an issue of national and/or global significance.

Gold Award Girl Scout Devon McDonald, a recent graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School, earned her Gold Award for her project “Big Feelings Story Time: Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum.”

Devon’s project focused on introducing children and families to mental health education at a young age to combat the stigma surrounding the global issue. She created a social-emotional curriculum called “Big Feelings Story Time” to educate children and their caregivers about mental health issues and ways of coping through story times, activities, and take-home materials, and to open discussions between families.

Devon chose her project because she saw a need to educate children about mental health at a younger age. “Children are often not taught about mental health until their teenage years. My project is a step towards raising awareness and helping empower children to regulate their emotional well-being.”

Her outreach efforts had a large impact on her local community. Her curriculum has been adopted by several organizations, including the Laurie Ann West Community Center in O’Hara Township, the Cooper Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel, the Hampton Township School District, and the Riverview School District.

Devon presented her project at our Awards of Distinction event celebrating diverse leadership of women and Girl Scouts across our council.

She accepted her scholarship via video at our 2025 Gold Award Ceremony.

Congratulations, Devon, on your remarkable achievement and for serving as a role model to Girl Scouts everywhere!

If you are interested in implementing Devon’s curriculum, you can download it below!