• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
We Own Adventure

We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

  • Home
  • Newsletters
  • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Sport Adventures
  • Submit Your News
  • Be an Influencer!
  • Scouting America National Capital Area Council Main website

Articles

A Few Thoughts on Family Scouting

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

National Capital Area Council holds a quarterly full-staff meeting where we gather to share the “30,000 foot view” of what’s happening within each respective department, share valuable interdepartmental information and initiatives, and enjoy a moment of fellowship with everyone together at that day’s lunch. In short, it’s a Scout meeting, right down to the prayer and thought of the day. At our most recent meeting, Senior Accountant and lifelong Scouter Joel Kahn offered the thought of the day. We asked him if it was okay to share it with the Council at large, and Joel, affably agreed.

Good Morning:

My thoughts on Family Scouting:

Everyone is either saying “embrace the future”, or “don’t mess with a good thing and make changes to the past”

I think we are doing both!

When a river or creek gets blocked, and the water stops flowing as it should, it will become stagnant.

The same goes for any great institution. If they stop accepting the continuing changes needed to stay a relevant and vibrant organization, they will become stagnant.

Scouting has always tried to be a leader in training young men to become better persons and teach leadership skills. Family Scouting is not changing this, it is expanding to officially include all members of the family.

To me, this is not new at all:

I grew up through my early life as a Cub Scout, with my Mother being the Den Mother, and my best friend and I were the kids that misbehaved the most. Every kid in the pack and troop had 2 working parents. One parent always tried to support the activities when the other was working. The parents would bring the cub’s siblings to the meeting, and keep them amused with activities of their own. This included younger brothers and sisters and the occasional older sister who could not be left alone at home yet. The Troop used to take us camping with them occasionally during the summer, and this is where I learned to appreciate nature, a love I still have today.

When I became a Boy Scout in Troop 755 at Temple Israel Synagogue in Silver Spring, the Scoutmaster seemed to know what each boy was capable of doing and what they needed to learn. He tried to take us camping at least once a month, even through the winter, when the weather allowed it. Some of the parents who were chaperoning us would bring a male sibling who was usually a cub Scout, and if it was a mother, sometimes the female sibling would come and stay in her tent. We never thought about this as right or wrong, it just always was.

When I was made Den Chief of our pack, it was the same then as when I was a cub Scout. The younger brothers and sisters of the cubs would come to the meetings and participate where they could.

While I did not learn a lot about the Scouting system-I never knew we were part of a district or the Council. I first learned about Camp Philmont when I was in my twenties and my cousin chopped the tip of his finger off with an ax while he was there. (After I started here, learned his Father had retired from a Scouting career as the Scout Executive of the Council in Reading PA). What I did learn was right from wrong, good ethics, good manners, and respect for our elders and for nature.

So, Family Scouting is not something new at all. It is just officially being recognized and incorporated into the leadership programs we have been providing for over a century.

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Scouter Perspectives

STEM University

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

On June 9, 2018, the NCAC STEM Committee held the 3rd annual STEM University at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, VA. A special thanks to scouters and Microsoft employees, Damon DeSonier and Bill Cunnane, as well as Microsoft Corporation for making the facility available!

The day kicked off with an Einstein’s Science fair where Cubs and Scouts presented in a poster board style. Then adults and youth split off to separate activities. The adults engaged in a STEM & Special Needs session, and then selected from the following trainings: Supernova Mentor & Nova Counselor Training, Hands-on Science Activities, and STEM Roadmap to Success for Troops and STEM for Cub Scouts.

The Cub Scouts attended 6 rotations led by Boy Scout and adult leaders. Several of the activities helped with the new Nova Award, Fearful Symmetry!

Cubs created toothpick structures of oviline and halite to understand the strengths of varying crystal structures. (req 2 of Fearful Symmetry).
Cubs created toothpick structures of oviline and halite to understand the strengths of varying crystal structures. (req 2 of Fearful Symmetry).
Cubs share their hypotheses for the marshmallow pressurization experiment by Mr. Sokhom Kith.
Mr. Roger Claff teaches friction, pressure, and kinetic energy by way of balloon rockets!

Filed Under: Scouting Programs Tagged With: STEM

Attorney of the Year

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

On Wednesday, June 13, National Capital Area Council hosted a lunch to honor local attorneys with the Attorney of the Year Good Scout Award. The honorees this year were Dr. Blake Morant, George Washington University Law School Dean and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law; A. Scott Bolden, Managing Partner ReedSmith; and Thomas Fortune Fay, Of Counsel, Fay Law Group. We are grateful to our sponsors for helping us break last year’s fundraising record! For more information or to learn about sponsorship opportunities for 2019, please contact Jenna Welle at 301-214-9151 or
Jenna.Welle@Scouting.org

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Seneca Webelos Scout Awarded Medal of Merit

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Back row: Camille Finley(mother), Lois Finley (grandmother), Fritz Finley (father), Matthew Beyers (District Chair)
Front row: Graeme Finley, Vivien Finley (sister)

by Matthew Beyers, Chair, Seneca District

In June, Seneca District proudly awarded one of it’s youngest Scouts one of Scouting’s highest honors – the Medal of Merit. In July 2017, while working on his boat with his 82 year old grandfather John, 10-year-old Graeme of Pack 694 heard a splash and realized the John had fallen between the boat and dock. With his grandfather in a post-surgery weakened state, Graeme immediately threw a line to his grandfather and then yelled for help. Nearby adults pulled his grandfather from the harbor and the paramedics were summoned to check him out – all was good and Graeme, now at Troop 496, was awarded the Medal of Merit for doing the right thing at the right time under extreme pressure. Congratulations Graeme!

Filed Under: Scouting Programs, Uncategorized Tagged With: Seneca

This Lone Scout Stays Connected Through Geocaching

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Three years ago, Cub Scout Pack 63, Aquia District, Stafford was looking for a way to offer an activity that the Scouts and families could do together and that would fit into their summer calendars. They decided on geocaching because the Scouts would learn a valuable skill while the entire family could participate in an outdoor adventure. It’s often hard to find a date when everyone can attend a summer Pack function, so we offer geocaching in addition to traditional summer activities like resident camps for Cubs and Webelos, Potomac Nationals Scout Night, etc. Our Scouts have gone geocaching locally and while traveling on summer vacations.

Lorraine Lince, the Packs Lion Leader had kept up with a fellow Wood Badge staff member and this spring realized the staffer and his family were currently living in Warsaw Poland. Lorrain discovered Dmitri, their son, was in the Lone Scout program and had no Pack to interact with in Poland. Since geocaching is done world-wide, she thought this would be a great way to help Dmitri stay connected to a Pack and provide a fun Scouting activity for his family as well. With NCAC’s permission, Pack 63 offered him the chance to participate with us to earn the National Summertime Award remotely. He and his family were thrilled to join in and are having a great time with it!

So far, he has found geocaches at Żelazowa Wola (the birthplace of Frederic Chopin), in Warsaw, Poland and a special cache in Gdańsk, Poland placed in honor of Alf Liczmański, an early Polish Scout and later a Scoutmaster. Dimitri is doing the same as all other Pack 63 families do: for each cache he and his family finds they post to the Pack’s Facebook page for everyone to see. It has been a great learning experience for both the Cubs here in the United States and for Dmitri in Poland. At the end of the summer, we will send him a special Pack 63 Geocaching Participation Certificate and certify that he has earned the National Summertime Award.

Filed Under: Scouting Programs, Uncategorized Tagged With: Direct Service, USVI

Western Shore District Day Camp

July 20, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

The 2018 Cub Scout Day Camp at St Mary’s Fairgrounds kicked off Monday June 18th with over 220 Cub Scouts.  We worked through the first day kinks quickly and the Scouts had a terrific day of archery and BB guns, master chef competitions, Cub Scout wash, and much more.

Tuesday was Cub Scout Day Camp accreditation with a tour of the camp and review of all records. The St. Mary’s Fairgrounds Cub Scout Day Camp received 55/55 on the review, with zero deficiencies and exemplary comments.

The Coast Guard visited on Wednesday. The visit was  a real hit for all participants. The Scouts continued their round robin events and left camp with smiles and exciting stories to tell their family and friends.

As a conservation project, the Scouts participated in Milkweed for Monarchs by learning about the decline in the Monarch Butterfly population and planting milkweed seed to restore its habitat. The Elms Environmental Center spoke to the Scouts about invasive species and what can be done to prevent the destruction of native habitats. Our Leave No Trace Pilot Program continued as we integrated LNT practiced into the daily program this week.

Despite the rainy weather on our closing day of camp, families and Scouts enjoyed their time together as we said our good byes.

We had several new additions to Day Camp this year that were big hits! Before & After care makes it convenient for parents to drop off/pick up their Scouts closer to the hours they go to/from work. The Bobcat Boot Camp has new Scouts working on and on target to complete their badge before the close of camp. The Gaga Ball pit at Sports & Games was a highlight this year! The new improved Obstacle Course had kids coming back again and again (maybe because they get wet?)!

Some special thanks go to Kevin McCray who built our new Obstacle Course, putting in lots of hours and work so the kids would have this fun and engaging activity. Matthew Albright with help from his family,worked hard the Saturday before camp to build us a Gaga Ball pit.

Thank you to all the volunteers, parents, and key staff who planned and made Day Camp a success for all the Scouts and siblings who attended and enjoyed their week.

#smccubScoutcamp2018

Filed Under: Scouting Programs, Uncategorized Tagged With: Western Shore

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 190
  • Page 191
  • Page 192
  • Page 193
  • Page 194
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 196
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

NCAC Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Latest Issue

TSD Summer '18 is on Issuu

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Genesis Elk on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in