Mark Ray
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Articles by Mark Ray
Stress Relief in Seconds: Micro-Activities That Calm the Brain
In our fast-paced world, stress often feels like a background hum—constant, low-grade, and difficult to escape. While we might not always have the time for a yoga session or a walk in the park, sometimes all it takes to reset the brain is a few seconds of the right kind of activity. That’s where micro-activities come in: short, simple actions that give your mind just enough of a break to reduce tension and refocus. Micro-activities are small, low-effort actions you can do in under a minute.
Rural Cancer Care
MOVING HOME TO APPALACHIA may have saved Jennifer Goggans’ life. In 2006, after living in Seattle for 13 years, Goggans and her husband, Phil, returned to Paintsville, Kentucky, to raise their three children closer to family. One of those children, Rebecca, has disabilities that prevent her from living independently. As Rebecca’s full-time caregiver, Goggans did everything she could to keep herself healthy. That included eating right, getting plenty of exercise and keeping up with preventive care.
This collector turned his hobby into a passion and a purpose-and ultimately a museum
When Lamont Collins' family moved to a mostly white Louisville, Kentucky neighborhood in the 1960s, he felt like he'd been dropped behind enemy lines (although he was never physically harmed). He survived and thrived in large part because of his athletic ability, which later earned him a spot on the University of Louisville football team. "I was always the best athlete, so kids would always put me on their team," he says.
Can you backpack in your 60s and 70s? Three guys who pursued their dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail say you can.
This article is reprinted by permission from . In the summer of 1981, Rees Hughes and Howard Shapiro, along with mutual friend Jim Peacock, set out to hike the section of the Pacific Crest Trail that runs through Washington state. It was their first encounter with the 2,650-mile PCT, which stretches from Mexico to Canada. Before kids and without major career responsibilities, taking time for a long hike was easy, even if the actual hiking was harder than they'd expected. "We...
Can you backpack in your 60s and 70s? Three guys who pursued their dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail say you can.
In the summer of 1981, Rees Hughes and Howard Shapiro, along with mutual friend Jim Peacock, set out to hike the section of the Pacific Crest Trail that runs through Washington state. It was their first encounter with the 2,650-mile PCT, which stretches from Mexico to Canada. Before kids and without major career responsibilities, taking time for a long hike was easy, even if the actual hiking was harder than they'd expected.
Three Bucknell Juniors Named Goldwater Scholars
Granular media, smoke residue and Australian bush tomatoes. Studying those disparate subjects has earned three Bucknell juniors a singular national honor: the 2022 Goldwater Scholarship. Receiving recognition were Michael Bolish '23 of Latrobe, Pa., April Hurlock '23 of Gilbertsville, Pa., and Claire Marino '23, of Victor, N.Y. Having three Goldwater Scholars puts Bucknell on par with some of the top research institutions in the country.
Easy technology that can help you connect virtually with your grandkids
In many respects, John and Denise Gillard are luckier than most grandparents. Since they moved from Kansas to Washington state, in September 2020, they live only 70 miles from their 4-year-old granddaughter, Cora Nelson. According to AARP, most grandparents have at least one grandchild who lives more than 200 miles away. But the Gillards are lucky in another sense. Last year, they got to beta-test a new product from Amazon called Amazon Glow.
How to broaden your kids’ perspective - and, in the process, your own
Photo by W. Garth Dowling There are a lot of things in common with being a parent and being a Scout leader. Among them: the importance of understanding the perspectives of the younger generation. Jennifer L.W. Fink, author ofThe First-Time Mom’s Guide to Raising Boys(Rockridge Press, 2021), shares a story that demonstrates how parents and kids can have radically different perspectives about the world, all of which can contain elements of truth.
What I’ve Learned: A Q&A with the leaders of a 111-year-old Scouts BSA troop in Rhode Island
Photo courtesy of Mike Hogan (second from left) and Brad Orleck (second from right). After working together at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, Mike Hogan and Brad Orleck reunited to lead First Providence Troop, a 111-year-old unit that now serves a mix of working-class and immigrant families in Providence, R.I. Hogan has been Scoutmaster for 11 years; Orleck, the committee chair, has been with the troop for about eight years.
Why Remote Work Can Be Hard For Hard-Of-Hearing People
By Mark Ray, Next Avenue getty If you hate Zoom meetings, imagine how Heidi Carles, 56, of Bernville, Pa., feels. Carles, an auction lead, cataloger and photographer for an online auction company, has hearing loss, which makes videoconferencing challenging at best. Early in the pandemic, Carles often struggled during calls that included dozens of co-workers. Between the crosstalk and background noise, she found them exhausting and frustrating.
Bigger, better BALOO training for Cub Scout leaders
(This story originally appeared in the March-April 2018 issue of Scouting magazine.) A few years ago, longtime Cub Scout training experts Matt Markham and Jessi King-Markham found that volunteers who willingly attended Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation to learn to take their Cub Scouts camping often balked at signing up for a second and separate training, what was then called Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders (often referred to as “OWLS”).
For discussion: How should a Scout deal with a grading error in their favor?
Imagine this dilemma: Frank Quince readily admits he’s no star student, but he’s not alone in thinking Mr. Simpson’s algebra class is way too hard. Frank’s mom and most of his fellow students agree, and even Brianna McKey — who is a star student — admits that she actually has to study for tests. To make things worse, Mr. Simpson isn’t very friendly when students ask him questions after class.
Cub Scout Corner: Better den behavior in two easy steps
Your Cub Scouts might be called Lions or Tigers, but you probably feel like you’re herding cats half the time. As the 1947 Scoutmaster Handbook pointed out, kids “have a thousand muscles to wiggle with and only one dozen to sit still with. That dozen gets mighty tired mighty quickly.” So how can you encourage better behavior in your den (aside from minimizing sitting time)?
Merit Badge Clinic: Tips for teaching Cycling
At first glance, the Cycling merit badge seems like one of those merit badges that just about any Scouter could teach (assuming he or she is registered as a merit badge counselor). After all, you really never forget how to ride a bike. But a counselor who’s an avid cyclist can make the badge more than an exercise in logging miles and checking off requirements — he or she can introduce Scouts to a sport they can pursue for a lifetime. Brian Burnham is a good example.
Scouting FAQ: Keeping service projects SAFE
Doing Good Turns is an essential part of Scouting. But those Good Turns can take a turn for the worse if Scouts and leaders aren’t properly prepared and supervised. A great way to avoid problems is to use the SAFE Service Project Planning Checklist. What is SAFE? SAFE is Scouting’s model for ensuring all activities (not just service projects) are conducted safely. The four points of SAFE are Supervision, Assessment, Fitness and Skill, and Equipment and Environment. What does Supervision cover?
Ethics: Accepting preferential treatment
The dilemma Everybody at Clara Barton High School knows that senior Zayna Zdrojowski has a future in Hollywood. She has done some modeling in town and even appeared in a TV commercial for the state tourism board. When Sheri Sanders, the school’s theater advisor, announces that Beauty and the Beast will be the fall musical, everyone in the program knows Zayna will be cast as Belle, even though she’s not the school’s best singer.
How to juggle the roles of parent and Scout leader
This story originally appeared in the January-February 2013 issue of Scouting magazine. Assistant Scoutmaster R.S.’s daughter, a first-year Scout, keeps leaving troop activities to ask her mom questions and hand her things to hold. R.S. asked for tips on redirecting her daughter without rejecting her. Below is advice provided by Scouting readers. Call me mister In our troop, all adults are addressed by title and surname — Mrs. Smith, Dr. Jones, etc. — including parents.
What I’ve Learned: Merit Badge Super Saturday
In his brief time as a Scout, Ken George of Hilliard, Ohio, earned just two merit badges. To make sure today’s Scouts have more opportunities, he runs a free regular event called Merit Badge Super Saturday, which concludes its 10th program year in August. How many Scouts have you served since you started out? It’s been 3,083 unique participants in 1,022 clinics (badge classes).
Get to know the BSA's founding fathers
Their names are splashed across Scout councils, camps, museums and awards, but who were the men who helped create the Scouting program? Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell (1857-1941) In October 1899, several thousand Boer fighters laid siege to the South African town of Mafeking, where Col. Robert Baden-Powell led a force of some 800 British soldiers.
Merit Badge Clinic: Chess
Ten years after helping develop the Chess merit badge, the Saint Louis Chess Club continues teaching the badge to hundreds of Scouts every year. In 2020, when the pandemic forced classes online, 476 Scouts from 35 states participated. To learn more about teaching the badge, Scouting recently connected with Scholastic Manager Kyle Weber. Here are his top tips. Check your credentials Whatever you’re teaching, you need to know more than your students.
Cub Scout Corner: Program planning made painless
When Joshua Hoffman became a leader in Pack 141 in Sycamore, Ill., annual planning conferences took six hours or more — and sometimes required follow-up meetings. (Sound familiar?) In his three years as Cubmaster, he helped cut those meetings down to 2½ hours tops. And attendance at pack events began to regularly exceed 60%. The secret to the pack’s success? A streamlined planning process and plenty of communication.
Scouting FAQ: Merit badge blue cards
One of the most important documents in the Scouts BSA advancement program is the venerable “blue card” — officially known as the Application for Merit Badge. It’s available in packs of 25 or 100, or in a specially designed template for printing from Scoutbook. The document serves as a sort of passport while a Scout is working on a badge and then later as a permanent record. There are two official ways to complete blue cards: on paper and online. What does the paper blue card consist of?
Your Kids: How to talk with your tween
If you’re like most parents, your to-do list is pretty long. But author and middle-school expert Michelle Icard says you should add something to it — or, rather, 14 somethings. In her book Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (Harmony Books, 2021), Icard outlines a process for having a set of essential, ongoing conversations with your kids before they hit high school.
Ethics: Doing what it takes to get into college
The Dilemma As he starts applying for college, junior Adam Connors knows he’ll need some help. His grades are average, his résumé is so-so and his family is solidly middle class — not well off enough to pay for his education but too well off to qualify for need-based aid. Adam’s friend Tanner Marshall is in the same boat, but he has a plan: Join as many clubs and organizations as possible, butter up teachers who might write good recommendations and get “creative” in putting together a résumé.
How to keep your pack active this summer
In her four years as a Cub Scout leader, Sara Banks had often heard that packs should remain active over the summer. But in Pack 555 in Midland, Ga., all that happened in June, July and August was sending boys to Cub Scout day camp and Webelos resident camp. As part of her Wood Badge ticket, Banks set out to change that situation. Last summer, at the end of her second year as Cubmaster, Banks held two monthly activities — double the number required for the Summertime Pack Award.
What I’ve learned: Scouting in the Aloha State
In 2012, not long after moving to the Big Island, as the island of Hawaii is known, Truman Wold revived Troop 1, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year. Based in tiny Pa’auilo (population 586), the 14-member troop now serves boys from across the northern part of the island and will soon be joined by a girls’ troop. How did you grow beyond Pa’auilo? We started getting Scouts from the neighboring town of Honokaa, and then one of those Scouts moved even farther away up to Waimea.
Earn one of the BSA's six aquatics awards this summer
This story was originally published in the May-June 2017 issue of Scouting magazine. Summer is the perfect time for Scouts to earn the BSA’s special aquatics awards. Each of these awards, which focus on specific aquatic activities, is represented by a colorful patch worn on the swim trunks. What aquatics awards are available? Scouts can earn six awards: Boardsailing BSA, BSA Stand Up Paddleboarding Award, Kayaking BSA, Mile Swim BSA, Scuba BSA, Snorkeling BSA and the Whitewater Rafting Award.
Merit Badge Clinic: Sustainability
The Sustainability merit badge is a sprawling project to take on, covering everything from energy and food waste to climate change and housing. To learn how counselors can make sense of the badge, Scouting talked with Spencer Cox from Florence, Ky. Now a graduate student at Xavier University, Cox holds a degree in sustainability and has taught the badge both in person and online. Here are his top tips. Pick Your Passions Many of the badge requirements offer options.
Tips for a Successful Webelos-to-Scout Transition
Two Februarys ago, Troop 6 in Sellersburg, Ind., welcomed 14 graduating Webelos Scouts from a single den; 10 are still active and form the troop’s core leadership group. In March 2020, Troop 828 in Lutherville, Md., welcomed a den of 15 graduating Webelos Scouts; it has retained 100% of them despite the turmoil of the pandemic. (They attended exactly one troop meeting before activities went virtual.) Successes like these are no accident.
Scouting FAQ: Chartered Organizations
Every Scouting unit “belongs” to a local organization like a school, religious institution or service club. Here’s an overview of this essential relationship. What is a chartered organization? A chartered organization is a community-based group whose objectives, mission and methodologies are compatible with those of the BSA. It agrees to use the Scouting program to further its mission to serve young people.
The Key to Calm Parenting
A few years ago, one of Melanie Dale’s kids started wearing unmatched shoes to school every day. “It drove me absolutely bananas,” Dale says. “I would watch this kid walk out of the house with two different shoes every day, but I was like, ‘This is not a big deal; eventually the kid’s feet are going to hurt and they’re going to go back to wearing matching shoes.’” Indeed, that’s exactly what happened a few weeks later, so crisis averted.
What I’ve Learned: Family Scouting
Barb Perez first got involved in Scouting when her now-26-year-old son, Stephen, joined Cub Scouting. Her husband, Lee, volunteered to lead the Tiger den — then quickly got deployed overseas. So Perez took over, beginning a two-decade journey that has changed her life. She became a day camp director and a part-time registrar at Pacific Harbors Council in Tacoma, Wash.
Ethics: When Free Speech Isn’t Free
The Dilemma Tameka Scroggins loves being student council president at Torrance High School. As the youngest of four kids, she has always struggled to make her voice heard, but in this position, people actually stop talking long enough to listen to what she has to say. That newfound power has prompted her to become outspoken about issues affecting her community.
Make Your Blue and Gold Enjoyable, Not Unendurable
This story originally appeared in the January-February 2011 issue of Scouting magazine. The biggest Cub Scout event of the year doesn’t have to be the longest. After all, families shouldn’t have to bring a late-night snack to survive their pack’s annual blue and gold dinner. Yet some blue and gold banquets last longer than Gone with the Wind, testing the endurance of Cub Scouts and parents alike.
Tips on Teaching the American Cultures Merit Badge
In a commencement speech years ago, writer David Foster Wallace told the story of two young fish that were out swimming. When an older fish swam by and said, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?”, one young fish thought for a moment, then said, “What’s water?” Culture is the water we swim in as people. It’s all around us, but we usually don’t think about it until we leave it — until we become fish out of water, so to speak. The American Cultures merit badge offers Scouts a fish-out-of-water experience.
Making Winter Fun for Your Cub Scouts
This story appeared in the November-December 2018 issue of Scouting magazine. “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” might be a great song lyric, but it’s not how everyone would choose to spend a winter weekend. Fortunately, most Cub Scout leaders are willing to brave the cold — and the occasional complaining — to take their Cub Scouts to the woods this winter. Once there, they’ll find the rewards are worth the effort. Jeff Krinsky is the activity coordinator for Pack 552 in Woodinville, Wash.
How to Plan a Virtual Adventure for Your Cub Scouts
COVID-19 has kept many packs from escaping to camp. But in October 2020, one Colorado pack actually escaped fromcamp — albeit online. During a virtual campout that month, the members of Pack 27 in Colorado Springs did a virtual escape room activity designed by Den Leader Carrie Kelly. The activity, which Kelly created using Google Forms, included seven puzzles that tested the Cub Scouts’ knowledge of things like the Cub Scout motto, the Six Essentials and the Outdoor Code.
Scouting FAQ: Distinguished Conservation Awards
In October 2020, the BSA retired the William T. Hornaday awards for older Scouts and adults. Replacing them is the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Awards program. The intent: to encourage more conservation advocacy and service through a modernized, streamlined program. Don’t confuse “streamlined” with “simple,” however; the new awards are just as challenging as the ones they replaced. WHAT AWARDS ARE AVAILABLE? There are three awards.
Scheduling Strategies to Transform Your Pack’s Pinewood Derby
This story originally appeared in the January-February 2015 issue of Scouting magazine. When Stan Pope became a Cub Scout leader in 1985, he saw how the Pinewood Derby combined fun and family involvement, and included a healthy dose of sportsmanship. But he also saw how quickly fun could turn into disappointment. “Sadly, two of the racers from the eight-boy den were done after racing just twice, and two more were done after their third race,” he recalls of the double-elimination schedule.
How to Construct a Stronger Child
Are you a tiger mom or a helicopter dad? If so, you might need a new parenting philosophy, according to Harold Koplewicz, M.D., president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute. In his new book, The Scaffold Effect: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety (Harmony Books, 2021), Koplewicz argues that parents should be more like (you guessed it) a scaffold.
Leave No Trace … or Not: What to Do When Rules Conflict
The Dilemma Christopher Curry has always liked nature, so working on the Nature merit badge at Camp Tall Pines really gets him excited. The ecology director, Sarah Wheatley, makes learning about the environment a whole lot of fun and helps him understand why taking care of the planet is so important. When he turns 16, Christopher joins the camp’s ecology staff. Things go well at first, but then he starts noticing badge requirements that seem to conflict with Leave No Trace principles.
Stress-Busting Tips to Help You and Your Family Relax in the New Year
This story originally appeared in the January-February 2015 issue of Scouting magazine. It’s a new year. Days are shorter, and post-holiday to-do lists are longer. It’s time for another semester of tests and term papers for the kids as parents recover from the holiday season.
These Scouters Lead the BSA’s Biggest District
The Transatlantic Council’s Horizon District is one of the newest districts in the BSA. It’s also by far the biggest, stretching from South Africa to Saudi Arabia and from Rwanda to Russia. District chairman Steve Sutton and district commissioner Mark Slusher are working to strengthen the district, whose units were previously served by the old Direct Service Council. Scoutingcaught up with them via Zoom to learn more about BSA Scouting far beyond the USA.
How two Eagle Scouts are making assistive technology more accessible
Courtesy of William Marshall This story is shared here from the Scouting magazine app. For more of the content you’re used to from Scouting magazine, download the Scouting magazine app today! It’s available now in the App Store and Google Play. In a 1996 robbery gone wrong, jewelry store owner Mark Chilutti lost the use of his legs. In 2015, a tragic auto accident made TOPGUN instructor Buddy Marshall a quadriplegic. But disability isn’t the only thing that connects the two men’s stories.
How two Eagle Scouts are making accessible technology more accessible
Courtesy of William Marshall This story is shared here from the Scouting magazine app. For more of the content you’re used to from Scouting magazine, download the Scouting magazine app today! It’s available now in the App Store and Google Play. In a 1996 robbery gone wrong, jewelry store owner Mark Chilutti lost the use of his legs. In 2015, a tragic auto accident made TOPGUN instructor Buddy Marshall a quadriplegic. But disability isn’t the only thing that connects the two men’s stories.
Tips on Teaching the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge
Did you hear that Congress passed the Free Ice Cream on Fridays bill? Unfortunately, the president vetoed it because he’s lactose intolerant. OK, that didn’t really happen — except during a Citizenship in the Nation workshop offered at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. To illustrate how the three branches of government interact, counselors there often bring three Scouts up on stage for a three-way tug-of-war that illustrates the push and pull of constitutional checks and balances.
Ideas to Help Your Pack Build Momentum During the Holidays
This story originally appeared in the November-December 2012 issue of Scouting magazine. It happens every year: Just about the time new den leaders figure out how to lead a den and pack programming falls into a comfortable rhythm, Thanksgiving Day arrives. And not far behind it come Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Day. By the time school resumes in January, many Cub Scouters feel as if they’re starting from scratch. But you don’t have to lose momentum between December and January.
Understanding the Role of the Pack Committee Chair
During Act 2 of Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton jokes that Vice President John Adams “doesn’t have a real job anyway.” The same could be said for Keri Snyder’s predecessor as Pack 455’s committee chair. When Snyder took over the role for the Lakeland, Tenn., pack, other leaders joked that she would just be sitting around and signing paperwork while someone else — namely the amazing Cubmaster — did all the work.
Leadership Awards Can Help You Be a Better Leader
This story was originally published in the January-February 2020 issue of Scouting magazine. Since kids don’t grow up overnight, it sometimes can be hard to tell from week to week how much of a difference you’re making as a Scouting volunteer. The BSA’s training awards and keys can help you track your progress and help you be more successful. WHAT IS A TRAINING AWARD?
The 50-Miler Award honors Scouts who are going places
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a journey of 50 miles can begin with a step, a J-stroke or even a “giddyap.” The BSA’s 50-Miler Award recognizes Scouts and adult leaders who travel 50 miles over five or more days without the aid of motors. The mileage is defined, but the opportunities are unlimited. WHAT MODES OF TRAVEL COUNT FOR THIS AWARD? Options include hiking, boating, canoeing, bicycling, and riding horses, mules, donkeys or llamas.
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