Troop 132

We are off to Newport, Rhode Island for some camping at Fort Getty and sailing J/22s at the Sail Newport facilities. We will have an opportunity to explore Fort Adams in the morning before sailing in the afternoon. For all of our trips, this is where scouts prepare, learn and practice cooking, camping and scout skills. It’s a great time to pick one or two items needed for advancement and work with the patrol leaders and senior scouts. Parents are always welcome to join us on our trips. Remember, we are boy-led Troop and the boys should work within the patrols and senior scout leaders. When I am asked a question, I usually say  “ask your PL or SPL”.

Thank you to JJ, Logan, and Xander for your service as SPL and ASPL’s. They did a great job over the summer as they all attended summer camp and they participated in the summer Emerson Troop meetings. New leaders were elected on 9/11: Congratulations to Nick as SPL and Kevin and Ben as the ASPL’s. The patrols also elected their leaders and congratulations to Nolan, Freddy, and Lucas as the new Patrol leaders. Over the next couple of weeks, will be transition to our newly elected and appointed positions which are typically held for three months which should allow for scouts to juggle school, work, and extracurricular activities.
Our last meeting went much later in the evening, as we had a lot of work to do which included electing leadership, launching popcorn sales, and preparing for our first outing. The SPL and ASPL’s will do better at ending on time and we will plan on troop a dismissal at 8:45.  At the PLC meetings, the PLC will map out the meetings for the month and get some advanced planning on the monthly camping trip.

Congratulations to Nolan Robert who earned Life rank, Johah Carter for earning 2nd class and Lucian Aibel who earned Tenderfoot. I would like to encourage all of the scouts to bring their scout books to Troop meetings and outings and identify what they need for the next rank. PARENTS: there is one requirement for the Scout rank that the boys need your help:  #6 - With your parent or guardian, complete the exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.  The Troop will help with the cyber chip portion of the rank.
The next PLC meeting is on Monday (9/17/18).

Note to SCOUTS:
Scouts that are interested in elected or appointed positions need to email JJ and me by September 8. The prerequisites are: SPL/ASPL = 15 years old and Star or higher. Patrol Leader = 13 years old and First Class or higher.  All other positions are appointed and need to be filled: Quarter Master (QM), Scribe/Historian, Den Chiefs, and Troop Guide. All positions require the commitment to the camping activities, monthly PLC meetings, weekly Troop meetings, and service projects for the next 3 months ending in December and attending monthly PLC. If you can’t make the commitment, then wait until you can commit and plan ahead.
Note to PARENTS:
If you have questions about the troop, scouting, or methods please ask your son first. They are the ones in the program and should have knowledge and understanding of how the troop works. If your child does not have the answers, please encourage them to speak to their patrol leader (who also signs off on advancements). If they still can’t get answers, they should ask the ASPL or SPL. This helps the scouts learn how to self-advocate. If you as the parent need a conversation with one of the Troop adult leaders, I am available before or after meetings if I am not working with the scouts. As an alternative, you can always reach out to our Troop Committee Chair (Curtis Gekle - committeechair@troop132.com). I also would encourage you to come to our monthly Troop Committee Meetings.

If you child is reporting that they are having difficulty getting on my (Mr. Duggan) schedule, then the scout should email me (wjduggan2000@hotmail.com)
and copy Mr. Gekle (committeechair@troop132.com) with the specific request. I know that it can be difficult to get my time at a Troop meeting, but the boys can email to help schedule a meeting. 
All:
Welcome back. Our first meeting of the year was full of announcements and opportunities for all ranks to get the most out of scouting. There is a full calendar of camping, service projects and adventure for the year ahead. Please take a look at the Troop activities and get them on your calendar now. Our troop is especially blessed to have so many older scouts engaged and active with scouting. Both Justin Reed and Will Duggan, both Eagles, will be helping this year. Also, Aiden is an Eagle Scout who has been an ASPL and he will be helping the troop in many ways. Life Scout Logan has completed his Eagle project and he is on his way to Eagle, as he will soon age out in October. Logan did a great job with a formidable project at the Episcopal Church on Elm Street. Ben Clarke (Life Scout, completed the Eagle project last year and presently working towards Eagle Rank) continues to stay engaged with the Troop. Yea!
The reason I bring up the older scouts, is that the younger scouts look up to the above-mentioned scouts as role models for living the Scout Law. This boys put the Troop above themselves and are ready to help others. We don’t need a lot of Troop 132 rules and regulations, because we use the Scout Law and Oath as our guides and the older scouts model that behavior. We also have additional senior scouts like Luke, JJ, Xander, Jacob, Miles, Nolan, and others who you will be hearing from soon as they discern their Eagle projects. Stay tuned for more info on Eagle projects.
·       Jacob is working on a project this weekend and will need help. Please sign up.
·       New scouts learned many skills during Trailblazers this summer at camp. We will be setting some time aside to review what they learned, answer questions and if ready, sign off in their scout books (which they should bring every Troop meeting).
·       Merit badges earned at camp have been submitted to Mr. O’Neil and will be awarded at the Tuesday 9/25 Court of Honor (COH). If you have any questions please follow up with Mr. O’Neil.
·       All family and friends are invited and strongly encouraged to attend the Troop Court of Honor on 9/25. There are only three Troop COHs per year and this is the time to recognize the effort of the boys. The boys learn, are tested, and recognized.

Enjoy your last weekend with no homework.

Starting on Aug 4th, 9 senior scouts participated in a weeklong Maine High Adventure (MHA) trip that covered over 65 miles of paddling on rivers and lakes in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Northern Maine.
This was an incredible trip for everyone and what I truly enjoyed being the advisor on this trip and the trek was an excellent example of what “boy lead” means. The trip starts with a “brainstorming” session led by the crew leader – Ben Clarke, and assistant crew leader Xander Caulfield (both veterans of prior MHA trips). The boys worked with a chief guide (MHA ranger) to prioritize the activities and the type of trip the boys wanted to do and they ultimately selected a 65-mile canoe trip that included seeing 100-year-old trains left in the wilderness, paddling on lakes, and navigating class I-III whitewater rapids. 
 A couple of highlights from the trip include:
·      Big Days – we had two big days of 14 miles and 22 miles. The 14 miles were on lakes and included several miles crossing a lake with strong head winds and foot high waves. The 22-mile day started at 3:30 am and by 8:30 amwe had done several miles on a lake, a half mile portage, and class 1 whitewater.  We finally arrived at our campsite at 7:30 pm after experiencing Class III whitewater, 1-mile portage around a 30-foot waterfall/class V whitewater, and several miles sailing across a lake using the dining fly as the mainsail.
·      Easy Days – we had a couple of lighter days of only 4 or 5 miles, but that is where we finished off the activities for canoeing merit badge, fishing, cooking birthday cakes over a fire, and building storage tables with lashings/wood.
·      Wildlife:  We saw a moose, bald eagles, fed gray jays, listened to loons calling across the lake at 2 am and watched Ospreys diving for their breakfast.  We saw more wildlife than people, so we were truly off the grid.
·      Scout skills:  The scouts had excellent field craft skills and in the words of our guide, Ricky, “they made it easy for him”.  We ate well, always had a fire when needed and could set up and break camp in record time.
·      Teamwork and great attitudes:  The best part of the trip for me was to see how the group worked together on the crew duties, changed up canoeing partners, and tried new things. Everyone had a great attitude and respected each other through-out the trip.
As advisors on the trip, both John Inman and I had the opportunity to relax and enjoy being a part of this adventure. Three sets of pictures (1, 2, 3) can be found at the new Troop web site. Thank you to the crew leaders Ben Clarke and Xander Caulfield as well to each of the scouts on the trip.

Some of our very senior scouts like Alex, Bobby, Will, Erik, and Michael have now aged out of scouting. Alex, Bobby, and Michael will be heading off to college, while others finish high school. We wish them all the best as they start their new trails and navigating through college life and senior year. We welcome them back as often as they can visit and as often as their schedule allows. These scouts were your ASPL's, SPL's, JASM's and were active members of the PLC who have been a big part of our troop and contributed greatly to our troop culture. Congratulations to Alex for reaching new heights by obtaining the National Outdoor award, which is a very rare award to earn. They will be very much missed, especially by your Scoutmaster. Will is a rising high school senior and will be staying on this year as ASM. He attended summer camp as an adult (he aged out a week before camp) and helped the troop and will continue doing so as some of the positions transition to new leaders. He is still our quartermaster until elections in September. Thank You Will!
We also welcomed back John Rzepczynsi, who is a rising college sophomore who is now an ASM and environmental science merit badge counselor for our troop. John has been working with the scouts this summer and will be available through early September. Thank you John!
We have a number of scouts who are currently working on Eagle projects and they will need assistance. This is a great opportunity for younger scouts to learn how projects are done and to witness the work that each scout goes through to plan, prepare, execute, and report out their project. Logan, Luke, and Jacob have projects in various stages and please stay tuned as they will need scout and scouter (adults) assistance. These projects by design help the community and not scouting directly. It is a great way to give back and instill the notion of being a good citizen. 
The High Adventure trek in Maine continues as several of the boys are canoeing and camping. Thank you, Mr. Clarke and Mr. Inman for putting this great opportunity together for the boys.
Elections will be starting in September. For SPL/ASPL, you need to be 14 or older, Star or higher rank and committed to attending all of the camping trips in September, October, November and every Troop and monthly PLC meeting. For PL's, you need 1st class rank or higher, 13 or older and committed to attending the camping trips and Troop and PLC meetings. If you are interested in any of these positions and you meet the criteria, please send an email to JJ (our current SPL) and me. If your interested in other positions, the same holds true. Be prepared to attend meetings, PLC meetings and go camping.
Special thanks to Mr. Cancio and Mr. Rzepczynki for running the summer programs. This helped the troop a lot and its much appreciated. 
Enjoy the rest of the summer and be prepared to answer the call to help others. After all, we “help other people at all times”. 

We have a senior crew that left for Maine High Adventure (MHA) yesterday. The MHA team will spend a week canoeing through the remote regions of Maine and you can check out a video of past MHA outings.  For everyone not attending MHA, we look forward to seeing you at Emerson Field on Tuesday at 7PM. ​

Welcome new scouts and families to Troop 132. The Troop had a great week at TL Storer in the Cheyenne campsite. Nine other troops were present with over 110 scouts in attendance and 30 scouts were from Troop 132. As promised to the camp, we left our particular site, Cheyenne, a better place than we found it. Cleaner, tents staked, and some limbs removed that were hanging over tents. All the Troop scout leaders were present, which included Senior Patrol Leader (JJ), Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (Logan and Xander), and Patrol Leaders Ben, Simon and Nick. Will (now my assistant scoutmaster because he aged out 7/7/18) and I attended camp for the week and we were joined by Assistant Scout Masters Mike Sprague, Ed Prewitt, and Peter Reed for parts of the week. Mr. Carter and Mr. Green also helped with parts of the week. Later in the week, we were also joined by Luke, Alex and John Rzepczynski. Many thanks to Mr. Carter's persistence and diligence with getting the med forms, signup's, merit badges, and coordinating all the logistics with camp. He did an exceptional job making sure our scouts get the options, campsite, and merit badges that they wanted. A big Thank You DAVID CARTER!
My son Will asked me, now that he is an ASM, what does a SM do when we are at camp? Well, after breakfast I have one hour to check in with work, take a shower, organize my tent, and/or fill out blue cards. Then there is a daily one hour SM meeting until 11AM followed by going back to camp and seeing what needs to be done to help with any scout needs or just to ensure that we have 2 deep leadership in the camp. Then I muster for lunch, help coordinate the duty rooster and/or suggest any improvements we need to make with the Senior Scout leadership. The afternoon is spent shuttling back and forth between Wah-Tuc-ca (18 miles round trip twice a day for transport) or rotating through the patrol activities.  The time flies. Will spent his time helping the shooting sports councilors and he assisted the Troop wherever needed. So I think he realizes that camp is also fun, but busy for the adults. I would encourage any adult to join us on any trip this coming school year. There is always room for more tents.
The TL Storer staff was very helpful, friendly and open to making adjustments when possible to accommodate any of our requests  Our troop camp experience has been strengthened with very active senior scouts who really take their jobs seriously in helping the troop and other scouts. A number of our scouts (like JJ, Logan, Xander, Nick, Ben, Simon, Alex, Luke, John and Will) have spent the last 4 to 7 summers at TL Storer. They are a big asset to the troop and I thank them for volunteering their time. Storer offers many merit badges and many Eagle required merit badges. If you attend Storer for several years, you will have the opportunity to earn most, if not all the Eagle required merit badges. So instead of hosting MB classes, summer camp is the answer. Camp is also a time to try new things. Logan Prewitt, who never rode a horse, tried Horsemanship and earned his merit badge. Great Job Logan!
The boys earned over 43 merit badges and 12 partials in things like Chess, Swimming, Sculpture, Art, Painting, Leatherwork, Geocaching, Climbing, Archery, Rifle, Shotgun, Search and Rescue, First Aid, Salesmanship, Wood Carving, Animal Science, Cooking, Emergency Prep, Veterinary Medicine, Kayaking, and Pioneering, just to name a few.
You will be happy to know, and I'm proud to say, the troop lived by the scout oath and law and we all had a great time at camp.  My advice for younger scouts is to plan ahead and learn scouting through doing at summer camp and our monthly outings. Learn new skills and try new things. My advice for older scouts is to come to camp, put your leadership into practice and take the opportunity to earn your Eagle required merit badges.  
Remember a scout is helpful. Sometimes scouts used to put their shirt collars up at the beginning of the day and when they did their good deed, they turned it down. Think of ways to remind yourself to do a good turn daily. As helpful scouts, Troop 132 recently refurbished a bench for the Great Meadows. Check out the Facebook page.

Some thoughts for our scouts: 

• Bring your scout books to the summer meetings (for that matter, every meeting) 
• Meet with me or any ASM to review what you covered and get items signed-off. 
• For non-trailblazer advancement, ask your Patrol Leader to review and sign off only.
• Set your goals to earn Scout Rank soon. September is one of our 3 Courts of Honor and a great time to recognized for earning the Scout Rank.
• My humble advice is to focus on earning 1st class in less than 2 years and don't get distracted with merit badges. You will have plenty of time to earn merit badges. Your initial focus should be to learn the skills required to earn the ranks up to 1st class. It takes time to earn rank. 
• Plan your year ahead with your parents so you can attend the upcoming trips.
• Finally, the scout journey is individual and is not the same as Cub Scouts. All our scouts and scouters (adults) are here to help (we are helpful). Don't wait for a Scoutmaster conference to ask questions. Ask your patrol leader or any scout at any time. Live by the scout law and oath. While we don't post a lot of rules for our troop, we use and live by the scout law to set the guidelines in all we do.