"Did I Do My Best Today?"

Just got back from the annual Blue and Gold Banquet. For those unfamiliar with the term, this is the awards ceremony for Cub Scouts.

Frequent readers will (hopefully) remember that I talked about how diverse my school's neighborhood is, both economically and ethnically. Scouting, on the other hand, is often seen as a bastion of the white middle class. Indeed, our local pack was started a few years ago by a group of professional families of Caucasian descent. In many areas it has remained so.

But in this instance, Cub Scouts is a VERY good thing.

Tonight I witnessed 5 second-year Webelos scouts (fifth graders) receive their Arrow of Light award and graduate to Boy Scouts. This group included: 1 African-American, 2 Hispanics, 1 White American, and 1 German/Middle Easterner. There were 2 Catholics, an Evangelical, a Baptist, and a Muslim. They speak 2 languages and came from 4 different countries. They include 2 ESOL students and 3 with IEPs.

This group of 5 (and the roughly 35 younger boys behind them) came together for two reasons. First, the founders of the pack did not keep it as their own bastion of privilege - they openly sought out their childrens' classmates (not just their friends) and consciously invited the whole school community to participate. Second, the invitees, mostly immigrants and often seen as outsiders by society at large, accepted the invitation. It's almost like human alchemy: from several distinct elements, a new thing of great value is being born.

These five young men (they were called that officially tonight, probably for the first time) have taken what should prove to be a significant step: they have united as a community, set goals for themselves and their group, and accomplished those goals. They have learned from the example of last year's crop, and set a continuing example for the group to follow.

During the ceremony, we were all reminded of a motto of scouting. "When you go to bed each night, ask yourself: Did I do my best today? How can I do better tomorrow?" I can safely say, they have all learned to ask and answer these questions. I can remember a time when they didn't - I've known 4 of the 5 since kindergarten. I am astounded at what this new community has done to improve their lives.