We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

NEW Camping Continues Web-Series!

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The National Capital Area Council presents to you Camping Continues—an all-new web-series promoting the outdoors, Scouting spirit, and some plain old fun. There is enough for everyone… from Lion Cub Scouts to the most experienced Eagle Scout! Join the crazy cast of Camping Continues for a fun-filled evening of games, skills, and thrills!

Tune in on Thursday, October 22, at 7:00 PM EST for the season premiere on the Council’s Facebook page… and grab an extra pair of Scout Socks because yours will be knocked off!

Leesburg’s Scouts BSA Girl Troop 998 Grows in 2020 and Works to Cement Bonds Across Area Scouting

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Leesburg’s Scouts BSA Girl Troop 998 welcomed their new Scouts to the Troop recently with a weekend camp out at Burke Lake in Fairfax County. Cooking, fire-building, knife safety and first aid were all on the agenda, plus some down time fishing on the lake.

But then, in the next campsite, Pack 1865 arrived for a Saturday night camp out and ceremony to advance their Lion Den up to Tigers. After T998G’s youth leaders reached out to the Pack 1865 leaders, they were invited to join the ceremony and welcome the new Cubs (both boys and girls) to their new status as Tigers. The Scouts then invited the Pack to join their evening campfire, participate in a solemn flag retirement ceremony, and complete the evening with traditional Scout Vespers.

Scouts BSA Girl Troop 998 is chartered by Leesburg United Methodist Church, but during COVID is currently meeting on Monday nights, outside at adult leaders’ homes in Leesburg and Ashburn. If you’d like to visit and learn more, please contact Scoutmaster Denise Pender at 703-727-1806 or smpender998g@gmail.com.

Troop 1650 Webelos Crosses Over in the Canopy

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Former Webelos of Washington, D.C.Pack 1650, A. Harris, officially crossed over from the Pack to the Troop and is now on his way to ranking up in Boy Scouts. Mr. Harris also earned Arrow of Light- Cub Scouts’ highest distinction. A. Harris joins his brother C. Harris in the Troop. Mr. Harris was honored in a Court of Honor ceremony celebrating the many achievements and advancements earned by the Scouts over the summer. The occasion took place at The Adventure Park in Sandy Springs, Maryland. Known for aerial obstacle courses and zip line features, the park was a perfect backdrop to recognize the Scout’s accomplishments. The day also marked the first outdoor, in- person, meeting for the Pack and Troop since March. After the Court of Honor, and an initial orientation, the Scouts spent the next 3 hours scaling new heights and overcoming challenges high in the canopy of the trees. The Scouts helped one another and pushed each other to reach the various levels of the course. A good day was had by all. Many of the Scouts even said they would like to return to the park soon!

Star Scout Completes Bernard Harris SUPERNOVA Award!

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My name is Titus Er from Troop 20, in Oak Hill Virginia. From the NCAC BSA council, I am a Star Scout, currently working to achieve Life rank, and a 7th grader at Rachel Carson Middle School. I completed the SUPERNOVA Bernard Harris Award on July 2nd, 2020. In order to receive this award, I completed NOVA Whoosh, Shoot, Splash, and watched a total of 9 hours of STEM related videos (which was quite difficult!).

I have to admit that I am not a huge STEM fan, so these requirements were especially difficult for me. Each NOVA award takes roughly around 4-6 hours including the 3 hours of videos. I had to glean information from the videos, watch very carefully, analyze the information and take notes on it. This requires 100% concentration which was challenging for me, because I wasn’t necessarily always interested in the topic, although many videos were interesting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have a huge advantage because of the amount of time I have to watch videos and complete the requirements for the NOVA. During a school week, I don’t have the time to complete as many requirements, because I am busy with school, sports, practicing instruments, and homework. Since there is a pandemic and school’s out, and most activities shut down, I was able to work with my mentor virtually to discuss the requirements.

My first NOVA award was Shoot. I completed it on April 23rd, 2020. It was a challenging NOVA, because space was a topic I rarely researched before. One of the requirements stated to research a satellite in your area and take a look at it in space. My Dad and I stood outside when it was freezing for 15-30 minutes! We saw two lights in the sky, and were determining which one was the right satellite. When we finally truly saw the satellite, it was very small from afar. It was truly a great experience doing this NOVA.

My second NOVA was Whoosh completed on June 1st, and at first I thought that the NOVA was about wind! I found out that it wasn’t, but I learned so much from it. During Elementary School, I learned a lot about simple machines, but doing this NOVA award took it to a whole new level. I discovered energy and how energy works in different simple machines, and I looked at ordinary places such as playgrounds and saw how simple machines were involved. It was a fascinating topic, because I realized now that energy is moving everywhere! I will never regret doing this NOVA.

My third NOVA, and last required NOVA was Splash completed on June 9th. This was a NOVA award I was certainly looking forward to. After doing this NOVA award, I was very aware of the long and relaxed showers I was taking and made sure to cut them by half. I learned that water is essential in everyday life. We simply cannot live without it, and I became aware that drinking water is not the only thing vital to our survival. After looking at the crazy amount of water that my family was using, I decided we had to change. I am very glad that this NOVA award has changed my mindset about water, and forever will.
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In addition to completing NOVA awards, the scout has to complete the requirements in the SUPERNOVA itself. One of the requirements is earning the Scholarship Merit Badge. At first, I thought that this merit badge was going to get me into a college for free, although that is not true. I did certainly learn from it though. One of the big challenges for me was contacting my Principal and asking for a letter about my good behavior, leadership, and service. I was nervous about this because I seldom talked to my Principal, and I was afraid of what she would say. In the end I got a great response.

Another challenging requirement was conducting an experiment for a Cub Scout Den. This was difficult for me, because I did not know a lot of experiments and did not participate in many experiments. I was quite good at magic, so I decided to incorporate magic into my experiment. I had to do some research about my specific magic trick, and I figured out that every magic trick has scientific reasoning. In addition, because of COVID I had to do it virtually. I honed my communication skills, because I had to look at the camera and not my experiment. In the end, I was very satisfied with my experiment, because I figured out how to incorporate science into my life in a very fun way for me.

I also learned about the Scientific Method, and as I researched a topic, I had to figure out the two competing theories about the topic. I also had to figure out which theory I thought was more accurate and had more facts. On top of that, I had to make a slideshow for my mentor and analyze the controversies and competing theories of each topic. I have never really researched a single topic, and analyzed two theories so this was a new challenge to me. I enjoy researching, so this was a great experience for me. I am sure this activity will help me do better in my studies and I hope that I will use the Scientific Method my whole life.

Overall I enjoyed this Bernard Harris SUPERNOVA award, and I think that it will help me in my studies throughout my life. It will help me get a much better understanding of STEM, and will allow me to better appreciate science. After accomplishing this SUPERNOVA award, I feel like I have grown in my understanding of STEM.

For all scouts out there, I highly recommend doing NOVA and SUPERNOVA awards, because it really enhances your knowledge, from Science, Technology, Engineering, to Mathematics, and helps you get a much better understanding of the world and how it functions. It may be a challenging journey, but it is definitely worth your time. After completing the Bernard Harris SUPERNOVA, you will feel a deep sense of satisfaction inside your mind. Whenever you see the medal, you will know that you worked hard for the award. These are STEM topics that will help you in different aspects of life.

Aquia and Mattaponi Scouts Team Up to Retire Old Glory with Proper Respect and Honors

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Troop 1889 of Aquia District, in conjunction with Troop 1422 of Mattaponi District, participated in a Flag Retirement ceremony hosted by the American Legion Post 320 in Spotsylvania County. Troop 1889 collected about 85 tattered U.S. Flags that needed to be properly retired with due respect and honors. These were added to the several hundred that the American Legion already had gathered from the community.

On August 15, 2020, Troop 1889 Scouts (Jackson, Jake, Bobby, Wesley, Tyler, and Daniel) and adult Scout Leaders, as well as three Scouts and the Scoutmaster from Troop 1422, reported to the American Legion at 10:00 AM to prepare the Flags and set them out on metal bars. At 2:00 PM, they all participated in the Flag Retirement Ceremony where over 350 flags were retired with dignity and honor while a bugler played taps. From the collection of worn U.S. Flags to the retirement ceremony, Scouts completed about 7 hours of community service while practicing social distancing.

The Founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell said: “The teaching of service is not merely a matter of teaching in theory, but the development of two distinct phases: the inculcation of the spirit of goodwill, and the provision of opportunity for its expression in practice. The teaching is mainly through example and … patriotic dedication of self to the service of [others], solely for the joy of doing it and without thought of material reward.” The Scouts of Troop 1889 and 1422 and their adult Scout Leaders clearly exemplified this kind of patriotic service in their honoring of U.S. Flags deserving of proper and respectful retirement.

A Second Aquia District Scouts BSA No-Contact Food Drive in August – Continuing to Serve Stafford Safely

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As summer drew to a close, Aquia District Scouts BSA focused their efforts on helping Stafford Community residents by holding a second No Contact Food Drive on August 22, 2020, due to the planning and leadership of Aquia District Scouter Laura Curran. Scouts and their families suspended their preparations for the school year for a moment and instead did their Good Turn by collecting 4,353 pounds of food to help replenish the dwindling supplies of local Stafford County pantries.

Like the Scouts BSA food drive service project in May, the goal was to support local pantries and keep Scouts, their families, pantry volunteers and donors all safe by maintaining safe physical distancing. Scouts were asked to help in whatever way they deemed appropriate for their family’s circumstances. When Scouts answered the call, they spread the word of the event virtually, shared flyers with neighbors and donned masks to collect donations from doorsteps and driveways. Some Scout units worked with their neighborhood homeowners’ associations to share information and created neighborhood collections points. The drop off point for residents who heard about the drive was operated with safety of all at the forefront.

Stafford pantries were grateful for the donations, as the need to help those affected by the pandemic continues. The pantries are expecting a prolonged demand due to corona-virus related job loss and furloughs and still need support to continue their fight against food insecurity. Donations of food via food drives are the main source of non-perishables for these food pantries.

This coming November, Aquia District Scouts BSA will be conducting “Scouting For Food,” a national food drive Scout BSA campaign. For this event held annually in November, Scouts “Do a Good Turn” to help Stafford County and Dumfries food pantries stock their shelves, not just for the holidays, but for the months beyond.

This year’s Scouting For Food may look a little different with the added emphasis on the safety of all participants. However, Aquia District Scouts BSA will continue to do their part to meet the needs of Stafford County, their efforts perpetuated by them living the Scout Oath for service to others by “Helping Other People At All times.”