– Bryan On Scouting

Scouts found safe ways to camp in 2020, helping the Camping merit badge remain in the top 10. But all that time spent at home with families helped a new merit badge become No. 1. (BSA file photo) The pandemic didn’t stop Scouts from earning merit badges in 2020, but it did cause a dramatic…

Courtesy of the Tate family On the night of Dec. 30, 2020, Justin Tate, his sister and his parents were watching TV after enjoying an oven-baked dinner when a sudden loud beeping interrupted their show. Soon after that, a second beeping started. The sound was coming from a pair of carbon monoxide detectors, warning Justin…

The starting line, seen in a screenshot from the race video. (Courtesy of Chris Simpkins) Chris Simpkins (Photo courtesy of the Simpkins family) At one point during the depths of pandemic-prompted boredom, Chris Simpkins and his family found themselves watching marbles roll down a track. Like the millions who have experienced Jelle’s Marble Runs on…

Harry Cooper (Eagle Scout Class of 1920), the earliest known Black Eagle Scout, appears in the 1922 Scout Annual, published by the Kansas City Council. (Scan courtesy of Andy Dubill and the Heart of America Council) He demonstrated proficiency in Scouting skills like first aid, pioneering and bird study. He earned 48 of the 59…

Sarina Horner holds one of her geocaches. (Photo courtesy of the Horner family) With more than 50,000 Eagle Scout service projects completed every year, chances are good that you walk, bike or drive past one every day without even knowing it. “If you aren’t actively seeking out Eagle projects, they are easy to overlook because…

Photo by Theo Van Straten During this protracted pandemic, we’ve all spent a lot of time staring at screens instead of interacting with others. It’s a necessary evil that concerns Ava Van Straten — and not just because she loves spending time outside with friends. This Lone Scout from De Pere, Wis. (Bay-Lakes Council), is…

Photos courtesy of Robert Garrett This is Unsung Heroes, a Bryan on Scouting blog series celebrating under-reported acts of Scouting heroism. These are stories that don’t make national headlines — but should. That’s doubly true in this world that can always use more good news. Read the latest story below, and find instructions for sharing your…

Courtesy of the Scalia family As the sister of a Cub Scout and daughter of an Eagle Scout, Jenna Scalia’s Scouting story begins in a familiar way. After years spent on the outside looking in, she finally got a chance in early 2019 to join the organization that means so much to her and her…

You found a cool link with useful information your Scouts could use for the First Aid merit badge. You could send it out in an email blast or post it on the troop’s social media page, but as time marches on, the link likely would get lost in those busy channels. If only there was…

From the March 1921 issue of Scouting magazine. (BSA file photo) A lot has changed in the Boy Scouts of America in the past 100 years. In 1921, 1,306 young men earned the Eagle Scout Award. This year, tens of thousands of young men and young women will earn Scouting’s highest honor. In 1921, there…