High School Seniors Make Scouting History--Ten Young Women Earn Highest Awards from Boy and Girl Scouts of America

[Troop_Dad]

I found this today, and I had to share it. I've posted it on several Girl Scout and BSA forums. This is way too cool.

 

YIS

Rich

 

http://www.chroniclenewspapers.com/articles/2006/02/17/north_county/news/news02.txt

 

High School Seniors Make Scouting History--Ten Young Women Earn Highest Awards from Boy and Girl Scouts of America

 

The young women from Girl Scout Troop/Boy Scout Venturing Crew 1886 made history on Friday, February 10, at a Court of Honor ceremony.

All 10 of these Scouts earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, equivalent to the Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout. In a rare event, nine of those

ten young women also received the highest award offered by the only co-ed division of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the Venture

Scouting Silver Award.

 

"Earning the highest award possible as a Girl Scout or Venture Crew member is no small feat," Alan Lambert, Scout Executive for the

National Capital Area Council, BSA, said. "It requires an exceptional commitment on the part of these young women and we congratulate all of them on their achievement. To earn one of these

awards is incredible. To earn both of them is nothing short of amazing."

 

This isn't the first time the young women from Troop/Crew 1886 have made history though; by now they're accustomed to it. The girls

first made a name for themselves in 2002 when their Girl Scout troop registered as the first all-female Venturing Crew in the Powhatan

District of the National Capital Area Council, BSA. They again made headlines when, in the summer of 2004, they completed the first-ever

Cavalcade Trek composed entirely of women at the Boy Scouts' Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM.

 

The young women of Troop 1886-Diana Brown, Katie Dean, Melissa Duvall, Nichole Graff, Lauren Jones, Leigh Lotocki, Elissa Marshall,

Erica Notarangelo, Katie Pocalyko, and Lindsay Ward-have been inspired and guided by Sue Graff and Catherine Pressler, who have led the girls in their Scouting activities for the past 12 years.

 

"In this day and age, it is rare for this many girls to have remained together as an active Scouting troop for more than a decade," said Catherine Pressler, co-leader of Troop 1886 and

advisor of Crew 1886. "I believe wholeheartedly that these young women will continue to be extraordinary role models and citizens."

 

Both awards require the Scout to complete a time-intensive (50 hours minimum) service project that will positively impact the community,

demonstrating both leadership and organizational skills. To earn their Gold Awards, troop members undertook projects ranging from teaching cooking to at-risk children or coordinating the collection

of school supplies along with preparing bilingual homework tips for families in a Hispanic housing community for a back-to-school rally.

 

Girl Scout Troop and Venturing Crew 1886 are sponsored by the Community of Faith Methodist Church in Oak Hill, VA. To learn more

about the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscouts.org. For more information on the Venture Scouting Silver Award go to

www.scouting.org.

[Eamonn]

"-Ten Young Women Earn Highest Awards from Boy and Girl Scouts of America" ?

Highest Awards ?

I kinda think Quartermaster is up there!

But I'm biased !!

Still a great accomplishment.

[John-in-KC]

Eamonn,

 

I'm trying to remember my PST, but I thought SS QM was in same class as either RANGER or BSA GOLD ...

 

Can someone check advancement policy book for Venturing?

 

TIA

[OldGreyEagle]

AHA, laid waste by Venturing jargon,

 

Ranger is specific to Outdoor Venturing Crews

Trust is specific to Religious Life Crews

Quest is specitic to Sports Crews

Quartermaster is specific to Sea Scout Ships

 

But all Venturers can earn the Gold and Silver...

 

Then again, a Venturer in a Religious Life Crew could earn a Ranger and Quest if all requirements are met and a member of a Outdoor Crew could earn the Trust and Quest

 

then again, thats how I understand it

[purcelce]

Way cool post there Richie

[emb021]

All-

 

Venturing Silver is the highest award in the Venturing program.

 

Quartermaster is the highest award in the Sea Scout program.

 

Thus, its proper to refer to Venturing Silver and Quartermaster, along with Eagle Scout, as the 'highest awards of scouting'.

 

Trust, Ranger, and Quest are NOT 'highest awards'. They are speciality awards. They are NOT 'specific' to certain crews. ANY Venturer, regardless of the speciality of their crew, can earn them.

 

The new Trust Handbook as the best breakdown/list of these awards. Bronze-Gold-Silver is the advancement program for Venturers, Apprentice-Ordinary-Able-QM the advancement program for Sea Scouts, T-R-Q the speciality awards.

 

[John-in-KC]

Thanks emb!

 

John

[Eamonn]

Of course as Sea Scouts is part of Venturing, this would mean that Venturing has two Highest Awards.

Then we could look at the adult awards which could be viewed as the highest awards from the Boy Scouts.

Eamonn.

[NeilLup]

I had the privilege of being with Catherine Pressler this past week at Philmont Training Center. She is truly a great Scout/Venturing Leader, a great lady and a great trainer. Many of her Venturers also earned Quest and Trust awards.

 

Don't pick at the words "Highest Awards." I have heard Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver, Silver Buffalo and Heroism Award also called the "highest award" from the BSA. Rather, rejoice and celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of these Venturers and their leaders.