Some of the Girl Scouts and their leaders pose in front of the finished mural. From left are co-leader Denielle Breech, Senior Girl Scout Kimberly Schwan, Ambassador Girl Scout Isabella Lopez, Daisy Girl Scout Sarah Lopez, Daisy Girl Scout CeCe Montalbano, Troop 702 Girl Scout Leader Laura Montalbano, Junior Girl Scout Mary Montalbano, Junior Girl Scout Maggie Celis, studio artist Emma Montalbano, Cadet Girl Scout Isabella Menjivar and co-leader Lisa Goodwin-Yates. Photo by Margaret Snider

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - A mural painted long ago on an outside wall at United Methodist Church in Rancho Cordova had faded because of weather and time. Ambassador Girl Scout Isabella Lopez, now 17, a member of Troop 702, suggested that it would be good to repair or replace it.

“We presented (the idea) to the Board,” said Troop Leader Laura Montalbano. “We had the girls each say something about why they wanted to do the mural.” 

Work commenced last year. A reception at the church on March 9 celebrated the completion of the new mural.

The church in Rancho Cordova has hosted the Girl Scout troop since it started around 13 years ago.

“The previous mural was a more simple design like a rainbow, the sun and just some general Bible symbols, like the dove,” Isabella said. “So we actually took some of the elements from the old mural and we incorporated it into our current mural.”

Isabella said that probably around 30 individuals have worked on the mural, including some guests from other Girl Scout troops.

“Our former Scout Abby (Koppel) put so much work into our mural. She contributed a lot to painting the people of the mural,” Isabella said. “Without her help, that step would have been very difficult. And honestly, just about everyone in our troop participated a whole lot, whether it was making the flowers, the trees, the rainbows, they all had their equal part.”  

Co-leader Denielle Breech (left) and Senior Girl Scout Kimberly Schwan offer Girl Scout cookies for sale at the reception at United Methodist Church. Photo by Margaret Snider

Abby, 15, is now active in the Cordova High School drama department.

“But I still value the time that I had as a Girl Scout,” Abby said. “Getting to have the experience is really valuable. Being able to just learn how to lead is really valuable.”

Emma Montalbano, Montalbano’s daughter, is a studio artist with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, and she helped the girls get started in the mural’s planning and execution.

“I feel they exceeded expectations for sure,” Emma said.

In the process, they learned about design, color and plenty of the technical aspects of seeing a project through.

“(Emma) guided us with how to make the mural,” Isabella said. “For example, before we got to painting, we turned the wall into a giant grid so that we could get the proportions of our people and trees to the right scale that we wanted from our drawing, to make the whole process a lot easier. She gave us the steps on how to properly paint the wall, how to prime it. She was really just a big guidance for us.”  

The Scouts and others who attended the reception and viewed the new mural were pleased with the results.

“Everything about it is perfect,” said Maggie Celis, 10, a Junior Girl Scout.

Maggie started as a Brownie and helped with the mural’s creation.

“I love the butterflies, the trees, the people,” Maggie said. “Mostly, I liked to work on the sky and the rainbow.” 

Her family regularly attends services at the Church. 

The mural at United Methodist Church in Rancho Cordova was painted by Girl Scout Troop 702. Photo by Margaret Snider

Jeanne Schwan and her daughter Kimberly, 17, a Senior Girl Scout, came to the reception. Kimberly loves computers and animals and wants to continue as a Girl Scout leader in the future.

Jeanne Schwan described the mural’s panels. The Girl Scout panel depicts Scouts holding hands in a circle as they do at the end of meetings. One panel depicts the campfire, another the art activities the Scouts do. The garden panel, she said, “represents all the nice things that the church does for the community.”  That panel includes a depiction of a bag of food because the church helps those who are in need. 

Girl Scout Leader Montalbano is aided by assistants or co-leaders Denielle Breech and Lisa Goodwin Yates.

“I am so proud of my troop,” Montalbano said. “It took some patience to get it done because we had to do lots of short times to paint. Then there is also the weather, between the rain and the heat but we finished it, and we are all so proud of it.”