When Penn Hills High School student Lauren Trichtinger came back from her family vacation to Hawaii last winter, she told friends and acquaintances about the high point of the trip: a visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial on Oahu.

But she wasn't prepared for how few of her peers really understood the importance of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, which brought the United States into World War II and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,400 members of the armed forces.

"It seemed like an event that was starting to fade from people's memories," said Lauren, 16. "I thought it might be a good idea to educate my peers."

Ms Trichtinger, a junior, is the daughter of Dr. John and Kathleen Trichtinger.

She also has been a member of Girl Scout Troop 580 for more than a decade. In an effort to earn the Girls Scouts' highest honor -- the Gold Award -- Lauren opted to take what she learned in Hawaii and turn it into a project.

Criteria for this award are demanding. A Scout age 14-18 must spend at least 65 hours on her project, which has to serve a need in her community and have a measurable impact. A Scout must document every step of her project and cannot begin it until she fulfills a large number of other educational and leadership requirements.

The Girl Scouts award about 5,500 Gold Awards per year. Only about 5 percent of eligible Scouts receive the award.

Lauren got approval for her project in March and immediately began to research the event.

"I watched a lot of documentaries, read a lot of books, consulted a lot of Internet resources," she said, adding that she was helped by Jean Kanouff, librarian at Penn Hills' William E. Anderson Library.

Lauren created a PowerPoint presentation that she gave in June, four times at Penn Hills High School and once at the Anderson library.

At the library presentation, she was joined by Lawrence and Kay Shedwick of Ford City, who brought with them their collection of Remember Pearl Harbor memorabilia.

On July 21, she received a letter that she had gotten the Gold Award. She will be recognized with other Pennsylvania Gold Award recipients at a ceremony next May.

Renee Watson, who oversees the Gold, Silver and Bronze Award program for the Western Pennsylvania Girl Scouts, said Lauren's project demonstrates the diversity and emphasis on leadership and community involvement that today's Girl Scouts represent.

"You think Girl Scouts, you think cookies," she said. "But we're so much more than people realize."

The Girl Scouts of America was founded in 1912 to build confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women. The organization began a rebranding effort this year that continues to emphasize leadership, while stressing a commitment to diversity and the power of girls and women to change their communities and the world.

Ms. Watson pointed out that while troop-based activities were still the Scouts' mainstay, the organization was getting involved in other ways.

Scouts can opt for independent registration, in which girls' participation isn't tied to troop activities, and they can track their advancement toward goals on the Internet.

"You don't even have to be a Girl Scout to participate in our activities," Ms. Watson said, adding that another growing interest for Scouts is the environment.

For their own Gold Award project, five Scouts in Erie recently created an environmental curriculum for kindergarten through third grade called "Wastewatchers."

"They created cartoon characters, a coloring book," said Ms. Watson. "And now Pennsylvania is adopting that curriculum statewide."

Lauren said the outdoors component of Scouting was less important to her than the social and learning parts.

"I'm not a big camper," she said. "But I love experiencing things I normally wouldn't."

She cited a trip to a Hindu temple and a self-defense class as two high points.

Lauren also is a high honor student, an editor on her school newspaper and a member of the girls' varsity tennis team.

She has also admitted to a greater interest in history since her Gold Award project.

"In my history textbook, Pearl Harbor gets one page," she said. "I thought it deserved more."

For more information on the Girl Scouts, the Gold Award program or a troop in your area, go to www.gswpa.org/ or www.girlscouts.org.