A Scout teaches a younger Scout about retiring a flag on Flag Day 2019. My son is AJ Schwarting, the Scout from Troop 317. The younger scout is Chase Radics of Pack 845. The adult is Terry Schneider, a leader in Troop 317.
Joseph Lepak, from Alexandria, VA, a member of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Catholic Community, Archdioceses for the Military Services, USA is one of seven recipients of a service scholarship awarded in 2019 by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) through the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship Fund.
Joseph received a $2,000 scholarship. As a military kid, Joseph moved around a lot but the two things that were consistent in his life were Catholic chapels on military posts and Scouts, so they both became very important to him. He says, “as a result of my faith and upbringing, I also have an extreme desire to serve others…It is very important to me that my legacy and my accomplishments in work, affect others for the better. I want the people of this country-and the world-to be better off due to my actions.”
After his dad retired, Joseph was able to stay in Northern Virginia throughout his high school years. He has held numerous leadership positions in Scouting including Senior Patrol Leader, Order of the Arrow (OA) Vice Chief of Finances, Ordeal Master and Area Chief, leading almost 1,000 Scouts in five chapters (Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s National Honor Society). Joseph has also STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activity leader, secretary, and president of his Venturing Crew.
Joseph is currently Junior Assistant Scout Master of Troop 129 in Alexandria, VA. His Eagle Scout Project involved designing and constructing a new tool shed and improving the gardens for a middle school. He has been a participant in the 2015 World Scout Jamboree and the Inter-American Scout Jamboree in Ecuador. With his Venturing Crew he attended the National Jamboree in West Virginia, Sea Base Bahamas, and Northern Tier High Adventure. Joseph received several awards including the Dr. Bernard Harris Bronze Supernova Award, designed to introduce and encourage further study of STEM.
Through his archdiocese, Joseph has earned all four of the religious awards and has served as an altar server, lector, teen leader for vacation Bible School, assisted with clothing and food drives and with the Adult Education Program.
Always wanting to serve, Joseph has worked with many community organizations, including Wreaths Across America, Alexandrians Living Ecumenically, helping to set up and distribute food to low-income families, Scouting for Food, Park Clean-Up, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Meals on Wheels and Metavivor, a cancer survivor fundraiser swim-a-thon.
Academically, Joseph was selected for admission to T.C. Williams STEM Academy and to participate in their Cyber Security Camp. He has received numerous academic awards and represented his school through his science research. He has been active in “The High School Project Plan”, which aims to resolve issues around growing student enrollment and space at his high school. He also recently joined Community for Renewable Energy (CURE). Their mission is to train school staff and inform students about creating eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable schools. Joseph has been accepted at George Mason University and is interested in studying political science.
To be eligible to apply for the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship, the Scout must be Catholic, earned the Ad Altare Dei and/ or Pope Pius XII Awards, and received the Eagle Scout, Summit, or Quartermaster Award. Visit the website for a complete list of award recipients, eligibility requirements and applications.
National Capital Area Council, BSA’s 39th Annual Boy Scout Golf Classic was held on June 10, 2019 at the Manor Country Club in Rockville MD. 250 golfers teed off for a great day of golfing. Rain for the morning did not dampen the great golfing that took place for the day. Thankfully the skies cleared, and the afternoon proved to be much better weather wise. Pictures from the event can be found in our Flickr album.
A very special thank you goes to event chairman Bill Murphy and his committee: Ben Jabara, Brad Nierenberg, John Pham, Mark Sharer, Bill Roberts, Skip Tendall, and James Wagner.
In the AM shotgun start the following awards were given:
Gross Division
1st Place (61 pts):
Seth Ingall
Matt Brady
Mike Hawkins
Dan Friedman
2nd place
Stuart Rawlins
Bob Herert
Paul O’Rangers
James Wagner
3rd Place
Joe Rector
Joe DePaul
Sean Ryan
Net Division
1st Place
John Carson
Norman Hunt
Dave Duda
Chuck Moser
2nd Place
John Mongeon
John Dickenson
Kevin Smith
Ted Bakon
3rd Place
Gabe Sales-Smith
David Carlson
Raj P
Dusty Codd
Course Contests
Closest to the Pin
#5 Ted Ward 8’5”
#8 Scott Janik 8’5”
#11 JR McDonald 5’9”
#17 Joe Rector 14’8”
Longest Drive
#16 Men
Stuart Rawlins
#6 Women
Becky Millsap
In the PM shotgun start the following awards were given:
Gross Division
1st Place (61 pts)
Jamie Stant
Brandon O’Connell
Charles Semones
Doug Reece
2nd place
Stephen Swenson
Allyson Russel
Mark Shaffer
Steve Riimaki
3rd Place
Bobby Ward
Chris Booker
Kevin Higgins
David Konstandindis
Net Division
1st Place
Ben Jabara
Brad Noreen
Atul Athavale
2nd Place
Jonathan Battaglia
Rick de la Fuente
Mark Taylor
Hasan Solomon
3rd Place
Rory Maynard
Kenny Gele
Robert Head
Chris Crawford
Course Contests
Closest to the pin
#5 Mark Shaffer 11’7”
#8 Steve Welch 7’3”
#11 Mark Shaffer 5’1”
#17 Clint Hutto 8’6”
Longest Drive
#16 Men
Doug Reece
#6 Women
Amy Leonard
Thank you to our many generous supporters the 2019 Golf Classic raised just over $435,000! That is an all-time record. Again, thank you we would not be able to make Scouting’s programs possible without you! Mark your calendars now for the 40th Annual Boy Scout Golf Classic, Monday June 8, 2020.
The local Venturing Officers Association (VOA) held a Court of Honor on Saturday, May 18. Congratulations to the 9 recipients of the Council’s Venturing Leadership Award!
Youth recipients were Thomas Howard (incoming VOA President), Johana Marroquin, Melissa Mader, and Elana Taylor.
Adult recipients were Pam Chu (incoming VOA Advisor), Katie Kahkonen, Stanley Kwok, Ken Barret, and Arrie Heck.
Kudos to the VOA officers hosting the event — it was a great turnout and fun to see so many familiar faces!
Recently we shared a story about an Eagle project Tapp Rhoads was leading, and Troop 997’s efforts to help Tapp achieve his goals. The project was to install and maintain a series of Mallard Nesting Tubes around the local community. After the project was completed, Hornaday Advisor Sara Holtz reviewed it and found it met the criteria of both significant scope and sustainable impact. Since over 75% of Troop 997 Scouts participated in the project, we learned last week that the Troop had earned the prestigious Hornaday Unit Award for its efforts.
The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Hornaday Committee recently created a patch for Scouts participating in a Hornaday Unit Award project, honoring the legacy of William Hornaday and his work with the Smithsonian Institution and his efforts to save the American Bison from extinction. Scouts BSA Troop 997 is the first Troop to earn this newly designed award patch.
The St. Mary’s County Public Schools STEM Academy in Maryland has something to brag about: 35% of the young men in the STEM Class of 2019 are Eagle Scouts!
Nationally, only 4-6% of members of the Boy Scouts of America earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Up until now, all of those Scouts have been young men, so when you look at the total number of young men in the United States only about 1.5% of them earn the rank of Eagle Scout. And yet, six out of seventeen young men in the STEM Class of 2019 are now part of that elite group.
According to the St. Mary’s County Public Schools website, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academy at Great Mills High School is “a rigorous and unique program of study emphasizing the core areas of mathematics and science with an infusion of technology and engineering.” Students take as many as twelve Advanced Placement courses during their high school career and complete an internship in a STEM field during the Summer before their senior year.
The Scouts represent four different troops throughout St. Mary’s County: Troop 303 in Valley Lee, Troop 793 in California, Troop 1785 in Mechanicsville, and Troop 2819 in California. In addition to their school work, each of these Scouts completed at least twenty-one merit badges in subjects such as citizenship, first aid, cooking, camping and personal fitness. Some of the merit badges they earned were STEM related, with topics such as environmental science, mammal study, robotics, weather, and energy. They each also completed a leadership project to benefit their community.
If that were not enough, four of them participated in varsity sports during high school, including track, cross country, tennis, lacrosse, and soccer. Three are active in the National Honor Society. Two competed with robotics teams and one participated in several school plays.
Their future plans include degrees in paleontology, biology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, and environmental planning.
