NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk teens are making history for females in the Boy Scouts of America.
On February 1, which was the first day possible, Calvin Presbyterian Church in Norfolk chartered one of the first-ever Scouts BSA troops for girls.
Led by Scoutmaster Brittany Szkaradnik, Troop 5376’s enthusiastic Scouts leapt into action, organizing two campouts in their short two-month tenure.
While their first campout included near-freezing temperatures, the girls practiced the arts of outdoor cooking, knife safety, and cold-weather camping.
Troop 5376’s second outdoor excursion, a multi-night camping trip at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, included a five-mile hike through the park, campfire cooking, knot-tying, and practicing knife skills.
The trip ended with a nighttime beach hike. The adult leadership of Troop 5376 boasts over 20 years of combined experience. Szkaradnik is a New Jersey native with prior Scouting experience as a district committee member, the committee chair for Pack 28, chartered by Norfolk’s Episcopal Church of the Ascension, and recipient of the 2018 District Award of Merit.
The troop number has special meaning for the girls. The “376” parallels Calvin Presbyterian Church’s other two Scouting units: Troop 376 for boys and Pack 376 for elementary-aged boys and girls. The “5” honors the five founding members of the troop.
The Scouts of Troop 5376 hope that their legacy as founding females will live on through the future of Norfolk Scouting.
Troop 5376 welcomes interested girls ages 11-17 to check out their troop and join the adventure. Email bbszkaradnik@gmail.com or call (757)-497-2688 for more information.
