VOLUNTEERS TEACH SCOUTING AT SCHOOL

Students in May Greene Elementary School and other schools are getting an opportunity to explore the world of Scouting thanks to community volunteers.

School districts in Cape Girardeau, Delta, Fredericktown, Woodland, Leopold, Zalma, Oak Ridge and Clearwater are participating in Scouting in the School Day, a partnership between Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts to provide Scouting opportunities to students who might otherwise not get the chance to participate. Volunteers from AmeriCorps, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and Southeast Missouri State University work together to teach first-, second- and third-graders the fundamentals of being a Girl or Boy Scout.

"It's relatively new, so most of our public does not understand the concept of classroom Scouting," said Millie Turner, the Otahki Girl Scout Council's director of membership services. "Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have become contemporary in the understanding that most of our students don't have the parental support that enables them to participate in Scouting. Transportation is also a factor. If we don't reach them while they're here, we won't reach them."

Both groups have developed a collaborative book of activities to help students work towards fulfilling requirements that will earn them achievement credits, awards and badges.