Section NE-5 Starfinder

1. Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get involved in scouting? How about the Order of the Arrow? What School & Major?

Overall, I'm from San Jose, CA where I have lived there my whole life and I'm 19 years old. Outside of scouting, I enjoy getting out sailing which is one of my main hobbies as well as working on cars. Currently, I'm a freshman at the University of San Diego studying Mechanical Engineering which comes from my interest in the mechanics of cars. Scouting wise, I have been in scouting for 13 years, beginning as a Tiger scout. Once I got to Boy Scouts, I absolutely loved the freedom to get out of the house and get into nature and genuine camping trips. Originally, I was never too keen on merit badges and awards or even leadership as I thought it was quite tedious, but with the push from some adult leaders, I immediately loved it, and pushed through until I got my Eagle. After Eagle, I was inducted into the Order of the Arrow in 2015 and worked my way up to where I am today.

2. Before National Vice Chief, what other positions did you hold in scouting?

Before becoming National Vice Chief, the one position I started out with was Chapter Chief, which is the most cherished position I’ve held within OA. Then I worked my way upto the section level, serving as the Vice Chief and eventually the Section Chief for 2 terms. For NOAC 2020, I was selected to serve as the Conference Vice Chair of Training. Outside of the Order, I have served as a sailing instructor on camp staff for the past couple years at 2 summer camps.

3. What is your Vigil name and what does it mean?

So my name is Klamachpin Pehachamhangik, which means Quiet Sailor. It comes from the fact that I’ve always led in a more quiet manner, kind of more behind the scenes has been my leadership style. Additionally, the word sailor is a good representative of my character as I prefer being laid back and enjoying nature.

4. What did you do for your Eagle Scout Project?

My Eagle Scout project was to create several planter boxes for the new learning garden, which I partnered with my local elementary school. It was actually quite substantial, costing approximately $2,000 for materials.

5. What is your proudest achievement in scouting?

Although I don’t have one pinpoint answer, the one thing I’ve always loved about scouting was experiences that we have. And the ability that I had as a Chapter Chief or Section Chief to put on the same experiences I had for other scouts is pretty humbling and an overall great feeling.

6. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge that our Order faces and how can we overcome those obstacles?

Definitely the biggest one that I have seen in this past year is maintaining interest and motivation to keep going. Because our organization before the pandemic was so focused on in-person events, meetings, activities. As soon as we needed to shift virtually, that turned a lot of people away and caused a huge drop in motivation. I know I was quite skeptical at first questioning if this is the same scouting I know or if the same experiences can continue. But I think over the past year, the Order of the Arrow has proven that we may continue no matter what the circumstance is. We’ve adapted to virtual experiences and I think that the challenge of maintaining interest and motivation, knowing that we will get back to normal. Right now, we need to maintain that brotherhood in our organization until we return back in-person and experience those same opportunities pre-pandemic.

7. Who would you say is your scouting mentor?

I have a couple of mentor’s, 2 being youth and 1 as an adult. My first would be Alex Gluszczak, who was from my troop and served as my predecessor Chapter Chief before I had succeeded him. Then he eventually became Section Chief and did the same job, guiding and forming me while I served my term as Section Vice Chief. I was under the leadership of Kyle Silligman who was the Section Chief at the time and mentored me as I stepped into that role and succeeded him. As for an adviser, Mr. Tom Lackovic was from my troop who happened to serve as the Section Adviser and he was the one that got me started in the OA that made me aware of what the Section and beyond was.

8. Can you tell me the best go-to restaurant in California?

Definitely if you are not from the West Coast, you have never experienced true Mexican food. Any of the states that border Mexico are the only ones to have true Mexican food. The go-to has to be any random taco truck on the side of the road. Although most people say In-N-Out as the go-to place, it’s not specific to California anymore!, as there's new locations in Texas, Utah, etc,.

9. What is something that you’re looking forward to the most this year?

I would say that I really look forward to being able to make an impact on our organization as we emerge from the pandemic and bankruptcy. It’s not a normal year that we walked into here as national officers, which we knew that from the start. But along with that, we have a greater opportunity to make an impact and restructure our organization how we see fit. Through meeting Arrowmen all across the country, I look forward to making that impact.

10. What is the most valuable life skill you’ve learned through the Order of the Arrow/Scouting?

Specifically in the Order of the Arrow, the number one skill I have learned that my peers are not well equipped with is delegation. Because through the Order the Arrow and through failure, you learn that you can’t do everything. Especially as the National Vice Chief, you can’t do all of the responsibilities yourself, you have to learn how to lead and work as a team. I served as the student body president of my high school and that is when it really became apparent to me that leaders try to take on the whole task themselves, or carry the whole burden instead of working with a team.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Name, Age, Where you’re from. How did you get involved in scouting? Sea Scouts? The Order of the Arrow? Future School & Major? Hobbies outside of scouting?

My name is Aven Alexander, I am the Sea Scouts National Boatswain for the 2020-2021 term. I'm from East Texas Area Council and I live in Palestine, Texas. I'm 18 years old and a senior at Palestine High School and in the Fall I'll be attending Texas A&M University to get a degree in psychology. Currently, I’m working with the National Quarterdeck, as we’ve already chosen the next National Boatswain so I’m just finishing out the term. I look forward to the change of watch on June 1st and to tie up any loose ends. Outside of scouting, I’m spending a lot of time with family & friends. Most of the time, I will simply take my hammock to the woods all the time and read. Anything on the water I love to do, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, tubing, etc,. I do participate a lot in various school clubs and play tennis.

2. Before National Sea Scout Boatswain, what other positions did you hold in scouting?

At the unit level, I’ve served as the Yeoman (Equivalent to Secretary/Scribe), Boatswain’s Mate of Admin (Equivalent to ASPL), and Boatswain of my ship (Equivalent to SPL). Additionally I’ve served as an Area Boatswain (Equivalent to Section Chief). I joined Sea Scouts as a freshman in highschool and now I’m a senior, so I have spent a relatively shorter amount of time than most in the program but I’ve still done a lot. I’m also in Scouts BSA and the OA, serving as the Lodge Secretary of Tejas Lodge.

3. Can you give us the inside scoop on Sea Scouts? What makes it so unique, some customs/traditions specific to the program, etc,.

Believe it or not, Sea Scouts was founded in 1912 and is just as old as the BSA. Originally, to join you could only join if you were a First Class Scout, so that is why our logo has the First Class Rank with an anchor. Sea Scouts is a Co-ed branch of the BSA with an aquatic based curriculum and its older youth program, ranging from 14-21.

4. What did you do for your Eagle Scout Project?

My Eagle Scout project was in line with the 5 girls in my troop, who all happen to be in Sea Scouts and we wanted to do something to give back to the school district as they’ve been really supportive of our Sea Scout ship for years. As our school is not the most school-spirited, I got a new sign made of the school song to be hung up on the wall in the gym as the newly rebuilt school did not reinstate the old sign.

5. What is your proudest achievement within scouting?

For sure my number one has to be earning my Quartermaster. I take a lot of pride in it as although 4% of Scouts BSA become Eagle Scouts, only 0.2% of Sea Scouts earn Quartermaster and I don’t even know the percentage of those who have both. It is kind of crazy to look at those numbers and think “wow, I did that!” and I really loved doing the Quartermaster project and earning my Quartermaster.

Additionally, serving this year with the National Quarterdeck has been amazing. I have never been able to be put in the position where I am not only leading youth from across the country but overseeing projects that impact the whole program that I love and being able to make it for the better. Even interacting with other people in other programs to help strengthen all of scouting it’s just really fun.

The third thing I loved the most was going to SEAL (Sea Scout Experience Advanced Leadership Training) in Seattle was a great experience. At 16 years old, it was the very first time that I had ever been on an airplane by myself. So after flying to Seattle, it was the best 10 days ever. At SEAL, there’s a saying “It’s the most fun you ever want to have again!” and it is so true.

6. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge that faces Sea Scouts/OA/Scouting in general & how can we overcome these obstacles?

Scouting as a whole we always want to keep bringing in numbers, we want to recruit and retain the people that we recruit. We are in a constant struggle of bringing in people and keeping them and hoping that the units don’t die, keeping them going, keep them entertained, keep them

loving the program and it's quite a vicious cycle. On the leadership side, it is frustrating and stressful to wrap your mind around it.

Yet the biggest issue that faces scouting today is that youth in our country during today’s society are expected to do SO much. You can’t only have good grades, you have to do all the sports, curricular activities, clubs, awards etc,. And whenever you do all of those things, you get exhausted and busy. So, a lot of those who are overachievers have to be good at balancing all of those things and time management, especially those youth leaders within scouting. If not time management, those dedicated scouts love scouting with their whole heart and really throw themselves into the program and they want to give it everything they have. Between all of this, it is hard to get kids to join and give commitment to the program but they are already so busy and have a lot on their plate. It’s a tough balance to deal with but Scouting is so much fun and has a lot to offer to kids between the life lessons, experiences, etc,. If we are able to explain to kids what Scouting really means, how worthwhile it is for someone's time, I think we could build a solid basis.

7. How do you think Sea Scouts & OA can better work together in promoting our niche programs?

A great way to promote our programs in this coherent environment is by having scouts dual or triple enroll in units. A lot of Scouts who are also in Venturing or Sea Scouts or OA love that high adventure program so it is really easy to take advantage of what each program has to offer. I do love going to OA events, especially when wearing the Sea Scout uniform as it always sparks conversation, as kids who love scouting always like that extra challenge. It would be great to see scouts at Sea Scout events talking about OA or Venturing. If we want to reach out to kids outside of scouting, schools are the way to go, engaging kids in the community and educating them about what we do, our benefits as an organization, etc,. Word of mouth is powerful, as that’s how I ended up joining; and if we can each reach out to a non-scouting friend and tell them how much you love the program and that they will too, we can really drive up numbers and make all of our programs succeed.

8. Who would you say is your scouting mentor?

The mentor I have is my Ship’s Skipper named Jeff “Judge” Durhan, but everyone calls him Judge as he works at the courthouse in my town. He does so many good things for scouting; kind of the mix between your best friend, mentor and grandpa all wrapped up into one! Whether it’s Venturing, OA, or Sea Scouts, he’s done it all and I can confidently say I wouldn’t be where I am as the National Boatswain or earn the rank of Eagle without him.

Another mentor is one girl named Katie Stone, who was on my ship when I joined. IT was amazing to see someone who had completed what you wanted to complete and look up to. She taught me a lot and we became the best of friends.

The final mentor is Martha Fields, who serves as my National Boatswain’s Mate (Equivalent to National Vice Chief). She happens to be in my area, living in Houston and despite seeing her at events but not knowing who she was, I got to know her as we stepped into our national roles. What’s neat is that we weigh each other out, as I am the people person and she is the analytical thinker knowing what questions to ask. We make a great team and I owe these people for my scouting career entirely.

9. Can you tell me the best go-to barbeque in Texas?

The absolute best barbecue is always homemade! People in my hometown know how to cook and we hang out, watch college football, grill and then eat good food. In Palestine there are LOTS of good authentic Mexican food too.

10. Reflecting back on this term, what are your top three favorite events/moments you’ve had?

The first event had to be the change of watch last June with the immediate past National Boatswain, Hannah Carter was a great experience, despite it being virtual. It really hit me in that ceremony that I have an incredible position that I can use to give back to the program and it is time to get to work with my team.

Additionally, I have an incoming in-person regatta in Florida which I am so excited about, as it’s the first actual event that I will be able to attend.

The Report to the Nation was amazing. Despite it being virtual, I alongside Derek and Tyler Grey (National Venturing Officers Association President) in giving our report to Congress. I got to represent Sea Scouts and meet all of the other delegates. It was really cool and inspiring to see the summary of all the amazing things scouts have done in 2020.

11. What is the most valuable life skill you’ve learned through the Sea Scouts/Order of the Arrow/Scouting?

Right after joining Sea Scouts, I remember being my first time out on the sailboat and a lot of us were kind of just standing around. At the end, I was asked if I had the opportunity to drive the boat, in which I said no. Judge Durhan gave me advice that has stuck to this day; “Always drive the boat.” What he means is that no matter what boat you’re on, or in any situation; always take initiative in making decisions to affect the program.

1. Tell us a little about yourself

   1. My name is Garrett Donais, I’m from New Hampshire as a member of Passaconaway Lodge. I’ve been in the OA since September of 2014 and I’ve been a Scout since June of 2007, so I went through the entire Cub Scout program, and got Eagle when I was 16. I’m a sophomore at Gettysburg College as a Political Science and Public Policy double major. I’m involved in the ultimate frisbee team there and also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the co-ed service fraternity, which is kind of connected to Scouts.

2. A couple days ago you were elected our next region chief, what was that moment like when they announced you as the winner?

   1. There was a lot going up to the announcement, but since I’ve joined the OA getting to see what roles that youth in the OA can have, it was kind of a dream come true. Finally getting to be a National Officer and get to have an impact at a national stage and serve as a role model for Scouts across the country is something that I’ve always looked forward to, but just getting to see and meet Arrowmen from across both the region and the nation and really across the world since we have lodges in other countries.

3. What are your plans for making the region’s year the best it can be?

   1. Definitely trying to make sure that the Region, the Sections, and the Lodges are able to deliver a quality program. We’ve seen the success that the OA can have with virtual program this past year with Momentum: Launch and Momentum: Spark. Really just trying to grow on the successes of last year and see where we can continue to grow so we can reach every Scout and Arrowman that we’re able to. Making sure that our program is delivered to everyone that we can because so many peoples’ lives have been changed by the Order of the Arrow; so why prevent a young person from doing that this year just because of COVID. Also, really just making sure that we’re delivering the tools to lodges so they’re able to deliver as much program and ensure they can reach that High Performing benchmark.

4. How did you first get involved in the Order of the Arrow?

   1. I joined the OA in 2014 when I did my induction. My dad, for the longest time, was involved in the OA before me. Back when he was a youth he was a 2 term Section Chief, so the OA kinda runs in my family a little bit. In my troop, the OA was sort of a thing that we did. In my chapter there were a lot of people who were on the Ceremonial team. When I crossed over in Boy Scouts we had the Chapter Ceremonial team come in and do that, so I knew pretty much when I joined Scouting that I wanted to do the OA. I wanted to quickly reach those First Class and 15 nights of camping requirements, so I would be eligible to run. Then, the first Chapter meeting I went to I got involved in my Chapter Ceremonies team and my Lodge one after that.

5. What positions in Scouting have you held besides Region Chief?

   1. Section Chief, Section Vice Chief, Lodge Chief, Chapter Chief, then various positions at my troop level. Oddly enough, I was never Senior Patrol Leader, but I was ASPL for about 2 years, as well as OA Rep, Patrol Leader, Assistant Patrol Leader.

6. What is your favorite position that you’ve ever held in the Order of the Arrow?

   1. My favorite positions would definitely be serving as a Lodge and Chapter Chief and getting to see the program firsthand. Most of the OA’s program is delivered on the lodge and chapter level, so getting to see and meet Arrowmen that wouldn’t necessarily get to a Section Conclave or a NLS or a NOAC, or something like that, and getting to interact with as many Arrowmen as possible and getting to see the program delivery on a firsthand basis and getting to see the frontlines.

7. What can you say to any Lodge Officer who might be struggling with scheduling events in the midst of the pandemic?

   1. It would depend on what they’re struggling to schedule it around, if it’s trying to find a date, one of the hardest things is just committing to a date and sticking with it. With the virtual world, a lot of people’s schedules are a little bit different. The separation between work and home is very blurred, so obviously work schedules can impact it and other meetings that they might have to go to. Even if it’s a 30 minute meeting or a training just to keep arrowmen engaged with the OA, even if you have to do multiple things because people might not be able to go to one specific meeting. Try and just plan around having a variety of dates to pick between, then develop a comprehensive plan so everyone is prepared going into the event, and that you’re delivering a quality program.

8. Who would you say is your Scouting mentor?

   1. I’m gonna go with the cliche and say my dad. He’s been in the OA and Scouting for a while, so just getting to bounce ideas off of him so I can see what the OA program was like 30 years ago and sees how it compares to today and see how a lot of what we’re doing for the OA has changed for the better honestly. Just seeing the evolution of the program and getting to talk to him about it, maybe bringing back some of those ideas that have gone away over the years that are still great ideas that can have an impact today.

9. What are you most excited about for the next year?

   1. Definitely getting to see how our lodges continue to grow off of the successes we had in 2020. None of us expected what came in March of last year, when I ran to be Section Chief, I expected to go to an in person New England Fellowship and plan for that event. I wasn’t expecting a month later to have to pivot to a virtual event. I don’t think many of us expected that, but our lodges, our sections, and the national program as a whole have been able to adapt to the virtual world and seeing how we can continue off of what we’ve learned last year and apply those lessons to this year, sharing ideas that other lodges or parts of our organization have come up with that work well.

10. What’s your favorite season of the year?

    1. I’m gonna go with Fall. As a New Englander, we have some beautiful Fall foliage and I would say Spring, but my allergies are just awful in the Spring, so not having to deal with allergies is why Spring gets ruled out. Summer is just so hectic and busy, it is nice that most people our age are off school and on vacation, but the Fall, you get that sweatshirt weather where you can bundle up and layer, but it’s still not cold enough when it’s snowing outside, except for the couple of weird times that it does that in New Hampshire, but Fall is definitely the best.

1. Tell us a little about yourself?

   1. A little bit about me, starting off with outside of scouting, I’m a college student at George Washington University, although I’m temporarily attending Zoom University. I’m a junior studying Political Communication, which is an interesting major that’s not offered at a lot of schools. It’s essentially a cross between Political Science and Journalism. Right now I’m at home in Reston, VA, roughly 20 miles away from Washington D.C. I’m from the Amangamek-Wipit Lodge in the National Capital Area Council.

2. How do you manage your time between school, scouting, and other activities?

   1. I think that this year, everyone’s balance, including my own, has been thrown off by the pandemic, so it’s definitely a different time balance than I had, even compared to earlier this year or before the pandemic. But I think for me, it’s mostly just staying organized. I basically live and breathe by my Google Calendar at this point, between getting on online classes, scouting conference calls, and meetings, or virtual events at the lodge, chapter, and section levels. There are a lot of different moving parts but I think for me it’s just a way to keep it all in one place and organized. It’s really just staying organized and blocking out the time for everything.

3. How did you get involved in the Order of the Arrow?

   1. THe way I got involved in the Order of the Arrow is the same way I got involved in Scouting, my older brother Jeremy. Jeremy is 2 years older than me and and one point a Cub Scout before me, and he crossed over to a boy scout troop, and now, he’s in the Order of the Arrow. He’s the one who really encouraged me after I was elected to come do my ordeal, then immediately after my ordeal, it seemed like I was already being asked to do things, starting off with ceremonies. Jeremy and a lot of people in my unit really wanted me to be involved and made that direct ask to me. It was that individual ask that really got me involved in the first place.

4. When you got elected back in December, what was your and the officer’s vision for 2020?

   1. Let’s look back to last year for a moment where we spent the year really coming together as an organization for a really critical conversation about our membership and how we can grow our brotherhood and our organization. So we came into this year with a lot of momentum from the conversation and this year being the first year we really implement that. We really work day-in and day-out to see what we could do to ensure that more people are wearing sashes and are getting a life-changing experience that all of us have had as members of the Order of the Arrow. So I think our vision was to build on that both through our National Program of Emphasis, which was NOAC before it got canceled, but also beyond that, finding ways to connect folks at the chapter and lodge level to the national level and ensuring that we’re working together as one united team to solve this membership challenge.

5. Obviously, COVID-19 has done a lot to stop your vision from being carried out. From here, what’s your vision for the rest of your term?

   1. Well, I think that the overall vision that we had at the start of the year is still the same and I think it’s important that we stay on that vision of finding ways to grow our brotherhood. Now obviously, with the pandemic, we have a lot more challenges now in front of us to do that and we have to approach it in a different way and the end goal has never changed. So, I think in terms of our vision and our plans for the remaining few months that we have in our terms is to help lodges find ways to navigate this new normal. Whether that be finding ways to hold an ordeal, potentially virtually depending on where you’re located. We’re just finding ways to reach membres where they’re at and now wait for the world to reopen, but rather find ways to do fun virtual events.

6. Is there any situation you encountered this year that you feel you should’ve handled differently?

   1. Well, I joke that if I knew what happened with the pandemic, I wish we could’ve made some decisions earlier on because I think one of the most challenging parts about the pandemic is all the uncertainty that persists. So as we’ve had to make decisions whether it be about events or other things, we simply had to do that with information that we had at the time, and now having 2020 vision back into the past, there would’ve been some decisions that I think would’ve changed the timing and be able to be more transparent about, if only we had the right information, so I think with our in person Momentum event, where, back in June, we thought we would be able to do based of the way the country at the time was going, but then, as cases began to go back up and restrictions changed that we’d have to adapt our program to the point where we didn’t see it to be as valuable and to the high level that we are accustomed to as a national event.

7. Who is the one person you look up to most in scouting?

   1. I mentioned earlier my older brother Jeremy, and Jeremy has been one of my biggest mentors ever since I joined the scouting program as a Cub Scout more than 15 years ago. I mentioned before he was a Cub Scout and he joined 2 years before I did, then crossed over into the troop, then to the OA, so it was always me seeing in 2 years what would be in store for me. Even at the tough moments when I questioned whether I should continue on with scouting or the OA, he always showed me the light at the end of the tunnel, that the opportunities that our organization provide are so valuable that it made me want to continue, so I could have the same experiences that I was watching him have.

8. What positions have you held besides National Chief?

   1. I first got involved in the Order of the Arrow as a ceremonialist.My first, official position with a title was my Chapter Vice Chief of Unit Relations, so I managed our OA Unit Rep program, as well as working to increase our election rate. After that I became Chapter Chief for a year, then I moved up to the lodge level and became our lodge Vice Chief for Finance and Membership and served for 2 years in that position, focusing on our strategic performcane, growing our membership, as well as budgets and trying to get as many youth as possible into finaces to give them that experience with budgets. At this point, I thought I would take a step back from the OA, since I just graduated high school. I was asked to be our section’s Conclave Coordinator and I thought that was a job I could do and stay involved that way. After a few months, my good friend, Matt Parsons who is from my section got elected National Chief in 2019, so our Section Vice Chief at the time replaced him as Chief, then I ran for Section Vice Chief, and a few months later I was elected Section Chief. In this role I was involved with the Thrive Webinar, as well as the Section ACT Conference.

9. What can you say to any Lodge Chief that’s having trouble holding events and inducting new members?

   1. I think sometimes, now that we switched over to operating virtually, it’s easy to still be set in the mindset that everything needs to replicate what it would’ve in person. To some degree, that’s good and we should be trying to replicate some of those experiences, but at the end of the day we need to acknowledge that it’s going to be different, and that’s ok. We just need to accept that a virtual event won’t do all the same things that we would’ve done in an in-person event. I think that also provides us new opportunities to explore how we can make an impact in virtual events and virtual meetings. With that, what I see from a lot of lodges, and sections as well, is that you might’ve cancelled an in-person event and tried to replicate it 100% in a virtual event, and sometimes I think it can be very frustrating because iwe try to do all these different things that we weoudl’ve done in a full lodge weekend virutall, when some of those might be really difficult. I think because of that, sometimes we can overthink it a little bit, whereas I think what might be rather effective, is that virtual events can be really simple. They can be as simple as getting people on a zoom call for an hour just to play a fun game. That can be a very impactful lodge event. What I would say to a Lodge Chief who is struggling to find new events is don’t overthink it.

10. What was your favorite PBS Kids show growing up?

    1. I was a big CyberChase fan back in the day. I don’t remember why I liked it so much, but I do remeber I would come home from school and just watch CyberChase in the afternoon with a snack.