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All-girls BSA den makes history

By Samara Vencil, age 11 | November 27, 2024

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Angelina Sorena, Alice Hood, Isabella Ventura, Corinne Montgomery, and Samara Vencil

GIRLS GAIN GROUND Samara Vencil, a sixth grader at Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School, writes about how her BSA den, Den 8 of Westbury United Methodist Church, is the first all-girls den in their pack to cross over to a troop. Pictured are Den 8 members, from left: Angelina Sorena, Alice Hood, Isabella Ventura, Corinne Montgomery, and Samara Vencil.

My Boy Scouts of America (BSA) den recently made history! Our den, Den 8, is the first all-girls den in BSA Scout Pack 455 to receive the highest Cub Scout rank, the Arrow of Light, and cross over to a troop. Den 8 started in 2018, with founding member Alice Hood, after Boy Scouts of America opened their membership and allowed girls to join. In 2025, Boy Scouts of America will even be changing its name to Scouting America.

I joined in 2021, in third grade, along with Corinne Montgomery, Angelina Sorena, and Isabella Ventura. I wanted to join after I heard a presentation by pack leadership at Kolter Elementary School about activities like camping and canoeing. Angelina said she joined because she wanted to be more involved in nature.

The five of us progressed together, making memories and fulfilling all of the requirements of Bear and Webelos. This year, as fifth graders, we crossed over to Troop 1314, affiliated with Bellaire United Methodist Church. When I asked Alice, the founding member of our den, what she was looking forward to about joining a troop, she said spending time with friends and becoming an Eagle Scout. We are all excited about the next phase of Scouting.

Cub Scouts has taught me a lot, like how to use a pocket knife safely and how to pitch a tent. Being in Scouts has also made me feel more comfortable taking risks and interacting with people that I don’t know well. I remember at my first campout when I did not want to be in the skit because I was shy, but by my last campout, my den and I worked to build our own skit and perform it.

I’m so happy to have had this experience, and to have been part of Den 8. I can’t wait to see what’s next in the world of Scouts with greater responsibility and independence.

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