Catherine Bradberry, daughter of Sean and Darlene Bradberry, of Suffolk, has earned the Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.

Bradberry was a Girl Scout for 13 years and is currently a senior at Peninsula Catholic High School.

For her Gold Award project, “More Valuable than Pearls,” she focused on addressing the water quality crisis in the Chesapeake Bay. Knowing that oysters are natural water filters, she raised oysters and distributed them in three new reefs she created. Bradberry chose to chronicle her experiences and the importance of aquaculture on her blog as well as through presentations that she shared throughout her community.

“I chose this project because I am interested in the environment and wanted to help improve the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay,” Bradberry said. “My project not only helps re-establishing the oyster population but also educates others about how they can help clean the Bay.”

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Bradberry to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast serves more than 13,000 girls in kindergarten through 12th grades with the help of more than 6,000 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. To volunteer, reconnect, donate or join, visit www.gsccc.org or call 1-800-77SCOUT.