We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

Post 1010 Competes in Engineering Challenge

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Explorer Post 1010 annually competes in four engineering challenges – FIRST Tech Robotics (FTC), Team America Rocketry (TARC), Botball Robotics, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). This year, all four teams did well in local and regional events, making it to the highest level tournaments in their respective competition. In April, the FTC team travelled to the world championship in Detroit, Michigan. The TARC teams competed in the national championship in May in The Plains, Virginia. In July the Botball team travelled to Indian Wells, California to compete in the global Botball tournament. And finally in August, the drone team competed in the national UAS competition in Muncie, Indiana. It was a great year for growth, opportunity, and fun. Many of the leaders went off to college in September, so it looks like 2019 will be a rebuilding year. See more at their website: http://post1010.org.

Vietnamese Scouts Celebrate Culture & Scouting @ Camp Snyder

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This summer, Thẳng Tiến returned to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area for the first time in 20 years, and Camp William H. Snyder was thrilled to be the host site for the largest gathering of Vietnamese Scouts in the nation. For 7 days from June 28th to July 4th, Vietnamese Scouts from around the globe for a week of action-packed adventure and fellowship, This year’s theme was “Tighten our Bond & Set New Record”.

Washington, DC District Celebrates Ten Years and Honors Three Scouters with District Award of Merit

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From left: William Hemsley, Rhonda Gray, Thomas Scofield

The Washington, DC, District is now 10 years old and still going strong! Back in June 2008, the National Capital Area Council made some changes to existing boundaries and created three new Districts, including the consolidation of the Horizon and Benjamin Banneker Districts into the new Washington, DC District. 10 years later, only the Washington, DC District remains unchanged.

DC Scouters celebrated the 10th birthday of our District at our annual Family Picnic and Awards Campfire on June 12 in Rock Creek Park, where Scouts and Scouters sang a rousing “Happy Birthday” — led by two 10-year-old girl Webelos Scouts!

As part of the celebration, the Washington, DC District presented the District Award of Merit — the top honor a District can award to Scouters for rendering service of an outstanding nature — to three excellent and deserving Scouters. Receiving of the District Award of Merit were:

  • Ms. Rhonda Gray, who currently serves as the District Vice Chair for Membership; and the Committee Chair for Pack & Troop 1650
  • Mr. William Hemsley, who currently serves as the District Vice Chair for Finance; and the Chartered Organization Representative for Pack, Troop, & Crew 343
  • Mr. Thomas Scofield, who currently serves as the District Vice Chair for Camping and Outdoor Program; the Scoutmaster Troop 380; and the Order of the Arrow, DC Chapter, Associate Adviser
Two Webelos Scouts from Pack 666 lead us in song!

You can view more photos from the event on the District website at familycampfire.Scoutingindc.org.

DC Scouts and Scouters should mark their calendars for this Scouting year’s District Camporees. The District Fall Camporee is October 19 – 21, 2018 at State Forest in Brandywine, MD, and the District Spring Camporee is April 26 – 28, 2019 at Kings Landing Park in Huntingtown, MD.

All District and Council events can be found on our online calendar at calendar.Scoutingindc.org.

STEM University

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On June 9, 2018, the NCAC STEM Committee held the 3rd annual STEM University at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, VA. A special thanks to scouters and Microsoft employees, Damon DeSonier and Bill Cunnane, as well as Microsoft Corporation for making the facility available!

The day kicked off with an Einstein’s Science fair where Cubs and Scouts presented in a poster board style. Then adults and youth split off to separate activities. The adults engaged in a STEM & Special Needs session, and then selected from the following trainings: Supernova Mentor & Nova Counselor Training, Hands-on Science Activities, and STEM Roadmap to Success for Troops and STEM for Cub Scouts.

The Cub Scouts attended 6 rotations led by Boy Scout and adult leaders. Several of the activities helped with the new Nova Award, Fearful Symmetry!

Seneca Webelos Scout Awarded Medal of Merit

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Back row: Camille Finley(mother), Lois Finley (grandmother), Fritz Finley (father), Matthew Beyers (District Chair)
Front row: Graeme Finley, Vivien Finley (sister)

by Matthew Beyers, Chair, Seneca District

In June, Seneca District proudly awarded one of it’s youngest Scouts one of Scouting’s highest honors – the Medal of Merit. In July 2017, while working on his boat with his 82 year old grandfather John, 10-year-old Graeme of Pack 694 heard a splash and realized the John had fallen between the boat and dock. With his grandfather in a post-surgery weakened state, Graeme immediately threw a line to his grandfather and then yelled for help. Nearby adults pulled his grandfather from the harbor and the paramedics were summoned to check him out – all was good and Graeme, now at Troop 496, was awarded the Medal of Merit for doing the right thing at the right time under extreme pressure. Congratulations Graeme!

This Lone Scout Stays Connected Through Geocaching

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Three years ago, Cub Scout Pack 63, Aquia District, Stafford was looking for a way to offer an activity that the Scouts and families could do together and that would fit into their summer calendars. They decided on geocaching because the Scouts would learn a valuable skill while the entire family could participate in an outdoor adventure. It’s often hard to find a date when everyone can attend a summer Pack function, so we offer geocaching in addition to traditional summer activities like resident camps for Cubs and Webelos, Potomac Nationals Scout Night, etc. Our Scouts have gone geocaching locally and while traveling on summer vacations.

Lorraine Lince, the Packs Lion Leader had kept up with a fellow Wood Badge staff member and this spring realized the staffer and his family were currently living in Warsaw Poland. Lorrain discovered Dmitri, their son, was in the Lone Scout program and had no Pack to interact with in Poland. Since geocaching is done world-wide, she thought this would be a great way to help Dmitri stay connected to a Pack and provide a fun Scouting activity for his family as well. With NCAC’s permission, Pack 63 offered him the chance to participate with us to earn the National Summertime Award remotely. He and his family were thrilled to join in and are having a great time with it!

So far, he has found geocaches at Żelazowa Wola (the birthplace of Frederic Chopin), in Warsaw, Poland and a special cache in Gdańsk, Poland placed in honor of Alf Liczmański, an early Polish Scout and later a Scoutmaster. Dimitri is doing the same as all other Pack 63 families do: for each cache he and his family finds they post to the Pack’s Facebook page for everyone to see. It has been a great learning experience for both the Cubs here in the United States and for Dmitri in Poland. At the end of the summer, we will send him a special Pack 63 Geocaching Participation Certificate and certify that he has earned the National Summertime Award.