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Paramus' First Female Cub Scout Leads By Example

No one in Katie Sheridan's family was all that surprised when the 7-year-old announced she wanted to be a Cub Scout.

Katie Sheridan, 7, was the first girl in Paramus to become a Cub Scout.

Katie Sheridan, 7, was the first girl in Paramus to become a Cub Scout.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine
When asked what being a Scout means to her, Katie said: "Doing my best."

When asked what being a Scout means to her, Katie said: "Doing my best."

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine

The Paramus second grader has been tagging along to Boy Scout meetings for the past two years with her older brother Jimmy, and the only thing keeping her from joining herself was the "boys only" rule.

Last summer, Paramus den leaders voted to allow girls into the local Cub Scouts packs -- making Katie the first girl in the borough.

"Being a Cub Scout makes me feel special and proud," said Katie of Pack 245. 

Boy Scouts of America last year announced it would be dropping the "boy" from its namesake program. Thousands of girls across the country enrolled in the program -- eight of them in Paramus' Pack 245, including Katie.

The dens separate the girls from the boys, but the curriculums don't vary. The only difference is that the girls now get to run their own program, too.

Katie's mom, Stacey Sheridan, says gender matters little.

"Being a scout is being a scout," Sheridan said. "Katie knows that when she puts the uniform on, it stands for something.

"She tries to live by the Scout way."

Katie says her favorite Cub Scout activity is building bottle rockets. She's currently working on memorizing the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.

To quality for a scholarship program, scouts must sell $2,500-worth of popcorn. Katie has $500 to go. 

When asked what being a Scout means to her, Katie said: "Doing my best."

Paramus' Cub Scout program is open to girls from all towns.

CLICK HERE TO BUY POPCORN FROM KATIE.

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