Atticus Leveck, 16, a 10th-grade student at Springs’ Magnolia Student Center, is celebrating his 10th anniversary as part of the Scouts BSA. He first joined as a Tiger Cub Scout at age 6, his mother Anastasia said, because “he has always loved the outdoors and hands-on experiences.”
The Riverside boy is one of 40 members of Troop 2 in Riverside; overall there are 9,500 scouts of varying levels in the Inland Empire. The scouts learn leadership through an outdoor program, enjoy adventures such as canoeing the Colorado River, backpacking, camping, working on merit badges and providing community service. Past outings have seen Atticus go camping among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona and in Death Valley, and canoeing down the Colorado River. It has been a great organizing and planning activity for Atticus, his mother said, as scouts must plan and execute all aspects of their outings.
The pandemic has curtailed scouts gatherings, with activities being temporarily switched online. Anastasia noted, “It is a hard time, but we adapt and overcome.”
Atticus, additionally, is a member of the Order of the Arrow, a National Honor Society for scouts to which they are peer-elected.
Anastasia commented, “The scouts have given Atticus the opportunity to lead and learn in an exciting and safe format. He loves working at camp and helping to run events. They are youth-led, so our young people can learn to be future leaders and good citizens.”
Fifty Springs students are scouts, said Anastasia, and at least one teacher, James Styczynski, is an Eagle Scout.
Atticus aspires to be a forest ranger; Anastasia noted that Atticus was taking an elective course in hospitality management which related to his career choice, and “We love that Springs can gear his elective to his future career.”
Springs has been a good fit for Atticus, Anastasia said, because “he was lost academically in the large crowded high school [environment] and was not doing well. Springs has been great, he is happy, succeeding academically and studying classes that relate to his future career.”
She continued, “We could not be happier; I recommend Springs to everyone.”
