Stevenson Student Strives To Become Scouting Trailblazer For Females

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — When people think of Eagle Scouts, they often envision a male achieving the highest rank in scouting. Natalie Flemenbaum is trying to change all that, especially at Stevenson High School, where she is attempting to become the first-ever female Eagle Scout from the school.

"I hope that this acts an inspiration for girls who have just joined scouting to know that they too are capable of achieving an honor such as the Eagle rank," Flemenbaum, who is a senior at Stevenson, recently told Patch. "I know in the past, a lot of girls have been discouraged while in scouting from the disrespectful treatment from their male counterparts, but hopefully this will show that they can persevere."

Flemenbaum, 17, is a life scout with BSA Troop 48G. Her scoutmasters are Peter Larsen and Jim Foley.

For her Eagle project, which will be judged by a review board, Flemenbaum is organizing a music concert for seniors at Springs of Vernon Hills Assisted Living this weekend. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

"I've been involved in band and music in general since middle school, so when I was talking to my mentor, Mr. [Howard] Prager, he gave me the idea to marry my two passions together, scouting and music," Flemenbaum said.

For an Eagle project, Flemenbaum said scouts need to have an impact on their community. She notes that there is a lack of young people interacting with senior homes, especially when it comes to volunteering.

"As a result, it was the perfect idea to get some of my peers to volunteer to play some music," Flemenbaum said.

Flemenbaum spoke with an employee at Springs of Vernon Hills, who said that they have been trying to bring music in the building for a long time as it can be a form of therapy for residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Becoming an Eagle Scout would be the culmination of a scouting career that began three years ago for Flemenbaum.

"Throughout my years, and part of it being online and during COVID, there were many challenges while being scouting, and it’s rewarding to see that no matter how many challenges have been thrown at me, I have been able to prevail and get this far," Flemenbaum said. "Not only that, but hopefully I will act as a trailblazer for other female scouts and make it known to them that achieving the Eagle rank is a possibility for them as well."