SPRING LAKE — Fiona O’Brien, 17, is passionate about local history.
The St. Catharine alumna, now a senior at Trinity Hall High School, hopes to encourage other Spring Lakers to learn more about the borough’s history through the lens of community buildings that have transformed over time.
Last Summer, Fiona was at an open house in her hometown of Spring Lake, where her father made a comment saying that he hoped the buyers wouldn’t just knock it down.
ADVERTISEMENT
Flabbergasted that such a beautiful place could be demolished without a second thought, Fiona decided to take action — performing extensive historical research on important buildings in Spring Lake. This research laid the foundation for “Plaques for the Past,” Ms. O’Brien’s Girl Scout Gold Award project, a project that culminated in the creation of two historical plaques for Spring Lake Municipal Building [423 Warren Ave.] and the Spring Lake Fire House [1007 Fifth Ave.] The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts nationwide.
“Working on my gold award was a really great opportunity to work on my communication skills … with important people from Spring Lake,” said Fiona. “It really allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone.”
“COVID hit and I really found an appreciation for my town. I would go on a lot of bike rides and go to the beach – I really got to admire a lot of the historical architecture of the houses.”
For more on this story, read the next edition of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Spring Lake stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Coast Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.
