Amongst all this turmoil going on in our country, it is easy to forget about our youth. School ended suddenly and without warning in the Spring, and with that went all the extracurricular activities our children enjoyed. They were not able to socialize with their friends for the Summer as they normally would have done. Now that school has started up again, the kids are able to see most of their friends, but there are still students not at school in person, missing their friends.

The Cub Scouts Pack 0497 were not able to finish their ranks in a group setting as usual but were able to finish them at home with their parent’s supervision. And they did! Recently the Cub Scouts held a special awards ceremony to celebrate their ranks and achievements.

On Sept. 2, Pack 0497 gathered and said the pledge of allegiance before the American flag and the ranks awarded were presented by Cub Master Stephanie Fortune. James Case was awarded the Tiger Rank; Chase Fortune and Coen Nelson was awarded the Wolf Rank; Porter Faught and Aycen Goldsmith was awarded the Bear Rank; and Silus Goldsmith was awarded the Webelos Rank. Not present was Zander Casey (Wolf Rank); Elias Alegria, Brentley Coggins, and Dalton Ridner (Bear Rank); and Luis Gonzales (Webelos Rank).

There was one Scout who had been working all year to obtain a Super Nova Award. This Scout worked all year going to various Texas State Park Programs, interviewing numerous professionals, including bankers and business owners, and attending STEM events. COVID-19 was quite the hiccup, but he persevered through it. His application was sent to a National level as well as a virtual interview versus in-person interview at a National Level. After the interview and virtual videos sent in, it was still a wait-and-see process. At the awards ceremony, the Super Nova medal was presented to Chase Fortune, and his expression was classic!