Celebrating the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts
Members of the Piedmont Council BSA tuned in this past Sunday to watch the national Be The Change event, where the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts were showcased. To watch the recording, go to Be The Change Event Recording. Read about it in the Special Edition of the Scout Life Magazine at scoutlife.org.
Girls were welcomed into the Scouts BSA program, formerly known as Boy Scouts, in Spring 2019. The prestigious rank of Eagle Scout is the ultimate milestone of this program and girls have now begun earning the rank of Eagle Scout, joining ranks with influencers including Neil Armstrong, William Gates Sr., and Gerald Ford. One of the members of the class, Kendall Jackson of Illinois, noted “My mom is a Scoutmaster, so I was just always around. Now that I am officially an Eagle Scout, I am ecstatic to be a part of something so historic and be a part of the first class. It’s never something I thought I would ever be able to do”. Though Piedmont did not have Eagle Scouts represented, yet, members watched in awe. One Scouts BSA member, Mollie King of Piedmont’s Troop 4, tuned in to see the historic event. She was inspired by Kendall Jackson’s Eagle project, which involved conducting a workshop for high school seniors on financial responsibility and time management. Mollie notes “I thought this was really cool because I think a lot of people forget that Boy Scouts of America is about more than outdoor skills – it challenges youth to be innovators, humanitarians and leaders.”
CBS Evening News Anchor Norah O’Donnell congratulated the class, noting “As the very first female Eagle Scouts, you’ve set a high bar. You’ve learned that you can create something new, that you can bring communities together, and make them better. Be prepared is great advice that will help you make a difference in this world. In the end, you change the world. That’s pretty remarkable. Our Country needs people like you to lead us into a bright future”. Captain Amy Bauernshmidt, the first female to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, remarked “Be the change you want to be and congratulations Eagle Scouts”. Another new Eagle Scout, Angel from San Antonio, says “I plan on helping be the change by becoming an anthropologist. I want to better understand the past so I can help to build a better future”. Emily from Kansas City, also in the inaugural class, says “Scouting has the potential to change the world, because it raises people to be leaders in their community. It teaches you to put others before yourself”. Mollie King of Piedmont’s Troop 4 says “Overall, I found the celebration to be very inspiring. I was in awe to see girls from around the United States achieving their goals and beyond. Although coming from a small group of girls from a relatively small troop in a relatively small council can feel restrictive at times, getting to see everyone take part in this celebration made me feel like we are a part of something bigger and a part of something important because their successes impact everyone in the Scouting community. Someone said this is a celebration for ALL scouts regardless of rank, age, class, race, or gender and I couldn’t agree more! It makes me hopeful for a progressive future in the BSA.”
The Piedmont Council is excited to one day welcome Piedmont’s first female Eagle Scout to this high honor. They will join over 1200 youth who have earned the rank of Eagle since the organization was founded in 1921. This year marks the Piedmont Council’s 100 year anniversary and year-long festivities will be kicked off by a virtual auction starting on March 17th and the 100th annual Recognition Dinner on March 25th. For event details, go to Upcoming Events. For details about the Scouts BSA program, go to Scouts BSA.
Eagle Scouts Facts:
- In 1912, the first Eagle Scout class included 23 Eagle Scouts.
- In 1982, the 1 millionth Scout earned the Eagle Scout award.
- Since the inception of the BSA, there are 2,645,043 Eagle Scouts…and counting!
- In 2020, there were more than 46,044 Eagle Scouts
- To date, there are nearly 1,000 female Eagle Scouts in the inaugural class
- In 2020, there were over 5 million service hours provided to the community.