We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Articles

Patriot District Star Scout Earns 65 Merit Badges

by

Callum is a Star Scout from Troop 697 in the Patriot District. He has earned 65 out of the 138 Merit Badges. He first began his Scouting career as a Cub in the first grade. After reading his Scout Handbook cover to cover he became inspired to earn merit badges and advance in rank. When asked what he learned in pursuit of his badges Callum shared “I have learned countless things, like how to mount a stamp, how to use a tourniquet, how to operate a tractor, and how to write my own musical composition! I do find that some badges are more useful, like First Aid. If I’m hiking and I fall and there’s a bleeding wound, I know how to treat it. I learned in Sustainability how I can save money and protect the environment. In plumbing, I learned how to unclog pipes. During all the recent strikes, I learned about American Labor and Unions. I’m curious about everything!”

Not only did he work hard to earn these badges, but Callum decided to earn the rank of Star Scout. He completed his necessary service hours, became a patrol leader, and completed 6 of the 13 badges from the list required for Eagle Scouts.  Earning merit badges for First Aid, Swimming, Environmental Science, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in Society, and Lifesaving. He is currently working on Cooking, Personal Management, and Family Life. Callum thought the Sustainability badge was the hardest to earn, he recalled “I had to implement ways to save on my family’s energy, water, heating, and transportation bills. Even though this one was super hard, It is still one of my favorite badges because I’m really interested in making the world a better place.” When asked what his favorite merit badge Callum explained” Space Exploration was my favorite because I got to build a model rocket and launch it into the sky. I got to design a lunar base and learn about Aerospace Engineers. I really want to become an Aerospace Engineer, especially after earning that badge.”

Callum is currently a Patrol leader and Webmaster for his Troop. He plans on earning many more badges and awards. Currently, Callum is working on the Ad Atari Dei Medal, Messengers of Peace( making 35 no-sew fleece blankets for a local homeless shelter), the Distinguished Conservation Service Award, and the NOVA awards. He plans on using what he learned earning these awards/badges and has his eye set on becoming an Eagle Scout.

 

 

Potomac District Welcomes 11 New Eagle Scouts

by

The October 2023 NCAC Potomac District Monthly Eagle Board of Review for 11 Scouts was held last night.
Congratulations to all the new 🦅 Eagles Scouts and their proud families! Special thanks to all the Scouters, the EBOR Chairs and those who assisted these 11 Scouts on their journey to reach the 🦅 Eagles rank!
Last but not least the Potomac District cannot put this monthly event without the leadership and time devoted by Larry McNiece, Potomac District Eagle Chair!
The new Eagle Scouts and his/her proud family might find the following websites useful.
http://usscouts.org/eagle/eaglecongrats.asp

Here’s an Eagle Scout congratulatory letter request template to use or adapt

The Association of Top Achiever Scouts (ATAS) is a worldwide Scouting fellowship group, of Scouts and Scouters who have achieved the highest rank as a youth in their Scout associations such as King’s Scout, Queen’s Scout, President’s Scout, Fuji Scout, Tiger Scout, Eagle Scout, Summit, Quartermaster.
https://www.atasapr.org
。。。

The Duke Edinburgh’s International Award

by

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an internationally recognized award initially started and sponsored by the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. The Award was first launched in The UK in 1956 to motivate young people to become involved in a balanced program of voluntary self-development activities. The award is still active and has four components including voluntary service, skill, physical recreation, and an adventurous journey. These components have different requirements under three award levels: gold, silver, and bronze. The age range for the award is 14-25, and can be worked on concurrently with Scouting, however, there is no grandfathering. The time commitment depending on the award level varies from 6 months to 12-15 months. Cost is $100-150 per Scout per award level selected. Financial aid is available to those who qualify.

Example: This is just an example, not “the” solution. A Life Scout who is 16 years old can use their Eagle Scout project to count toward their voluntary service or toward their Gold award project (in this case, they would need additional volunteer hours/project for voluntary service). If they plan to attend high adventure (Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea Base, etc.), this will count toward their Adventurous Journey. The Scout is active on the high school track team (physical recreation) and is working on earning their private pilot’s license (skill). Based on this broad outline, and after the Scout meets all the requirements and time commitment for the components and award level, they would earn the award.

Previous awardees in the Washington, DC, area were honored at a ceremony with the British Ambassador to the US!

 

More information about the program can be found here:

Award Center Presentation_2023

About-Award-USA-Outside-the-Classroom-2023 (1)

https://usaward.org/

NCAC Duke of Edinburgh Award Interest Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JW7QN5V

Twitter: @TheAwardUSA

 

Scout Restores Ravine in Potomac Overlook Park

by

My name is Carter Kunz, and I am a Life Scout in Troop 111 in Arlington, VA. For my Eagle and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects, I decided to do a ravine restoration project in Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington, Virginia. The purpose of the project was to slow the erosion in the ravine in order to reduce runoff into the nearby creek and to protect the large hardwood trees bordering the ravine as well as the hiking trail at the bottom of the ravine.

For my project, scouts from my troop and community members placed 22 weirs/water dams in the ravine using lumber and logs. We then placed gravel on either side of the weirs. These weirs, along with the gravel, will slow the flow of water through the ravine, causing better water absorption into the ground, and reducing erosion that is now making the ravine bigger and endangering the trees alongside it. Over time, dirt will build up behind each weir (on the uphill side), which will further slow the flow of water down the ravine and reduce erosion. Also, leaves and small sticks will also build up on the uphill side of the weirs, trapping more soil and aiding in water percolation. The slowed flow of the water will also help maintain the stability trail below the ravine, compared to if the water came shooting out of the ravine. Finally, we covered the weirs with branches to ensure park visitors do not try to hike in the ravine and to help slow the flow of water and catch leaves and debris which will help fill in the ravine over time.

My project is designed to address soil and water conservation. The water rushing down the ravine causes the soil to erode and become unstable, which leads to exposed roots of trees and trees falling over. There are a number of large, beautiful trees along the ravine that are worth trying to save. The soil also washes into a stream that goes straight to the Potomac River. The sediment being washed into the river can impact the health of aquatic organisms such as fish and turtles by destroying spawning grounds and can smother aquatic plants used as food sources and habitats.

NCAC Scouts Help Alleviate Food Insecurity with Annual Food Drive

by

NCAC Scouts Help Alleviate Food Insecurity with Annual Food Drive

Scouts Add New Way of Donating Food through a Virtual Collection Drive 

OCTOBER 12, 2023, WASHINGTON, DC— Local Scouts will be kicking off the 37th annual Scouting for Food in the greater Washington, DC region. Scouts will post notes, distribute flyers, and advertise virtually to homes throughout the DC metro area from October 28th through November 5th with instructions on when they will return to collect non-perishable food items in each neighborhood. Community members are asked to provide bags or boxes with their donations to aid in the collection process.

This year, community members also have the option of donating through a new virtual Scouting for Food campaign. Partnering with You Give Goods, National Capital Area Council, (NCAC) has created 15 virtual food drives that will benefit specific nonprofit food pantries throughout the Council territory. The virtual food drives can be found at: https://yougivegoods.com/ncac-scoutingforfood2023

Scouting for Food is one of the largest annual food drives in the metropolitan area. Scouts of all ages, from 6 to 21 years old, will participate in Scouting for Food throughout the District of Columbia, as well as 16 counties in Maryland and Virginia. The yearly campaign meets the mission of the Boy Scouts of America, “…to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law” and specifically the part of the Scout Oath that states, “…to help other people at all times.”

“In 2022 nearly 10,000 youth and 6,500 adults participated in the drive and collected over 642,000 pounds of food for needy families across our council territory,” said Mario A. Pérez, CEO and Scout Executive of the National Capital Area Council, BSA. “Through our Scouting for Food effort we provide the opportunity for Scouts, Scouters, and youth volunteers to serve their community and learn that they can positively impact the lives of their neighbors.”

“I have had the opportunity to participate in various community service projects through Scouting, such as collecting food for the Scouting for Food program and helping in multiple Eagle Scout projects,” explained Life Scout Owen B. “These experiences have taught me the importance of giving back to my community, and the value of helping those in need.”

According to the Capital Area Food Bank’s 2023 Hunger Report, “One in three residents – 32% – did not know where their next meal was coming from at some point between May 2022 and April 2023. That’s essentially unchanged from the 33% of respondents who reported experiencing food insecurity in the 2022 survey.”

Scouting for Food is held every fall prior to Thanksgiving. Local food banks rely on the efforts of the Scouts to stock their shelves for the upcoming holiday months when food demands are the highest. Healthy items needed include canned protein (tuna, salmon, chicken); peanut butter; grains (pasta, whole grain pasta, brown & white rice, corn & flour tortillas); whole grain hot & cold cereals (multi-grain, low sugar cereals, oatmeal); canned vegetables; and canned fruits.

Scouting for Food is co-sponsored by the Safeway Foundation.

                                                                            

# # #

About BSA and the National Capital Area Council

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of more than 1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and more than 628,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in the BSA’s youth programs. More than 35 million adult volunteers have helped carry out the BSA’s mission. For more, please visit www.Scouting.org.

 

National Capital Area Council (NCAC) was organized in 1911 and today stands as one of the oldest and largest councils in America. Scouts from the NCAC do over 400,000 hours of community service each year. The Council territory includes the District of Columbia; Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland; and in Virginia the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George, Stafford and Culpeper as well as the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, Manassas Park and Fredericksburg in Virginia; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, please visit www.NCACBSA.org.

NCAC’s Colonial District Receives Proclamation from Alexandria City Council in Support of Scouting for Food

by

Scouting for Food (SFF) is NCAC’s largest annual community service project to help feed families in need by collecting non-perishable food and distributing it to local food pantries and food banks.

Last year our NCAC Scouts collected over 641,512 pounds of food through door-to-door and virtual donations. We are gearing up for this year’s collection efforts and aim to collect 1 million pounds of food. Please be on the lookout for instructions from Scouts collecting door-to-door in your area between October 28 and November 5. Also if you wish to donate virtually the giving link will be live October 1- December 16.