Old Colony Memorial | Thu Mar 13, 2008 By Casey Meserve PLYMOUTH - They came, they sang and they conquered. Even if they didn’t win, getting up on that stage in front of more than 100 people takes guts, and Friday night, 20 Girl Scouts had the courage to do just that. The second annual Girl Scout Idol took place last Friday night at Plymouth North High School.  Girl Scouts from troops across town participated, vying for a cool trophy.

The bravest of them all was also the youngest. Daisy Scout Amanda Publicover was the eighth girl to sing. The tiny contestant walked across the stage, took the microphone from Master of Ceremonies Stephanie Gray, looked into the spotlight and into the dark crowd and froze. She’d plan to perform “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. But when the time came to sing, she just stared into the crowd. Her mom got up and crouched by the front of the stage, giving her encouragement. Then Gray appeared and, after a short discussion, carried Amanda off the stage. More girls came up and sang. Some were wonderful, some were good. Some knew their songs perfectly and some didn’t even have the lyrics on the karaoke machine. Brownie Amelia Turso tried to sing Kids in America, by British singer Kim Wilde, but the lyrics didn’t come up on the machine, leaving her struggling to remember them. She also seemed nervous about the photographer hovering in a dark corner of the stage. Last year’s Idol, Adrianna Alverez, a Junior Girl Scout, had to change songs just before walking on stage. She wanted to singe “Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray, the Movie but the DJ didn’t have the song, so she switched and sang Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and but also ran into trouble because she didn’t have the lyrics. It didn’t bother her at all though. She sang the song perfectly. In this judge’s opinion, the most awesome performance of the night was Junior Girl Scout Diana Riordan, who came out in full Red Sox regalia and belted out the Dropkick Murphys’ “Tessie.” She played air guitar and shouted out the song in true punk fashion. Very cool. Later in the night, after all the girls had performed, Gray took the stage again. “We have one more performer tonight,” she explained. Then little Amanda walked on stage again, this time with her mom. The music started and an angelic little voice sprang from within this very little girl. Her mother mouthed the words and Amanda gazed into her mother’s eyes throughout the song. It takes courage to get up on stage and sing. But it takes more courage to try again after failing the first time. Amanda received a standing ovation. If she had been able to perform the first time, the judges concluded she would have won. As it was, Amanda received an honorable mention. She didn’t say anything after the show. She sat in her mother’s arms clutching a bouquet of pink baby roses and nodded yes to questions. Did you feel better when you sang your song with your mom? Nod. Do you think you’ll be able to sing by yourself next year? Nod. The judges said they didn’t realize until they finally decided on the placings that the winners were the same three girls who won last year. “I had this funny feeling,” Judge Andy Firnrhor said about the final standings. “But it was the right decision.” Judge Erik Christensen said it was difficult to choose. “They were all wonderful, and they tried really hard,” he said. Adrianna, last year’s winner, received second place and a trophy shaped like a microphone. She was thrilled with her trophy. “Last year, when I won, I wanted second place because the trophy was a microphone,” Adrianna said. Junior Girl Scout Paige Burke, who came in second last year, won third this year with her rendition of Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.” Burke took third place for her knowledge of the song and her stage presence. She danced across the stage and got her audience dancing in their seats. The winner, Junior Girl Scout Jordan Brocklesby, who performed Teardrops on my Guitar by Taylor Swift, got great marks for her singing ability and her stage presence. Jordan’s eyes bulged when Gray announced her name. “I didn’t know I was going to win anything,” she said. “I thought I was going to barf.” Jordan’s parents presented her with a dozen roses and the judges gave her a big star-shaped trophy. All of the girls received a Girl Scout Idol badge for their participation.