The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars, 6010 Whispering Cedar Dr, Dallas, TX 75236
About
The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars offers activities in robotics, computer coding, botany, chemistry, the science of music, and DIY projects. The program also includes field trips, council-led workshops, Resident Camps, STEM Center day camps, and weekend programs.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Girl Scouts began in Dallas in 1920 with two troops of girls, and Girl Scouts of the USA chartered the Dallas Council 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 the Kiwanis Club later built a lodge, bath house, pool, and the first version of the Tanglewood cabins on the camp property. The site was renamed Camp Whispering Cedars in 1950, and over the following decades cabins were replaced, the Tejas Council was formed through council mergers, Camp Whispering Cedars was refurbished, and Tejas Lodge was rebuilt after a fire. 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 there was a Grand Opening of The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars in 2018.
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 and camp formats. Facilities at the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars 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 an Aquatic Center pool deck. Site features include high efficiency multi-pane-sealed glass windows, clerestory windows in the Hoglund Girl Program Center and Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, solar tubes in the Leadership Center and Butterfly Pavilion, solar photovoltaic panels producing electricity on-site at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar thermal panels producing hot water for faucets and showers at the Aquatic Center. Additional features include rainwater collected in barrels above grade for landscape irrigation at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, a vegetative roof on the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, landscaping materials in the Boone Family Foundation Courtyard that are 90 percent Texas native heat-resistant plants representing different natural areas in the state, reflective roofing on the Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck and all new buildings, Tyvek sealing to minimize water penetration or damage to all buildings, and an Aquatic Center pool deck made of reflective cool deck material. Key roadways are constructed with recycled gravel and Geogrid to provide sustainable natural support for emergency vehicles and permeable roadway material to maximize drainage and runoff efficiency, and all lighting at the site is LED. HVAC units are high SEER-rated, toilets are dual-flush fixtures, 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.
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, and states that it is changing the workforce pipeline in STEM to meet the urgent 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, developing confidence, and 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 wherever a girl's confidence can take her. The CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is Jennifer Bartkowski, who has stated 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.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Girl Scouts began in Dallas in 1920 with two troops of girls, and Girl Scouts of the USA chartered the Dallas Council 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 the Kiwanis Club later built a lodge, bath house, pool, and the first version of the Tanglewood cabins on the camp property. The site was renamed Camp Whispering Cedars in 1950, and over the following decades cabins were replaced, the Tejas Council was formed through council mergers, Camp Whispering Cedars was refurbished, and Tejas Lodge was rebuilt after a fire. 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 there was a Grand Opening of The STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars in 2018.
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 and camp formats. Facilities at the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars 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 an Aquatic Center pool deck. Site features include high efficiency multi-pane-sealed glass windows, clerestory windows in the Hoglund Girl Program Center and Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, solar tubes in the Leadership Center and Butterfly Pavilion, solar photovoltaic panels producing electricity on-site at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, and solar thermal panels producing hot water for faucets and showers at the Aquatic Center. Additional features include rainwater collected in barrels above grade for landscape irrigation at the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, a vegetative roof on the Crystal Charity Ball Girl Exploration Center, landscaping materials in the Boone Family Foundation Courtyard that are 90 percent Texas native heat-resistant plants representing different natural areas in the state, reflective roofing on the Moody Foundation Observation Tower viewing deck and all new buildings, Tyvek sealing to minimize water penetration or damage to all buildings, and an Aquatic Center pool deck made of reflective cool deck material. Key roadways are constructed with recycled gravel and Geogrid to provide sustainable natural support for emergency vehicles and permeable roadway material to maximize drainage and runoff efficiency, and all lighting at the site is LED. HVAC units are high SEER-rated, toilets are dual-flush fixtures, 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.
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, and states that it is changing the workforce pipeline in STEM to meet the urgent 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, developing confidence, and 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 wherever a girl's confidence can take her. The CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is Jennifer Bartkowski, who has stated 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.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
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