Troop 132

This past Tuesday meeting was a refresher training for the scouts. The 1st station was First Aid. Mr. Sprague gave a 10 minute review of hypothermia, dehydration, and blister care (our top three concerns). At the 2nd station, Mr. Cancio (our Merit Badge Chair/ASM), described merit badges and how to start and use the blue card process. Failure to follow the correct merit badge process will only cause delays and unnecessary work for councilors and scouts. It is a good process, let us follow it.  At the 3rd station, our SPLs reviewed “how scouts can be leaders” and they lead a patrol team building task.

Scouts: please review the merit badge process and leadership attachments.

Coming up - DropOff & SwapOff is the one Troop service project we are committed to. Please sign up. Yes, I realize there are many other events happening. Please try and help the town and represent the Troop. Next, we have a large group of Webelos joining us and we will need all of our scouts to attend Crossover. This is our only mandatory spring event, but please see Logan and me if you can't attend. Please note that we will be missing many of our older scouts because of SATs, so we need everyone to contribute their time and energy to DOSO and Crossover.

Elections will be held May 8 for Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior PLs, and PLs.  By May 1, please send an email to Logan and me stating your intent run and please describe your commitment towards the May, June, and July Troop meetings and outings.

Lastly, many thanks to my wife and family for all their support for enabling me to participate in over 100 days of camping over the past few years.  We have a great boy-led, patrol based troop and while its never perfect, we are always looking for way to adjust by hearing and seeing things from the boys' perspective (in the words of Baden Powell, Scouts founder). 

A good introduction to Utlralight backpacking for the troop was conducted by our JASM, Alex Cancio. Thank you Alex. Afterward the troop broke into their patrols to conduct planning for the Isaac Davis Camporee & March this weekend. We effectively have two provisional or made up patrols for this trip, with a smaller number of scouts. I’m pleased that we do have scouts attending, but I want to bring some attention to patrols and a requirement for advancement called “active”.

Patrols are the center of our boy-led troop and its vital to our program that they work as a unit. So far this year, we have been very successful at building core patrol units and organizing around them. This has lead to having patrol spirit awards and having many scouts camping as a unit. Let’s keep up the good job. However, to achieve this means a big commitment on the part of the patrol leaders and senior patrol leaders who need to be very active and engaged. This is a big job and kudos to all our leaders who make this commitment. As a unit, they plan together and this enables our senior scouts to pass on knowledge and set rules, like “no ramon” on trips. Scouting works because of the patrol method and let us keep a sharp focus on making sure our patrols are fully engaged.

Our patrols consist of scouts at different ranks. To earn your rank advancements, scouts must be “active”. For 1st class, a scout needs to participate in ten separate troop/patrol activities, at least six of which must be held outdoors. Star rank requires 4 months of being active, Life requires 6 months, and Eagle requires 6 more months of being active. Active means participation in meetings AND outdoor activities (CAMPING). Participation is required to achieve the aims of scouting (character development, citizenship and personal and mental fitness). For guidelines, our troop recognizes 50% outings and meetings. So scouts, please review the past year and see where you stand. Coming up, we have Crossover (mandatory event), DOSO, Bike Trip, and the June Boston Harbor Islands trip. Talk to your parents so that you align your calendars so that you can earn the active scout requirement. Senior scouts, don’t forget that being an active requirement is in addition to holding a position of responsibility. Therefore, there is even more commitment needed to take on jobs that are needed by the troop.

We have a very good group of dedicated scouts and leaders. Scouting is fun. Scouting is camping with your friends. Scouting is a no stress zone to learn by doing, getting outdoors and trying out many new things. Yes, we may be fail at times and this is part of learning. We scouters (adults) work to give you the opportunity and room to have these opportunities.

Scouts, take a look at upcoming trips, May Crossover and Bike Trip, June is a Boston Harbor Island, and July Summer Camp.  Make a plan with your parents and I hope to see many of you.
Coincidently, our PLC will start the yearly planning and have a calendar set by June for the upcoming 2018-2019 calendar.
Good Scouting, Mr. Duggan
 
A reminder on the merit badge process: a) Start with a blue card and have it signed by me, b) find a suitable merit badge councilor (Mr. Cancio is our merit badge coordinator and he can help you find the correct person), c) meet with the merit badge councilor, d) start working on your merit badge. Once your councilor has signed off on all of the requirements, please come and see me for the final signature. Then turn the blue card into our Advancement Chair Mr. O’Neil.   I’m available to sign blue cards before or after the Troop meetings. Thanks for following this process.

I was unable to attend this week’s meeting due to business travel to our company in Denmark that makes a robot actually called a collaborative robot. These are robots that can be used in a variety of friendly environments. Some parts of the scout law that mark my trip are to be friendly and courteous, especially when you are a guest in another country. I also see the fleur-de-lis as a symbol used on buildings and structures that remind me of scouting.

Remember the scout law also applies to scouters (adults) and to the scouts.
Next week we will plan our Isaac Davis camping trip and we are hoping for improving weather. Please signup, so we know our count on participants and so we can do proper planning. All patrols will go through the planning process so we all know how to be prepared.

Thanks to Mr. Cancio and our JASM Alex for helping with the past meeting.