STOW SENTRY

'You can do anything a boy can being a girl:' All-girls Boy Scout troop wins local awards

Akron Beacon Journal

Female members of Boy Scout Troop 7270 salute the flag at the start of their meeting July 12 at the United Methodist Church in Stow.

Tawny Leonardo grew up going to Cub Scouts with her older brother, but once he crossed over to Boy Scouts, she was no longer allowed to tag along.

She tried Girl Scouts in second grade, but the troop she joined was more focused on crafts, whereas Tawny wanted to camp in a tent in the woods.

So when she learned that girls would be allowed to join Boy Scouts starting in 2019, there was no debate: Tawny would become a Boy Scout.

That year, Tawny, 15, of Stow, became one of five founding members of the all-girls Troop 7270 out of the United Methodist Church in Stow.

Tawny Leonardo, left, helps Marie Hanla and Savannah Gless make a woggle during their Boy Scout Troop 7270 meeting July 12 in Stow. A woggle is a device to fasten the scarf worn as part of the Boy Scout uniform.

Two years later, the group has grown to more than 20 young women, who recently won the Clyde Hazel Award for best unit of the year from the Crooked River District, which covers 30 troops in 15 communities throughout Summit and Portage counties.

Additionally, Troop 7270 Scoutmaster Leila Griffiths was named Scoutmaster of the Year and Committee Chair Heather Ganey was awarded Committee Chair of the Year.

Scout Master Leila Griffiths holds a cabin name plaque while standing with Boy Scout Troop 7270 members Gabriella Podlogar, left, Tawny Leonardo and Victoria Ganey.

"It makes you feel like you can do anything a boy can being a girl," said one of the newer scouts, Olivia Farris, 12. "And if they're making fun of you, you can prove them wrong."

Jake Jackson, Great Trail Council BSA district executive, said troops and leaders are nominated anonymously and then a panel of volunteers reviews all submissions and chooses a winner.

The Great Trail Council recently reorganized its districts, going from seven to four. The new Crooked River District includes five all-girl troops, but Troop 7270 was competing against all units, regardless of gender.

The Clyde Hazel Award was brought over by a now-defunct district and is named for a Ravenna Eagle Scout and longtime scoutmaster. To be nominated, units must participate in many district events, go camping nine months out of the year, participate in fundraising sales, complete service projects and attend 80% of monthly round tables, among other qualifications.

Jackson believes Troop 7270 is the first all-girl group to win the award.

According to Griffiths, several of the founding members initially thought they would only join for a few years in order to get the troop off the ground but stuck around once they earned some awards and realized how close they were to earning the prestigious Eagle Scout rank.

Founding member Victoria Ganey, 15, said she was initially embarrassed to be in Boy Scouts, "but then we realized we'd done all these things and we might as well keep going. Quarantine made it really hard because we could only camp at Butler and Manatoc, but now we get to go to other places too."

Boy Scout Troop 7270 members Victoria Ganey, left, and Adysen Willis gather flags for their meeting room July 12 at the United Methodist Church in Stow.

"It's strange because there's not a lot of girls yet, so most of the time, like when we did OA [Order of the Arrows] or day camps and summer camps, we're the only girls there," added Tawny, the senior patrol leader of the group.

Gabriella Podlogar, left, instructs other female members of Boy Scout Troop 7270 on making a woggle during a meeting July 12 at the United Methodist Church in Stow.

Both scouts said launching the group was difficult because they were starting from scratch with no established guidance. Whereas the boys learn from older scouts in their troop, the girls had to learn much on their own, although their older brothers and Troop 270 did provide some help.

"They're now fantastic examples for the younger girls," Griffiths said of the older members of the troop.

Griffiths said the girls have faced some animosity for being in a "boy space," but they have been largely accepted by the scouting community.

"I think it lit a fire under the boys as well, because they've been achieving more too," she said.

Tawny Leonardo, left, and committee chair Heather Ganey discuss plans for a camping trip during their Boy Scout Troop 7270 meeting July 12 in Stow.

Tawny and Victoria are now Life Rank and are working toward their Eagle. Victoria plans to do a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House for her project, and Tawny is still developing a plan for her project. Both girls have several more years to earn the rank.

"I love working with these young women and help them realize they can do anything the boys can," Griffiths said of her troop. "They're forging the way for all the other girls."

Reporter Krista S. Kano can be reached at 330-541-9416, kkano@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter @KristaKanoABJ.