We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

Lab 1576 Holds Electronics Showcase

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Lab 1576, the first STEM Scouts unit in NCAC, held an electronics showcase this past Saturday.

The ADAMS Center sponsored the first Junior STEM Scouts Lab in NCAC, Lab 1576. Over the past few months, these STEM Scouts learned about electronics and innovated “Community Buzzers”, “Burglar Alarms”, and “Electronic Basketball” using littleBits electronics. Their next module is Squishy, Gooey Chemistry. Stay tuned for more fun projects!

STEM Scouts is a national pilot program focused on fun ways for girls and boys to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The National Capital Area Council adopted the program this past fall, thus making STEM Scouts open to boys and girls in three divisions: grades 3-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12.

In the STEM Scouts program, educational content, developed and vetted by STEM educators, is designed to be immersive and to inspire teamwork, problem solving and independent thinking. Through hands-on activities delivered directly to the unit, this 26-week program is ultimately designed to be challenging, thought-provoking and, especially, fun.

For more information on STEM Scouting, please visit www.stemscouts.org.

26th Camporee Centroamericano

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Phillip Fantozzi and his son Jack, a 2nd Class Scout, recently attended the 26th Camporee Centroamericano in Honduras. What follows are their thoughts and recollections on the experience. Thank you to Phillip and Jack for sharing.

Phillip Fantozzi
My son Jack and I attended the 26th Camporee Centroamericano, which was held 26-31 December 2019 near the town of Valle de Angeles, which is about 30 minutes outside Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. We were the only 2 BSA Scouts out of about 1,000 scouts from Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama.

We had a great time at the event. Jack slept in a troop tent with members of Troop 23 from Tegucigalpa who were very friendly and welcoming. The event was split into 4 “trails,” focusing on service, sports, cultural activities, and scoutcraft. We ate our meals at the mess hall and were transported to different events in Honduran Army trucks.

Jack Fantozzi
One of my most interesting experiences as a scout is the Central American Scout Camporee 2018. There were hundreds of scouts there from all over the region, from Mexico to Panama. I went with Troop 23 (“Panteras” or “Panthers”) from Honduras. I live in Honduras near their meeting place in a park, and I was already a 2nd Class scout so I went to learn about scouting in other countries.

It was interesting being the only American scout at the Camporee. I traded BSA patches the first night, and the rest of the time I was there I constantly had scouts asking to trade. There were long conversations about scouting, selfies, and even videos of us talking to people about BSA. It was an interesting experience, and I think everyone should try to go to an international scouting event once in their lifetime. It is a growing, learning, and changing experience.

All photos courtesy of Phillip Fantozzi.

Troop 98 Scout’s Eagle Service Project Featured by Several Local News Outlets

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Boy Scout Patrick Donnelly’s Eagle Scout community service project has attracted the attention of his neighborhood through local support and news coverage.

Patrick’s Eagle Scout project will bring 10 new Little Free Libraries across the neighborhoods of Ward 4 of Washington, D.C. bringing more books to the neighborhood beyond the one public library.

Patrick is a Life Scout in Troop 98, the Troop is chartered by at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Two weekends of work in January by scouts, scouters, and neighbors made quick work of the cutting, building, painting, and finishing of the buildings. Installation of the libraries will take place in the coming weeks and months.

The motivation for Patrick’s project was to help improve literacy in his community by making more books available and easy to access. His project has also received support from the community, through a GoFundMe campaign, a $500 grant from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B, Annie’s Ace Hardware in Brookland, Galliher and Huguely in Takoma, and WT Construction in Manor Park.

Patrick’s work has also captured other local news coverage. The DC Line a local news organization profiled Patrick’s project in the story “Boy Scout prepares to seed Ward 4 neighborhoods with free book exchanges.” The DC Line story was highlighted in the Washington City Paper‘s “District Line Daily” .

Patrick was also interviewed about his project during the evening Fox 5 TV newscast on January 10, 2019.

50 People Attend Scouts BSA Troop 248 for Girls’ First Welcome Party

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DC-based Scouts BSA Troop 248 for Girls is pleased to report that it hosted more than 50 people at their most recent open house and Welcome Party. As a result they now have applications for 17 girl-members and 18 adult volunteers on their Troop Committee. And that’s just a start. Interested girls can still attend their final Welcome Party on Saturday, January 19 from 10 to 11 am.

Current and new girl members also received one of the Troop’s custom-made hats. They are specially designed just for 248 Troop for Girls. It has a shorter visor, is the same BSA green color, and looks great on.

For more information, visit DC Scouts BSA Troop 248 for Girls’ homepage at http://scoutsbsadcgirls.org/.  Or head to their Welcome Party this Saturday at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Ave., NW, Washington, DC and meet some of their girl members. More info on the welcome party, including transportation tips, can be found at http://scoutsbsadcgirls.org/how-to-join/ . The first Troop meeting is on February 2nd where they will also welcome prospective members, as well as on their first overnight campout on March 8 – 10.

Scout Builds Bicycle Shed for Brisben Center

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Fifteen-year-old Nolan Ragon protects a critical means of transportation for homeless adults by raising over $4,000 for Eagle Scout project

The Thurman Brisben homeless shelter, the largest full-service, emergency homeless shelter in the Fredericksburg area, keeps many bicycles on hand so residents can get to work and necessary appointments.  The Center also makes children’s bicycles available for the 90 or so boys and girls who come through the shelter every year.  Due to a lack of space, the bicycles were stored outside in every kind of weather, which negatively impacted their functioning and longevity.

But not anymore. To solve this problem, Nolan Ragon, a 15-year-old Scout from Boy Scout Troop #845 in North Stafford, planned, financed, and constructed a 20’ x 12’ shed for their storage.

Nolan first assessed the Center’s need for a suitable Eagle project with Joe Hargrove, the Brisben Center’s Volunteer Coordinator.  After deciding on a bicycle shed, Nolan recruited 30 volunteers, including his father, to help with the planning and building.  Through yard sales and online sales of donated items, he raised over $4,000.  He also negotiated with the store manager of the Lowe’s on Rt. 610 in Stafford on the sale of building supplies at store cost. It took 495 man-hours to complete the project.  Nolan and his volunteers are quite proud of how it turned out.

“It is very, very solid and will last many years,” remarked Joe Hargrove with satisfaction, “and the bicycles will last longer, too.  Nolan has done an incredible job.”

Staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Center provides a safe and secure temporary residence for up to 80 women, children, and men at a time.  In addition to food and shelter, the Center provides intensive case management and other services that enable residents to resolve their crises and move back into housing.  Thanks to Nolan’s work in preserving their bike fleet and lessening maintenance requirements, the Center’s resources will go a little bit farther in delivering its mission.

Troop 447 Scores a “Triple Triple”

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On Jan. 5, 2019, Troop 447, Rockville, MD, held a rare quadruple Eagle Court of Honor for its four newest Eagle Scouts: Andrew T. Green, David E. Hinds, Jeremiah K. Whitney and Matthew S. King. These young men became Troop 447’s 136th, 137th, 138th and 139th Eagle Scouts since the troop was formed in 1950. Remarkably, each of them began their Eagle trail in the same den in Cub Scout Pack 928.

The event was truly remarkable in yet another way. It marked a “triple triple” for Troop 447. Andrew Green is the youngest of the three sons of Assistant Scoutmaster John and Sonya Green. Both of Andrew’s older brothers, Robert and William, became Eagle Scouts through Troop 447. Matthew King is the youngest of the three sons of Assistant Scoutmaster David and Helena King. Both of his older brothers, Joe and Noah, became Eagle Scouts through Troop 447. In attendance at the Court of Honor were Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle Mentor Chuck and Sue Aubertin, parents of three sons, Michael, Gregory and Douglas, all of whom became Eagle Scouts through Troop 447. Three sets of three brothers from three 447 families, all Eagle Scouts — a “triple triple” for the troop.

The event was even more historic because it was multi-generational. “Mattie” King’s proud father, David King, Troop 447’s 36th Eagle Scout, administered the Eagle Charge during the ceremony. “I never thought, as a 16-year-old Eagle Scout in 1978, that I would have three sons and they would all become Eagles,” said Mr. King. Also in attendance was Mattie’s grandfather, David J. King, Sr., who was a member of Troop 447 in the 1950’s and an adult leader in the troop in the 1970’s. Mattie’s great grandfather, Albert T. King, was also a Troop 447 adult leader. Scoutmaster Steve Pirozzi and Master of Ceremonies and former Scoutmaster Charlie Griffiths presided over the Court held at the Rockville United Methodist Church, the chartered organization for both Troop 447 and Pack 928.

Photos courtesy of Chuck Aubertin, Cindy Griffiths, and John Green.