Celebrating the anniversary of the Scouting movement at the 68th annual Boy Scout Parade and Report to the State of Texas, Southern Region Boatswain John Shepherd delivered the Report to State message on the floor of the House chamber to Deputy Secretary of State Coby Shorter.
The Texas Scout delegation in the House of Representatives chamber.
At Report to State, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Venturers, Sea Scouts, Explorers, and STEM Scouts from all over Texas march up Congress Avenue to the Capitol. After a Scout Spirit Rally on the steps of the Capitol, Scout Delegates from each council in Texas are seated in the House of Representatives and report to a member of the state government about Scouting accomplishments in their council from the past year. Each council provides a youth delegation and a spokesperson who summarizes that council’s Scouting accomplishments. Then a message about the state of Scouting overall in Texas is delivered (this year by our Regional Boatswain), followed by remarks from a representative of the Texas state government, Deputy Secretary of State Coby Shorter. This event is a great opportunity to be with Scouts from all over the state, and to visit the State Capitol. Sea Scouts from Ships 1492, 31 and 271 marched in the parade while Sea Scouts from ships 911 and 681 assisted with crowd control and logistics management. National Boatswain Rachel West also attended with her University of Texas Alpha Phi Omega colleagues.
Boatswain Shepherd spoke of the importance of Scouting’s values, of their impact on the lives of Scouts and on his personal experiences as an Eagle Scout and a Sea Scout. He also spoke about the accomplishments of Scouting as a whole in Texas. Having a passionate and articulate Sea Scout speaking on our behalf to both the Scouting community and to the public of the State of Texas is a great opportunity to improve the visibility of Sea Scouts, and John Shepherd was more than up to the task. His speech was well received and this was a proud day for Sea Scouts in Texas.