For those of you tied into Facebook, you've seen my post. But I don't want to leave anyone out.
I was asked earlier this month what my proudest moment in scouting was. My first thought was earning my Wood Badge beads. That lasted about 2 seconds. My next thought was the Cubmaster Knot. I moved on to a third moment, draping new neckerchiefs around the shoulders of advancing scouts. Then I thought of rank advancements, Arrows of Light, successfully tied knots, a sudden burst of manners, a proudly worn uniform on an enthusiastic scout.
Then I went back to the Cubmaster Knot.
Note I didn't say "my" Cubmaster Knot. It's not really mine. It belongs to every scout, every Akela, every leader, and everyone outside of scouting that supports scouting.
Not to have a moment of conceit, but to emphasize it's place of importance: I replaced my framed Instructor of the Year certificate with the framed Cubmaster Knot certificate.
What is the proudest moment in Scouting for me? Each moment a scout walks into a scout event.
This week I am proud of all our scouts, but I would like to especially mention the eight guests of honor from our 2010 Arrow of Light Court of Honor: Matthew, Hunter, Camden, Luke, Stephen, Keith, Grayson, and Patrick.
Thank you, boys, you make Scouting what it is today. Journey on, Scouts!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Honor Unit Designation 2010
Today I dropped off our application to be named an Occoneechee Honor Unit. Read below the information regarding this recognition. We achieved all items in each area except for part B item #3. 8 and 9 are troop level. 8 completed items are required. We completed 16!
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The Occoneechee Honor Unit designation, and the accompanying Gold Card, is earned by completing the following requirements during a calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Benefits are for one year and are applied to the immediately following calendar year. To earn the Gold Card for additional years, the unit must meet the criteria and turn in another application for each year. The unit leader should check the boxes on the application form (available below) and, with the Unit Committee Chair, sign and date the bottom of the form, then submit the form to the Council office by February 15, 2010.
Benefits - Units that earn Honor Unit status will:
Be recognized at the Council Recognition Banquet and in Scout Sign;
Receive a special Occoneechee Council Honor Unit banner for their flag;
Receive at no cost all rank advancement patches earned by its members and applied for by the unit during the calendar year the card is active (does not include merit badges; does include Eagle);
Have general use camping fees for Camp Durant waived for the calendar year in which the card is active.
Future benefits as designated by the Council.
The following three items are required for all units:
1) Recharter on time;
2) Have at least two (2) registered adults, including the unit leader, be fully trained for their position;
3) Have at least three (3) registered adults, including the unit leader, hold current Youth Protection training certification.
Complete both sections A and B:
Section A: Complete any 2 of the following during the year of the application:
1) Have a Friends of Scouting presentation by a Council representative during the current calendar year;
2) Take part in the Council popcorn sales;
3) Earn Quality Unit status.
Section B: Complete any 3 of the following during the year of the application:
1) If a Scout Troop, attend summer camp at Camp Durant, or if a Cub Pack, attend the Day Camp in your District or attend the Cub/Adult overnighter or WEBELOS resident camp at Camp Durant, or if Venture Crew, attend Venture Vortex;
2) Attend either a Council or District Camporee or Cub-o-ree;
3) Have at least one adult volunteer serve as a Campmaster for at least one weekend at the Occoneechee Scout Reservation;
4) Take part in a Good Turn for America service project;
5) Have at least one adult serve for at least 6 months on a District or Council committee;
6) Send at least one adult attend either Wood Badge, Powderhorn, National Camp School or take a course at Philmont Training Center;
7) Have at least 2 adults either attend the Occoneechee Council University of Scouting or become Climbing/Cope certified in the Council;
8) Have at least one adult serve on staff at Cub Day Camp, the University of Scouting, Wood Badge, National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), Kodiak, Powderhorn or at Philmont;
9) Have at least one youth serve on Staff at Camp Durant or on staff at Wood Badge, NYLT, or Kodiak;
10) Send at least one youth to NYLT, National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, or Kodiak
---------------------------------
The Occoneechee Honor Unit designation, and the accompanying Gold Card, is earned by completing the following requirements during a calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Benefits are for one year and are applied to the immediately following calendar year. To earn the Gold Card for additional years, the unit must meet the criteria and turn in another application for each year. The unit leader should check the boxes on the application form (available below) and, with the Unit Committee Chair, sign and date the bottom of the form, then submit the form to the Council office by February 15, 2010.
Benefits - Units that earn Honor Unit status will:
Be recognized at the Council Recognition Banquet and in Scout Sign;
Receive a special Occoneechee Council Honor Unit banner for their flag;
Receive at no cost all rank advancement patches earned by its members and applied for by the unit during the calendar year the card is active (does not include merit badges; does include Eagle);
Have general use camping fees for Camp Durant waived for the calendar year in which the card is active.
Future benefits as designated by the Council.
The following three items are required for all units:
1) Recharter on time;
2) Have at least two (2) registered adults, including the unit leader, be fully trained for their position;
3) Have at least three (3) registered adults, including the unit leader, hold current Youth Protection training certification.
Complete both sections A and B:
Section A: Complete any 2 of the following during the year of the application:
1) Have a Friends of Scouting presentation by a Council representative during the current calendar year;
2) Take part in the Council popcorn sales;
3) Earn Quality Unit status.
Section B: Complete any 3 of the following during the year of the application:
1) If a Scout Troop, attend summer camp at Camp Durant, or if a Cub Pack, attend the Day Camp in your District or attend the Cub/Adult overnighter or WEBELOS resident camp at Camp Durant, or if Venture Crew, attend Venture Vortex;
2) Attend either a Council or District Camporee or Cub-o-ree;
3) Have at least one adult volunteer serve as a Campmaster for at least one weekend at the Occoneechee Scout Reservation;
4) Take part in a Good Turn for America service project;
5) Have at least one adult serve for at least 6 months on a District or Council committee;
6) Send at least one adult attend either Wood Badge, Powderhorn, National Camp School or take a course at Philmont Training Center;
7) Have at least 2 adults either attend the Occoneechee Council University of Scouting or become Climbing/Cope certified in the Council;
8) Have at least one adult serve on staff at Cub Day Camp, the University of Scouting, Wood Badge, National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), Kodiak, Powderhorn or at Philmont;
9) Have at least one youth serve on Staff at Camp Durant or on staff at Wood Badge, NYLT, or Kodiak;
10) Send at least one youth to NYLT, National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, or Kodiak
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Campfires
Enjoyed an evening with the Troop around their campfire tonight.
There's something mesmerizing about a campfire. You know what I mean...flames dancing, embers glowing, good comradery. Warm and toasty on your face, hands and feet, but chilly on your back!
Then it's time to leave (tents for the Troop, home for us) and you feel the cold the moment you step away. Makes even the youngest scouts drowsy!
Thanks, scouts, for welcoming us into your camp tonight.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
There's something mesmerizing about a campfire. You know what I mean...flames dancing, embers glowing, good comradery. Warm and toasty on your face, hands and feet, but chilly on your back!
Then it's time to leave (tents for the Troop, home for us) and you feel the cold the moment you step away. Makes even the youngest scouts drowsy!
Thanks, scouts, for welcoming us into your camp tonight.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, February 12, 2010
"We must still be in Carolina!"
This is one of my favorite quotes from Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." I grew up watching the movie version with Bing Crosby and Danny Kay, and we still watch it today. Well, it's not Christmas, but it IS WHITE!
A friend at work observed that 49 of the 50 states have snow. Who is the lucky bugger getting a sun tan and surfing?? Hawaii, of course! Let's GO!!!
So, here we sit, watching the white stuff fall and cover everything (the driveway is holding out). I spoke with Troop 365's Scoutmaster and found they will be camping locally to better accommodate the Webelos IIs who will be spending the day with them. I guess the best thing (for us grown ups, anyway) is that Sunday should be clear and warm enough to allow the kids to go to school Monday (which is a snow MAKE-UP day for Wake County traditional calender!).
On another note: I was at the Council office today talking with the Registrar and discovered something I didn't know (not too unusual): Not only does our pack turn 10 this year, October 2, to be exact, but the troop turned 10 last month, January 7! This is definitely a year to celebrate!
Enjoy the snow, your weekend, be safe, and I'll see you Tuesday night.
Oh, and to answer the question, there is NO pack meeting this month, so enjoy your 4th Tuesday at home!
PS - In the time it has taken to write this, clean up the kitchen and put a load of wash in, it has snowed about a half inch!! It's packing nicely, too!!
A friend at work observed that 49 of the 50 states have snow. Who is the lucky bugger getting a sun tan and surfing?? Hawaii, of course! Let's GO!!!
So, here we sit, watching the white stuff fall and cover everything (the driveway is holding out). I spoke with Troop 365's Scoutmaster and found they will be camping locally to better accommodate the Webelos IIs who will be spending the day with them. I guess the best thing (for us grown ups, anyway) is that Sunday should be clear and warm enough to allow the kids to go to school Monday (which is a snow MAKE-UP day for Wake County traditional calender!).
On another note: I was at the Council office today talking with the Registrar and discovered something I didn't know (not too unusual): Not only does our pack turn 10 this year, October 2, to be exact, but the troop turned 10 last month, January 7! This is definitely a year to celebrate!
Enjoy the snow, your weekend, be safe, and I'll see you Tuesday night.
Oh, and to answer the question, there is NO pack meeting this month, so enjoy your 4th Tuesday at home!
PS - In the time it has taken to write this, clean up the kitchen and put a load of wash in, it has snowed about a half inch!! It's packing nicely, too!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Happy Birthday Boy Scouts of America!!
The new year is bringing us many great things. First is the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated this day in 1910.
This March recognizes the 10th anniversary of Pack 365.
So what has Boy Scouts (Cub Scouts) done for me that I didn't learn in kindergarten?
I can say that working with scouts and their families has been one of the high-lites of my adult life. I completed a questionnaire recently that asked me what my proudest moment in scouting has been. I had to think on that one. There have been several...watching my first son's first advancement in rank from Tiger to Wolf, then again when my youngest crossed that same stepping stone; earning my Wood Badge beads; being asked to join the staff of a Wood Badge course.
But I would have to say, while those are all proud moments, they are personal moments, mostly affecting my own family. No, what I determined is my proudest moment is when I kneel down and apply a new neckerchief on a scout who has just bridged to his next level in scouting.
You see, it's not just a new neckerchief, new challenges, or maybe completion of other challenges. No, it's the knowledge of what events have led to that scout crossing his bridge, whether from Tiger to Wolf or Webelos II to Boy Scout. Cub Scouting is a program to turn boys into young men, and Boy Scouting to young men into responsible grown men. Then, maybe, those grown men return that gift to a new Tiger Cub.
I believe that my personal achievements in my short scouting career have been the result of the program we serve, and not solely any efforts or work of my own. We do this for the boys. Period. What's the next proud moment? It starts with a parent coming to me to say how positive a difference scouting has made in his or her son. The boy they were a year before and the boy he is now is are two very different things. The they ask to be a registered leader. Wow, I get kinda goose-bumpy just thinking about it.
My friends, scouts and families, this is where it is at! There are many ways to have a positive influence on a youth. Scouting remains one of the definitive leaders. With its woven tapestry of leadership, discipline, religion, and FUN, Scouting provides one of the most complete learning experiences outside of the academic world. And the cost, by comparison even to public education, is rock bottom.
Now, I've placed scout program first because, as I said, that's where it is at. But I don't want to sell the adult program short. This was a wonderful surprise to me (I guess I should have realized that just a large institution would have ample educational opportunities for its leaders!). BSA offers new leader training (both online and in class), advanced training (Baloo, OLS fo Webelos Leaders, Safety Afloat, Hazardous Weather, Trainer Development Conference, Trainer's EDGE, University of Scouting, National Youth Leader Training, Philmont Scout Ranch, and the peak of Scout Leader training, Wood Badge. Although there are many, many more courses available).
Folks, not only are your sons (and daughters in Venturing Crews and Varsity Teams) availed of quality leadership, citizenship, and academic courses, but the men and women leading them are, as well.
It's easy to get excited and go on and on about the great things scouting has, can, and will do for our country's next leaders, so forgive me if I've gone long. I guess you could say scouting has thoroughly and perpetually permeated bones. I can think of many worse addictions!
This March recognizes the 10th anniversary of Pack 365.
So what has Boy Scouts (Cub Scouts) done for me that I didn't learn in kindergarten?
I can say that working with scouts and their families has been one of the high-lites of my adult life. I completed a questionnaire recently that asked me what my proudest moment in scouting has been. I had to think on that one. There have been several...watching my first son's first advancement in rank from Tiger to Wolf, then again when my youngest crossed that same stepping stone; earning my Wood Badge beads; being asked to join the staff of a Wood Badge course.
But I would have to say, while those are all proud moments, they are personal moments, mostly affecting my own family. No, what I determined is my proudest moment is when I kneel down and apply a new neckerchief on a scout who has just bridged to his next level in scouting.
You see, it's not just a new neckerchief, new challenges, or maybe completion of other challenges. No, it's the knowledge of what events have led to that scout crossing his bridge, whether from Tiger to Wolf or Webelos II to Boy Scout. Cub Scouting is a program to turn boys into young men, and Boy Scouting to young men into responsible grown men. Then, maybe, those grown men return that gift to a new Tiger Cub.
I believe that my personal achievements in my short scouting career have been the result of the program we serve, and not solely any efforts or work of my own. We do this for the boys. Period. What's the next proud moment? It starts with a parent coming to me to say how positive a difference scouting has made in his or her son. The boy they were a year before and the boy he is now is are two very different things. The they ask to be a registered leader. Wow, I get kinda goose-bumpy just thinking about it.
My friends, scouts and families, this is where it is at! There are many ways to have a positive influence on a youth. Scouting remains one of the definitive leaders. With its woven tapestry of leadership, discipline, religion, and FUN, Scouting provides one of the most complete learning experiences outside of the academic world. And the cost, by comparison even to public education, is rock bottom.
Now, I've placed scout program first because, as I said, that's where it is at. But I don't want to sell the adult program short. This was a wonderful surprise to me (I guess I should have realized that just a large institution would have ample educational opportunities for its leaders!). BSA offers new leader training (both online and in class), advanced training (Baloo, OLS fo Webelos Leaders, Safety Afloat, Hazardous Weather, Trainer Development Conference, Trainer's EDGE, University of Scouting, National Youth Leader Training, Philmont Scout Ranch, and the peak of Scout Leader training, Wood Badge. Although there are many, many more courses available).
Folks, not only are your sons (and daughters in Venturing Crews and Varsity Teams) availed of quality leadership, citizenship, and academic courses, but the men and women leading them are, as well.
It's easy to get excited and go on and on about the great things scouting has, can, and will do for our country's next leaders, so forgive me if I've gone long. I guess you could say scouting has thoroughly and perpetually permeated bones. I can think of many worse addictions!
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