We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

Sea Scout Support for Pack 1144 Fishing Derby

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National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Sea Scouts had the opportunity to engage in outreach and community service through a collaborative effort with Cub Scout Pack 1144. Pack 1144 held its First Annual Fishing Derby at Fountainhead park on Sunday, June 5th, 2022, with great success! The event provided an immense opportunity to bridge the gap between Sea Scouts and Cub Scouts in an interactive-learning environment. Sea Scouts supported Cub Scouts and parents in acquiring basic fishing skills, safety, and conservation mindfulness.

Able Sea Scout Quinn Laffey, Ship 1942 was on-site to bring awareness to his Conservation Quartermaster Project ,“Reel-n-Recycle.” According to Laffey “because of the GREAT EXPOSURE, 10 of the Cub Scouts recycled their fishing line and scanned the QR code on the recycling tube, to enter the lottery and possibly win one of the two fishing rod and reel packages that were donated by West Marine ($350.00 per package.)” Fifty-two Cub Scouts and Parents from Pack 1144 registered for the fun-filled event. Pack 1144 Committee Chair Brandon Budman said, “the event just took off!” The weather was beautiful and many of the Cub Scouts had great success with the “catch-and-release event.”

Sea Scouts registered for this event through a sign-up genius disseminated through the Sea Scout Committee Wardroom Meeting. This initiative fostered the opportunity for Sea Scouts to earn volunteer service hours toward rank advancement, increase Sea Scout visual presence, as well as support Cub Scouting and conservation. This Sea Scout outreach and support initiative was made possible through the collaborated efforts of the NCAC Sea Scout Committee, Pack 1144, and the newly selected National Service Territory 12 (NST12) Boatswain, William Kennedy. Boatswain William is transitioning from NCAC Boatswain’s Mate for Program to his new Territory leadership role.

Sea Scouts provide an excellent opportunity for adventure focused on youth ages 14-21 who are interested in white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, powerboating, and SCUBA diving. To find a Sea Scout Ship near you, log-on to www.beascout.org. The opportunity is also available to start new Ships within NCAC and National Service Territory 12 (NST12). For those interested in learning more about Able Scout Quinn Laffey’s Quartermaster and Conservation Project, a hyper-link to a Dropbox is provided for Reel-n-Recycle.

Please reach out to Sea Scout Ship 1942 if interested to learn more about the engagement!

 

 

 

 

Scout Day at Nationals Park 2022

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Join fellow Scouts at Nationals Park for Scout Day on August 14th!

This should be a great event as every individual who purchases a special ticket will receive a limited edition patch, and have access to an exclusive pregame event before gates open for the game!

If you organize a group of 20 or more, the group leader will receive a complimentary game ticket (1 ticket per order).

To book your tickets for Scout Day, head over to: 

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/tickets/specials/scout-days

My Supernova and STEM Experiences

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Hello, I am Lauren Nank, and I am the first woman in NCAC to earn the Thomas Edison Supernova award. I joined GT1853 right before COVID put us all into lockdown. During that time, I was introduced to the multitude of STEM opportunities in scouts. It started with the Nova awards. A Nova award is a project-based activity, and each award covers one area of STEM. I completed Let it Grow, Splash, and Mendel’s Minions. Let it Grow, taught me how we get our food, how it is processed, and a lot about food science all around the world. When I was completing the Mammal Study merit badge for the Nova award, one of the requirements was doing a project that would benefit a mammal. I decided to build a bat box. A bat box helps bats sleep and mate safely. Now, one problem was my mom was afraid of bats; but I had the opportunity to go to someone’s farm and place the bat box there. Adding on, the owner took me on a tour of the farm as well!

After, I completed the Splash Nova award. I learned about water use, consumption, and how water gets recycled for use again at water treatment plants. Lastly, I earned Mendel’s Minions nova award. I had been interested in genealogy at the time, so it was the perfect choice for me. I learned how to extract DNA from a strawberry with just at-home ingredients, as well as create a 3D model of DNA. Who knew you can extract DNA at home? From there, I thought Nova awards were all I could do, but that wasn’t the case. With a friend of mine, together we completed the Bernard Harris Supernova Award. A Supernova, in basic terms, is a small STEM eagle project. This Supernova taught me leadership, communication, and self-discipline. My favorite thing I did during the Supernova is interviewing and shadowing a NASA Helio physicist. I learned a tremendous amount about work at NASA, what’s next for NASA, and the work environment for women. After the shadowing, I interviewed a woman in a neighboring program; and she shared with me about the lack of women around her when she first joined. Luckily, as time went on more and more women have been getting into STEM and changing the world with it.

Immediately after I started the Thomas Edison Supernova award. I started by completing the “Shoot!” Nova award. I learned about projectiles, aviation, and astronomy. One of the requirements was making a marshmallow catapult and doing a scientific experiment. While measuring the angle and distance projected. I enjoyed using the information I learned about the scientific investigation in school in real life, and of course eating a bunch of marshmallows.
After completing the Nova award, I started two STEM-related activities. I made a precipitate with Ammonia and Copper Sulfate. The activities require you to do write-ups that include preparation and research, then reflection after you’ve finished. My precipitate experiment went extremely well. I had done it before in school, and when I did it at home, I knew exactly what to do. It was fascinating to see how when the ammonia is dropped into the Copper sulfate, it turns into small flakes.

My math experiment was planting seeds and seeing if enzymes affect the growth of plants. I learned in science class that enzymes speed up chemical reactions, and plants use a chemical reaction to create food called photosynthesis. Each week, I measured the height of the seed and by the end, my hypothesis was proven true! Honestly, going into the experiment I just went off of background knowledge, and it was rewarding to see it was successful.
One of the other requirements is to complete a STEM fair, competition, or workshop. I decided to do a Nuclear Science workshop. One of the coolest things during the workshop was seeing both beta and alpha beta particles. Before, I didn’t even know the slightest thing about beta particles, cosmic radiation, and radiation found in food! This workshop allowed me to add to my knowledge about atoms and extend it further on how it relates to nuclear science.
Lastly, you have to present a Nova award or STEM activity to your troop or Cub pack. My friend and I organized a meeting where we made color-changing slime and a Carbon Sugar Snake. We led scouts through both activities, and both were very different from each other. We ran into a few roadblocks with the slime, but from a different perspective, it all went incredibly well. I was proud of the results, and the positivity on everyone’s faces.

All of these awards, merit badges, and experiences not only taught me more about STEM, but how the world works, discipline, leadership, and communication online and in – person. I learned that with being open – minded new experiences could come through. Even when you feel like things aren’t progressing, everything will turn out alright in the end. I encourage everyone to get involved in STEM in your troop, or anywhere around you. I guarantee you will learn something new, or you will meet and experience new possibilities.

Composite Materials is the material science merit badge

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The Composite Materials Merit Badge was published by BSA in 2006. Since then, almost every year it has ranked in the bottom ten of merit badges earned in BSA. Specifically, in 2021, Composite Materials ranked 131 out of 137 merit badges according to Bryan on Scouting.

If you look at the requirements of the Composite Materials merit badge, you’ll notice that it is demanding in terms of hands-on materials.

On April 23 and May 21, 2022, NCAC’s STEM Committee partnered with an Alexandria, VA based organization to offer the Composite Materials Merit Badge class to nearly 175 scouts.

The organization, Building Momentum, offers military training as well as community education thru dynamic programs. Often, their programs involve Arduinos, drones, welding, CAD, laser engraving, etc. The NCAC STEM Committee is working with Building Momentum’s Senior Education Associate, Cecily, to map Building Momentum’s incredible capabilities with scouting events.

Last week, we wrote about the incredible Welding merit badge workshop the Cecily and her team put forth for scouts. https://weownadventure.com/scouts-weld-nameplates-on-their-way-to-earning-new-awards/

Well, that wasn’t the only workshop! Building Momentum also led workshops for scouts to earn Composite Materials merit badges. Scouts learned about polymers, resins, their physical and chemical properties, toxicity, strength, softness, availability and cost effectiveness. A particularly interesting discussion ensued regarding cost – scouts noted that the cost comparison of materials was different from when the Composite Materials pamphlet was last updated in 2012. Now, in 2022, with the current supply chain challenges, lumber was more expensive than most metals.

For their projects, scouts made knife sheaths with fiberglass and acrylic boxes affixed with epoxies.

Scouts Weld Nameplates on their way to earning new awards

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The Welding merit badge was first offered by BSA in 2012. The cover of the MB pamphlet shows a welder, safety gear, and on the bottom right corner, a patch of the BSA Nova Award. That emblem indicates that a merit badge counts for towards an additional award – a BSA STEM Nova or Supernova Award. Specifically, the Welding MB counts towards the Dr. Bernard Harris and Thomas Edison Supernova Awards. You can read their full requirements  here.

On April 23 and May 21, 2022, NCAC’s STEM Committee partnered with an Alexandria, VA based organization to offer the Welding Merit Badge class to nearly 200 scouts.

The organization, Building Momentum, offers military training as well as community education thru dynamic programs. Often, their programs involve Arduinos, drones, welding, CAD, laser engraving, etc. The NCAC STEM Committee is working with Building Momentum’s Senior Education Associate, Cecily, to map Building Momentum’s incredible capabilities with scouting events.

To kickstart our partnership, Building Momentum held two days of workshops this spring, focused on Welding. Each workshop totaled 3.5 hours. Scouts learned about welding safety, practiced welding, then welded their own nameplates. The event was made possible thanks largely to Ms. Cecily Wynne of BuildMo who took the time to design this welding experience for scouts, as well as other incredible facilitators of Building Momentum, and over a dozen SBSA volunteers who assisted as classroom helpers, registration assistants, and general volunteers.

Pack 278 Celebrates it’s First Supernova as a Family Pack

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Cub Scout Pack 278 is proud to award its 3rd Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award to Fiona H. Fiona joined the pack as a Wolf when she became the first girl registered in Pack 278.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, the Leaders of Pack 278 took on the task of becoming a Family Pack that serves all youth in the Middletown Valley. Fiona watched her older brother learn important life skills while having fun since she was 3 years old. Today, at 9 years old, she has earned her Bear Rank and successfully completed the Alvarez Supernova requirements.

The Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova honors Dr. Alvarez’s many achievements. While working on the Alvarez Supernova, Fiona was challenged to research 3 different scientists and innovators. Fiona chose to research the lives of Jane Goodall, Marie Curie, and Mary Anning. These three women forged ahead in their scientific fields despite many telling them that scientific discovery was not the role of women. Fiona continued to learn about women scientists by interviewing Jennifer Karschner, a Forensic Specialist working for the Montgomery County Police Department. During this interview, Fiona learned that a simple love of puzzles and helping people combined with “lots of school” can be a recipe for a successful career in Science.

Fiona pursued her interest in science by completing a science experiment investigating the result of placing chicken bones in vinegar and other liquids. Along with learning about acids and bases, she discovered that science can be cool and gross at the same time. Finally, Fiona spoke with her Den Leader about why learning science and math is important in education. Fiona learned that science is in everything that we do, from building fires to baking cookies. Understanding why the recipe works is the first step in creating your own.