Wed, 06 Dec 2023 14:03:39 -0800WeeblySat, 18 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/a-scout-is-helpfulDear Scouts,

Days are getting shorter. The sun in Barrow Alaska will not be seen for the next 65 days. Glad it’s not so dark here but as always, be prepared for lower light conditions with flashlights, for the next few months.

This weekend is Turkey Drive/Turkey Truck. Please help out and bring a frozen turkey in front of St. Bernards Church in Monument Square. In addition to loads of scouts and scouters, we will have a couple of Troop132 alums joining us, one in his new class A’s (Ben) and Lucas to help out. I warmly welcome all alums who will be home to come by and if available, come to our Holiday party December 19th!

This week, we will hear more about Warners’ Pond. I was really impressed with all the scouts good behavior for our last speaker. I was very proud that you listened and asked good questions as you hosted the speakers from Friends of Warners Pond. It’s a complex issue and you see first hand how you and fellow citizens can participate in public discussion and influence decisions. Well done!

Congratulations to Lincoln and Nathaniel for summitting Mt. Washington and thanks to the scouts who participated in the Town of Concord Flag Retirement Ceremony on Veterans Day.

Please help out with Grady’s Eagle project on Saturday - even if you haven't signed up, or can't stay for an entire shift, stop by and lend a hand. I know all of you have very busy schedules but “do your good turn daily” and remember our oath to help other people at all times! Live the oath and law. That’s what scouts do.

The Court of Honor is coming up. Please invite your family and friends to help celebrate all you have accomplished! 

For those working on Family Life MB, don’t forget to do your chores.  

Remember to “Do your good turn daily”.
 
YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster
]]>Sat, 11 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/honoring-our-veteransDear Scouts,

Just a reminder of the importance of Veterans Day, which serves as a solemn tribute to the men and women who have selflessly served in the US military. It reaffirms our national values of duty, honor, selflessness, civic responsibility, and passion for our country - values that all scouts also seek to emulate.

Veterans Day also gives us a chance to show our gratitude for all the sacrifices our Veterans made - and continue to make - to ensure our safety and freedom. 

Let's honor them this Veterans Day. And remember to “Do your good turn daily.”

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster]]>Sat, 04 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/supporting-our-communityDear Scouts,

Happy Halloween this week. While we did not have a Troop meeting, the adults met at the Troop Committee Meeting to discuss and support the Troop for the upcoming events and projects.

Advancement
Automotive Merit Badge – This Saturday at 9 am, at the Duggans (115 Upland Road), scouts can earn your Automotive Merit Badge. Oil and filter change, cabin and air filter checks, tire rotations and multi point inspections will be done with hand-on learning. While this is a continuation of a previous session, feel free to come and get started and you can finish at a later date. For those who started, this is a chance to complete it.

Family Life Merit Badge – The next check-in session is is planned for Tuesday Nov 7 at 6pm. The next check-in dates are Tuesday Dec 12 and January 30. All participants should be working on chores and have plans for their projects.

Warners Pond and Scout Meetings
First, a reminder that our original plan for having two speakers talk about Warners Pond on Nov 6 is not happening, but we have a revised plan in place. Thanks to Cole for kicking off our review of this issue, and for continuing to gather Troop feedback. This process aligns well with the Citizenship of the Community Merit Badge, and shows how what we learn impacts our scouting program – and our community.

As most of you know, the Scout House owns Scout Island in Warners Pond, and thus is a party to this discussion. While COVID certainly put a damper on our ability to meet and co-mingle at Scout Island, it remains a treasured memory for older scouts, and hope that get back there again for Cross-Over, for newer scouts.

To understand the issue more fully, we will have Tracie from the “Friends of Warner Pond” present at the Troop meeting on November 7, and Delia Kaye, the Natural Resource Director for  the Town of Concord, present on November 21 meeting.  All parents are invited to these Troop meetings as well.

Upcoming Events
Veterans’ Day - Mt. Washington Climb & Campout and Concord’s Flag Retirement Ceremony - The upcoming Mt. Washington trip will is planned by and for the senior scouts attending, and is open to all scouts 14 or older, and First Class rank or higher, and those that are physically able to handle the climb. Note: any exceptions need to be approved by the Scoutmaster.

For scouts not attending Mt. Washington, we hope you will spend Veterans Day honoring those that served, by participating in the Town of Concord’s Flag Retirement Ceremony at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. It is a moving day, and we are proud to honor our veterans as a troop. Scouts from Carlisle, Bedford and Acton also often participate, so we would really like to have as many members of our troop participate as possible. Talk to your Scout Leader if you are interested in participating (or being Team Leaders).

The Annual Turkey Drive (aka Turkey Truck) – On November 19, we will host our annual Turkey Drive. We will organize in three shifts, starting 7:30-9:30am, 9:30-11:30am and 11:30- 3pm. We need 5-10 scouts for the first two shifts and can accommodate 3-5 on the last shift to help unload in Boston. A sign-up genius is on the way. In the meantime,get your frozen turkey 10-15lbs ready for donation. This is the 30th anniversary of the Turkey Drive, so let’s make Thanksgiving possible for many without the means to have a nice dinner.

Court Of Honor - Out COH is now scheduled for November 28 and we expect all scouts to attend and hope you bring a parent or, siblings, friends to celebrate your scouting journey and to celebrate those of your fellow scouts. Make sure you have all advancement information submitted and approved by November 14. And remember, the goal and aim of scouting is to be a good scout (aka – live the scout oath and law every day). It’s terrific that as you advance and learn new skills and help others (at all times).  Be supportive and be there.

I’m sure there are other points to make. Ramblewild is still on my mind as a great trip and I really enjoyed hanging in the tree tops with you all. Thanks again to Mrs. McLeod for putting this together.

Please see me in person for scoutmaster conferences and we will work it out either that night or at any one of our events.

Remember to “Do your good turn daily.”

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster]]>Sat, 28 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/camping-and-cooking-and-climbingDear Scouts,

Thanks to crew chief Nathanial and scouter Mrs. McLeod, who was our Ramblewild honcho, we had a great trip to the Berkshires last weekend. We had somewhat soggy and wet weather, which forced us to postpone the Mt. Greylock ANE hike to later (next spring?) but it was still had an excellent time camping, cooking and climbing at Ramblewild.

The campfire took some doing, but with Grady’s persistence, got it lit despite the wet kindling, and it developed into a very hot fire. We had to dry logs by the fire so they would burn. As a reminder, lighting a fire seems easy but never is, and sometimes is downright frustrating and smokey. This was one of those cases. Despite several attempts with flint, steel and various teepees and such, it did light and tool some fanning to get it going. Good team work in a challenging environment!

The meals were well prepared and the adults even got to taste the patrol cooking which was excellent. Long gone are days of Raman noodles, now replaced with Smashburgers a la Marcus and Steaks a la Matt ! Good meals and good fire and good night sleep!

As usual, Ramblewild was challenging and we did four runs including the blue. What makes this course really hard is the last runs are the hardest because they have you progressively show competence. So you start with easy ones, spend a lot of energy and keep going to the hardest at the end. By end the end, I was tired but kept going and glad I did. The cargo net was challenging but I made it.

Every scout was zooming through the courses at great speed and taking on challenges. I thought the team work and encouragement was heard everywhere and this is certainly a favorite trip.

Advancement Corner
Congratulations to Ethan, who passed his Board of Review for Tenderfoot and is well on his way to Second Class Rank, in a matter of days. 
Charlie led the troop on a hike Tuesday night to show us where his Eagle project will be built. The ground was a bit wet and soggy making a good case for his project on trail work. The short hike was very enjoyable for the scouts.

Family Life Merit Badge Meeting Schedule: November 7, December 12, and January 30, 6:00-6:45PM at Monument Hall
Family Life met earlier in the week and next meetings are: Nov 7, December 12, and January 30, 2024 - all sessions will take place at 6pm at Monument Hall.  In the meantime, everyone should be doing chores, family project, individual project and having a family meeting.

Warners Pond Update
Cole presented some thoughts on Warners Pond. This is where Scout Island is and has been the subject of much discussion lately. Cole presented an outline of the options to the Troop and we are arranging for guest speakers to present to the troop and then get feedback from the scouts on the issue. All who attend (in planning now, tentative for early November) will earn Citizenship of the Nation requirement 4 as shown below.

• Choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community; then do the following:
  • Find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue.
  • With your counselor's and a parent's approval, interview one person from the branch of government you identified in requirement 4a. Ask what is being done about this issue and how young people can help.
  • Share what you have learned with your counselor.

Here’s some more information https://www.savewarnerspond.com/.  https://concordma.gov/1677/Warners-Pond-Information   https://concordma.gov/615/Natural-Resources

There is a Warner’s Pond Public forum planned for Wednesday November 8 at 7pm. The scouts will learn about the alternatives and we are stakeholders in this and encourage engagement.

Finally, thanks to Grady and Adam for rewriting and rerecording the Troop 132 Public Service Announcement (PSA), which will be played often at CCHS's WIQH-FM all year long. We hope it will work to attract prospective scouts Troop 132!. 

Do your good turn daily.

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster
]]>Sat, 21 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/weather-wiseDear Scouts,

Ben Franklin was quoted as “Some are weatherwise, some are otherwise.” Our troop is, hopefully, “weatherwise!” Last month we had to cancel our sailing trip because of a hurricane/tropical storm and this month it’s rainstorms that are thwarting us. Thus, we have delayed the start of our trip to the Berkshires, based on the information we received. In addition to multiple inches of rain, the forecast indicates the possibility of thunderstorms. That’s enough to alter our plans and to cancel the hike up Mt. Greylock!

So our revised plan is to meet and muster at 12:30 pm at Scout House, and to head west to set up camp. Most likely we will be setting camp in the rain so prepare and dress appropriately.

The PLC met earlier this week to hammer out detailed planning and was great to have recent alum Jonah C. attend both the PLC and the Troop meetings!  We welcome all members of our troop back any time you can find time. The scouts learn from your experience and thanks for sharing how being a scout has helped you transition to college! Thanks Jonah! 

We also had our first Christmas Tree Pickup meeting, as that day of service is coming up soon, as is the Turkey Truck!  Lot’s of great service opportunities including the Coat and Hat Drive. Stay tuned for more information.

For those scouts working on Family Life, keep up the good work and for those camping this weekend, let’s make sure we are prepared.

Do your good turn daily.
 
YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster
]]>Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/getting-outdoorsDear Scouts,

Family Life Merit badge continues to evolve. This past week we had a discussion with what a chore is and is not. Your homework, while it might be a chore for you scouts, is not a family chore that contributes to the household. Great discussion and many are ready to begin. We also had some discussions on projects and plan to meet again next Tuesday. Then we can post a schedule over the next three months, most likely a once a month check in starting in November.

Many scout parents met downstairs Tuesday night while scouts had the meeting upstairs. I was a little late due to a prior meeting I had with my involvement on the Marine Committee with the Sea Education Association (www.sea.edu). They currently have a group of high school students out on board the SSV Cramer from Proctor Academy Oceans Classroom. The Cramer is the vessel I sailed earlier this year from St. Croix to Miami. The Cramer is currently in Lunenburg Nova Scotia and it sounds very exciting for these students who will then sail to Bermuda and Charlestown, SC. Glad to play a small role in SEA and believe it or not, it’s a lot like scouting. You are in a challenging environment; you work with other crew/patrols and learn to live and function as a unit!  They do have many programs and are worth checking out.

Take a moment and thank your parents for attending the meeting and helping create all these wonderful scouting opportunities like this upcoming Greylock and Ramblewild. Take a few moments and show them your book and entries for logging service hours, camping nights and the requirements you have signed off and earned. They might not know all the things you have learned so far and it’s good to share. We have a good year planned and it takes many to make this work and it’s certainly appreciated.
Next week we meet to have our Patrol Leader Council Meeting (PLC) on Monday, Family Life MB training and the Troop meeting on Tuesday (we will plan for our climb up Mt. Greylock and time on the Ramblewild ropes course at the Troop meeting).

I would strongly encourage all our scouts, especially the younger scouts, to attend any and all events and bring your book so you can work on advancements. You will have chances to prepare and cook meals, identify plants and animals among the many other requirements that can be met. Scouting is not just done in the Scout House but most especially, out in the wild. This is where you really learn; the meetings can then help us prepare, plan and regroup,  so we can do the real scouting is outside! Please join in.
In a couple weeks we will have one outdoor meeting and need to do more of those going forward.

The Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge finish-up is now planned for Saturday morning October 28; we ask that you signup again, at the sign-up sheet found here.

Do your good turn daily.

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster]]>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/opportunities-for-advancementDear Scouts,

We kicked off the Family Life Merit Badge training this week and have started to pick chores, family project and individual project. This is a family favorite for sure, and we look forward to continuing the discussion. Like any and all merit badges, it’s important to read the requirements carefully, especially instructions that say, “with your Merit Badge Counselor or SM approval” as this usually means “ask first.” Also, note where it says “discuss,” this means be prepared to have a dialog about the topic, not just filing out the workbook. It’s good discipline to write it down first because it helps you frame up what you are trying to say. Good luck and see you next Tuesday.

Thanks to many scouts and to Mr. Galluccio and Mr. Rzepczynski for helping with the (Drop-Off) Swap-Off. I think we were short scouts and adults and I only heard from a couple of you that were unable to make it. Let’s do better here with supporting this and each other because it often falls on the few who show up to do the work. I heard we got a bow saw and some other neat stuff all while helping our fellow Concordians unload gear.

We had a Troop Committee meeting Tuesday, back to our regular schedule; we welcome all parents to attend these meetings. This month, we discussed a number of good topics like recruitment and parent meetings, trips and upcoming activities; and even how we manage our shared drive, and we always need help and welcome input. One of the strengths of our troop is the involvement from many who make the job easier and create great scouting opportunities for us all.

Advancement:
Here's some tips for scouts for advancement. We as a troop are not pushing you to advance but our job is to provide opportunity and show you the way as a boy led troop. Our goal is to have good scouts being those that follow the oath and law. If you advance terrific because even if you just go camping and meetings you will learn and in most cases have sign-off on many of the requirements up to the rank of First Class.

First Class rank is a great goal because you then benefit from being able to go on high adventure trips and taking on positions of responsibility. Let me share some tips:

1. Share your scout book sign off pages and requirements with your parents. Let them into all the things you have done and working on. Maybe they can help!
2. You don’t need to go in order. Sometimes you can earn and complete a First Class requirement while at Scout or Tenderfoot rank. Look over the requirements and be tested by your patrol leader or ASPL, SPL. They are all here to help.
3. Don’t get stuck. It’s easy to do. Ask for some help at a camping trip or at meetings. Tell your patrol leader what you need and what you are working on like cooking. Volunteer to do the cooking at the next trip!
4. Bring your book with you on all events (and take pictures of your requirements)
5. Update service hours, camping nights, bike trips, hikes in your book. That’s what its for. This should serve you well in the future.

These are just a few tips. The other one I would recommend is focus on advancements over merit badges for the first couple years in scouting. Get your basics down and if you can handle more, great, sign up for a merit badge.

Ok, remind your parents we are having a Parent Meeting next Tuesday (Oct 10). We also need to move the scheduled Court of Honor to November 14 to accommodate some scheduling. This gives you a little more time to work on advancement!
Until then, enjoy the weekend and “Do you good turn daily.” Also, invite a friend to scouting or an event. Think about that!

Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster
]]>Sat, 30 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/drop-off-swap-offDear Scouts,

A big thank you to our SPL Nathaniel, who has done a super job as SPL starting with crew chief in Iceland then summer camp, which is one of the most challenging roles all the way through September. October 1 is this Sunday and our fall term for positions of responsibility start. Congratulations to Lincoln on being re-elected in a landslide to his second term as SPL. Nathaniel will back him up shifting to ASPL. Congratulations to Matt and Marcus for taking on Patrol Leader positions. These positions, including Den Chief, Quartermaster, Scribe are key positions that will also be shared at the senior level. We are lucky to have such dedicated senior scouts in our troop. 

This weekend is the Swap Off / Drop Off. This event was usually in October and this year moved to September. I will unfortunately not be able to attend as I planned a trip to the great north woods for ATV’s and to check on my snowmobiles. This was planned far in advance before the Swap Off was rescheduled. Many thanks to Mr. Galluccio and Mr. Rzepczynski for their dedicated service for this event. I invite other adults to help out too. Please coordinate with Mr. Galluccio. They could use the help.

Do you good turn daily.  

YiS,
Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster]]>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/busy-busy-busyBusy, Busy, Busy
September 23, 2023
 Dear Scouts,

This has been a busy scout week; PLC Monday night, Troop Meeting Tuesday and Troop Committee Meeting Wednesday. Let me give some highlights.

PLC Meeting: Under the leadership of our SPL Nathaniel, we went through most of the school year for planning. Adjustments have been reflected in an updated calendar. Take a look at the calendar (link is above) as some dates had to move around to account for holidays, including those for the PLC, Troop Committee Meeting and Troop Courts of Honor. Eagle COH are just placeholders, since this is up to the families to schedule, when scouts pass their Boards of Review. Eagle projects are not scheduled this far our as well as merit badge classes we conduct as well. I’ll be counting on some help to make sure the troop has all opportunities do to all these wonderful and challenging events. So please take a look.

The Troop meeting was focused on advancement, since there is a dearth of qualified scouts to hold Positions of Responsibility. That means the burden falls on a few. Our SPL will have APSL’s that are also serving as Scribe, Quartermaster and Den Chiefs. Do all you can to support them. We will be going to two patrols most likely led by Matt and Marcus, who will also train APL’s in the art and skills of patrol leadership. This is a very important role led by some very experienced scouts. Our aim is to help all those scouts who want to advance to First Class.

That said, if you don’t want to advance, that’s ok too. I like to think of our scouting as “stress free” scouting where if you want to advance great but our aim is to prepare and develop good scouts. What’s a good scout? Those that know, advance, believe and live the scout oath and law. Plain and simple.

The Troop Committee met at Monument Hall on Wednesday. We are in good shape financially;  our annual Christmas Tree fundraiser/ service project is on the horizon and will need “all hands on deck” for this. This is complicated, requires a great deal of planning but is extremely rewarding for our scouts and community. We need your help so stand by for more details.

The Troop Committee also voted to put a deposit on Maine High Adventure Canoe trip in 2024. Mr. Green and Mr. McWilliams are leading the charge here and will require some trips to learn to canoe. The trip is open to 13 or higher with Scoutmaster approval. So we will be in touch and have more details. This is not an easy trip and requires upper body strength, stamina and remote wilderness camping. There are places deep in Maine that will not be easy to get out of. Not to scare off anyone but that’s the reality of the trip and requires scouts to be prepared. Our troop will also consider hiking Mt. Katahdin as a separate trip for the troop. I’ve been up twice and once got snowed out in May. Katahadin is the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it, of the Application Trail. Very interesting mountain and difficult.

Some other interesting things on the horizon: 2025 is Concord’s 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution and there is planning underway from our town and state. We scouts need to determine what and how we want to contribute and participate. Another topic is Warner’s Pond and the effects on Scout Island. We will be hearing more about that and the Scout House would like our point of view on some proposed steps.

I realize our troop is busy, focused on fun outdoor activities but these two topics will deserve some attention.

In a couple weeks, I’ll start the Family Life Merit badge at 6pm (most likely at Monument Hall before the meeting and we can walk over at 6:45) starting October 3, 2023.

All good scouting is on the horizon. I’m looking forward hiking Mt. Greylock and climbing Ramblewild in the Berkshires in October. Great fun and planning another big campfire.

Today is my mother’s birthday. She passed away many years ago and is part of the Dee family (funeral home here in Concord back to 1868).  Luckily, I still have two uncles (her brothers) who are in their 90’s and doing great. They share with me the history of my family in Concord which is always great to hear stories and remember those who have passed. My mother’s father was in the American Legion and carried the flag in Concord’s parade’s for over 50 years and he also took care of the Armory on Everett Street. He had great stories of horses, WWI and WWII as there was some very sad losses in the family resulting from the war. Some of these stories include the hurricane of 1938 and my young 10 year old uncle on top of the barn watching the winds. No satellites back then and it came without much warning.

Do you good turn daily. There are so many ways but start small with some small act and the others will follow.

YiS,

Mr. Duggan, Scoutmaster
]]>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.troop132.com/scoutmasters-message/congratulations-tommyDear Scouts,

This has been a challenging weather summer and fall. We had to cancel some summer meetings due to the rain and now a hurricane is moving up the coast. In some ways, we have been lucky with the weather in late summer (September) for sailing but in my experience, fall sailing is the best. Good winds, cooler air temperatures and warm water. I know the sailing overnight is a favorite trip and we wanted to combine this with our hikes to the Atop New England (ANE) climbs by ascending to the highest point in Rhode Island!! At least check this off the box.  We will do our best to look for opportunities for a day trip before they pull the boats out of the water and see if we can get a trip in.

Looking ahead we have the Drop Off/Swap Off (DOSO), which has moved from October to September. This is new and we will do our best to support them.  As older programs we supported (the Drop Off, for example) emerge from post-COVID schedules, we are adapting to what we can do but it’s challenging and want to be realistic with our scouting trips as we all know you all lead busy and well-scheduled lives. So please be patient while we adapt.

This Monday our PLC will meet and I’m hopeful we will adjust the schedule as far out as next summer and at least have save-the-dates lined up if we don’t already have detailed plans.

Our focus this entire year is on helping those who want to advance with a goal of reaching First Class rank. This is a big milestone for scouts and our troop. Once a scout is First Class, they will have more opportunities for holding Positions of Responsibility like Patrol Leader, Scribe, Historian/Librarian, Den Chief, Quartermaster, ASPL, SPL and to participate in some adventure trips. The PLC will help define what we need as we move forward this year.

Congratulations to Tommy Dohoney for earning Eagle Rank on Monday September 11,2023. Tommy was well-prepared. He did an outstanding job answering thought provoking questions on his scouting journey from merit badges, his positions of responsibility and his project. He answered questions openly, honestly and with maturity and we are all very proud.

One big highlight was that after the Board met and interviewed Tommy, he went into the hallway where he surprisingly met by Freddy and Lucas. What a wonderful surprise and show of support. It was a very rainy night and Lucas and Freddy took time from college, drove out to support Tommy and arrived just in time while the deliberations were in process. This is scout spirit in action!

What is scout spirit? Living the oath and law and putting it into action. Freddy and Lucas demonstrated this and are role models. They were loyal, friendly, kind, cheerful and even brave (traveling in rain and wind!).  Tommy was very appreciative of this support and just a wonderful demonstration of the way that scouting makes a difference. Well done, Tommy, Freddy and Lucas! 

Do your good turn daily!

YiS,

Mr. Duggan,  Scoutmaster
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