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‘‘It’s a big accomplishment to have sustained one activity since elementary school. That’s some dedication,” said Paint Branch High School student Stacey Markham, 17, with a hint of awe in her voice as she finished her thought.

‘‘It’s nice to know we finished everything we could do in all our years,” added Nicole Parker, 17, who goes to James Hubert Blake High School and also will be honored at the ceremony for creating a bilingual Parent Resource Center at Viers Mill Elementary School. ‘‘It’s nice we stuck with it.”

The story of Troop 3003 begins in 1994 with Parker’s mother, Kathy MacGillivray, the troop’s founder and leader. A Girl Scout herself and an assistant with her older daughter’s troop, MacGillivray placed ads in fliers and community newsletters to start a troop for Parker.

Ten girls answered, and the troop began meeting regularly at Cloverly Elementary School. The early years featured activities right from the scout leaders’ handbook, MacGillivray said, with crafts, service and outdoor activities, camping trips and, of course, cookie sales.

‘‘It was a fun little thing for a little girl,” said Kelly Whall, an 18-year-old senior at Blake. ‘‘It was a really good environment, not just with the other girls but the scout leaders. They made sure we had fun and learned.”

As the girls matriculated from Cloverly Elementary School to Briggs Chaney Middle School, they were given more responsibilities. Many of the girls said some of their favorite memories are of planning events for younger Girl Scout troops, including a father-daughter dance at Fairland Elementary School. ‘‘It’s so fun for us to help younger kids have a good time,” said Blake student Natalie Treacy, 17.

One thing that remained constant through the years was camping, said Sarah Waterworth, 17, also a Blake student. The girls went from learning to tie trash bags to trees to pitching their own tents and starting campfires, she said.

‘‘Even though we went to different high schools, when we went camping, it was like we hadn’t spent any time apart,” she said.

When the girls reached high school, most went to Blake, with the rest going to Paint Branch. Meetings occurred on an as-needed basis, the location switching from Cloverly Elementary to MacGillivray’s home off Good Hope Road.

While unsure if they would all have been friends without Girl Scouts, the troop members agreed that being in the troop has kept them close. ‘‘We all had different interests and hobbies, but we all had Girl Scouts,” 17-year-old Blake student Carey McMullen said. ‘‘No matter what, once a week we had to get together.”

MacGillivray agreed. ‘‘Even though they may not be best friends with each other, they will always have that bond,” she said.

In the fall, the girls will head to college both locally and along the East Coast to pursue careers in education, law, medicine, business and psychology, among other areas. Markham, in fact, decided to become a teacher after serving as a counselor for two summers at a Girl Scout camp.

MacGillivray is looking forward to tracking all of their progress. ‘‘I hope they follow their dreams and find the things they love to do, and give back to the community as well,” she said.

The troop members plan to take what they learned as Girl Scouts with them, be it through leadership skills, an ability to work with others, self-confidence or a dedication to community service.

Some, like 17-year-old Paint Branch student Sarah McLaughlin, said when they become mothers, they would encourage their daughters to join. One of the biggest benefits McLaughlin said she got from the Girl Scouts is making lasting friendships at an early age. ‘‘I like having those close friends that I’ve had forever,” she said.