Pack 1156, chartered by the Sterling United Methodist Church participated in the Siren Salute to the Health Care professionals at INOVA Loudoun Hospital Friday, May 1st. Not only was it one to complete Day 15 or the Build My Own Hero adventure in the Webelos Challenge it was a true honor to thank and support all the hard working Health Care Workers (Doctors, Nurses, Administrative and Support Staff) along with our communities First Responders.
The boys from Dens 6 and 7 from Troop 1344 in Burke, Va. were able to complete one of their Arrow of Light Adventures last week, despite being in lockdown to address COVID-19.
The boys had already completed most of their requirements for the Build a Better World Adventure and had scheduled a meeting with Supervisor Pat Herrity of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to meet the final requirement. But when the shutdown of in-person events in the National Capital Area Council cancelled that meeting, Den Leaders Kim Painter and Craig Carroll decided to see what else they could do to keep the boys engaged and moving forward.
The boys met with Supervisor Herrity on a Zoom video conference, with everyone’s parents’ permission of course. The boys were able to learn about why local government is so important (especially now), some of the challenges of being a local leader, and ask questions about many issues facing our community. Many parents joined on the conference as well, and Supervisor Herrity told all the boys how important it was to keep on the path to Eagle Scout.
Not only are the Dens continuing advancement (with an online science experiment also scheduled for later this month and many boys targeting the Townes Supernova science award), but Pack 1344 Cubmaster Chris Yurasko is leading video Scoutmaster minutes and other dens are organizing virtual Den meetings and completing requirements.
Doing their best to deal with a challenging situation, Pack 1344 is charging ahead to ensure that the boys have fun activities, and keep advancing and learning.
The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is now accepting adult unit leader applications for the 2021 National Scout Jamboree NCAC provisional Scout Troops and Venturing Crews. The 2021 Jamboree will be held July 21-30, 2021 at the Summit Bechtel Family Reserve in West Virginia. NCAC plans to send to the National Jamboree twelve Scout Troops, including at least one Girls Troop and two co-ed Venturing Crews.
The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is now accepting adult unit leader applications for the 2021 National Scout Jamboree NCAC provisional Scout Troops and Venturing Crews. The 2021 Jamboree will be held July 21-30, 2021 at the Summit Bechtel Family Reserve in West Virginia. NCAC plans to send to the National Jamboree twelve Scout Troops, including at least one Girls Troop and two co-ed Venturing Crews.
To ensure a successful Jamboree, the council requires qualified and committed adult leadership. Each troop requires three adult leaders over the age of 21, a Scoutmaster and a First and Second Assistant, as well as one adult between the ages of 18-21 to serve as Third Assistant. Crews require both male and female adult leaders over the age of 21. Members from the NCAC Jamboree Committee will review all applications to assess leader qualifications and experience, followed by interviews of qualified applicants in spring of 2020.
Adult leader applicants should register as an adult leader on the national Jamboree website AND complete the Unit Leaders Experience Survey (links below). The NCAC Unit Leader Experience Survey must be submitted to the council office (National Capital Area Council, Attn: Eric Smith, Program Director, 9190 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) not later than 01 August 2020. Selected applicants will be notified in late summer and for those who are not selected, you may at that time amend your registration for a staff position at the Jamboree.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Chair of the NCAC Jamboree Committee, Bob MacKichan at bobmackichan@gmail.com.
Jamboree Registration: https://jamboree.scouting.org/
Council Survey: https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/DuTwg6fn4FnLvoUcbrsSmGrG
On April 8th, in the day and age of social distancing, our Troop (individually and in their own homes) prepared 220 bag lunches for Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring, MD for “OPERATION SANDWICH.”
Shepherd Table’s mission is to provide help to people who are homeless or in need by providing basic services, including meals, social services, medical support, clothing, and other assistance in an effective and compassionate manner.
Troop 440 had one Parent/Scout do all the shopping, sorting and delivering of supplies (to porches) and then another Parent/Scout collected the completed lunches from their fellow Scout’s porches the following afternoon and delivered the lunches to Shepherd’s Table. Almost 75% of our Troop families participated and the whole thing was completed in just over 24 hours! Remember a Scout is Helpful.
The National Capital Area Council invites you to a meeting…. about meetings. Join us for a webinar to learn strategies for conducting engaging and safe meetings online.
The Marketing and Communications committee has set guidelines for best practices that will help you succeed in unit meetings and online programming. We will hear from both key volunteers and from a Scouts BSA troop about their experiences.
This webinar is open to all unit leaders and youth leaders.
Youth members participating should have a parent/guardian’s permission to attend and should be supervised per their family’s standards.
* How to safely hold meetings online
* Suggested technology
* Online meetings and youth protection
* Strategies to encourage participation
* Council’s published guidelines related to online activities and advancement
* Virtual tours and quiz engines
This is a 40 minute presentation followed by 20 minutes for open questions.
Time: Apr 9, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Apr 9, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: NCAC Virtual Meetings Webinar
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HWUfXT_yRlCWRqbVaZ2HsQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
On March 11, Fairfax County’s Troop 160 awarded Ryan Tully of Chantilly the rank of Eagle Scout. He is the 200th Scout to reach the rank of Eagle Scout in the Troop’s 34-year history.
The event was held at the Troop’s regular weekly meeting at Franklin Middle School in Chantilly, VA. The Troop has been sponsored by the Franklin Middle School PTA sine 1986. Currently, Troop 160 has 104 Scouts and is 1 of 652 Boy Scout Troops in the National Capital Area Council.
“We don’t know how many other Troops in the National Capital Area or across the country have reached the milestone of 200 Eagle scouts, but it’s not a lot,” says John Wolsborn, Troop 160 Committee Chair and adult leader. “We spend a great deal of time on both fun and high adventure activities. But we’re always focused on achievement in the Troop. We try to do all we can to help scouts become Eagles. We’re equally proud of Ryan and the 199 scouts who came before him.”
To commemorate this milestone, Troop 160’s first Eagle Scout, Chip Free, attended the event and spoke to attendees about his experiences as a member of the Troop and earning the rank of Eagle. Free earned his Eagle Scout award in 1987 and is now a Scoutmaster of Troop 503 in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Free says “I was honored to participate in Ryan’s Eagle review and ceremony. It was great to see how active and robust the troop is, as they continue to guide boys on the path to becoming Eagle Scouts.”
Also in attendance were a large number of current and former Scoutmasters, as well as a number of other Eagle Scout alumni.
Over 34 years, Troop 160 Scouts have led a wide variety of Eagle project efforts, including: construction/building projects for numerous area schools, churches and other community organizations; food, blood and other drives for food banks, homeless shelters; as well as other types of community service projects. Tully’s Eagle Scout project in 2019 was building a long wooden walkway through marshland for the Bluebell Trail at Manassas Regional Park. Free’s Eagle project in 1987 was building an outdoor classroom for Franklin Middle School.
District Scout Executive Todd Bolick says “I am proud to see the outstanding 34 year legacy of Troop 160 continuing from its first Eagle Scout in 1987 to the Troop’s 200th Eagle Scout in 2020. This Troop and the Franklin Middle School PTA have assisted their community by providing the Scouting program for generations. Here’s to seeing the next generation of Eagle Scouts continuing that legacy and providing countless hours of service and leadership!”
