Two teen girls in Waynesboro are making history.

SALEM, Va. – Two years ago, the Boy Scouts of America program, known as the Boy Scouts, became Scouts BSA and opened their more than century-old program to girls. Now, French, Filer and other young women who joined two years ago are working hard to make their mark again, this time as female Eagle Scouts. Filer, French, Danielle Davis, Ashley Patterson and Sophia Bone of Troop 51G are all on track to be the first female Eagle Scouts in the Roanoke Valley. There are several girls across the region and country who will also become Eagle Scouts. AdThere are 40 opportunities for elementary-age girls to join Cub Scouts in Southwest Virginia.

Only in 2018 did the Boy Scouts start accepting girls as Cub Scouts; older girls were admitted into the flagship scouting program in 2019. The Boy Scouts say about 6% of all scouts attain Eagle rank – roughly 2.5 million since the award’s creation in 1911, a year after the Boy Scouts of America was founded. “People recognize Eagle Scouts as individuals of the highest caliber, and for the first time, that title isn’t limited by gender." The celebration of the new Eagle Scouts comes at a challenging time for the Boy Scouts. The daughter, 18-year-old Rebecca Wright, is among the new Eagle Scouts, having earned 102 merit badges.