We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Articles

25th Anniversary Venturing Lock-In

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The Venturing program is what many scouts do to have more adventurous activities while still staying true to the scouting principles that draw so many to scouting. This year, Venturing turns 25 years old! To celebrate, the Council Venturing Officers’ Association (CVOA), is hosting a lock-in at Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria, VA.

This will be an amazing opportunity with opportunities to rock climb, work on requirements for the mountaineering aspect of the Ranger award, hang out with some of the amazing scouts and Venturers in the council, and celebrate a milestone achievement for the Venturing community. This event is open to Venturers and non-Venturers. All that is required is that someone be of Venturing age (14 to 21 years old) and interested in doing some climbing.

The lock-in will be February 10-11, from 9 pm to 9 am. Sign-up can be completed using this link (https://forms.gle/9Xx3Bk9MckR85UYU7).

I look forward to seeing many of you there. Join us as we lead the adventure!

NCAC Welcomes New Scout Executive/CEO

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Mario Perez Heads National Capital Area Council, BSA

JANUARY 5, 2023, WASHINGTON, DC — The National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America (NCAC) is pleased to announce Mario Perez as Scout Executive/CEO as of January 1, 2023. Craig Poland, the former CEO and Scout Executive, retired on December 31, 2022.

Since 2019, Perez served as Deputy Scout Executive/Chief Operating Officer of the NCAC. Previously, he served as the Scout Executive/CEO of the Yucca Council, Boy Scouts of America. Yucca Council serves nearly 5,000 youth and over 2,200 volunteers throughout West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Over a twenty-one year career, Perez has successfully served four BSA Councils and helped to achieve Council objectives in the development and implementation of programs for Scouts of all ranks. His aptitude to work with youth and adults from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic conditions (rural, urban, multi-cultural, corporate, military etc.) has helped in the accomplishment of successful volunteer recruitment, youth membership growth, innovative fund-raising programs and creative youth program delivery.

Perez grew up in western Kansas, where his parents and three siblings still reside. He is a graduate of West Texas A&M University in Canyon TX, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He is a Vigil Honor member in the Order of the Arrow and completed his Wood Badge ticket in 2006.

“We are excited to have Mario Perez lead the National Capital Area Council,” said Jim Morgan, NCAC Council President. “As Deputy Scout Executive, he has demonstrated his leadership ability during the last few years through the pandemic and its related challenges. I’m confident his proven skills coupled with his vision for the future will keep our Council at the forefront of the Scouting movement in this region and the entire nation.”

“Mario Perez’s hard work and dedication have always been appreciated by our Board,” added Morgan H. Sullivan, NCAC Executive Vice President. “We have been fortunate to depend on his experienced management these last few years. Now, his leadership will take the NCAC forward and benefit even more of the youth in our region by providing the highest-quality Scouting program possible.”

“Over the next few years, my strategic goals are to purposefully connect with community partners to increase our service to the community, to establish new Scouting programs throughout our region with conviction, and to lead the implementation of a far-reaching Strategic Plan that will lay the foundation for the next 25 years of Scouting in National Capital Area Council,” said Perez.

In 2022, the Council’s theme was “Adventure On.” Last year, our Scouts performed more than 440,000 hours of service to the community, 1,263 Scouts attained the highest rank of Eagle, and 5,372 youth experienced the outdoors at one of our camps.

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About Scouts, BSA and the National Capital Area Council

Scouts, 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 1,042 million youth members between the ages of 6 and 21 and volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information, please visit www.Scouting.org.

National Capital Area Council was organized in 1911 and today stands as one of the oldest and the Council with the largest youth membership in America, at just under 34,000 Scouts. 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.

“Reel-In and Recycle!”

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SEA SCOUT QUARTERMASTER PROJECT SUMMARY:
From Jan thru November of this past year, I was able to successfully lead our Ship 1942 in the assembly and installation of 20 Mono-Filament Recycling Tubes at five marinas across Northern Virginia. The installation of these recycling tubes was part of my Sea Scout Quartermaster project, and my BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award project.  Three of the marinas were within the NOVA Parks system located at Fountainhead Marina, Occoquan Marina, and Bull Run Marina. The other two parks were part of the National Park Service located at the Washington Sailing Marina, and Fletcher’s Cove.

BSA DISTINGUISHED CONSERVATION AWARD PROJECT SUMMARY
My BSA Distinguished Conservation Service project was focused on the Air and Water Pollution Control Category. Mono-Filament fishing line was collected in these 20 recycling tubes during the summer of 2022, and I was able to collect 32 miles of fishing line. The line was shipped by West Marine (free of charge) to Berkley Institute in Iowa to be recycled. Overall, my project increased the number of recycling tubes from 8 tubes to 20 tubes, an increase of 150%. The largest impact came from the increase in line collected, from 1.68 miles in 2021 to 31.9 miles collected in 2022. An increase of 1,798%, or an 18-fold increase.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Another key element of my BSA Distinguished Conservation Service project was to provide Community outreach. I attended five Community Events in order to educate and inform my Community, where over 850 people attended:
1) GREEN EXPO (Apr): 250 people attended at the Vienna Community Ctr.
2) Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math (STEAM) (Apr)): A large event
where 380 – 400 people, with 28 exhibits at Laurel Ridge Middle School.
3) Student Environmental Action Showcase (SEAS) (May): George Mason Univ
Community Virtual Event with 40-50 attendees and 39 presentations.
4) 19th Annual GREEN Community Celebration (Jun): Shirlington Library Plaza,
in Arlington, VA. with150 attendees, 12 booths & electric cars/motorcycles.
5) NCAC Sea Scout Cub Scout Fishing Derby (Jun): Fountainhead Marina
where 52 Cub Scouts were taught fishing line recycling & fishing!

Below is the NOVA Regional Park Manager’s thank you note for my projects:

Dear Quinn,
“Thanks to your efforts, individuals and families visiting Fountainhead and Bull Run Marina can enjoy fishing as a recreational amenity of the park, while also being able to recycle their fishing line and preserve the important environmental resource we have in the Occoquan Reservoir”.

Sincerely, Kate Irwin, NOVA Regional Park Manager

Winter Golfing

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It may be winter, but that didn’t stop Scouts from Dale City Troop 102 from working on the Golf Merit Badge! They had a great morning at Burke Lake Park working on their posture, grips, putting, driving and chipping.

Explorers Staff 100th National Christmas Tree Lighting

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The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, AKA Explorer Post 742, comprises of 50+ girl and boy Explorers who participate with Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad. The purpose of this Exploring First Aid Unit is to provide the youth of the surrounding area with the opportunity to learn about, and gain hands on experience in emergency care. The adult volunteer leaders of Wheaton provide training to the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level (the level just before EMT), as well as leadership and team work training.

The youth then provide standby first aid coverage to private and public events in Montgomery County, MD, Washington, DC and the surrounding metropolitan area. Most recently and notably, Exploring Post 742 staffed the 100th National Christmas Tree Lighting. This event took place on the Ellipse in President’s Park on November 30th.

There is a youth command structure in place, consisting of an Officer’s Committee made up of a Captain (the youth head of the group), one 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenants and Sergeants. The officers are responsible for planning meetings, trainings (both recruit training and ongoing refresher training), maintaining supplies and equipment, planning group activities and organizing staffing for standby events. The Captain is responsible for making sure all this work is completed and maintaining coordination and communication between the members of the Officer’s Committee, and the Unit’s adult advisors.

When the Unit sets up a first aid station at an event, the youth officers are in charge of the station and the care provided to the attendees of the event. While there is always an adult advisor present in the station, the officers handle station operations and treat the patients unless adult assistance is needed.

The events for which Explorer Post 742 provide coverage range from small 5K runs, to 50-4,000 person company picnics at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, all the way to 250,000 – 1.8 million person events on the National Mall. Working with the National Park Service, we routinely provide coverage to the 4th of July festivities on the Mall, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the White House Easter Egg Roll, the National Christmas Tree Lighting and the Presidential Inaugurations.

All photos in this article belong to Montgomery County, Wheaton Volunteer Fire Department’s Post 742 and show past events and trainings of the Explorers. For more information about the Exploring Post, please see: The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, Explorer Post 742 | Facebook

Council’s Inaugural Pinewood Derby Champions

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This year, NCAC held its’ inaugural Council Pinewood Derby Championship!

Cub Scouts (and a STEM Scout) brought their qualifying cars from 12 different NCAC districts to the race. All NCAC district winners from the “covid years” (2020-2022) were invited, seeing as this was the first Council-wide championship!

In addition to races for speed at each rank, the  Championship  included an “outlaw” race in which adults and youth cars were welcome, even over the 50z limit.

Lastly, three awards were presented to cars for Best in Show and Design Excellence. This event took place at the Camp Snyder Dining Hall on October 15, 2022.

STEM Awards
Explorer Mihai Z. offered to create awards for the Pinewood Derby Championship that had a “STEM touch”. For the rank awards (first – 3rd place in each rank from lions to AOLs), Mihai 3D printed stands that would display the plaque and serve as a holder for each car. He laser engraved the plaques in Michael’s Woodshop and affixed metal inlays in each color: gold, silver and bronze. Mihai also created plaques for overall speed winners and design winners.

Woodshop steward, Mr. Schneeman, and Exploring Advisor Dr. Ziu also helped with the design and creation of these STEM awards!

Leadership

This event was envisioned, organized and then brought to life by two NCAC STEM Committee members and PWD enthusiasts from Potomac District. Out thanks go to Council PWD Chair Dr. Jason Kralj and PWD MC Dr. Stanley Fricke for the initiative and behind-the-scenes hours to put together this inaugural event!
We also thank Mr. Dave Griffiths the Track Director, who conducted an excellent and smooth race!
Finally, thank you finally to Dr. Hatcher Tynes, Dr. Elena Ziu, Explorer Mihai and scouts Victor and Philip for their race day help!

Next Year

Please save the date: May 20, 2023 for the next NCAC Pinewood Derby Championship! District winners will be invited.

Are you a District Pinewood Derby Chair? Pinewood Derby enthusiast? We’d love to connect with you in spring as we finalize the 2023 rules!