Court of Honor - Troop 933 will be conducting a court of honor on Tuesday, January 8, at 7:00 p.m. Please support the scouts as we will have several rank advancements. Scouts should be in full uniform, minimum shirt, neckerchief, belt and pants.
Summer camp - Camp Loll is July 28 through August 1, 2008. Please mark you calendars so planning other events can be taken into account.
Winter Klondike - Our annual winter Klondike Derby will be held toward the end of February. We'll be working on a Klondike slede in our troop meetings in preparation for this activity during January and February.
Troop Merit Badge Award - A new troop award has been developed to help motivate our boys to achieve. The award will be a Uncle Henry pocket knife and will be awarded to the scout who earns the most merit badges from January 1, through June 30. It seems we always focus on earning merit badges at summer camp and that certainly can keep scouts busy at summer camp, but it can also detract from the adventure of summer camp too. Therefore, the goal is to get boys to earn merit badges throughout the year. If a scout graduates into the Varsity program during the 6 month period, they are still eligible for the award. If one of these recent graduates earns the most merit badges, then we will give two knives away, one for the Varsity scout and one for the Boy Scout.
Personal Management - This merit badge requires boys to keep track of their expenses. Well, when I've asked the boys how they have been doing, they say they haven't had any money come in, etc. I suggested that they talk to their parents about earning money around the house so they can do this merit badge. This would be a great opportunity for you to development some jobs and purchases that will help them learn the value of saving, earning and record keeping. Again, the boys will need to keep track of expenses for 13 weeks. Please help the boys fill out the worksheet in their blue books. We've been talking about finances but not a lot of note-taking. Hopefully, parents can discuss these important things the boys should learn. (Have you noticed that scouting is a lot more than outdoor activities?)
Swimming and Life Saving merit badges - Most boys have expressed an interest in participating in the Clearfield Aquatic merit badge offering for February. Not only will this help the boys become better swimmers, but will pass off the swim check for summer camp. For those who have been to Camp Loll, where the water termperature is in the 40's, this will be a welcome event come summer. Baden Powell, many years ago thought that boys were becoming 'soft' and weren't experiencing those things that boys should experience. Swimming is a life-long skill that all boys should know and I would suggest everyone consider participating in this activity. The cost will be $33. Please make checks payable to Clearfield Aquatic Center. Please turn them in by January 8th, at our next court of honor.
Change requirements of merit badges and rank advancements - See this web site for a discussion on how to handle changes in requirements: http://usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/changes/advchanges08.asp
Camping Merit Badge requirements - All boys turning 11 years old by January 1, 2007, will require 20 nights/days camping. This means boys can use any campout in a tent as part of the 20 night/days of camping. So, family camping, father and son campouts, etc., count toward the 20 nights/days. Boys turning 11 after January 1, 2007, will be required to get their nights/days at scout sanctioned campouts. This is a big change for newer scouts.
Friends Of Scouting - As January comes around, our thoughts turn to the Friends Of Scouting fund raiser. Once a year, the chartered organization seeks contributions for the scouting program in our area. Your support with contributions as well as assisting with this event would be appreciated.
