These nine local teens are among nation’s inaugural class of girl Eagle Scouts
For years, Mackenzie Ward would tag along to her older brother’s Boy Scouts outings, always there, but never earning badges or being counted as a participant.
That changed in February 2019 when Scouts BSA, or Boy Scouts, officially opened to girls.
“I jumped on it,” said Ward, 18, from Tacoma. “Feb. 1 was the first day we were allowed in, and I was already on a campout in the middle of the woods with my troop and doing merit badges and getting prepped for everything. So I jumped feet first in day one.”
Now, Ward is a member of Boy Scouts’ inaugural group of girls to earn an Eagle Scout rank.
“For me, it means a lot to come this far,” she said.
Allie Smith from Bonney Lake is also part of the inaugural class. Like Ward, she grew up tagging along to her brother’s Boy Scout meetings.
“I think a lot about being in the inaugural class is really just being trailblazers — paving the way for other girls to come forward,” said Smith, 15.
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement and rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception, about 4 percent of Scouts have earned the rank after a lengthy review process, which includes challenges like earning 21 different merit badges and completing a volunteer service project.
Locally, there are nine girls receiving Eagle Scout rank. They’re all part of the Pacific Harbors Council of Boy Scouts of America, which includes Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Pierce and southern King counties:
Colleen Fanning, 16, Troop 1932, Yelm
Allison Hillaker, 19, Troop 9373, Chehalis
Amy Miseli, 17, Troop 216G, Tacoma
Brianna Powe, 17, Troop 9373, Chehalis
Kaitlin Riggan, 19, Troop 216, Tacoma
Allie Smith, 15, Troop 525G, Edgewood
Tayler Thomas, 17,Troop 1932, Yelm
Emily Turbeville, 15, Troop 1932, Yelm
Mackenzie Ward, 18, Troop 692, Summit
They will be recognized at a local ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8 at the Creighton Scouting Center, 4802 S. 19th St. in Tacoma. Feb. 8 marks the 111th anniversary of the founding of Boy Scouts of America.
They also will be recognized in a national telecast broadcast on Facebook at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.
“In 111 years, these young females are the first,” said Karen Meier, CEO of the BSA Pacific Harbors Council. “I mean, it’s pretty historical.”
There are about 170 girls in the Pacific Harbors Council of BSA, and nearly 76,000 nationwide as of last year, Meier said.
Meier said the inaugural group of female Eagle Scouts shows BSA is an inclusive, youth-serving organization. Boy Scouts is also open to transgender or gender-fluid youth, Meier said.
“It’s for all — we don’t limit just for boys, we don’t limit just for girls,” she said.
People can see evidence of the girls’ work in the community. Ward installed several dog agility-course obstacles at Meridian Habitat Park in South Hill for her Eagle Scout project, while Smith fixed up and redid a trail at Midtown Park in Bonney Lake that was part of the previous trail system and had become overgrown.
Being the first girls in Boy Scouts wasn’t all smooth sailing — there was some push back at first.
“I’ve seen a little bit, just with the boys being kind of like, ‘Whoa, what do we do now? There’s girls here,’” Ward said.
For the most part, troops have been accepting — and it’s even pushed them to work harder, Ward said.
“We’ve seen that it’s kind of become like a little bit of a competition to push everyone harder,” she said. “Because now that there’s girls that are going up in the ranks and become an Eagle, and going faster, we’re seeing that the boys are having their siblings pass them in rank, and then they’re panicking and working a lot harder to get their next rank.”
Ward and Smith encouraged girls who are interested in joining Boy Scouts to take the plunge.
“I have gained so many valuable life skills,” Smith said. “I’ve become a better leader. I know how a team functions, how to help the team members, how to balance people’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“There’s nothing to lose by trying it, and there’s so much to gain by doing it,” Ward said.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 5:05 AM.
