Freshman Steven Lewis is one example of the many people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Lewis started doing Boy Scouts because his dad was an Eagle Scout. Lewis has been part of Boy Scouts for the last two years, and he has been unable to meet with his troop or do any other activities because of the restrictions. 

“[The effects of coronavirus] definitely hurt, because we can’t go to our meetings and we can’t meet with our troop. At the same time there are a lot of online opportunities like online merit badges,” Lewis said.

These online classes are a way to keep the Scouts engaged and learning.

“I actually took [an online merit badge class] last week, and it was Citizenship in the Nation. We discussed Constitutional rights and obligations of citizens, and we talked about the Constitution in general,” Lewis said.

When the troop does meet in person, they do activities to improve their camaraderie.

“There’s a lot of stuff that we do [at regular meetings]. Rank advancement, which is obviously the most hurt from coronavirus. We also do fire-building, organizing and planning for future meetings, campouts. A lot of it is also teaching the younger Scouts,” Lewis said. 

While Lewis has had to change his schedule by moving to doing different online classes, he misses one activity more than the rest.

“I probably miss camping the most,” Lewis said.