Boba Fett Insists Herndon Elementary Visit Purely Social

Release, Cub Scout Pack 157:

As Storm Troopers, Boba Fett, and Imperial Guards strode purposefully into the Herndon Elementary cafeteria on the evening of Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, you could hear a pin drop; quite an amazing feat considering the room was filled with approximately 30 boys under the age of 11, along with their parents and siblings.

Cub Scout Pack 157, based at Herndon Elementary School and chartered by Herndon United Methodist Church, celebrated its annual Blue and Gold Banquet on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, with a focus on “space." Held throughout the United States in February to celebrate Scouting Anniversary Week, Blue and Gold Banquets are an opportunity for the youth and families that participate in scouting to get together with food and fun.

The members and families of Pack 157 enjoyed space-themed food, including moon rocks (chicken nuggets), meteor showers (salad), Little Dippers (veggies & dip), and sun glow (mac and cheese); as well as presentations from Michael Orlowski, the Mission Operations Director at Orbital, and members of the Star Wars costuming organization, the 501st Legion. In addition, many scouts celebrated the evening by donning handmade space-themed costumes.

Mission Ops Director, Mr. Orlowski wowed the boys with several hands-on physics demonstrations, involving a skateboard, hula-hoop and effervescent tablets and water to demonstrate the concepts of friction, force, gravity and propulsion. Mr. Orlowski presented images and videos related to Orbital’s successful completion of the first of eight Cygnus operational cargo logistics spacecraft missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

The excitement of the evening reached a fever-pitch as members of the 501st Legion entered the cafeteria. Initially formed to bring Star Wars costume enthusiasts together, the Legion is an all-volunteer organization that, among other things, facilitates the use of Star Wars-themed costumes for charity events and volunteer work. Representing the 501st were Kievan Mereel as a Rebal Fleet Trooper, Victor B. as Boba Fett, Raymond Trouve as an Imperial Officer, Brian Robinson and Kevin Belling as Storm Troopers, and Anna Mitchell as an Imperial Officer.

According to Barry Dresdner, Pack 157 Committee Chair, “We’re fortunate to live in an area that has such a rich and accessible base of people interested in science and space. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of Orbital and the 501st Legion in helping our young scouts discover both the science and dream behind space travel.”

Additional information on Cub Scout Pack 157 can be found at www.pack157.org. Information on Orbital and the 501st Legion can be found at www.orbital.com and www.501st.com.