Adventures of Pack-Man and Newbie – Knots
Troop 98 Eagle Scout Service Project Creates a New Zen Garden at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
In January 2020, Stefan Morgan, a Life rank Scout with Scouts BSA Troop 98, chartered by St. Anthony of Padua Church in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington, DC, led two weekends of work to bring his Eagle Scout Service Project to life.
Stefan oversaw his months of planning and hard work come over two weekends of hard work by a combination of scouts, scouters, students, and neighbors. Together, all of these volunteers executed Stefan’s plans and worked under his leadership to build a new Zen garden on the grounds of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, part of the District of Columbia Public Schools in Northwest Washington, DC.
The new Zen garden includes two benches, decorative rocks, and sand; and has created a new quiet, calming, and contemplative space for students and neighbors alike to enjoy.
Stefan’s work included all aspects of planning and design of the Zen garden, securing financial support and donations of materials, and planning and coordinating multiple days of work in two different locations.
Thank you to all of the volunteers, scouts and scouters of Troop 98, and congratulations to Stefan on your hard work, and completing this very difficult step on your trek to Eagle!
Troop 35 Scouts “Telecamping” Program – Can’t Keep Good Scouts from Doing!!
Scoutmaster Kevin Huddleston of Troop 35, Occoquan District, recently earned his Wood Badge Beads as a successful graduate of NCAC’s Spring 2019 Wood Badge Course, despite the advent and disruption of CORVID-19. What great leadership! What great Scout Spirit! What a great example of Baden-Powell’s quote that: ‘A Scout whistles and smiles under any circumstance.’ You just can’t keep a good Scouter down!”
Scoutmaster Huddleston’s Scouts are following his fine example of Leading Change! Huddleston said that, “I held a Zoom Patrol Leader Council [PLC] meeting; my PLC hate that their parents are ALL telecommuting, as their parents are driving them (the Scouts) crazy. So my Senior Patrol Leader [SL] and two Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders [ASPL] came up with a Patrol Competition called ‘TELECAMPING’. We recorded our intro via Zoom. If you want to use this to keep your Patrols and Troop and Scouts connected, excited and sustained – use away. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
Below is the YouTube video Huddleston made of his SPL and ASPLs in a Zoom PLC that was then sent to all Troop 35 Patrol Leaders and their Scouts:
We are all looking for ways to keep our Scouts actively engaged, moving forward and Doing their Best. Through youthful enthusiasm, imagination and creativity, Scouts will find a way, when given the opportunity by adults. Well done to the Adult & Youth Leaders of Troop 35!
A final thought from Baden-Powell: “The [Scout] is not governed by don’t, but is led by do.” Let’s keep the doing in Scouting!
Troop 440 Donates 220 Bag Lunches to Homeless Shelter
On April 8th, in the day and age of social distancing, our Troop (individually and in their own homes) prepared 220 bag lunches for Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring, MD for “OPERATION SANDWICH.”
Shepherd Table’s mission is to provide help to people who are homeless or in need by providing basic services, including meals, social services, medical support, clothing, and other assistance in an effective and compassionate manner.
Troop 440 had one Parent/Scout do all the shopping, sorting and delivering of supplies (to porches) and then another Parent/Scout collected the completed lunches from their fellow Scout’s porches the following afternoon and delivered the lunches to Shepherd’s Table. Almost 75% of our Troop families participated and the whole thing was completed in just over 24 hours! Remember a Scout is Helpful.
Pack 1055’s Virtual Bear Den Meeting
Social distancing has canceled many activities but with today’s technology and the flexibility that scouting provides there is the capability to maintain Pack and Den operations. With this in mind, Pack 1055 is using those tools to keep their Cub Scouts working towards rank advancement.
It started with a simple survey using Google Forms that went out to the parents in the den. The hope was to discover the best platform to run a virtual meeting and when the best times would be to conduct the meeting. As it turns out, Zoom has been used frequently these days and most families were able to meet at the same time as the den would usually meet.
The virtual meeting invitation and information was sent out, and on April 7, 2020, the Cubmaster and Bear Den Leader of Pack 1055 led the meeting. The agenda was brief. Our main purpose was to see how a meeting would run. We started the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, had a few announcements, then had our den discussion.
Each Scout was asked three questions about staying at home during the crisis and had a chance to talk about their current experiences. After each Scout finished, the den meeting was opened up for some free-time chatting between Scouts, then we closed the same way we close all our den meetings: by signing “Do Your Best,” which is perfect for a virtual meeting.
The meeting was a success and it provided a good experience for how meetings like this can continue. As a result, the Bear Den is planning on having more virtual den meetings to complete the Critter Care elective adventure. While the den can’t visit any animal shelters or veterinary practices, they can still meet the requirements of the elective using an online format and sharing PowerPoint or Google Slides. They will also have an opportunity to show off their pets, something that could have been difficult during an in-person den meeting.
Pack 1055 is currently planning a virtual Pack Meeting as well to take place later this month to help ensure that, even in times of crisis, We Own Adventure!
Heads Up…Going Underground!
Adventures happen when you must do something unfamiliar and confront the unexpected. A truly memorable adventure often requires going the extra distance to face the challenge.That’s exactly what the White Oak District’s Troop 264B and Venturing Crew 264 did at Laurel Caverns, and that’s what landed them on the cover of Boys’ Life [March 2020].
That visit to Laurel Caverns in Western Pennsylvania brought scouts and Venturers face to face with dark caves, low rock ceilings, boulders, and rappelling down a thin rope. And dirt everywhere. Safety gear and proper attire were essential for safety and comfort and could not be neglected. Some activities were restricted by age or skill, but everyone had a range of activities to choose from, including two merit badges (Geology and Forestry). But a part of everyone’s activities was going underground.
Take a few minutes to read about the Laurel Caverns adventure in the March 2020 Boys’ Life, also available through the Boys’ Life app. There is also the summary in Troop 264’s Signaler newsletter . And most recently (April 3), Mr. Aaron Derr of Boys’ Life Magazine conducted a live interview with Mrs. Joan Geller, an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 264B, about the outing on Facebook Live. The video of that interview is available on Facebook, even if you do not have an account!
Adventures don’t happen in meetings (but meetings are essential to planning safe and successful adventures). Take a look at what your unit does now. Then look at a radius an hour’s drive further out and see what’s there. Your biggest adventure could be ”just a little further.”