Los Alamos Police Department Sgt. Chris Ross receives his award from Cub Scout Pack 22 Arrow Of Light den leader Carl Iverson. Courtesy photo

The award received by LAPD Sgt. Chris Ross from local cub scouts. Courtesy photo

The award received by LTC Mike Pratt from local cub scouts in recognition to his service to his country and the scouting community. Courtesy photo

The award presented to Prof. Robert Romero, founder and instructor of the Los Alamos Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in recognition of his helping children build self-esteem and defend themselves as well as for his dedication to his craft. Courtesy photo

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Members of Cub Scout Pack 22 Arrow of Light Den have presented awards to three local men following their “Build Your Own Hero” adventure. They are Los Alamos Police Department Sgt. Chris Ross,  LTC Mike Pratt and Prof. Robert Romero of Los Alamos Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.

The boys, who are fifth graders, worked on the project with den leader Carl Iverson. It involved discovering what it means to be a hero and inviting someone they consider to be a local hero to meet with their den. They also discovered how citizens can be heroes in their community and learned about heroes who are scouts. The final step was to recognize the heroes they chose by presenting them with a “My Hero Award”.

With the current pandemic, typically the scouts can’t go anywhere but leaders have been making sure to involve them in virtual activities. For example, Sgt. Ross met virtually with some 25 cub scouts from the pack, Iverson said. Ross held a question and answer session, showed them fingerprinting techniques and how to look for hidden clues,

In past years, the cub scouts have toured LAPD, Los Alamos Fire Department, behind the scenes at Smith’s Marketplace and the Karen Wray Gallery. all of which the scouts found intriguing.

“We use different opportunities with different adventures to show the scouts how various people impact our community,” Iverson said.

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