Cub Scout Super Achievers

Cub Scout Pack 270 of Frankfort recently honored its’ scouts at their annual Blue & Gold ceremony. Three Webelos II’s who advanced from Cub Scots to Boy Scouts earned not only the Webelos Super Achiever by completely all twenty Webelos Activity Badges, but also the coveted Arrow of Light Award, which is the highest award that a Cub Scout can earn.
Nicholas Bailey of Mokena and a 5th grader at Chelsea Intermediate School in Frankfort will be advancing into Troop 270 of Frankfort. “My favorite Webelos Activity Badge to work on was Aquanaut because I love the water, in the summer I especially like boogie boarding at the beach,” Nicholas said. His Den Leader, Donna Stolarek of Frankfort, says that Nicholas started in Cub Scouts as a Tiger (1st grader), and joined Pack 270 from another Pack with great spirit as a Wolf (2nd grader). “For us it’s a family tradition my husband was a Scout, both my brothers were Scouts and camp counselors, my mother was a Den Mom and treasurer and my cousin just made Eagle Scout,” says Christine Bailey, Nicholas’s mother. “Having said that we like that it reinforces good core values and builds self confidence. The best part is he really had fun and looked forward to hanging with his den, and he liked camping. Nicolas has learned and been able to practice new skills, working together with other scouts, helping others in the community, learning about camping, respecting his leaders and as he moves on hopefully his own leadership skills. I think all of that will carry over to real world adult experiences in business and the community.”
Peter Bumba of Frankfort is also a 5th grader at Chelsea Intermediate School in Frankfort and will be advancing into Troop 270 of Frankfort as well. “My favorite badge was the Craftsman badge because I got to do some fun things that I didn’t realize I could do, like making a bead bowl and creating a nuts and bolts chess set,” Peter said. His Den Leader, Stolarek, says that Peter began Cub Scouts as a Wolf (2nd grader), and has the quiet integrity of a scout. “Scouting is important to our family for many reasons. Because Peter’s siblings are much older, he hasn’t had a lot of connections at home with kids his age. Cub Scouts has given him a sense of camaraderie with the boys in the Den. He is learning to be independent, and he has been given opportunities that might not have happened otherwise. He loves being able to camp and work with his hands, which is what Boy Scouts is all about! We love what he is learning, who he is becoming, and we are excited to see his progress as he continues into Boy Scouts,” says Jen Bumba, Peter’s mother.
Christian Kush of Frankfort and a 5th grader at Noonan Academy in Mokena will be advancing into Troop 364 of Homewood. “My favorite activity badge was Engineering because I got to visit a construction site and see the plans of the building that was being constructed,” Christian said. His Den Leader, Stolarek, says that Christian started as a Tiger (1st grader), and came to Pack 270 as a Webelos I from another pack. He brought great knowledge as a scout. “We greatly value all that scouting has to offer,” says Stephanie Kush, Christian’s mother. “For us, it’s about the core values of scouting aligning with what we believe in as a family. It’s such a wonderful program, to see your son grow in independence and gain valuable skills while having fun. There is not only a moral code, but a focus on faith, family and character as well. Our family is fortunate to have a long line of Scouts and Scout Leaders in it. Scouting isn’t really an option with us, it’s a given that all of our boys will be scouts. Chris is not only following along that line, but truly enjoying the journey. That’s just the type of family that we are, and scouting is the type of organization we believe in and will vest our time and talents in.”