NEW FAMILY ORIENTATION GUIDE
BOY SCOUT TROOP 265
HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC CHURCH
11300 West 103rd Street
Overland Park, Kansas
NEW SCOUT FAMILY ORIENTATION
Troop Structure
Boy Run Troop
When you were involved with Cub Scouts, it was a parent run organization. The adult den leader decided what project or activity would be done. A parent could sign-off on activities performed for rank advancement and arrow points. We endeavor to have our troop run by the boys for the boys. The adults are there to assist and coordinate. If you have something of interest to the boys at a troop meeting, tell the senior patrol leader and you will be placed on the agenda. The boys decide where they will go on campouts and other special activities. The adults coordinate and help make it happen. Older scouts may sign-off on rank advancements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class. They are also able to do Boards of Review for those same rank advancements.
Patrol Method
The boys are divided into smaller units called patrols. An elected senior patrol leader and two assistant senior patrol leaders lead the boys. The patrols elect their own patrol leaders, plan their menus and do their own cooking, however no one goes hungry. The boys divide up the cost of food among themselves. The patrol leaders are in charge of calling their members to tell them about upcoming events. Each patrol is responsible for transportation of its members.
Executive Committee
The organization and planning for the troop activities are coordinated by an Executive Committee of adults who meet monthly from August through June. All meetings are open to any parent who has a son in the troop. Parents must register with the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts in order to vote at the Committee meetings. We encourage all adults, male or female, to be involved in their son’s Scout troop. There are abundant opportunities to serve and assist in making this a great Scout experience. Any parent may become a member of the Executive Committee at any time during the year. Committee members must be involved in scouting activities. The Scoutmaster and the Committee Chairman may approve activities during the month that will be reviewed with the Committee at the next meeting. This committee also reviews all expected expenditures greater than $100.00 prior to commitment. (All adult leaders are required to take the Youth Protection Training offered by Boy Scouts of America and the Virtus training provided by the Archdiocese.)
Communication
Communication is primarily via e-mail, with some telephone calls by Patrol Leaders. An annual troop calendar is generally distributed in September.
Transportation
Each family should be responsible for transportation of the scouts to at least one function during the scouting year. If all pitch in it makes it easier for all.
Troop Meetings
Regular Troop Meeting – Class A Uniform Required
These meetings are when advancements and awards are handed out. Information regarding upcoming events will be discussed. There is also time to have patrol time to plan menus and the like for outings. We try to have a theme and some type of activity.
Troop/Advancement Meeting – Class A Uniform Required
These meetings are great opportunities for younger scouts to pass rank requirements with older scouts, work on their knots, work on a merit badge, have a scoutmaster conference or board of review, or do patrol activities.
Advancement/Merit Badge Meetings – Class B Uniform
These meetings focus solely on advancement or work on a merit badge. Usually two merit badge courses are running at the same time. Several merit badge classes, usually Eagle required, are offered throughout the year.
Court of Honor – Class A Uniform Required
This is a formal meeting to acknowledge boys who have attained rank advancement: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle.
Patrol Leader’s Council Meeting (PLC) – Class B Uniform
This is for the senior patrol leaders, the patrol leaders, and adult leaders to discuss and plan for upcoming events through the year.
Executive Committee Meeting
Adult meeting to discuss troop business and direction. Any parent is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Troop Codes of Dress & Conduct
Class A
This uniform consists of the scout shirt, pants, neckerchief, belt, socks and knot rope. It is worn to all regular troop meetings, courts of honor, scoutmaster conferences, boards of review, campouts for traveling, and various meals and formal activities at summer camp. The merit badge sash may be excluded for traveling and some activities at summer camp.
Class B
This uniform consists of the Troop 265 T-shirt, shirt, or sweatshirt. The T-shirt may be purchased through the troop. It is worn while on campouts after arrival and prior to departure, advancement meetings, and various meals and informal activities at summer camp.
Code of Conduct
Each scout must sign this. It explains our policies for proper behavior and the consequences for not adhering to those standards.
Totin’ Chip
A scout must have a totin’ chip, signifying his completion of safety training, in his possession in order to have a folding knife. Blade length is limited up to three and one half inches. No sheath knives allowed.
Scout Activities
Monthly Campouts
Each month from September through May/June the troop offers boys an activity, normally a campout. Campouts may be held at a farm, a park, a river to canoe, a military installation, or a camp. The boys hike, canoe, ride horses, learn about rifles and shotguns, fish, sail, ride bikes, work on advancements, and play. They set up their tents, cook their food, and clean up their dishes. The patrols plan their own menus and purchase their own food. They divide up the cost among themselves.
Patrol menus will be complete and approved by the scoutmaster or the senior patrol leader prior to the campout. The scouts need to prepare several meals for rank advancement and merit badges. The meals should be well balanced and should require some preparation. Prepared or canned main meals are prohibited because the boys do not have to exhibit any cooking skills. Such items may be brought only if included in a recipe. Junk food for snacks should be kept to a minimum. Canned beverages should not be brought on campouts.
Additional fees may be required for such items as a canoe or bike rental or a patch. Boys need to bring extra clothes, wet and cold weather gear, a sleeping bag, eating utensils like a plate, cup and silverware. Most scouts seem to think a pair of tennis shoes is enough. We disagree and encourage a scout to wear boots. If equipment is needed let an adult know because several have extra sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and winter gear. Don’t be left out or left out in the cold because of the need for gear.
We try to limit each Scout to one bag of personal gear for camping. Please avoid the yellow trash bags and get a good bag with handles. Scouts are encouraged to have a backpack to attend weekend campouts. Backpack is required to participate in high adventure trips and hikes. There are items prohibited on campouts: No TVs, radios, tape players, CD players, electronic games, flammable liquids or fireworks are allowed on campouts.
Special Activities
These might include a night at the Royals, going bowling, a tour of a science center, a tour of a gallery, or an all-family activity.
High Adventure
There are three national high adventure bases – Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Sea Base in Florida, and the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. There are other scout camps and National and State Parks such as Packard in Colorado or hiking the Appalachian Trail where the troop can go. These trips, which generally occur in the summer months, are normally for older scouts who are at least 13 years of age, Star rank, with certain merit badges. There are additional fees associated with these programs and are paid by the attendees. The troop will give boys and adults the opportunity to attend at least one high adventure program each year.
Summer Camp
Each summer the troop attends the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri. Camp lasts for around nine to ten days with a parent’s day over a weekend. Boys can earn merit badges, advance in rank, or work on Mic-O-Say advancement. They stay in cabin-style tents with cots. They normally store their gear in a lock box purchased individually. All food is served in the central mess hall.
Service Projects & Fund Raisers
Can Drive
Every other month the troop asks the church members to collect and drop off aluminum cans in the parking lot during masses. The troop uses the money generated to purchase awards and troop equipment. The boys crush the cans and then rebag them. Each boy needs to be sure to sign in so he gets credit for service hours needed for rank advancement.
Chili Bingo Night
This is the main fund raiser for the troop and cub pack. Boys need to sell tickets to family and friends for the chili and hot dog supper. Attendees can purchase bingo cards to win prizes. The final tally is split between the cubs and the troop. This allows the troop to avoid selling popcorn, greenery, wrapping paper, etc. door to door.
Blood Drive
The boys assist with snacks, drinks, donor signup, etc. Boys earn service hours towards rank advancement.
Community Service
Boys earn service hours for helping in various service projects throughout the year. This could involve Eagle service projects, clean up of community property, or assistance at certain Cub Scout activities.
Advancement
Rank
In Cub Scouts, boys advanced due to age or school grade. In Boy Scouts, they advance when requirements are completed. The ranks are Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle. Each rank has several requirements such as showing scout spirit, performing “X” hours of service, showing how to do something or discussing something. These various requirements are listed in your Scout Book together with the associated text to pass many of these requirements.
For lower rank requirements, older boys can sign off on these, as well as conduct boards of review. You may work ahead on requirements for higher ranks while working on a lower rank. Each rank requires you to be that rank for an amount of time before you advance to the next rank. You can have all the requirements completed and work on requirements for the next rank while waiting for the time limit to expire.
The Scout advancement process is self-paced. As soon as you have all of the requirements completed and signed, ask several older boys to give you a board of review. Then ask the Scoutmaster to give you a Scoutmaster’s Conference. Once those are complete, show your book to the Advancement Coordinator and you will receive your new rank at the next meeting.
There are some activities such as High Adventure trips or Mic-O-Say requiring a certain rank. Again, it is self-paced but if a boy procrastinates too long, then he tends to lose interest as he gets older. His friends are higher rank and doing things he cannot yet do so frustration sets in.
Knots
Our troop has a tradition of knotsmanship. There are various levels of knots and colors of ropes. A boy can ask any scout with a higher color knot than he has to test him on his knots to advance to the next level. However, a boy must maintain proficiency with the knots or he may be downgraded to a lower level if challenged and he fails to tie a knot correctly.
Merit Badges
These are subject oriented in areas of hobbies, career opportunities, and outdoor recreation like Leatherwork, Geology, or Small Boat Sailing. The higher ranks require merit badges for advancement. Merit badges fall into two categories, required for Eagle and non-required for Eagle. To attain the rank of Eagle, boys need 21 merit badges, of which 11 are from the required section. There are some choices if a boy cannot earn a badge due to physical limitations. The remaining merit badges are earned by choice. Any merit badges earned above the required 21 count toward Eagle Palms, one Palm for each 5 additional badges.
Some merit badges may be earned at summer camp and others during troop meetings, such as First Aid or Horsemanship. Others require the boy to contact a counselor and work with that adult to earn the badge. Merit badges are earned while the boys are working on rank advancement. A boy could be in Scouts for one week and earn a merit badge for a hobby he has enjoyed for some time. Do not wait until First Class to begin earning merit badges toward Star.
The boy will need to get a blue merit badge card from the Advancement Coordinator. The card includes three parts and must be provided to the adult counselor who is teaching the subject. When the boy finishes the badge the counselor keeps one section for his records, the boy keeps one section as proof of completion, and the third is turned in to the Advancement Coordinator for recording and award purchase.
The troop maintains a list of active merit badge counselors. Many merit badge pamphlets are available for use from the troop library. Check them out through the Advancement Coordinator. It is best to read through the requirements prior to contacting the counselor. Any requiring something written out could be completed and ready to turn in on the initial visit. If you are to visit a professional or a place or meeting, those could also be completed prior to the counselor visit.
Mic-O-Say & Order of the Arrow (OA)
Order of the Arrow is the National Honor Camper Society as directed by BSA. It is available in all 50 states and all BSA camps. Mic-O-Say is only available at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation and CampGeiger in St. Joseph. Mic-O-Say allows older boys to advance and earn claw paint at summer camp since they have earned most or all of the merit badges available there. It teaches the boys leadership and goal setting.
Parents Corner
Troop Finances
The troop sponsors various fund raising activities during the year to help defray the costs of operations. Parents and scouts are expected to assist in such activities which include the aluminum can drive and the Chili-Bingo Night. Dues for registration with the Heart of America Council are assessed annually. Scouts are expected to pay the majority of the cost of the events they attend.
The troop will make exceptions with respect to dues and event fees so that no boy is denied the benefits of scouting. Parents who need financial assistance should contact the Scoutmaster or Committee Chairman for a confidential discussion of this issue.
Winter Campouts
Remember that your child will be out in the weather for 24 to 36 hours without a break. They go to bed in a tent, they wake up and cook their own breakfast, play all day, cook their own dinner, and go to bed in the tent. It is not like being at home where they go out to play for a few hours and then come into a nice warm house to dry off, eat dinner, sleep, eat breakfast, get dressed, etc. The troop has large tents and propane heaters to keep boys and food from freezing but there is no break for ill-prepared boys and adults. Scouts who are not properly equipped for the weather with head gear, boots and gloves will not be permitted to attend the winter campout.
Adult Campout Fees & Equipment
Any adult is welcome on any and all campouts. One adult volunteers to purchase the food and the cost is divided among the adults attending. Let the adult planning the menu know that you plan to attend prior to the outing so meals can be planned. Additional fees may also be required for canoe rental, bike rental, or patches. Each adult will need to bring a plate, cup, and silverware for meals. Again, let the adult planning meals know you will attend so food can be purchased accordingly.
Boy Advancement
You may help your son with rank requirements but it is best to have him get with an older scout to have it signed off. He learns to work with others of his peers. If you want to know how your son is progressing, just look in his book. The lower ranks are discussed in the front of the Scout Book and the higher ranks are in the bank with the Merit Badge requirements. Each of the requirements has space for dated sign-off so you can easily see what has been accomplished and what remains. You can also check with the Advancement Coordinator to see your son’s record.