COMMUNITY POOL MAKES A SPLASH

By Alyssa Stromberg

June brings with it the anticipation of the pool opening, by both parents and youngsters alike. Since 1970 Medicine Lake has had the privilege of a town swimming pool, which makes the pool 53 years old. 53 years of youngsters making memories and cooling off during the summer heat; 53 years of community, county and volunteer dedication in the upkeep and operation of the pool.

The Medicine Lake pool employs between six to eight employees each summer. There are swimming lessons and water aerobics classes available, as well as open swim. The pool has a covered picnic area, park/playground area and a baseball field. It is a busy area from late May to early September. Once varsity practice starts in August, the pool is used for team conditioning, and Medicine Lake School physical education classes have also taken ad- credit the time he was lucky guard at the pool was a very sought after position.

It is with the continued dedication of those that have grown up with the pool that youngsters for years to come will also be able to make a splash each summer and make happy memories they will share with their kids. vantage of having the pool so close.

The first summer I lived in Medicine Lake in 2009, I applied for the pool manager position; it was a perfect summer job. Connor, my youngest son, was in first grade and for many summers the pool was our second home. To this day Connor loves the water and I

Did You Know?

Both nymphs and adult dragonflies are top predators in the insect world. Larger nymphs will eat tadpoles and minnows. Nymphs have a modified lower jaw they can extend using hydrostatic pressure to capture prey as it swims past. As adults, these insects capture up to 95 percent of the prey they hunt. The adults will chase down their prey and ambush it from behind.

to have spent at the community pool. This is just one of many stories that include summertime in Medicine Lake and the pool. I have friends who grew up and graduated from Medicine Lake and being a life- be held every four years as a gathering of Boy Scouts from across America.

Cooper Svangstu, Adam Knudson and Andrew Stewart, Juniors at Divide County High School, have a combined 27 years of scouting, and have all completed the requirements set forth by the Boy Scouts to achieve the rank of 1st Class, making them eligible to attend the Jamboree this summer. Says Cooper, “We’ve done some different scouting events with the Williston troop, and their leader, Tim Bishop, is really the one who encouraged us to attend. Each district gets so many openings – ours [the Northern Lights District] had 35, so we’re really lucky to be able to have this opportunity.”

The teens are looking forward to the multitude of new experiences that the Jamboree offers. “We get to do a lot of fun things, like archery, swimming, shooting guns, a mile-long zipline, and I get to take Cooper out white water rafting,” laughs Adam. Attendees and their leaders camp during the majority of the two weeks of the Jamboree, and are allotted “points,” which they are responsible for using to “buy” food to feed their troop. “You need to be aware of how many points you’re using,” shares Cooper. “If you want to order pizza one night [which is worth more points], you should probably plan meals that cost less - like hot dogs and beans – for other nights. Not only do they have to plan their meals, they are responsible for cooking them. “It’s a good learning experience – because someday when we’re in college we’re going to have to plan our own meals and consider how much money it costs.”

In addition to outdoor camping and fun activities, the scouts will have several nationally noted speak- ers coming. “The President has come in years past, so you just never know who’s going to show up,” says Adam. The scouts will also have a few days spent touring Washington, DC, something all three boys say they are looking forward to, as well as the time spent meeting new friends, not just from the US, but also the globe. “There are some international scouts that come, like scouts from Argentina. That would be pretty cool to meet them and find out more about where they’re from.”

The group has been fundraising for their trip, most recently putting on a pancake feed at the Divide County Fair. But, say the boys, if it wasn’t for the support of the community, their trip might not be possible. “People just started donating so we could go when they heard about it,” shares Adam, “and the American Legion has been very generous too. We’re just thankful to everyone for the support.”

While the National Jamboree is an exciting opportunity, the three scouts say that the “life lessons” they’ve learned being a part ure things out instead of expecting someone to do it for you,” shares Cooper. guidance and give back to the program.” of the Boy Scouts is most important. Notes Andrew, “Learning to take care of others, care for the hurt, how to be a good citizen – those are all pretty great things I’ve learned in Boy Scouts.”

Adam agrees. “The Boy Scout law, ‘a Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent’ those are all important skills and character you use for the rest of your life. Meeting people, learning with friends, seeing the progress you make with things you build with your own hands –you just don’t know what’s going to happen, when you’ll need [those skills]. My brother was a Scout, and after he graduated, he actually ended up saving someone down in Fargo –he wouldn’t have known what to do if it wouldn’t have been for the first aid skills he had learned [in Boy Scouts].”

“The life lessons, making friends, survival skills – so many things you’d think are just common sense just aren’t anymore. Scouts teaches you to be self-led, independent, to fig-

The local Boy Scouts are involved in many community events, often volunteering their time. Collecting food for the food pantry, cleaning the fairgrounds, mowing lawns, and collecting aluminum cans are just a few of the projects the local scouts have been part of, and most recently, they teamed up with the Cub Scouts to scrape and re-paint the concessions stand at the baseball field. “I really enjoyed working on the concessions stand,” tells Adam. “I think it’s because it was the first time I really realized that younger kids do look up to us, that what we do actually has an influence on them. When we started in Cub Scouts there wasn’t really anyone above us, so we had to build everything from the ground up. This project put us in a teaching position, we were able to use what we’ve learned through scouting to provide leadership and

Andrew, Cooper and Adam all had the same advice for parents who are unsure about enrolling their child in Boy Scouts: “Just do it.”

“It’s just a great experience,” says Andrew.

Cooper noted, “You get to be together while learning, go to day camps, learn life skills, and have experiences you just don’t get anywhere else.”

“Parents should put kids in even if they’re not sure,” shares Adam. “If they just stick it out and follow through they will enjoy it and be happy they did.”

Anyone interested in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts can reach out to Lee Svangstu at 701-648-9976.