NASA TechRise Student Challenge
The 2026–27 NASA TechRise Student Challenge offers students sixth to 12th grade an exciting opportunity to work on a real NASA-inspired engineering project while developing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills. The free program includes educator information sessions, classroom resources, pacing guides, videos, and a virtual student field trip to support participation throughout the school year. Sixty winning teams nationwide will each receive $1,500 to build their experiment, technical support from NASA TechRise advisors, and the opportunity to test their project on a NASA-sponsored flight.
Teams of all experience levels are encouraged to participate. Kansas educators can also be inspired by Trail Ridge Middle School in Gardner, whose winning experiment was featured in the 2025–26 challenge. Educators are encouraged to pre-register for updates, request a free information session for their school or organization, and explore the many resources available to bring this exciting hands-on STEM opportunity to youth. To learn more about this exciting opportunity and pre register today visit here.
Get Yours Today!
Jayhawk eBugler – July 2026
New Renewal Cycle for All Members
A New, Simpler Renewal Cycle for All Members
Scouting America announced an important change at the National Annual Meeting that will simplify the membership and unit renewal process nationwide.
By February 2028, all members and all units will have a single, common renewal month of February.
This change is in response to feedback from unit leaders and other Scouters who asked for a simpler, more consistent renewal experience. We appreciate and value their input.
Key updates include:
· Beginning September 2026, all units due for renewal will renew to February 2028.
· All memberships and unit charters will have a common renewal month of February by February 2028
o To simplify the process and in response to unit leaders’ requests, Scouting America is returning to unit control of member renewals. If the unit does not renew a member, that member may renew themselves after the unit-only period closes.
· The current 60-day grace period will end December 31, 2026
o Members renewing in November 2026 will still receive a 30-day grace period through December
o Members renewing in December 2026 must renew by December 31 to avoid being dropped
To support the transition during 2026:
· Beginning in September 2026, new and renewing units will use the standard charter fee plus a monthly pro-rata fee through February 2028
· No changes for new and renewing members through 2026
Please begin to share this information with your staff, units, commissioners, and membership teams. Additional information will be coming soon from Scouting America and your council may have specific guidance and implementation details during the transition period.
This is a significant operational change designed to reduce complexity and create a more streamlined experience for volunteers, families, and councils alike.
Military Waiver Fee
Military families understand commitment, resilience, leadership, and service falues that align closely with the mission of Scouting America. To help make Scouting more accessible for military connected youth, Scouting America is proud to introduce a new Military Family Fee Wavier program that removes the $85 national youth registration fee for eligible families through online registration. Military families often balance unique responsibilities and transitions, and Scouting can provide consistency, friendship, leadership opportunities, and a strong sense of community for youth.
As we begin preparing for the fall membership drive, we now have two great additional features to help youth and families choose to be a part of your great Scouting program.
Military Family Fee Waiver: Any parent who is active-duty guard or reserve qualifies to have 100% of the national registration fee of $85.00 waived for each registered child! The national council has secured funding to cover these fees for our military families. This applies not only to new Scouts but to renewal registrations due after June 1, 2026. You have to register/renew via the online registration system as all the verifications to qualify are included in that program. For more details and restrictions, check out the resource page on our council website.
