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Utah’s state motto is “Industry,” but I’m going to propose a new one: “Home of Eagle Scouts.” That’s because no state produced more Eagle Scouts in 2016 than Utah. Thanks in large part to the strong support Scouting receives from the LDS church there, 5,664 young men became Eagle Scouts in Utah in 2016.
You’ve heard the saying: Good shoes take you to good places. So imagine the places more than 23,000 pairs of shoes will go when donated to people in need after the Dan Beard Council’s Soles4Souls shoe drive. This impressive Good Turn served as a way for the Ohio council to encourage partnerships between Scouts and…
There were 55,186 Eagle Scouts in 2016. That’s the fourth-largest Eagle Scout class ever — surpassed only by 2012, 2010 and 2013 — and represents a 1.5 percent increase over 2015. Just think about that for a sec: 55,186 Eagle Scouts. Each one has his own story of the challenging but rewarding journey to Scouting’s highest honor.
It was a time of idyllic Scouting scenes and uniforms somehow still crisp and clean after a full day of hiking. The Norman Rockwell era was so brilliantly depicted in the 51 original images he created for the official Boy Scouts annual calendar.
Ryan from Pennsylvania Welcome to Scouts Then and Now , a Bryan on Scouting blog series. The premise is simple. I share two photos of the same Scout or Venturer: once in his or her early Scouting years (Cub Scout, younger Boy Scout, younger Venturer) and again in his or her later Scouting years (Life Scout…
Add up all the protected areas of the United States — national, state and local parks and more — and you get an area larger than France and Spain combined. In other words, there are a lot of American parks to explore.
Sorry, Captain Kirk, but these days, Scouts and former Scouts are the ones who “boldly go where no man has gone before.” That’s why it’s fitting for the BSA to introduce a new merit badge : Exploration. The badge — the 137th on the BSA’s list of currently available merit badges — celebrates the spirit of adventure that…
Scouting volunteers are some of the busiest humans around. With all their different commitments, you’d think they’re time travelers. That explains the patrol name adopted by the adults in Troop 3 of Texarkana, Texas. They’re the Time Lords patrol. Any fan of the long-running TV series Doctor Who will approve of the name and the…
So astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets around a nearby star, huh? We’re officially one step closer to finding extraterrestrial life — or picking out the next planet for humans once we’re sick of this one. Or both. Either way, it’s likely Scouts will be involved.
If you’re a commissioner assigned to an LDS unit, this could be the most important 13 minutes of your week. LDS Commissioner Orientation, a new training module for commissioners who work with LDS units, is now online. In the free online training, LDS commissioners will learn about their role and responsibilities — all with the goal…
Betty Hess might just be the most dedicated volunteer the Five Rivers Council has ever seen. The 91-year-old has been actively serving Scouting in the Horseheads, N.Y.-based council for more than 60 years. She has received the Silver Beaver Award, which is the highest council-level honor a volunteer can receive.
The Silver Fawn Award, presented from 1971 to 1974, was the female version of the council-level Silver Beaver Award. It was discontinued in 1974 when both women and men became eligible to earn the Silver Beaver. In all, 2,455 women received the honor in the award’s three years of existence.
The release of a new square knot is always cause for celebration. But one square knot that combines five different awards? It’s party time. Square knots, which are primarily earned by adults, recognize an individual’s service and commitment to Scouting.
Rex Tillerson will be extremely busy traveling the world as secretary of state. But he’ll still take time to recognize his fellow Eagle Scouts. The U.S. Department of State, under the leadership of Distinguished Eagle Scout Tillerson, announced it will continue the department’s long-standing tradition of sending congratulatory letters to Eagle Scouts.
In a lot of ways, the Blackmore family is like any Scouting family. They have too much to do and too little time. The dad, Brian, is an active-duty sergeant working long hours in the U.S. Army. His son, Jacob, is busy, too, with school, homework, church and chores.
Post updated to include clarification about driving to/from troop or crew meetings. The Boy Scouts of America’s updated transportation policy now requires all drivers to be at least 18 and have a valid driver’s license. Scouting youth under age 18 are not insured under the BSA’s commercial general liability policy and cannot be allowed to…
On a magazine assignment last summer, I joined Troop 7031 from Flagstaff, Ariz., on a canoe trip through Yellowstone National Park. (Shameless plug: Find my story in the May 2017 Boys’ Life and May-June 2017 Scouting !) The first day of paddling was the longest, and we arrived at camp exhausted.
A Scout is reverent, and some adult volunteers go above and beyond to help Scouts on their spiritual journey. The National Duty to God Award , first presented in 2016, recognizes adults who help young people better connect with their faith.
Every Scout deserves a trained leader, but less than 50 percent of direct-contact leaders complete basic training for their position. Scouting U wants to change that. The BSA’s training team has set its 2017 goal: at least 50 percent of direct-contact leaders trained this year.
Better troop meetings are a click away. Troop Leader Resources — available at troopleader.org — is a new, BSA-authorized website that helps Scouts and Scouters plan better meetings. With its videos of real Scouts in real troops, the site is a one-stop shop for new and experienced troop leaders.
Happy birthday, Boy Scouts of America! The nation’s top youth-serving organization was born Feb. 8, 1910. That’s the date William D. Boyce incorporated the BSA. (What time did that happen? Find out here .) Who else shares a birthday with the Boy Scouts of America?
We celebrate Feb. 8 as the birthday of the Boy Scouts of America. On that Tuesday in 1910, William D. Boyce (above) filed the official documents to incorporate this great organization. That much you probably know. But here’s something you might not: We actually know what time those documents were filed.
If you recruit new Boy Scouts into your troop without a plan for retaining your existing members, you’re just spinning your wheels. Help Boy Scouts get the most out of this life-changing organization with a program that keeps them coming back week after week.
Handing a Boy Scout a badge of office doesn’t automatically make him a good leader. He needs to be trained. He needs to take the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops, or ILST. This training course is conducted in three modules — each 60 to 90 minutes.
Planning to teach them Traffic Safety? School them in Scholarship? Impart your insight about Inventing? Before you serve as a merit badge counselor, ask yourself three questions: 1. Am I using the latest pamphlet and requirements? You’ve heard the warning that anything posted online is there forever, right?
The question is tantalizing for fans of Scouting and sports: Is there a correlation between the number of Eagle Scouts in a team’s home city and that team’s odds of winning the Super Bowl? The short answer? Yes, the team with more Eagle Scouts in its hometown is more likely to win the Super Bowl…
A few fanatical fathers turn a Pinewood Derby race into an unhealthy obsession, forgetting the race is meant for Cub Scouts and not them. This completely fictional, in-no-way-based-in-reality story is the plot of Down and Derby , a 2005 comedy written and directed by Eric Hendershot.
Where will your next Scouting adventure take you? You’re limited only by your imagination — and, yes, your budget. Fundraisers conducted through your local Scout council, such as Scout popcorn sales, are a no-brainer. They’ve already been reviewed, meaning they follow all BSA rules and regulations.
Jimmy Stewart had given acceptance speeches before — after winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, for example. But this one was different. This one was all about Scouting. In May 1980, inside a crowded ballroom in one of Los Angeles’ fanciest hotels, Stewart received the Los Angeles Area Council’s Distinguished Scouter Award.
You’ve seen the 73-second cut . Now dive deeper with the 191-second version of our video that shows you how Pinewood Derby car kits get made. These wood blocks begin their journey as ponderosa pine logs at a sustainable lumber mill in Idaho.
What if just a fraction of the energy, money and attention devoted to the Super Bowl each year was channeled into a cause that helped others in need? You’d get the Souper Bowl of Caring , an annual event that mobilizes youth to fight hunger and poverty by collecting cash and food donations.
The boy who lived, come to … race? A Pinewood Derby car inspired by Harry Potter’s Nimbus 2000 broomstick has landed on a Cub Scout racetrack this season. The car is the handiwork of Henry, a Webelos from Pack 350 of the Fort Worth, Texas-based Longhorn Council.
On a July day in New Jersey, Daniel Summerhays got the news he’d long been dreaming of. By finishing third in the 2016 PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major tournaments, Summerhays had qualified for the 2017 Masters Tournament. That major — the most-watched event in golf — is still a few months away (April 6 to…
Just a couple of years ago, D.J. Tialavea was working two jobs and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s house. Now he’s a tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, who will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
David R. has landed four different jobs just because he’s an Eagle Scout. One time, after the words “Eagle Scout” were uttered, “the manager went right to, ‘what will it take for you to work for me?'” he says. You’ve heard that before, right?
It’s an event so popular it requires a waiting list. Once every year, Scouts get a chance to earn merit badges in classes taught by real midshipmen on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. At the STEM Merit Badge Jamboree earlier this month, midshipmen — many of whom are Eagle Scouts — led…
Some things just go together. Campfires and s’mores. Hiking and trail mix. The Boy Scouts of America and the outdoors. So is anyone shocked, really, to learn that a BSA member has — for the third year in a row — won the Youth category in the Outdoor Inspiration Awards?
At councils across the country, Ten Commandments hikes help Scouts and Venturers learn more about their faith and the faiths and cultures of others. An upcoming example: the 10th annual Ten Commandments Hike in the Baden Powell District, part of the North Florida Council.
Ever since June 1, 2015, all BSA members — Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Sea Scouts — have recited the Scout Oath and Scout Law as part of their program. The so-called “One Oath, One Law” transition was meant to keep things consistent throughout a young person’s Scouting journey.
Fletcher W. has some sensory issues around buttons and snaps. He strongly dislikes them. For this new Cub Scout from Virginia, the blue, button-up uniform shirt was a barrier to his enjoyment of Cub Scouting. So Pack 680 Cubmaster Scott Klempner stepped in.
When a young man turns 18 and heads off to college out of town or out of state, one of two things usually happens. You might lose track of him as he begins this new chapter of life — Scouting just a happy, though formative, part of his past.
In real life, it takes weeks for a Pinewood Derby car kit to go from a sustainable lumber mill in Idaho to an assembly line in Indiana to your local Scout shop. But through the magic of movie editing, you can experience that whole process in just 73 seconds. Ready … set … go!
A Scout covering some breaking news at the 2013 jamboree. Some Scouts and Venturers will share jamboree stories with friends on Instagram and Snapchat. These 2017 National Jamboree participants will do one better, sharing their first-person jamboree experience with local news organizations back home.
Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration used Scouts to provide first aid. Franklin D. Roosevelt requested Eagle Scouts for his personal honor guard. Ronald Reagan’s team invited two Boy Scouts inside on the coldest Inauguration Day ever, and Bill Clinton’s team picked an Eagle Scout to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
In some packs, troops and crews, adults pay nothing to attend weekend camping trips. Instead, as a way to thank the Scouters for their service and time, their costs are included in the campout fee for the Scouts/Venturers. In other words, instead of paying $12 to cover food and supplies during a weekend trip, Scouts…
We ask our Scouts to follow the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Adult leaders, though, are held to an additional standard. It’s called the Scouter Code of Conduct. Think of it as a checklist of expectations for adult conduct in the Scouting program.
You can get twice the use out of your Pinewood Derby track — and make an important point about the Cub Scouting journey. It just takes some advance preparation to make your pack’s existing track the focal point for an advancement ceremony.
A bugle alarm clock replacement, a Good Turn at the soda shop and the sweet reason to select a Den Mother are among the witty subjects in this latest batch of Scouting magazine cartoons. This grouping comes from 1969, and I found 12 great Scouting-themed cartoons printed that year in the magazine for BSA leaders.
Photo by Bill Torpy Lamar Wallace is 105 years old. That likely makes him the oldest living Eagle Scout. Officials at the National Eagle Scout Association tell me Wallace is the oldest Eagle they know about, but NESA doesn’t have Eagle Scout birth dates before 1983.
This summer, join fellow Scouts from around the world as you backpack, kayak and explore Iceland — a land of incredible natural beauty where the late July sun rises at 4 a.m. and sets just before 11 p.m. It’s called the 15th World Scout Moot , and the Boy Scouts of America has space for about 125…
