Daisy scout wins art contest

Alexis Avera is, simply put, a daisy.

Her impish smile belies her shy demeanor under her long golden locks and big rosy cheeks, and when coaxed to respond to a question, is a surprise waiting to happen.

"We clean," said Alexis, 6, responding to a question about what the Girl Scouts Daisy Troop No. 4134 does.

Keeping their meeting room clean is part of what the 6- and 7-year-old Daisy scouts do, but there is no need for a child labor investigation.

The troop also sings, and even better, Alexis said, they listen to stories. They also do community volunteer work.

But Perhaps what Alexis does best is draw.

Her talents recently won her first prize for her painting depicting Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts 100 years ago.

It was part of the Legacy Art Contest.

Alexis and another local Daisy scout, Emily Garcia, 7, are also depicted in the colorful artwork.

"I feel good," Emily said about being part of the painting. "Me and Alexis are best friends."

The painting was selected as the very best by other girls who attended the Centennial Celebration held at Cal Expo on April 28. There were more than 13,000 entries.

When she started the project, she was just having fun.

"When I first drew it, I didn't know i was going to be in a contest," said Alexis, a first-grader at Burchfield Primary School. Her favorite subject is spelling.

Each figure in the piece — from the people to the flowers to the smiling son — were drawn and painted separately, then cut out individually and placed on white background paper.

The flowers represent the laws of the Girl Scouts; the sun, well, that just makes Alexis happy.

The largest figure in the painting is Low, who is wearing the first Girl Scouts uniform — including the hat.

"I copied it from a book," Alexis said.

There is a bluebird on her shoulder, representing the many bird broaches and the like she collected. She is also wearing necklace with a fish, representing the first award she received.

Low has another significance to Troop 4134. Her nickname was Daisy, which became the name of the youngest group within the Girl Scouts structure.

The members of the local troop are Alexis, Emily, Carly Simmons, Delaney Amsden, Jordyn Stephens and Abby Maciel.

The leaders are Julissa Silva-Garcia and Debbie Schantz, who is Alexis' grandmother, and a former Girl Scout. Alexis' mother, Christy Avera, also was a scout, and is a leader of the troop as well.

Alexis learned she won the contest on May 11, and was admittedly excited about the blue ribbon.

But the best part was the art supplies that came as part of her prize.

The painting will be on display at the Girl Scouts booth at the Colusa County Fair, which runs June 7-10.