The Daisies of Troop 869 recently met Mayor Francis X. Murray at the Rockville Centre Village Hall with wide eyes, full hearts and more questions than their leaders could fit on note cards, eager to find out what the mayor really does.
The troop, made up of about 17 first-graders from Wilson Elementary School, had been working toward their Good Neighbor Badge, a Girl Scout award designed to teach Daisies about their community, the people who help keep it running, and how they can contribute through acts of kindness and engagement.
The Daisies had already learned about local government earlier in the school year, when they voted for class president, vice president and treasurer. For troop co-leader Valeria D’Agostino, meeting with the mayor was the perfect way to bring that lesson to life.
“The Good Neighbor Badge requires that the girls do three simple things,” D’Agostino explained. “One of them includes learning about their neighborhood and their community. So, we thought, what better way than reaching out to the mayor's office?”
What happened next surprised even the troop leaders. D’Agostino initially contacted Murray’s assistant, unsure whether the mayor’s busy schedule would allow for a visit. When she followed up, Murray answered the phone himself. That enthusiasm helped the troop plan its outing without even shifting their normal Monday meeting time.
Once the Nov. 24 meeting was confirmed, preparation began in earnest. “We reached out to parents and let them know,” D’Agostino said. “We also invited parents to stay if they wanted, because we thought it would be a really cool opportunity for parents as well.”
The girls’ parents helped them brainstorm questions ahead of time, though the troop leaders weren’t sure how confident the Daisies would be in front of an elected official. They came prepared with note cards just in case.
But as soon as the girls sat down, they needed no encouragement. Their list of questions quickly tripled as hands shot up in every direction.
“We were prepared for the girls to be really nervous and maybe not comfortable asking the questions directly, so we had some note cards,” D’Agostino said. “But once they sat down, they were so excited. I mean, if they could have had two hours with him, they would have had two hours’ worth of questions.”
Murray gave the troop a kid-friendly overview of Rockville Centre’s history, explained the basics of local government and encouraged the girls to ask anything they liked. They wanted to know whether being mayor was stressful, whether he worked every day, what he loved most about living in the village, and, yes, how old he was. By the time the visit ended, the girls were buzzing with excitement.
“I think they were just kind of starstruck that they got to meet with the mayor,” D’Agostino said.
Murray said the visit gave Village Hall a meaningful opportunity to connect with young residents, noting that their curiosity reflected a growing interest in their community. He also credited the troop’s leaders for fostering that engagement, adding that experiences like this help children understand how they fit into the life of the village.
“Troop 869’s visit to Village Hall was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our youngest residents,” Murray said in a statement. “The girls asked thoughtful questions and showed a genuine interest in learning about their hometown.”
The meeting was only part of the troop’s packed agenda in November. The girls also wrote Thanksgiving cards that they delivered to the Sandel Senior Center, and took part in community service projects for Sharon’s Pantry while continuing to work on badges focused on citizenship, service and community engagement — the core lessons of the Good Neighbor badge.
