Adventures of Pack-Man and Newbie – Knots
scouting
Troop 98 Eagle Scout Service Project Creates a New Zen Garden at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
In January 2020, Stefan Morgan, a Life rank Scout with Scouts BSA Troop 98, chartered by St. Anthony of Padua Church in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington, DC, led two weekends of work to bring his Eagle Scout Service Project to life.
Stefan oversaw his months of planning and hard work come over two weekends of hard work by a combination of scouts, scouters, students, and neighbors. Together, all of these volunteers executed Stefan’s plans and worked under his leadership to build a new Zen garden on the grounds of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, part of the District of Columbia Public Schools in Northwest Washington, DC.
The new Zen garden includes two benches, decorative rocks, and sand; and has created a new quiet, calming, and contemplative space for students and neighbors alike to enjoy.
Stefan’s work included all aspects of planning and design of the Zen garden, securing financial support and donations of materials, and planning and coordinating multiple days of work in two different locations.
Thank you to all of the volunteers, scouts and scouters of Troop 98, and congratulations to Stefan on your hard work, and completing this very difficult step on your trek to Eagle!
Troop 35 Scouts “Telecamping” Program – Can’t Keep Good Scouts from Doing!!
Scoutmaster Kevin Huddleston of Troop 35, Occoquan District, recently earned his Wood Badge Beads as a successful graduate of NCAC’s Spring 2019 Wood Badge Course, despite the advent and disruption of CORVID-19. What great leadership! What great Scout Spirit! What a great example of Baden-Powell’s quote that: ‘A Scout whistles and smiles under any circumstance.’ You just can’t keep a good Scouter down!”
Scoutmaster Huddleston’s Scouts are following his fine example of Leading Change! Huddleston said that, “I held a Zoom Patrol Leader Council [PLC] meeting; my PLC hate that their parents are ALL telecommuting, as their parents are driving them (the Scouts) crazy. So my Senior Patrol Leader [SL] and two Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders [ASPL] came up with a Patrol Competition called ‘TELECAMPING’. We recorded our intro via Zoom. If you want to use this to keep your Patrols and Troop and Scouts connected, excited and sustained – use away. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
Below is the YouTube video Huddleston made of his SPL and ASPLs in a Zoom PLC that was then sent to all Troop 35 Patrol Leaders and their Scouts:
We are all looking for ways to keep our Scouts actively engaged, moving forward and Doing their Best. Through youthful enthusiasm, imagination and creativity, Scouts will find a way, when given the opportunity by adults. Well done to the Adult & Youth Leaders of Troop 35!
A final thought from Baden-Powell: “The [Scout] is not governed by don’t, but is led by do.” Let’s keep the doing in Scouting!
Troop 440 Donates 220 Bag Lunches to Homeless Shelter
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.
NCAC Virtual Meetings Webinar
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.
Troop 160 of Chantilly, VA Hatches 200 Eagle Scouts in 34 years
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!”