We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

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NCAC Scout Wins Local and State SAR Eagle Scholarship

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Ethan Morlu of NCAC Troop 1369, chartered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7916, is an accomplished Eagle Scout and citizen. His application and essay earned First Place with the COL William Grayson Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and again at the SAR State level competition for Virginia.

Ethan got involved in Scouting in preschool by tagging along at his older brother’s Cub Scout Pack meetings.  He spoke very fondly about his earlier memories in Scouting  ” I had so much fun spending time with my older brother’s den, learning both scouting skills and doing quirky activities. We made air vortex cannons and chased each other around shooting rings of smoke. I also loved the energy of the monthly Pow Wows, where they would host a raffle, announce achievements, and the different groups would put on skits. The pack was also very welcoming to families, letting siblings build and race pinewood derby cars in the annual race. Due to how much I enjoyed my time tagging along to meetings, I was so excited when my mother decided to sign me up for the program.”
Ethan has been involved in Scouting ever since, holding several leadership positions in his Troop. Ultimately Etahn decided to pursue his Eagle Scout rank, completing environmental projects for a local Middle School. Ethan was introduced to the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) when he was presented his Eagle Scout SAR certificate at his troop’s court of honor by Tim Cline.
The SAR’s Eagle Scout Scholarship competition began in 1980 and is composed of three parts –  an essay, an application whose criteria includes leadership, merit badges, and volunteering; and a four generation Ancestor chart. Tim Cline leads the competition for the Col William Grayson Chapter of the SAR which covers the Sully, Patriot, and Prince William Districts of NCAC. This is the third year in a row the winner of the Virginia State level competition came from NCAC and the Col William Grayson SAR Chapter! The SAR supports the local community in many ways by providing historic preservation of sites and artifacts related to the American Revolution, providing Color Guards in Continental or Militia uniforms for meetings or events such as Wreaths Across America, and presenting to student youth groups about the American flag just to name a few.
With encouragement from Tim and the SAR Eagle Scout Scholarship team, Ethan began to write his essay. Ethan recalled:
“My essay was about Jeremiah O’Brien and the capture of the Margaretta. This was a naval skirmish that took place after the townsfolk of Machias, Maine, had set up a liberty tree celebrating the victories at Lexington and Concord. A British ship accompanying a merchant ship threatened to raze the town to the ground if they did not remove the liberty tree. The town responded by rallying behind O’Brien, commandeering the merchant ship, and capturing the British ship in a naval battle. I had never heard of Jeremiah O’Brien before drafting this essay, much less the Battle of Machias. To me, it seemed like an obscure part of the Revolutionary War that was important for others to know about. I also felt as though it was a perfect example of how the fight for liberty was each colonist’s responsibility and is something important to fight for.”

When asked what he learned most during his scholarship application process Ethan shared “With each scholarship, I have to transcribe my experiences, successes, and growth on paper, and seriously examine where I’ve come from and where I am going in life. I’ve found that I’ve come to appreciate the aspects of research and introspection that comes with the process. This scholarship has once again reminded me of how I’ve spent much of my life helping others and improving myself in the process. It also reminded me that despite my tendency to dwell on my failures, I have accomplished a lot to be proud of. I also have strong support from my family and other mentors who have watched me grow over the years and shaped me to be the person I am today. Winning this scholarship makes me feel blessed to know people want me to succeed and are helping me along the way.

Ethan is now studying Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He continues to be a scholar and a leader working diligently through his courses. He explained “Throughout my years in scouting, I’ve spent a lot of time developing my leadership. I attended National Youth Leadership Training at Impeesa when I was 13 and served as Instructor, Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, and now Assistant Scoutmaster over the course of my time with my troop. This leadership has been instrumental as I’ve gone into college, knowing when to step up and lead while working on team projects. Additionally, scouting has helped instill a strong moral compass within me through the scout law and oath, giving me a guide for navigating situations and finding people who share my values. Heading into my future, I will be able to become a leader in industry, implementing the values that I gained through scouting.”

Ethan and his brother, Nathan Morlu, were also among the 13 service-minded students across the U.S. and Canada who were chosen for the Chick-Fil-A Scholars Inaugural Class. Chick-fil-A, Inc. has awarded more than $25 million in scholarships in 2023, investing in higher education for more than 13,000 restaurant team members, and now for the first time, outstanding community members. Read more at https://www.chick-fil-a.com/stories/inside-chick-fil-a/community-members-surprised-with-scholarships

NCAC Congratulates Ethan, Nathan and the entire Morlu family on these amazing accomplishments!

 

Fingerprinting & Traffic Safety Merit Badges

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Montgomery County Police Department has been hosting a youth career development program, Exploring, for decades! Their Explorer Post 1986 is eager to lend a hand to the scouting community and will host 2 workshops teaching the Fingerprinting and Traffic Safety Merit Badges.

This event will take place on Saturday, April 29 at the Montgomery County Police Training Academy.

Schedule:

9:45AM Checkin

10AM Fingerprinting (15 youth)
11:15AM Traffic Safety (15 youth)
12:30PM Dismissal

Scouts BSA and same-age friends are welcome!

 

The Explorer Post Advisors are registered Merit Badge Counselors with NCAC, and will be able to sign blue cards for scouts who complete all requirements at the event.

The registration fee for the event is $22; this covers class materials for both merit badges and will go to support Explorer Post 1986. We hope to see you there!

Register here: Fingerprinting & Traffic Safety Merit Badges

 

Upcoming Camp Service Weekends

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The NCAC Camps are hosting spring service weekends! Make a spring visit to your favorite camp and help with camp improvement projects.

Goshen Spring Alumni Service Weekend – April 28-30, 2023

Goshen Scout Reservation Staff Alumni are invited by the Goshen Staff Alumni Association (GSAA) for a spring service weekend! Open to staff alumni from any Goshen camp and any friends or family who want to help out, ages 18 and up. There will be projects supporting all the camps getting ready for the 2023 Summer season. Projects include making chuckboxes for Camp Marriott and Camp Bowman, fixing up Camp Ross’s Aquatics tower, replacing benches at the Camp Olmsted chapel, and working on getting the Mountain Man outpost settled at its new location for Lenhok’sin High Adventure. Meet other staff alumni new and old, spend some time at Goshen, and help prepare for the next season of summer camp!

Get the full list of projects, get more details, and register at www.gotogoshen.org/gsaasw

Goshen Volunteer Work Weekend – May 12-14, 2023

Units and volunteers are invited for a spring work weekend to assist in camp beautification! Open to members of the scouting community, participants will assist in painting, stage repair, and building projects. This weekend is open to scouting youth and adults. Youth participants will need to have Youth Protection compliant supervision – either with a parent/guardian or with a contingent from their unit.

Get the full list of projects, get more details, and register at www.gotogoshen.org/vww

Camp Snyder Sawdust Saturdays – multiple dates

Join the Camp Snyder volunteers for a day to support Camp Snyder’s summer and year-round programs. Service days run from 9am to 1pm and projects include carpentry and painting among others. There is no Sawdust Saturday in April and the May Sawdust Saturday is still TBD, so stay tuned for the date! Can’t make it in the spring? Sawdust Saturdays will pick up again after the summer camp season, starting August 19.

Learn more and sign up at www.gotosnyder.org/work-volunteer/service-days/

George Mason University hosts Chemistry Labs for Scouts

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On April 22, 2023, George Mason University’s Chemistry Club is opening their doors to Webelos/AOLs/Scouts BSA and STEM Scouts for guided chemistry workshops!

Scheduled events:

12:30 – 2pm | Session 1, Lab for grades 4-5
1:30 – 3pm | Session 2, Lab for grades 4-5
2:30 – 5pm | Session 3, Chemistry merit badge for grades 6&up

Registration:
https://scoutingevent.com/082-GMUchemistry

What to expect:

ScoutsBSA will be able to earn the Chemistry merit badge at the event. There is one pre/post-req but the workshop is otherwise structured to help scouts earn the remaining requirements.

Cub Scouts/STEM Scouts will be able to experience 3 hands-on experiments as well as gain experience in this real university Lab. GMU Chem Club will also demonstrate flame-burning magnesium!

Do you have to be a scout to attend? 

No! Please invite a friend. We just ask that all youth register for the age-appropriate session.

 

 

Past events

In fall 2022, the George Mason University Chemistry Club hosted 40 STEM Scouts/Cub Scouts for a remarkable Lab experience!

The GMU Chem Club dazzled our scouts with 3 hands-on experiments and demonstrations, including flame burning magnesium!

Thank you to David Lieu, former GMU Chem Club President (and current STEM Lab 314 Association Lab Manager) for connecting us to current GMU Chem Club Officers. Thank you to entire Chem Club for sharing your enthusiasm of chemistry, to the Chemistry Department for opening your doors to scouts, and to Professors Dr. Ward and Dr. Banerjee for your leadership to this event!

2023 NCAC Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year

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Ian pictured with this year’s recipients of the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Awards at Tuesday’s banquet

Each year, the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) sponsors council, regional and national level recognition of the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. This year, Ian Wallace of Troop 1523 was chosen as the NCAC receipient. Ian’s interest in technology, coding, and computers inspired him to teach students how to assemble PCs. For his project he reached out to his community and posted ads in the local paper for donations of computer hardware, then cleaned and made fixes to all the donated computers and took out the hard drives to be used in desktops. Ian then taught students at Annandale High School how to install the Motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, graphics card, power supply, and fans for each computer. Annandale High School has a large population of ESOL students with English being their second language. Ian’s leadership skills and experience teaching other Scouts to assemble PCs allowed him to effectively communicate each part of the building process to the students who now have the ability to assemble computers for the rest of their lives. After completing the course, the students were gifted the computers they had learned to assemble.

On Tuesday night, Ian shared about his service project and other experiences at the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Awards (NOESA) Banquet where it was announced that he has been selected as the National Service Territory 12 recipient of the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award for 2023. His project was one of  111 council winners nationwide submitted to be reviewed at the National Service Territory (NST) level. He is now one of 16 NST winners being reviewed for national recognition and the winner will be announced in May. Congratulations Ian and thank you for your service to your community and in Scouting!

National Capital Area Council Announces New Director of Field Services

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The National Capital Area Council is pleased to announce Stuart Goins as the new Director of Field Services effective May 1, 2023.

Since 2021, Goins has served as the Scout Executive/CEO of Tuscarora Council in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Previously, he was the Director of Field Service for Quivira Council in Wichita, Kansas from 2019 to 2021. Past experience also includes Assistant Scout Executive for Norwela Council in Shreveport, LA and District Director in the Sam Houston Area Council in Houston, TX.

Goins has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA. He grew up in Louisiana and was a Scout. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow, is Wood Badge trained, and is a James E. West Fellow.

“Everyone involved with Stuart’s interview process connected with his welcoming personality,” said Mario A. Pèrez, NCAC Scout Executive/CEO. “We know his years of experience will benefit the NCAC. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Stuart Goins to NCAC’s leadership team.”