Troop 132

Unfortunately, the fall drop/swap was canceled. It would have been cold, wet, and hard to do this role and the town made the correct decision. We will have some more troop service projects coming. Stay tuned for announcements.

Be prepared this weekend and check the forecast. It could be some light rain and temps down into the 30’s as the days grow shorter. Be prepared means getting not only your personal gear but your patrol gear and spares. Be helpful to your patrol and I am looking forward to hearing about good meals prepared.

Note to Parents:
If you have questions about how the Troop runs things like Scoutmaster conferences, blue card process for merit badges, and planning for meals and equipment, my advice to you would be to ask your scout. The scouts have been introduced to these processes during meetings and they can ask their patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leaders, and the senior patrol leader if they are unclear. Our troop is boy-led and this empowers them to navigate through the Troop to get the answers they need.

That being said, you can reach me in person anytime before or after meetings, at events, camping, or by email or phone. I’m usually the last one to leave the Troop meetings and I usually have time to answer any scouts questions. As a general rule, we try to schedule Scoutmaster conferences on camping trips, on service projects (if we have breaks), and finally on Tuesday’s before or after Troop meetings (not during Troop meetings). The scouts need to be engaged in the Troop meetings with their patrols/Troop and if they are seeking personal advancement during a Troop meeting, then they miss out on either working with their patrol or helping the leadership obtain the goals of the meeting. There is always time, the scouts just need to plan ahead (Be Prepared) and sometimes they might have to wait. The scouts can also contact me by email at scoutmaster@troop132.com or text me 978 697-2730. If the scouts need to contact me via email or cell phone, they need to copy a second adult (parent or Curtis Gekle at committeechair@troop132.com). I will also post a whiteboard at each meeting where the scout can put their name on a board if the need a SM Conference. The Blue cards need signatures, the assignment of a merit badge counselor, and the finalization with the advancement chair to record the badge.

Lastly, one of the roles for our Troop Committee Chair is to field any parent concerns and questions and Curtis Gekle is always readily available via email (committeechair@troop132.com) to set up a time to talk.
If you have any questions please let me know. Glad to help, but it first starts with empowering your scout too self-advocate.

We had a good productive Troop meeting this week where the scouts focused on knots. Ben Clarke and Ben Sprague did a nice job with teaching the Troop and preparing skits for campfire programs. We have campfire programs for all our camping events and this is what the PLC planned. Nice job.
New leadership -  SPL Nick, ASPL’s Kevin and Ben are off to a good start.
Special thanks to Miles Inman and Will Duggan to responding like Minutemen to the call of duty to lead the town meeting for the flag ceremony. On short notice, which was due to some miscommunication issues, they responded and got this off with help from SPL Nick. Nice work again to the scouts who jumped in to serve their community when asked.

This weekend we have two more opportunities for scouting. Jacob Anthony will need scouts to help on Saturday afternoon and please plan on coming to an Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday at 3 pm at the Scout House. Will D and Michael Flannery will be honored by the Troop and this will certainly inspire others to say, ‘yes I can do that’. These two young men put in many, many, hours for our troop. At camp, on service projects, leading, and helping others. They went often times well beyond the call. Please come to celebrate and congratulate them

Congratulations to all of the scouts who earned various merit badges, ranks, and awards this past Tuesday. It is always a pleasure to recognize their accomplishments!

Just a quick thank you to the Troop for your recognization at the Court of Honor. That was a real surprise and so kind of the Troop. The card was great, the plaque is amazing and the kind words were humbling. It has been a real pleasure to serve the Troop and this gives me a boost like an energy bar along the trail.  We have great kids and great parent suppor

PS:  Please join us on October 7 (2:50PM at the Scout House) as we recognize that efforts of two Eagle Scouts (Will Duggan & Michael Flannery).