We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Articles

Ashburn’s Troop 58 Helps Pack 100,000 Meals

by

For the fourth year in a row, Ashburn’s Troop 58 supported the annual Cross Catholic Outreach’s You(th) vs Hunger event at St. Theresa Catholic Church on March 16. Over the course of the day volunteers packed 100,000 rice meals! Troop 58 Scouts were onsite from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM acting as the hub of the operation delivering and refilling rice, beans, soy, dried vegetables and vitamins to the stations to be measured and weighed to make individual bags of a complete meal. As each box was filled with meals the Scouts hauled it outside using dollies to stack on a pallet. Once each pallet was full, they wrapped it in plastic to prepare it for shipping. The meals will be shipped to those in need in Haiti, Guatemala and other countries the ministry serves. More than twenty Scouts from Troop 58 participated in the event under the leadership of Troop Chaplain, Allen Shen and Chaplain Aide, Charlie McClelland. Over 400 volunteers were needed in total for the day.

BSA Troop 58 is chartered by St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn, Virginia, and meets at the Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. For more information, please visit the following websites: http://troop58ashburn.camp; https://sainttheresaparish.com/activity/youth-vs-hunger/; http://www.sdlife.org/; https://ashburnfirerescue.org/.

Local Eagle Scout Wins $1,000 Eagles-Only Award In Leadership / American History Competition

by

Northern Virginia Eagle Scout Matthew Lawley of Herndon (Troop 157) was awarded $1,000 in a Leadership / American History statewide competition held in Richmond February 9th sponsored by the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (VASSAR). All current Eagles and aspiring Eagles should pay attention to this program for the coming year as this is a program limited to Eagle Scouts.

Matthew had first won the competition at the local chapter level competition sponsored by the Fairfax Resolves Chapter (http://fairfaxresolvessar.org/) (Fairfax and Loudoun county areas VA) of the Sons of the American Revolution. There are 28 Virginia SAR chapters eligible to participate in this annual competition. Matthew will now move forward to the national competition to be held this summer in Costa Mesa, CA which provides a top award of $10,000 and lesser amounts for second ($6,000) and third ($4,000) place.

Eagle Scout Matthew Lawley won the Arthur M. and Berdena King Eagle Scout competition by submitting an impressive application documenting the leadership he has already shown in his young life through scouting, in the community and through his church. The Eagle Scout competition consists of an application reflecting accomplishment, a four generation genealogy chart of the Scout’s family and a 500 word patriotic themed essay related to the revolutionary war. The competition is open to all Eagle Scouts under the age of 19. The SAR gives extra credit to those applicants that have secured the American Heritage, Law and Genealogy merit badges. Matthew had all three of these badges. For his essay, Matthew wrote a persuasive argument as to the need to have a monument to John Adams in Washington, D.C. John Adams is one of the few founding presidents not so memorialized.

The SAR sponsors a range of competitive educational programs for youth (4th through 12th grades) to enhance their understanding of the founding principles of our nation and the role the Revolutionary War played in establishing our freedom (https://www.sar.org/education/youth-contests-and-awards). There is no requirement for Revolutionary War ancestry in order to compete.

Colonial Unit in Action: Troop 996 DC Tour and Lock-in

by

Submitted by Troop Scribe Scott R. and Senior Patrol Leader Teddy G. Troop 996 is chartered by Aldersgate United Methodist Church

The Scouts of Troop 996, chartered by Aldersgate United Methodist Church, chose to tour the Nation’s Capital and hold a lock-in for their January event. The event was planned by Star Scout Aiden H., with adult assistance. On Saturday January 26th, Troop 996 gathered for a fun-filled day that began at the Pentagon, where scouts learned about the history of the facility and the U.S. military. The Troop also visited the Hall of Heroes, which is a room dedicated to all of the Medal of Honor recipients. The tour ended after visiting 9-11 memorials and hearing first-hand accounts from that day.

After touring the Pentagon, the Troop departed for the District of Columbia to enjoy lunch at the National Law Enforcement Memorial and tour the brand-new National Law Enforcement Museum. The Troop split into patrols for STEM-focused guided tours. Following the tour, the Troop explored independently and learned about bullet proof vests, new police cars, fingerprinting, SWAT takedowns, and lots of other cool stuff. In the museum, they even had a real patrol car that Scouts could sit in.

After touring the museum, the Troop visited Arlington National Cemetery. The Troop was led on a tour by Mr. Tom Schultz, a representative from DC Military Tours. The Troop respectfully observed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessed a very moving ceremony, a changing of the Guard, and a wreath laying. This tomb has been guarded every minute of every day by the Old Guard since 1937.

Following the tours, the Troop returned to Aldersgate United Methodist Church for dinner and an evening of camaraderie and friendship playing board games and cards – without electronics.

Big thanks to Mr. Hicks for our Pentagon Tour and Mr. Schultz for the tour of Arlington National Cemetery.

Speed, Unique Designs Headline 2019 Pinewood Derby

by

With scouts competing in speed and show categories, Colonial’s 2019 Pinewood Derby drew 55 scouts for a day of friendly competition and fun.

Here are the winners in the speed categories:

FASTEST OVERALL RACERS
Carter B., Pack 155
Michael W., Pack 1507
Colin B., Pack 155

FASTEST LION RACERS
Henry S., Pack 867
Charlie S., Pack 867
Amelia G., Pack 888

FASTEST TIGER RACERS
Lorretta R., Pack 867
Brett C., Pack 801
Max M., Pack 1519

FASTEST WOLF RACERS
Ben S., Pack 867
Brandon B., Pack 133
Zavier A., Pack 1519

FASTEST BEAR RACERS
Jonathan A., Pack 133
Robert M., Pack 301
Benjamin W., Pack 1509

FASTEST WEBELO RACERS
Wesley F., Pack 1509
Caydan M., Pack 1509
Logan V., Pack 129

FASTEST ARROW OF LIGHT RACERS
Alex L., Pack 867
Noah N., Pack 129
Andrew B., Pack 867

From our show categories:

Most Scout like: Ethan P., Pack 867

Most realistic: Parker C., Pack 867

Most futuristic: Canon K., Pack 301

Most unique: Robert M., Pack 888

Most humorous: Max T., Pack 680

WOLF CAR SHOW RESULTS
Trevor C., Pack 867
Jacob N., Pack 867
Blake A., Pack 614

BEAR CAR SHOW RESULTS
Logan C., Pack 867

WEBELO CAR SHOW RESULTS
TJ D., Pack 867
Christain K., Pack 301

ARROW OF LIGHT CAR SHOW RESULTS
Kyle C., Pack 1503

SIBLING CAR SHOW RESULTS
Aston A; Cory M; Madeline Y, Pack 867.

Thank you to all our parent and Order of the Arrow volunteers who helped support the Pinewood Derby and to Packs 867 and 614 for providing the tracks for our races.

Ensure Your Wilderness First Aid Course Meets BSA High-Adventure Standards

by

All four of the BSA High-Adventure bases (HAB) require at least one person per trek (two per trek at Philmont Scout Ranch) to be current in Wilderness First Aid (WFA) through an approved provider. We want your trip to be safe and successful, and making certain that you have proper training certifications prior to launch is a big step towards that. Read on for tips on how to ensure that you’re prepared for that next high adventure trip, and how to verify that your current certifications meet BSA requirements.

Last fall we informed NCAC leaders about a third-party vendor providing WFA training without proper certifications. We continue to receive reports from Scouters that certifications for WFA that they received from a third-party vendor do not satisfy the requirements for High-Adventure as defined by BSA.

Your safety is of paramount importance to us, which is why we recently introduced our own WFA course to provide certifications suitable for both our High-Adventure Camp at Lenhok’sin and BSA’s 4 High-Adventure Bases. Information on NCAC WFA courses can be found at: www.ncacbsa.org/opi-wfa.

If you’ve already received a certification via a third-party vendor, please take the time to make certain it is current and valid. You can verify an ARC WFA certification by visiting redcross.org/take-a-class/digital-certificate. Simply search by your Email Address; by First Name, Last Name, Year and Month (when class was held); or by Certificate ID. If you also received a CPR certification with your WFA course, you can check it there too.

If you find that the ARC WFA certification you hold is NOT showing as valid within the ARC database but should be, we ask that you contact us directly. Please complete this form to report the situation and select “Certification Issue” for the topic.

If you do decide to use a third-party provider, we encourage you to verify their credentials via The American Red Cross or other governing agency prior to beginning any course. Directions for checking an instructor’s credentials prior to taking a class, can be found here. Be wary of providers who claim to “know” or “keep lists” of BSA requirements, but who are unable to provide BSA approved certifications for WFA per BSA WFA and High-Adventure requirements.To learn more about BSA approved providers and requirements, please visit BSA’s page on WFA and High-Adventure requirements at: https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/training/wilderness-fa/

As always, if you have questions or concerns about a provider, please contact a Council professional for assistance. Your safety is our priority. Help keep Scouting safe for all. Get trained by a certified professional and make sure your certifications are up to date and valid.