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Leaders

Troop 1717 Scouts Pay Respects to Pres George H.W. Bush in Zero Dark-Thirty Ceremony: Scout Patriotism Never Sleeps

February 12, 2019 by Michael Haas

The 41st President, George H.W. Bush, was still lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda when Troop 1717 of Hartwood, VA held its weekly evening meeting on December 4th at historic Hartwood Presbyterian Church in Aquia District. It was there that Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader Ben Motta asked youth and adult leaders if it was possible to pull together a delegation from the Troop to travel that very night to the U.S. Capitol to honor his service to our Nation.

It was very short notice and a school night, but SPL Motta challenged his fellow Scouts to step up saying that, if they could stay up all night playing video games, they could surely muster enough energy to stay up to honor a President of the United States. In his words, “Patriotism should never sleep.” Five Scouts in addition to Motta volunteered: Eagle Scouts Teddy Durrant and Ethan Crawford and fellow senior Scouts Zach Dankanich, Norman Carter, Jr. and Owen Knight. Leaving with four volunteer Assistant Scoutmasters around midnight, they arrived at the Capital about an hour later in full uniform and stood in line in the cold with other mourners for about an hour. Then, around 2:00 AM, they silently slipped into the Rotunda in single file to stand within mere yards of the body of the 41st President, his flag-draped casket held high upon a catafalque which once held the casket of President Abraham Lincoln.

Little did they know that their visit was captured by a WUSA9 TV reporter and C-Span cameras. After a few moments in silent prayer and reflection, they issued, on command, one last sharp Scout Salute to a President who, like all U.S. Presidents, served as the honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America. Later, they would describe the experience as “sad” and “heavy” but also “powerful” and ‘inspiring.”

They said they felt it important to make the extra effort to honor President Bush, a war hero and member of what’s come to be known as the “Greatest Generation,” who had dedicated his life to service to his Country.

“It was impressive to stand next to the President’s casket and think of all that he had accomplished throughout his life in the service of others,” Ben says. “I think that his example is one that all Scouts aim to follow.”

The Scouts and their leaders returned back home around 4:00 AM to take a short nap before rising again to go to school and work. Said SPL Ben, speaking for all the Scouts: “I was proud to be there, not just as an American, but as a representative of a movement and an ideology that stresses character, service, and loyalty to God, country and family.”

For more on this story, check out the WUSA9 story and video Boy Scouts pay respects to late President George H.W. Bush at https://www.wusa9.com/video/news/boy-scouts-pay-respects-to-late-president-george-hw-bush/65-8362333 or visit the Bryan on Scouting Blog to read Duty to country: Webelos Scout, Boy Scouts salute President George H.W. Bush at https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/12/06/duty-to-country-webelos-scout-boy-scouts-salute-president-george-h-w-bush/

 

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Aquia, president, Scouter Perspectives, Service

NCAC Announces 2019 Silver Beaver Class

February 11, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is happy to announce the 2019 Colonel Garry Lewis, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) Class of Silver Beavers. The Council Court of Honor is set for Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Camp William B. Snyder.

The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. Members of this year’s class are:

  • Jennifer Bell
  • Jeffrey Cohen
  • George Gadbois
  • Inge Gedo
  • Christopher Gohrband
  • George Goldsmith
  • Mark Greer
  • Gordon Henley
  • Kenneth Jones
  • Robert Kahn
  • Roger LaBrie
  • Martin Predoehl
  • Jerry Saggers
  • Mark Serfass
  • James Spoo
  • John Stewart
  • Andrew Tainter
  • Anthony Tersine
  • Helen Webb
  • Candace Weitz

NCAC invites you to join them in celebrating the years of dedication performed by these great volunteers. That morning, they will also be honoring Colonel Garry Lewis, USMC (Ret.) for his countless years of service to Scouting.

To register to attend, please visit: www.NCACBSA.org/courtofhonor

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Silver Beaver

Milkweed for Monarchs 2019 Kick-off

February 4, 2019 by Brian McDougal

The following observations from the February 2nd Milkweed for Monarchs Kick-off event were written by Owen M., a Webelos in Pack 1188, and submitted by Brian McDougal. Thank you, Owen, for supporting this important conservation effort, and for your reporting on this event. 

Hi my name is Owen, I am a Webelos Scout. I went to the Milkweed for Monarchs 2019 kickoff event on February 2, 2019. The National Capital Area Conservation Committee held the event in Washington DC at George Washington University. There were a lot of Scouts and Scouters there.

First, Will Roger, chair of the NCAC Conservation Committee told us what the committee does. They encourage conservation. Conservation is when people appreciate the world around them and take care of it. They want it to stay nice. He told us about lots of different awards Scouts can earn, like the Hornaday awards, Conservation Good Turn award, Messengers of Peace, Scout Ranger Patch, Hometown award, and some others.

Next, Alex Echols told us about Monarchs and why we should plant Milkweed. We should plant it because there aren’t enough Milkweed plants for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on and it is the only plant Monarchs lay their eggs on. The caterpillars eat the milkweed and that is what makes them toxic to predators.

We watched a video by national Monarch expert Peter Berthelson of Conservation Blueprint and learned how to plant Milkweed. We learned some tips, like if you want to buy Milkweed, don’t buy the tropical kind because it blooms at the wrong time for the Monarchs and doesn’t help them. You should buy native kinds like common milkweed, butterfly milkweed, and swamp milkweed.

Everyone got a packet of Milkweed seeds (for the caterpillars) and a packet of seeds of nectar producing plants (for the adults). All the Scouts got a special patch for the participating in the Milkweed for Monarch program. For more information about Monarchs, please visit https://www.monarchwatch.org/ and https://journeynorth.org/

Owen M.

Webelos Scout

Pack 1188

Looking for more info on planting your milkweed? Check out this step by step guide and tip sheet.

Milkweed Seed Planting Instructions

  1. In March plant seeds indoors to grow seedlings for later transplant
  2. Punch holes in bottom of cup a Solo cup (Support interior of cup when punching holes)
  3. Use potting soil for growing medium and fill cup and lightly pack down
  4. Plant seeds, approximately 3 to a cup, plant half inch deep. Lightly water and keep slightly Overwatering will kill plants. Check daily – may only need watering every few days. Place in south facing window – with something under cup
  5. Seeds will germinate typically in 15 – 35 days. Not all seeds will germinate. Be patient and provide consistent attention – slight watering and sun
  6. When seedlings are 6 – 10 inches high and the outside temperature is warm start to put outside during day (commonly late April but depends on weather)
  7. Use common sense – don’t “sunburn” your seedlings by putting them out directly into really hot day
  8. Bring indoors and protect from frost and heavy rains
  9. Plant milkweed seedlings (typically May – around Mothers Day good target)
  10. Select plot free of grass where milkweed can grow throughout year
  11. Dig hole just slightly larger than cup seedling is growing in
  12. Plant – gently pressing soil around seedling – plant level with ground
  13. Gently water and track for moisture for the next month
  14. Manage Monarch Plot and watch for monarch caterpillars on milkweed throughout year. They may appear as early as June or as late as August
  15. Plant your additional pollinator plants near the milkweed – again May is good time to plant those seeds directly into the ground
  16. In fall you may want to collect seeds after milkweed seed pods dry
  17. Milkweed plant should re-emerge next year and hopefully may even spread

You can always check other recommendations on milkweed and monarch management.  There are plenty of resources.  Here is the link to today’s video.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x4h09burhqv8r7d/Boy%20Scouts%20-%20How%20to%20Grow%20Milkweed.mp4?dl=0

 

 

 

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Conservation, Milkweed for Monarchs, Scouter Perspectives, STEM

NCAC Set for February 2nd Kick Off of 2019 Milkweed for Monarchs Conservation Project

January 30, 2019 by Sara A Holtz

On Saturday, February 2nd, the National Capital Area Conservation Committee will kick-off the 2nd year of Milkweed for Monarchs, Inspiring Conservation in Scouts and Their Families. This year’s program is again presented by the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and will be hosted by George Washington University.

Scouters and their families will have the opportunity to learn from national monarch expert, Pete Berthelson, about growing milkweed and providing habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. He’ll teach about providing pollen and nectar throughout the entire year, options for growing milkweed and native flowers from seed, the importance of seed-soil contact, and our role in making a difference.

“Monarch butterflies are crucial to agriculture and plants of all kinds,” said Will Rodger, Chair of the NCAC Conservation Committee. “We can save them as long as Scouts and other Americans ‘Do Their Best’ to help them.”

The youth-friendly presentation is sure to inspire attendees to take action to help save the vanishing monarch butterfly through the building of a healthy and sustainable pollinator habitat. In addition, Scouts and others who attend will receive a free Milkweed for Monarchs patch, plus an easy-to-use seed packet of milkweed and other native, nectar-producing plants that nourish monarch caterpillars and butterflies throughout the growing season.

“Planting and encouraging milkweed and wildflowers are the most important things we can all do right here, right now,” said Rodger.

Scouters and others are invited to attend, but registration is limited. The event will take place on February 2nd from 10 am to 12 pm at George Washington University, Room 113, 1957 E St. NW, Washington DC. For more information or to register, please visit www.ncacbsa.org/monarchs.

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Conservation, Milkweed for Monarchs, STEM

Scouts BSA at Summer Camp Livestream

January 29, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Thousands of girls registered in Scouts BSA will be participating in 2019 summer camps. To help you find out all you need to know to ensure you are ready for Family Scouting in the outdoors, BSA will be offering a livestream webinar on Monday, February 25th at 7pm CST (that’s 8 pm for those of us in the DMV). Best practices from around the country will be shared, as well as Q&A time with a panel of BSA professionals from the Scouts BSA program team, Youth Protection, and Outdoor Programs. Anyone serving in camp leadership this summer is invited to attend.  Mark your calendar and save this link to join the livestream broadcast.

https://livestream.com/bsa/ScoutsBSASummerCamp

Filed Under: At Camp, Leaders Tagged With: Family Scouting, Scouts BSA, training

Scouting Is for Life – “The Ancient One” (aka, TAO) Continues to Serve as a Scouting Mentor for His 59-year-old Eldest Son

January 28, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Dick Haas (affectionately known as “The Ancient One” or “TAO” to many throughout NCAC) and his son Mike have over 132 years of continuous BSA Scouting experience between them. They are also the only father/son team actively Staffing an NCAC Wood Badge training Course: a reflection of their unified and lifelong commitment to teaching other Scouters leadership skills to benefit all Scouts and Scouting Families.

TAO was a Scoutmaster for 15 years in New York State, and served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and in numerous BSA training and service positions that impacted hundreds of young men’s lives over multiple decades from the 1960s into the early 2000s.  He remains an active Scouter in Stafford, VA, continuing to train and mentor adults in Scouting leadership skills.  A World War II Navy veteran, TAO earned lifesaving awards for actions in 1964, rescuing 2 fellow passengers from a bus that crashed into the East River (they were the only 3 survivors).  A 1966 Silver Beaver recipient and Scoutmaster of the Year in 1970 in Greater New York Council, in 1976 TAO created a Scouting junior leader training course in New York that trained hundreds of Scouts across almost three decades. Upon moving to Virginia, he energized a similar youth-led leadership training conference which has been running in Aquia District since 2007 thanks to his vision and initiative. Friends and loved ones chipped-in to honor TAO with a brick which was placed on the Camp Snyder dining facility flag patio in 2013 to commemorate his 76th anniversary of BSA service.

The elder 92-year old Haas, who lives with his wife of over 62 years, Rita, in Falls Run in southern Stafford, is a Life Scout who has been in Scouting for 82 years.  TAO shook the hand of Scouting’s Founder, Lord Baden-Powell, while a member of BSA’s Scout contingent at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, NY.  He earned his Wood Badge Beads in 1964, attending Wood Badge training at Schiff Scout Reservation in New Jersey, and was his sons’ (Mike and Alan) first Scoutmaster in Troop 712 in Manhattan, NY. His son Mike, also a Life Scout, retired from the Marine Corps in 2004, and lives with his wife of over 36 years, Lisa, in northern Stafford. Mike earned his Wood Badge Beads in 2006 and has had the privilege of Staffing multiple Wood Badge Courses.

So, when Mike was honored with selection as one of two Wood Badge Course Directors for 2019, a year which celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the original Wood Badge Course organized and led by Lord Baden-Powell at Gilwell Park in England, it’s no mystery that Mike chose his Dad to be one of his Course Mentors. Mike’s other Mentor is John Peloquin, a former NCAC Wood Badge Course Director. Mike and John both started their Scouting Trails together in Troop 26 (“26 Kicks!”) in Stafford with first John and then Mike taking the hand-off from John as Scoutmaster through the mid-2000s.

Any Scouter who will be fully trained in their BSA registered position by the first day of a Wood Badge training Course is eligible to register for the course. NCAC will be offering two 100th Anniversary Wood Badge Courses in 2019. To become the best trained adult Leader you can be for your Scouts and their Scouting Families, please visit:  https://www.ncacbsa.org/training/wood-badge/ Register today. Your Scouts deserve it!

Filed Under: Leaders Tagged With: Aquia, training, Wood Badge

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