In addition to weekly Troop meetings, we try to have at least one major activity per month for the entire Troop. Patrols can and do arrange other activities also. Scouting is a leadership-training program. The goal of Boy Scouts is for the boys to run the troop. The role of adult leaders is to help them learn how to do that.

We think 25-35 boys is about the right size for our Troop. Six of our Scouts have reached Eagle Scout in the last two years. Three have passed their eighteenth birthday and have joined the Troop's adult leadership. They join us when they=re home from college.

The Boy Scout program ought to be fun as well as educational for everyone involved. We believe this works best if we all strive to live by the Boy Scout Oath and Law. They require an atmosphere of respect, cooperation and teamwork for all. This is absolutely necessary for order and safety when we are on the road. Nevertheless we realize that Boy Scouts is a learning environment, and sometimes we have to learn from our mistakes.

The Boy Scout program supports religious involvement. A Catholic parish sponsors us. We encourage both our Catholic and non-Catholic members to practice an active religious life. We encourage our Scouts to earn the appropriate religious emblem(s) of their faith tradition.

Troop Meetings are spent learning and practicing Scout skills, preparing for outings and activities, and working on selected merit badges. We normally have Board of Review in February, September and December, Court of Honor in March, June, September, and in December with a Christmas party. (Currently scheduled Court of Honor dates are 12/9/01, 3/5/02, 6/11/02.) Sometimes we go places for special instruction (e.g., a pool for swim and lifesaving instruction.)

Upcoming Events

- July 14-20, 2002 Troop at Summer Camp: Camp Cris Dobbins, Elbert, CO. Cost: $160. Usually paid in installments between now and May. Strongly recommended for all new scouts.

Scouting is a uniformed activity. We require proper uniform for all scout activities. It is important that scouts have their uniforms in proper order. Younger scouts need help with this.

The following are elements of our AClass A@ Uniform, required at all our activities and functions. Including when we are traveling to camp and other outings:

We do not require uniform trousers. We do require pants or shorts with belt loops and pockets (e.g., jeans) and worn with a belt.

Normally we do not do a lot of fundraising. We do not send our boys out door-to-door. We participate in the annual, national Boy Scout Popcorn sale. We believe each Scout ought to earn at least part of the cost of his scouting. The Troop Committee looks for funds to improve our outdoor equipment. We tend to do relatively inexpensive things, to pay for outings as we go. Most of the time outings run between $10 and $30, depending on length, distance, the nature of the activity.

Service Activities and Eagle Projects

Service activities are an integral part of scouting. We help prepare food boxes in November and December for our Charter Organizations food drives, for example. Boys are encouraged to find service activities on their own or by patrol. The Troop is expected to help its members with eagle projects.

Troop Committee

We consider all parents members of the Troop Committee. We ask each family to contribute adult time over the year to the wide range of support activities that are essential to keeping a good Scout Troop going. A certain minimum number of offices needs to be filled. We encourage adults to register with BSA, to attend District roundtables when possible, and to complete adult basic training (Scouter Fundamentals) at some point. Even if one does not intend to take an official role in the Troop, Scouter Fundamentals is a great way to get a real feel for the Scouting program. Your son could be in this program for seven years. That is an investment worth making the best of. It also needs adults willing to learn.

Troop Adult Staff

It is crucial for the Troop to have an adequate number of trained and experienced adult leaders (Scouters). The Scouting program is very rich, but it needs skilled adults to help it happen. This is the job of the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters. It also needs adults willing to learn. It takes some time to get the hang of it, but the learning and adult interchange is fun and rewarding. We encourage interested adults to signup for a staff job and to take the Scouters Fundamentals training. Unlike many athletic coaches, Scout Staffers want the boys to learn to do it and coach it themselves. At its best, Boy Scouts is a leadership-training program. The good news is that it works!

The Scouting Program

The program is too complex to present here in detail. But here is the broad outline:

New Scout

From induction (normally in mid-5^th grade in March to mid-summer, the scout is learning the basics of Scouting. He learns how to get along in the organization, wear his uniform, correctly, participate in regular activities. He also learns how to get ready for outings and what the basic protocols are for Scout venture outside our usual meeting place. He gets used to working in a patrol and to having other boys older than himself run things.

Tenderfoot

The Tenderfoot Scout is ready to hit the road any old time. He=ll continue getting in shape for it. He will learn about how to set his own camp and how to help cook his meals and how to behave. He will learn how to take care of himself and his buddies in the outdoorsCwinter or summer, sun or rain, warm or cold and to have fun doing it. He learns how to recognize safe and dangerous situations and to remedy basic first aid problems.

Second Class

The Second Class Scout learns more about camping, cooking, using tools and fire safely. There is also a lot of emphasis on water skill and safety. Boys, water and fire seem to go together naturally. But they need to learn how to deal with such things skillfully and safely. There=s also an increase in the physical and mental challenges of the outdoorsY longer hikes and learning how to navigate with map and compass.

First Class

This is where the transition from junior to senior Scout takes place. In addition to more serious training in first aid and camping skills, he begins to learn leadershipYhow to get a bunch of younger scouts into the things he already has learned, to teach them and get them practice in the field. This prepares him for Troop leadership in the Senior Patrol. As a Patrol Leader he will participate in the patrol Leaders= Council. The governing body of a boy-run Troop.

Star Scout

Ideally, these guys are running the Troop. They have skill and experience and take some pride in planning, organizing and carrying out a complex outing. They are also working seriously on merit badges (both elective and required) and becoming more serious about the community service work that Scouting requires.

Life Scout

These are the Aold men@ of the group. Usually we are talking about high school young men who have experience and skill and who are trying to figure out an Eagle Project and complete their Merit Badge work. They might be Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) or just helping out, instructing younger Scouts in basic Scout skills or planning a 50-Miler for the summer. But they=re a great resource. Generally they are guys you can turn things over to on the spur of the moment and confidently expect they=ll get the job done.

Eagle Scout

“Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout.” It=s hard to keep these guys around. Sometimes they get Eagle early, but usually they=re pushing their 18^th birthdayY.the limit. 2% of the guys who start Scouting make it here. They are the kind of young men who are involved in lots of things. We try to keep them around even after they graduate. They are great on summer outings with the younger boys. Most of the early astronauts were Eagle ScoutsY.like Neil Armstrong.

Webelos and their dens are always welcome at Troop 166 meetings and Courts of Honor. We also have special Webelos nights in January. Contact the Scoutmaster or Committee Chair for more information.