BETHLEHEM – Lexi Pris is a teen who’s spent a lot of time hiking through the wilderness and now, she’s trailblazing for young women. Pris recently became Albany County’s first Eagle Scout, an honor that only 4 to 8 percent of Boy Scouts achieve on average each year. It’s a demanding feat which can take three years to achieve because it requires demonstrations of skill, resourcefulness and community service.
When the Boy Scouts of America (now known as Scouts BSA) opened their ranks to girls in 2019, the rising Guilderland High School junior joined Troop 75 in Delmar. Her older brother Tom had been a member of the troop, too. Lexi fondly recalls how her entire family participated in the crafts, sports and outdoor activities required of him for Cub Scouts.
“Boy Scouts is designed more or an individual’s path rather than family involvement … but I liked that,” said Lexi, who views religion as central to her life. (She just returned from camping two weeks at Christian-centric Camp Fowler in Lake Pleasant). “Yes, I do feel my love of the outdoors as a spiritual experience.”
She considered other organizations, including Girl Scouts, but found the Scouts her brother joined more engaging. Her mother, Suzy, agreed and has been delighted that the troop’s males treat their female colleagues with respect.
“(Troop 75G) was very welcoming to the girls,” said Suzy. “The adults made sure there were many opportunities for the girls to be successful in the program and for the troop to grow from the original two founding members to the current 12 (female) members. The scouts were accepting and helped the girls. The boys in scout leadership positions were used to running everything, so there was some learning to be done by the boys to share the planning with the girls. I was very happy with how 1075 transitioned from a boys’ program to a program that accepted girls and helped them become the best scout they can be.”
Meanwhile, Troop 75 scoutmasters Pat Kelley and Doug Kemp have even more to make them proud of their scouts. Kelley’s son will soon become an Eagle Scout and his daughter is a Troop 75 member. Another Troop 75 Scout, Xander Pattison, recently earned his Fly Fishing Merit Badge. That meant he has earned all 137 merit badges, an achievement only about an estimated 490 Scouts have managed since the organization was founded, according to the international organization.
And a second girl, Beth Gannon, followed in Lexi’s path and just became an Eagle Scout.
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