We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Archives for September 2020

NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award Ends September 7!

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In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) encourages Scouts of all ages to stay home and be safe, while continuing to be a Scout! The NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award recognizes Scouts and Scouters for meeting the challenge of living by the Scout Oath and Law while the pandemic requires social distancing to be in place.

The NCAC Scouting at Home 2020 Award was introduced in May and has been an overwhelming success! The deadline for completing requirements and ordering patches has been extended to September 7th. Complete the award and order your patches by then to guarantee you will receive the number of these limited-edition patches that you would like. Any order after that, will be available on a first come, first served basis until the supply of patches runs out. We expect patches to be shipped by the end of the fall or early winter.

For specific details, to obtain the requirement sheets, or to order patches, see https://www.scoutingevent.com/082-scoutingathomeaward.

SCOUTING-ON! Troop 1889’s Landmark Event!

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Despite this time of COVID-19 constraints, Troop 1889 Scouts and Scouters figured out a way to safely conduct its first in-person Troop event on August 24th – an outdoor Court of Honor! The Troop held their CoH safely in the picnic pavilion at Richland Baptist Church, Troop 1889’s Sponsoring Organization. As Baden-Powell, the Founder of Scouting said: “Don’t give up because you do not find everything you need made to order at your hand, but take what you have, use your wits and make the most of it.” And this is exactly what Troop 1889 Scouts did!

This picture captures a very “2020” Scouting event with all Scouts safely positioned along with Scoutmaster James Maxfield and Assistant Scoutmasters Amanda Howard and Jorge Roca.

The motivation to find a way to safely gather to celebrate Scouting accomplishments was very strong because, since the last time the Troop had been able to meet in-person, all of Troop 1889’s Scouts had advanced in rank! All six new Scouts (Bobby, Jake, Jackson, Alex, David, and Matthew) who had crossed over into the Troop in February earned their Scout ranks, three Scouts earned Second Class rank (Tyler, Benny, and James), and two Scouts completed all the requirements for becoming First Class Scouts (Daniel and Wesley).

Scouts Benny & James teamed up to be the CoH Emcees and the Scoutmaster, James Maxfield, and Senior Patrol Leader, Daniel, also presented Troop 1889’s Scouts with all the Merit Badges they had earned during on-line summer camps – another great example of finding ways to take advantage of other BSA learning opportunities during this challenging time.

Congratulations to a Troop of Scouts who exemplify Baden-Powell’s message on persevering: “When things look bad, just smile and sing to yourself, as the thrush sings: ‘Stick to it, stick to it, stick to it’, and you will come through all right. A very great step to success is to be able to stand disappointments.” There is no stopping cheerful and determined Scouts like these from Troop 1889 – SCOUT ON!

I have more Merit Badges than my sister………

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Tonight we had an in-person court of honor and I got my Scout rank and 5 merit badges that I got online over the summer working with virtual merit badge counselors. We did a socially distanced mask wearing ceremony outside. We made s’mores at the fire ring and it started to rain so we went home. My mom and sister in 1158G took photos of me for this because I’m now 5 merit badge ahead of my sister and the same rank as her. Mom is calling this sibling rivalry… in a good way. I love having more merit badges than her.

Troop 58 Takes on Northern Tier High Adventure!

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On July 18th, 2020, a crew of 2 adults and 6 scouts from Troop 58 in Ashburn, VA went to Northern Tier in Ely, Minnesota. Over 5 days and 4 nights, they canoed and portaged over 50 miles. Traveling from lake to lake, river to river, they shared stories and laughter. Every day was a new adventure for these S  couts as they explored the wilderness. From wading through swamps to putting on wet socks, they truly experienced a high adventure out in the Boundary Waters. Their most memorable moments were seeing unique landmarks and cave drawings that represented the history of the native tribes that lived there. Through restless nights and rainy days, the crew persevered and made memories that would last a lifetime.

 

Pack 873 Protects the Environment & Helps Feed Local Families!

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In April, Pack 873 teamed up with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District to educate our neighbors about water runoff and the local watershed. As part of our Conservation Good Turn project we provided educational material to hundreds of households in the Canterbury Woods, Long Branch, Red Fox Forest, Oak Hill, Willow Woods, and Stone Haven communities. So far we have labeled almost 300 sewer drains with “No Dumping” markers. In July we participated in Trash The Trash Day and in August we hosted another day of drain labeling and trash pick-up in local parks. These two events generated about 6 large trash bags of garbage from our local watershed. Additionally, we turned both of these events into food drives for local food pantries, filling two minivans with food.

Pack 22 & Mattaponi District OA Host a Successful Carnival Can Drive!

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A big thank you to the Mattaponi District OA and everyone who came out to support Pack 22’s Join Scouting Night Carnival! We collected over 280 lbs of items (including 118 rolls of toilet paper!) to donate to our Chartered Organization’s Food Pantry! The Scouts enjoyed ‘can bowling’, ‘noodle javelin’, ‘flush-it’, a ‘kissing booth’, and ‘fishing’ for the awards they earned over the summer – all while social distancing! The best part of the night was officially welcoming 9 new members! To those Scouts, welcome to Pack 22! We are so excited to have you join us and we look forward to our Scouting Adventures together!