We really love our annual Blue & Gold here at Pack 170 in Leander / Cedar Park, Texas. It is not just the anniversary of Cub Scouting in America but it is a celebration of our oldest Scouts reaching the end of their Cub Scouting trail and earning the highest honor that a Cub Scout can earn, the Arrow of Light. With an occasion as momentous as this, it is no time to go small, and we didn’t. Fourteen Scouts completed their Cub Scouting journey that day and all fourteen embarked on a new journey in Scouts BSA.
To begin, the Scouts, families, and leaders of Pack 170 want to express our deepest thanks to our civic leaders that recognize the importance of Scouting in our community and chose to commend the achievement of our graduating Scouts. In past years, our Scouts have recieved recognition from Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Congressman John Carter, State Representative John Bucy III, Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale of Cedar Park, and Mayor Troy Hill of Leander.
In 2021, the graduating AOL Scouts of Pack 170 received recognition from four of our civic leaders including Councilwoman Christine Sederquist of Leander, Mayor Troy Hill of Leander, State Representative John Bucy III, and Governor Greg Abbott. Councilwoman Sederquist and Mayor Troy Hill personally presented their recognition to the Scouts. Representative Bucy had attended our Blue & Gold in the past but was unable to this year however his staffer, Sara Goff, presented the certificates from the State of Texas on his behalf.
Christine Sederquist
Leander City Council
Councilwoman Sederquist worked directly with our Scouts during the year to help them earn their Duty to Country adventure and she personally presented a congratulatory letter to each Scout at our Blue & Gold banquet. Thank you, Councilwoman Sederquist, for your commitment to our community and to our Scouts.
Troy Hill
Leander Mayor
For the second year in a row, Mayor Hill awarded certificates of achievement to our AOL Scouts for achieving Cub Scouting’s highest honor. Mayor Hill, it was our great pleasure to have you as an honored guest at our Blue & Gold this year and thank you for your service to Scouting and our community.
John Bucy III
State Representative
For the 3rd straight year, Representative Bucy commended our Scouts on earning the Arrow of Light award with a certificate of achievement from the State of Texas. Representative Bucy often meets with Webelos Scouts to discuss our state government. Thank you, sir, for your service and commitment.
Greg Abbott
Texas Governor
Governor Greg Abbott actively supports Scouting in the State of Texas and, for the past 3 years, has written a letter of congratulations to the AOL Scouts of Pack 170, recognizing their achievement and encouraging them to continue on the Scouting trail. Thank you, Governor Abbott, for your support of Scouting.
Scouting in America has its origins in woodcraft and in reverence for nature. This is something that we share in common with the Native American tribes in our area and across the country so it was important to us to celebrate our shared commitment to conservation by learning more about the native culture and traditions.
For this reason, we began our Blue & Gold with a cultural and educational program by “Great Promise for American Indians” (GPAI), who also put on the Austin Powwow every year. The GPAI team displayed both traditional and more contemporary regalia while demonstrating multiple styles of dance, including the “fancy dance” that seems to capture the joy of creation. We learned about the origins of the dances, the evolution of the regalia, and the importance of the drum as the program progressed.
To finish, the GPAI dancers quickly taught our AOL Scouts a simple dance step and invited them to join the final dance in a great circle around the fire pit. It was a memorable conclusion to an amazing presentation.
All 14 Arrow of Light Scouts crossed over to Scouts BSA with half going to linked troops 16 and 91 and the other half going to linked troops 258 and 358. But before crossing over, it was time for awards.
All 14 Scouts earned the Arrow of Light and each recieved an Arrow of Light plaque with colored bands representing all of the achievements they earned as Cub Scouts.
Every graduating Scout recieved a heartfelt letter of congratulations written by one of their AOL den leaders, Ms. Kristi, and signed by all of the leaders in Pack 170. The letter with the leader signatures were placed in a holder on either side of the Scout’s pack photo.
Also of note… 3 of our AOL Scouts completed all 31 Webelos adventures. The same 3 Scouts also earned the Dr. Charles Townes Supernova award. And one of those Scouts earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award (yes, from the President of the United States) for her selfless actions volunteering in the community.
This year was all the more memorable because together, Pack 170 reached the major milestone of serving youth for 25 contuous years, earning the 25 year veteran bar to be worn above the Pack numbers on the uniform.
The story of our Blue & Gold celebration was also published on the North Shore District website. It was a truly amazing day for the entire pack. If you see anything that you would like to know more about, let us know, we are happy to share.
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