Troop 132

Well done Ben, Christian and Lucas for hosting the Troop Court of Honor. Also congratulations to all of our scouts on the many achievements that you earned and were recognized. I would also encourage more family members to attend and we are working to keep the speeches short and focus on the boys. I don’t have the count, but there were many advancements in rank and many merit badges earned. I understand that there were are a couple of discrepancies which we will sort out. On any discrepancies or anything earned, please always go to Mr. O’Neil (Advancement Chair) so we can correct it. Specifically for these discrepancies, please also let me know.

One discrepancy was that some scouts were awarded an Eagle-required merit badge from camp (camp indicated all requirements met, but they weren’t met according to the scout). A couple of scouts brought this to my attention (and said “I didn’t earn this”). Bravo: What a great example of living the Scout Law. We will work together to fix any of these and I’m really proud that you brought this up!

Congratulations to our former SPL Nick Higgins who will be leaving us on September 30 for National Guard Basic Training. We enjoyed the camo-cake in his honor at the Court of Honor. Good Luck Nick, we know you will do well.

For those of you who earned various Fishing and/or Small Boat merit badge requirements, please contact Mr. Cancio and get a merit badge Blue Card from Mr. Sprague or me if you want to pursue those badges.

Star to Life Scouts; One requirement is performing 6 hours of service, 3 hours of which need to be conservation-related. I have been working with Mr. Jared Green, Superintendent of the Wildlife Refuge, so scouts can meet this requirement and continue to build our relationship with the Wildlife Refuge. Here is a note from Mr. Green on what is needed:  

Conservation Minded Troop Service Projects:
Over the past several years we have been putting in a number of pollinator gardens for butterflies and bees in front of the refuge Visitor Center. Due to some staff/volunteer shortages, the gardens have fallen into disrepair. Weeds are starting to crowd out some of the native plants, erosion has popped up in some spots that are now in need of placement of river rock, the edging has collapsed in other spots, and the stone edging around the gardens needs to be installed in some places and fixed in others. This is a huge project that could definitely fill several of the scouts' 3-hour service requirements. The gardens themselves are in a high-visibility area with lots of foot traffic, so getting them back into top shape would really improve the visitor experience. Creating pollinator habitats is also a really big priority for the USFWS, so ensuring that the plants we plant don’t get crowded out by weeds/washed away by erosion is a big goal for our biological department. If you have an interest, please contact Mr. Duggan and he will put you in contact with us.

Next week, Sunday, October 6, is Luke Pautler’s Eagle Court of Honor and I encourage all to attend.

Please attend Court of Honor this Tuesday at the Scout House - 7:30.

Sailing & Fishing Trip highlights by Fred McWilliams: By all accounts, the Fishing and Sailing Trip this year in Newport was a resounding success. New this year was the addition of fishing to the already popular trip. The scouts woke up early on Saturday (5 AM) to a very long day starting with a 3-hour fishing trip extending to the mouth of Narragansett Bay off of the ragged point and working our way back to just off of Ft. Adams. The fish in play that day were Scup and Black Sea Bass and many were caught and kept for dinner that evening. Following this, we walked over to IYRS School of Technology and Trades, which was originally a boat restoration school and has since expanded to include other trades that are related. There we had our pack lunches.

For the afternoon we headed over to “Sail Newport”, which we had 5 boats ready, 4 of which were skippered by our adult leaders and volunteers and one by a “Sail Newport” skipper. The winds were perfect allowing for some exciting sailing while each scout was able to take the helm and practice fundamental skills or hone their existing skills. Many of the scouts were first time sailors, so when the boats were heeling a certain level of apprehension ensued and after a bit, it became an exciting part of the experience as the water was lapping the gunnels. After 3 hours of sailing followed by group picture taking, it was now past 5:00 PM. The next item on the agenda was to go over to Ft. Adams for a tour, but at this point and after 12 hours of great fun, the scouts wanted to head back to camp and cook up the bounty of the sea. Panko-crusted fish and fish tacos were some of the meals prepared and all of the bounty consumed by the crew. Everyone slept well that evening.

On Sunday morning and rather than having a full packed day, the scouts opted for exploring parts of the Ft. Getty installation after breakfast. All in all, it was a great trip with 20 Scouts and 7 Adults helping. Many thanks to those adults that helped transport, cooked and skippered the craft.

Special thanks to our senior leaders, who just completed their terms as Senior and Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders. Special shout out to Nolan who also managed to start his Eagle project and thanks to all the scouts and adults who helped with the Eagle project. Our new Senior Patrol Leader is Ben S. and we will have more updates next week. The next patrol leader council meeting is Monday at 6 pm Monument Hall. All scouts who hold positions of responsibility, or want to hold positions, or just want to learn more are welcome to attend.

We are off to Newport this weekend fishing, sailing and touring Ft. Adams. This is always a fun event. New this year is fishing and I’m especially looking forward to that and our first Troop camping trip of this school year.

Don’t forget, September 24 is our next Court of Honor (COH) and please bring parents, friends, and siblings to the COH. Congratulations to Charlie Stone for earning 2nd Class and Henry Vlacovksy for earning Star.

Welcome new scouts and welcome back Troop 132 Scouts. We had our first meeting on Tuesday and scouts chose patrols so we can get organized for this coming year. We also included a review of the 2nd Class, Citizenship, and Personal Safety Awareness skills. These might be new for some and review for others, but each week we will dedicate time to general scouts skills and knowledge.

Congratulations to Lincoln Green for earning 2nd Class. As you all know, each rank has some formidable requirements and the best approach is persistence. Also, ask for help anytime (to any leader or scouter).
Nolan will be starting his Eagle project and hope many of you can help. He’s helped many others and I’m pleased to see many scouts and Eagles (some of whom have aged out) also rendering assistance. That’s what we do in our troop!
 
Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader elections are coming this Tuesday at the Troop meeting. Let Nolan and I know if you are interested and eligible to run (age 15+, Star or higher, commitment to attend all the meetings, camping, and service projects during the term). Patrol Leader experience preferred. Patrol leader elections will be coming the week after and the other positions (Scribe, Den Chiefs, Quartermaster, etc.) of responsibility will be assigned for the upcoming September through December term. We won’t need a troop guide at this time and those holding the positions will need to reapply.

Next week is the sailing and fishing trip. New this year is the fishing trip which will be a special event. I’m hoping we can catch our meal for that night and please sign up ASAP. Seabase Bahamas, along with everything else in Marsh Harbor Abacos, Bahamas was devastated by the hurricane. This will result in changes for our Seabase crew (April trip) and there are ways we can help the Bahamians. Stay tuned while we determine what we can do to help.