Fayette County Story Archives - Page 2 of 17 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Boy Scouts’ Growing Impact On Female Members

As the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on-site than ever before.

As the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. There’s a growing impact on girls furthering their scouting ambitions, and the boys are learning a new thing or two as well.

Females in the BSA are nothing new. In 1969, the Sea Scouts welcomed females. Girls have been members of Venturing, a core scouting program for young men and women ages 14 through 20, since 1998. Girls were welcomed into the Cub Scouts in 2018, and joined the newly formed Scouts BSA in 2019. There are now scout troops for girls, for boys and co-ed troops.

Volunteer Jamboree Chairman Tico Perez said it is an extraordinary addition to welcome female BSA Scouts for the first time to the 2023 National Jamboree.

“I was watching units side by side, putting their tents together in their campsite yesterday,” Perez said. “All the boys were working on their own tents and getting it together. And all the girls were in swarms working on a tent and the next tent and the next 10. The teamwork and the communication was phenomenal. So it’s a difference in style. And it’s a beautiful thing for our boys to learn.”

Kim Irwin, a scoutmaster with a female troop in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, said there’s nothing gender specific about scouting’s commitment to outdoor adventure, diversity and leadership.

“It builds their development, and the girls weren’t getting that,” Irwin said. “There’s Girl Scouts and Girl Scouts is great. There’s nothing wrong with Girl Scouts, it’s just different. And this, I like the way it’s run. When we look at females in general, we’re not always good at promoting ourselves and may have to promote ourselves in these rank advancement meetings. I’ve seen my daughter go from sort of sheepish and meek and I just yelled at her to go do sustainability because she’s nearly Eagle.”

Scout BSA Aaron Anderson, from Charleson, South Carolina, said her all-female troop 742 is in the process of adding on a brother troop. But she added that she wouldn’t trade her scouting experiences so far, for the world.

“We’ve been able to grow with all these girls and be able to do all these experiences in scouting,” Anderson said. “I know a lot of the girls in our troop, they’ve been in it with their brothers through Cub Scouts. And so once they were finally able to join, I know that a lot of them saw they could experience a lot of the fun things that you see all the other people doing, and they would like, you know, get rank and get patches and camp out with everyone.”

Girls in Boy Scouts has given some parents some pause due to a history of sexual abuse charges. In 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for a Chapter 11 financial restructuring to offer “equitable compensation” to survivors and their families. The BSA cited approximately 200 pending lawsuits in state and federal district courts across the United States and 1700 potential claimants in total.

Recognizing the increased risk of abuse in volunteer youth organizations, the BSA created a sex abuse education and prevention program called the Youth Protection program in 1988 to address the problem. Perez said 35 years later, scouting has been labeled as the gold standard of youth protection.

“It’s a valid concern for parents in any organization they’re involved with,” Perez said. “Answer one is get involved. But more importantly, we have the most stringent youth protection program in America. We have a buddy system, we have two on one adults to youth, we have mandatory reporting. We are the best place to put your child. Did we make some mistakes in the 60s in the 70s? We did admittedly. And we want to compensate everybody who we had a problem with. But we have learned many, many lessons and this is the safest place for your child. The only way to make it even safer is for that adult to be involved in that unit and come out and experience scouting with their children.”

Scoutmaster Irwin said those types of problems can happen anywhere. in schools, churches. She says if there’s bad in human nature, bad can get in.

“As someone who was a pediatric nurse prior to teaching, I saw the horrible things that happened to kids,” she said. “But I’m also seeing all of this and this is amazing. And I know there were a lot of naysayers with females entering BSA as well, like it’s gonna cause problems, boys and girls. My kids go to church camp, and it’s boys and girls together. They go to 4-H camp and it’s boys and girls together. So now our girls have a chance to be Eagle Scouts.”

14-year-old Ruth Olsen from Utah said she wants to try everything scouting has to offer so she can “learn stuff”.

“I think it’s good that girls have the same opportunities as boys because I think girls are a lot more capable than people think we are,” Olsen said.

The 2023 Scouting Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County runs through July 28.

How The Boy Scouts Are Evolving With The Inclusion Of Girls, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, as the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. Randy Yohe reports on the impact of girls furthering their scouting ambitions, with the boys learning a new thing or two as well.

On this West Virginia Morning, as the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. Randy Yohe reports on the impact of girls furthering their scouting ambitions, with the boys learning a new thing or two as well.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

PSC Calls For Takeover Of Deteriorated Armstrong Water System

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia has issued an emergency order against Armstrong Public Service District in Fayette County.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia has issued an emergency order against Armstrong Public Service District in Fayette County, which one official called the worst in the state.

This emergency order follows concerns from residents about poor and possibly contaminated water that serves 900 customers along the Kanawha River Valley.

“I was shocked at the testimony that was presented to us today,” PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane said.

During a hearing, the commission told Armstrong to enter into an interim emergency operations and management agreement within 10 days that will allow West Virginia American Water to take control of the system. The agreement must be filed with the commission by July 31.

PSC engineer Jonathan Fowler called it “the worst system currently operating in the state” during an evidentiary hearing at Montgomery City Hall. The system’s treatment plant and infrastructure have remained the same since Armstrong came into existence in 1955.

Resident and veteran Graorge Wheeler said he had a better water system while serving in Iraq.

“I told my wife I felt like we are living in a third-world country, the water is undrinkable, you’re scared to drink it,” said Johnny Pennington, another resident.

Last Oct. 13, West Virginia American Water asked the Commission to determine if Armstrong is a distressed or failing utility. The Fayette County Commission supported the request.

Marching Bands, National Scout Jamboree And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Also, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County for the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree.

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Chris Schulz has more.

Also, in this show, some West Virginia elected officials have not wanted to be so social on social media. Delaney Wells has more.

And, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County. As Randy Yohe shows us, the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree takes youth development and diversity to a whole new level.

Finally, this week’s rebroadcast of Mountain Stage features a breadth of musical styles, performed in front of a live audience. Our Song of the Week comes to us from Sophie B. Hawkins, known for her hit songs in the 1990s. We listen to her performance of “You Are My Balloon.”

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Delaney Wells, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

2023 National Scouting Jamboree Highlights Adventure, Achievement

For the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in the wooded hills and hollows of Fayette County. The action-packed 2023 National Scouting Jamboree takes youth development and diversity to a whole new level.

Entering the park, visitors can hear “swooshes” from five multi-strung zip lines stretching more than a half-mile over the nearly 11,000 acre Summit Bechtel Reserve. Dubbed “the adventure of a lifetime,” scouts can skateboard and scuba dive, there’s archery and shooting ranges, fishing, rock climbing, disc golf.

Fourteen-year-old Steven Belk, from Troop 3239 in Virginia, said, “there’s never nothing that’s not to do here.”

“This is just a good time to be a scout,” Belk said. “They’re just trying to involve people from all aspects of life, say like zip lines. BMX biking, a bunch of fun stuff, and we learn stuff, too.”

In 2019, the Boy Scouts of America expanded to Scouts BSA, opening up its ranks to female members. This year is the first National Jamboree to include female participants.

Fourteen-year-old Ruth Olsen, from a co-ed troop in Utah, said “it’s about time.”

“I think it’s good that girls have the same opportunities as boys,” Olsen said. “I think girls are a lot more capable than people think we are.”

California Scout Leader Andrew Blessum is sharing living history at a 1910 mock up of America’s first scout camp. Even though there are 13 cell towers and more than 250 Wi-Fi hot spots spread out over the camp’s 16 square miles, Blessum said the initial pledge of scouting as a value based organization hasn’t changed in more than a century.

“I believe the things that we still have at the core of scouting are outdoor living and character development,” Blessum said. “One of the founders himself, Luther Gulick of the YMCA, actually preaches that mankind is not complete without physical, mental and spiritual symmetry. And that itself is really the basis of our scout oath.”

The scouts camp in tents and cook their own food. Scout Aaron Anderson, from an all-female troop in Charleston, South Carolina, said the leadership and practical life skills scouting teaches help kids succeed.

“A lot of those things that we learn in our leadership programs I use in my daily life,” Anderson said. “I use it at school for interviews and things like that. A lot of us have been in situations where we’ve had training in emergency first aid and to be able to help people in emergencies. We know these skills and we can take them out and use them in the real world.”

And then, there’s 13-year-old, First Class Scout Max Dehnke from Milan, Illinois. Dehnke was enjoying hanging out at the busy scout patch trading tables and shared his reason for becoming a Boy Scout.

“My parents said, ‘Max, you need to do something.’ I’m like, sports? Or – I have all my friends in this big group thingy where you go camping and get pocket knives. So it was a no brainer. Boy Scouts,” he said.

A “no brainer” at the National Scouting Jamboree that enriches brain and brawn.

Going The Extra Mile: Amy Taylor Receives WVPB’s Above And Beyond Award

Amy Taylor, a Nationally Board Certified English teacher at Midland Trail High School in Fayette County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for April, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Taylor was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley. Taylor received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Taylor not only teaches English, but for the last nine years, has also been a part of the Early Enrollment program that offers students the opportunity to complete several pre-requisite college courses. At Midland Trail High School, she teaches English 101/102 for WVU Tech and Glenville State with an additional 12 sections online at the University of Charleston.

She said, “Between the West Virginia Invests Grant, Grow Your Own, and Early Enrollment programs, West Virginia schools, especially Midland Trail, have built and sustained outstanding opportunities for our students to find a life and career they can be proud of.”

Taylor goes above and beyond in the classroom engaging students with one of her favorite units. She begins the year with an Appalachian unit using two local memoirs that discuss poverty and adversity in West Virginia – facing many challenges and experiences that her students can relate to in their own lives. After reading one of these memoirs, Taylor brings the author to the classroom for face-to-face questions and interactions providing a powerful experience for the students. Taylor said this unit reinforces the importance of resilience.

Not only does Taylor go above and beyond in the classroom, but also in the community. She tutors after school, volunteers to work gates at sporting events, attends students’ events, helps plan and chaperone prom, and mentors teachers.

Taylor’s nominator, Michelle Moirai said, “I’ve never known any human who puts in the hours behind the scenes that this woman does. I honestly have no idea how she does it.”

Taylor said that being an active member in the community and school is important to building rapport with students and families. “Students look for us in the stands and audience just as much as they do their families; we are their family at Midland Trail.”

When Taylor was asked what she loves and enjoys most about teaching, she said hands down that she loves the lasting relationships.

“When my seniors walk across the stage, as they just did recently, I always tell them that our relationship doesn’t end at that moment… I just shift from teacher to mentor,” she said. “Knowing that so many remain in contact, through college and life’s events, shows me that my small part in their story planted a seed that grew into something great.”

Each month, WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher that goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.