Early last year, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) officially announced that girls could now become cub scouts. Soon after this announcement, Troop 1148 for girls was born. Bloomington is home to one of the very first boy scout troops for girls and the word has been spreading fast. Troop 1148 has about 20 active girls that are all currently working towards their eagle scout rankings- the highest ranking a boy scout can get.
Senior Patrol Leader Ella Lee used to be a girl scout but as soon as the BSA announced the change, the cookies turned into popcorn and she was able to put on that green cub scout sash. “Three of my older brothers are in troop 148, which is our brother troop, and I’ve been with my brothers and scouting for years. As long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be in scouting,” she says.
She explained that the main difference between the girl scouts and boy scouts were the outdoor activities that boy scouts are able to do. When she was younger, Lee would always go with her brothers on their boy scout camping trip. That was and still is her favorite part of boy scouting.
For her, being a boy scout is more than just hiking and camping though. At every weekly meeting, she learns something completely new. “It teaches you a lot of stuff that is very helpful for when you grow up for a very long time. Stuff you will never forget,” she says.
Sydney Anderson, the troop’s Junior Assistant Scout Master, has been a part of 1148 since the beginning. She been able to watch it grow and see new member earn their badges. “It’s very special to me because it’s one of the very first girl troops ever and what it takes for these girls to be able to come in here and learn all these things and learn all these skills its awesome,” she says.
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Anderson will soon be one of the first girls to ever become an eagle scout- an accomplishment she has been working towards for more than a year now. However, when news broke that the Boy Scouts of America were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, everyone thought their time in the troop would be cut short.
Julie Ramey is the Scout Master of troop 1148 and she was determined to keep this troop alive. “The Hoosier Trails Council and the Wapehani District, which is part of our council, operates budgetary and everything like that outside our national organization so we are going to continue to do all the things that we do very well that is serve youth and give them the opportunities in scouting for leadership and adventures in the outdoors,” she says. Which means, Anderson may be able to become one of the first eagle scouts after all.
Ramey’s dedication to the troop stems from her love of the outdoors. For her, there is nothing better than watching the girls earn their badges and practice new skills. She hopes that troop 1148 will continue to grow and that more and more girls will earn those eagle badges.