When Girl Scouts say, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” they’re not talking in metaphors.

At a graduation ceremony June 6, Oak Harbor Girl Scouts from 12 different troops came together to graduate those in their ranks going from one Girl Scout level to another.

To symbolize this crossing over, the troops used a small wooden bridge where members of the girls’ present rank would release one of their graduating class members to cross over the bridge, where she was then met by a girl from her new class.

“I was nervous,” said 8-year-old Reanna Reyna, a Brownie from Troop 807, of her graduation bridging experience.

From Daisies to Brownies, Brownies to Juniors, Juniors to Cadets, the girls graduated and received recognition for the time and effort they put into fulfilling the requirements of the class they had just finished.

“It seemed everyone there appeared to be having a good time,” said Oak Harbor resident Sandy Hunt, who is the Girl Scout service unit manager for Oak Harbor troops.

Hunt said Oak Harbor has approximately 200 girls involved in local troops and the graduation ceremony had quite a good representation from the troops and graduates’ family members.

“We gained a lot of girls this year,” she said.

Hunt said Oak Harbor Girl Scouts participated in the Holland Happening parade, swimming parties, World Thinking Day and dramas. She said these are just a few of the activities local scouts get involved with. Aside from fun, she said scouts help out around the community.

This year several troops helped at Deception Pass State Park with Native Plant Day.

“We had little Brownies along with the older girls, pulling weeds,” she said.

Newly graduated Brownie, Rachel Loescher, 6, who went from Troop 2040’s Daisy class to it’s Brownie class, has looked forward to this graduation ceremony for quite a while.

Rachel’s mother, Dawn Loescher, said her daughter joined Girl Scouts just so she could sell cookies. Unfortunately for Rachel, though, Daisy scouts do not sell cookies. But now that Rachel has graduated, crossed her bridge and become part of her troop’s Brownie class, she can sell cookies to her heart’s content.