About
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars offers hands-on activities in robotics, computer coding, botany, chemistry, and the science of music. The program also includes field trips, council-led workshops, DIY activities, Resident Camps, STEM Center day camps, and weekend programs.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars operates under the leadership of Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Girl Scouts began in Dallas in 1920 with two troops of girls, and the Dallas Council was chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA in 1924. In 1924, Ms. R.M. Hammond donated 20 acres of land and Mr. Alex Sanger donated 13 acres of land to form a camp for girls in southwest Dallas, and in 1926 the Kiwanis Club built a lodge and bath house on the camp property, which was then named Camp Kiwanis. In 1927, the Kiwanis Club built the first pool and the first version of the Tanglewood cabins, and in 1930 the Dallas Girl Scouts bought an additional 13 acres, bringing the total acreage, including some leased acres from the Dallas Community Chest, to 53. The site was renamed Camp Whispering Cedars in 1950, and in 1954 tents were replaced with cabins for Cedar Lodge and Glen Oaks, and the Tanglewood cabins were replaced. In 1963, the Dallas Council and the Chisholm Trail Council merged to form the Tejas Council, Camp Whispering Cedars was refurbished in 1975, and Tejas Lodge was rebuilt in 1991 after a fire in 1988. In 2007, Tejas Council, Cross Timbers Council, and Red River Council merged to become Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, construction on The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars began in 2015, and its Grand Opening took place in 2018.
At the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars, Girl Scouts develops both hard and soft skills critical for STEM, college, and career readiness. The program focuses on changing the workforce pipeline in STEM to meet the need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in a fast-growing sector of the U.S. economy. Girl Scouts is cultivating STEM by exposing young women to educational and professional opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, broadening their view of what is possible for their future, and developing their confidence while addressing gender parity in STEM careers. The STEM ecosystem around the STEM Center of Excellence includes corporations, universities, and other non-profit organizations that are focused on building the workforce pipeline in North Texas in STEM careers or in other paths that align with a girl’s confidence. Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, states that the goal is to change the workforce pipeline for North Texas and to have more girls eventually become STEM professionals, especially in careers where women are underrepresented.
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars is described as a first-of-its-kind STEM Center of Excellence with year-round opportunities in multiple STEM disciplines. The facilities include the Hoglund Girl Program Center, Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, Leadership Center, Butterfly Pavilion, Aquatic Center, Boone Family Foundation Courtyard, Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck, Tejas Lodge, Cedar Lodge, Glen Oaks, Tanglewood cabins, and a pool. The site includes high efficiency multi-pane-sealed glass windows throughout the facility, clerestory windows in the Hoglund Girl Program Center and Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar tubes in the Leadership Center and the Butterfly Pavilion. Solar photovoltaic panels produce electricity on-site at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar thermal panels produce hot water for faucets and showers at the Aquatic Center. Rainwater is collected in barrels above grade for landscape irrigation at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center also has a vegetative roof. Landscaping materials in the Boone Family Foundation Courtyard are 90 percent Texas native heat-resistant plants representing deserts, prairies, and grasslands, and reflective roofing is used on the Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck and all new buildings. Tyvek sealing is used to minimize water penetration and damage to all buildings, reflective cool deck material is used at the Aquatic Center pool deck, and key roadways are constructed with recycled gravel and Geogrid for permeable roadway material. All lighting at the site is LED, HVAC units are high SEER-rated, toilets are dual-flush fixtures, and all plumbing on-site is low flow and Water Sense-certified. Interior materials for paint, coatings, adhesives, and sealants have low VOC levels, and walls, floors, and ceilings are insulated with spray foam, foam board, and high R value batting insulation.
Last updated January 29, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars operates under the leadership of Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Girl Scouts began in Dallas in 1920 with two troops of girls, and the Dallas Council was chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA in 1924. In 1924, Ms. R.M. Hammond donated 20 acres of land and Mr. Alex Sanger donated 13 acres of land to form a camp for girls in southwest Dallas, and in 1926 the Kiwanis Club built a lodge and bath house on the camp property, which was then named Camp Kiwanis. In 1927, the Kiwanis Club built the first pool and the first version of the Tanglewood cabins, and in 1930 the Dallas Girl Scouts bought an additional 13 acres, bringing the total acreage, including some leased acres from the Dallas Community Chest, to 53. The site was renamed Camp Whispering Cedars in 1950, and in 1954 tents were replaced with cabins for Cedar Lodge and Glen Oaks, and the Tanglewood cabins were replaced. In 1963, the Dallas Council and the Chisholm Trail Council merged to form the Tejas Council, Camp Whispering Cedars was refurbished in 1975, and Tejas Lodge was rebuilt in 1991 after a fire in 1988. In 2007, Tejas Council, Cross Timbers Council, and Red River Council merged to become Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, construction on The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars began in 2015, and its Grand Opening took place in 2018.
At the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars, Girl Scouts develops both hard and soft skills critical for STEM, college, and career readiness. The program focuses on changing the workforce pipeline in STEM to meet the need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in a fast-growing sector of the U.S. economy. Girl Scouts is cultivating STEM by exposing young women to educational and professional opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, broadening their view of what is possible for their future, and developing their confidence while addressing gender parity in STEM careers. The STEM ecosystem around the STEM Center of Excellence includes corporations, universities, and other non-profit organizations that are focused on building the workforce pipeline in North Texas in STEM careers or in other paths that align with a girl’s confidence. Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, states that the goal is to change the workforce pipeline for North Texas and to have more girls eventually become STEM professionals, especially in careers where women are underrepresented.
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars is described as a first-of-its-kind STEM Center of Excellence with year-round opportunities in multiple STEM disciplines. The facilities include the Hoglund Girl Program Center, Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, Leadership Center, Butterfly Pavilion, Aquatic Center, Boone Family Foundation Courtyard, Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck, Tejas Lodge, Cedar Lodge, Glen Oaks, Tanglewood cabins, and a pool. The site includes high efficiency multi-pane-sealed glass windows throughout the facility, clerestory windows in the Hoglund Girl Program Center and Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar tubes in the Leadership Center and the Butterfly Pavilion. Solar photovoltaic panels produce electricity on-site at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar thermal panels produce hot water for faucets and showers at the Aquatic Center. Rainwater is collected in barrels above grade for landscape irrigation at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center also has a vegetative roof. Landscaping materials in the Boone Family Foundation Courtyard are 90 percent Texas native heat-resistant plants representing deserts, prairies, and grasslands, and reflective roofing is used on the Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck and all new buildings. Tyvek sealing is used to minimize water penetration and damage to all buildings, reflective cool deck material is used at the Aquatic Center pool deck, and key roadways are constructed with recycled gravel and Geogrid for permeable roadway material. All lighting at the site is LED, HVAC units are high SEER-rated, toilets are dual-flush fixtures, and all plumbing on-site is low flow and Water Sense-certified. Interior materials for paint, coatings, adhesives, and sealants have low VOC levels, and walls, floors, and ceilings are insulated with spray foam, foam board, and high R value batting insulation.
Last updated January 29, 2026.
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