Scouts BSA troop for girls forms in Fort

By Chris Spangler

Scouts BSA, a program of Boy Scouts of America, is forming a girls’ troop in Fort Atkinson.

Troop 131 has scheduled open houses at 6 p.m. on two Sundays, Feb. 4 and 11, at First United Methodist Church, 320 S. Main St. Attendees should enter by the back door.

All girls in fifth grade and older are invited to attend, as are their parents and other adults interested in leadership positions.

Bob Cheek, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 134 and a member of the four-county Yahara District Committee, said that while there are girls’ troops in Lake Mills, Milton and Cambridge, this marks the first one being established in Fort Atkinson.

“Some of the Fort girls have gone to those troops because we haven’t had a girls’ troop in Fort,” he said, citing an Eagle Scout who graduated last year from Fort Atkinson High School and another who currently is a sophomore there.

“We need girls who are interested; they can go all the way up to age 17. We’re concentrating our recruiting efforts at the middle school, but high school girls can join,” Cheek added.

Creation of a girls’ troop follows the consolidation of two Fort Atkinson packs and two troops during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The original boys’ Troop 131 of the Methodist Church was dissolved two years ago when it merged with Troop 134, then sponsored by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

“So we have this full set of equipment (i.e. tents, camping items, the Troop 131 flag) for a new girls’ scout troop,” Cheek said.

He explained that Boy Scouts of America programs are divided by age and activity: Cub Scouting is for both boys and girls in grades K-5; Scouts BSA is open to young men and women in grades 6-12, and co-ed Venturing and Sea Scouting are available for young men and women age 14-20. Boy Scouts of America also offers career-oriented co-ed Explorer programs to youth age 10-20. 

“We have Cub Scout Pack 137 for grades K-5 that meets at Purdy Elementary School and is sponsored by the VFW (Edwin Frohmader Post 1879 or the Veterans of Foreign Wars), and we have Scouts BSA Troop 134 that meets at the Methodist Church at 6 p.m. on Sundays,” he said.

Sixth-graders may join Scouts BSA. Cub Scouts in fifth grade can move up to Scouts BSA a little earlier upon earning their Arrow of Light.

“They then can get acquainted with the other scouts, work on advancement and sign up for summer camp,” Cheek said of the reason for the early “promotion.”

The new girls’ Troop 131 will meet at the same time and place — 6 p.m. Sundays at First United Methodist Church — as the boys’ Troop 134, which is sponsored by the Paul Frank Florine Post 166 of the American Legion.

“We probably will have joint openings and closings, and then we’ll split up and the girls will do their different skills and work on their advancements,” Cheek explained.

“We might find that, when we are doing compass or knots or first aid, we will get together in fellowship hall at the Methodist Church and lay out our different patterns there,” he added.

Cheek noted that there is a lot to do indoors in the church fellowship hall, but when the weather gets nice, the scouts will be heading outdoors.

“So for those girls interested in doing some camping, learning about the outdoors, outdoor ethics an all kinds of other skills from citizenship to personal fitness and physical fitness, that’s what scouting’s all about,” he said.

There are events already planned for spring and summer camp dates have been announced, so the goal is to prepare the girls for camp in July and August, according to Cheek.

Meanwhile, the American Legion also will be the sponsor for Troop 131, with the Troop 134 committee overseeing both. Cheek said that panel could be expanded to add representatives of the new girls’ troop, as well.

At least one of the two key leaders of the girls’ troop has to be a female, Cheek noted. Scoutmasters usually are recruited from scouts’ parents, although that is not necessarily always the case, and all interested adults may apply.

An Eagle Scout himself since 1964, Cheek is marking his 67th year in scouting. He is a national trainer for Boy Scouts of America and a member of the Glacier’s Edge Council.

He said he is excited about the prospect of starting Troop 131 for girls.

“If we don’t get enough girls to start a troop now, we’ll try it again in the fall,” he said.

For more information about the open houses, Scouts BSA or to learn about leadership opportunities, contact Cheek by phone: 920-723-4329 or email: cheek2cheek@charter.net.