Philmont 2025 | BWCA 2024 | Upcoming camps | Meeting Plans | Court of Honor

Hello Scouts!

Philmont 2025: We have good news, we were selected for a 12 day Philmont trek, July 16-28 2025!

Action item 1: 8 scouts, 3 adults 21+, and one youth leader 18+ are on the list as interested. All attendees will need to make a $150 deposit by March 15, 2024 to save our reservation. Maximum number in our crew is 12 persons, so we have a full crew assuming all on the list now confirm intent to go.

• See who is registered

Action item 2: We need at least two attendees to be trained in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. I am encouraging both youth and adult training for this. There is a weekend training open on April 20-21 and another on May 4-5. Please email me (mr.nixon@gmail.com) if interested in attending this training.

Boundary Waters 2024: We have one full 8-person crew interested (potential June/July trip). One adult and 3 youths have indicated interest in a 2nd crew (with main availability in August). For a 2nd crew to happen we need one more adult (and up to 3 more scouts). Mr. Needleman is checking on permits now, hopefully we can lock in a date soon!

• Register here | See who is registered

Upcoming camps:

March 8-10: Dutch Oven Challenge weekend, Kiwanis Scout Camp! We're asking patrols to create their best Dutch oven recipes, goal is to cook ONLY in the Dutch ovens for the whole weekend. Most impressive feat of Dutch oven cooking will earn the winning patrol a cast iron pan emblem for their patrol flag!

• Register here | See who else is going

April 12-14 (date not yet finalized): Leadership Challenge lock-in, planned for Base Camp. More info to come!

May 17-19: Spring Camporee, Stearns Scout Camp: Camporee theme is "American Heroes" (opportunity for Citizenship in the Nation and American Heritage Merit Badges).

• Register here | See who else is going

Meeting plans:

February 19: No meeting. "No school, no scouts" is our general rule. We will not meet on the 19th due to President's Day holiday. (And happy birthday to Scoutmasters Nixon and Needleman!)

February 26: Knot Relay - patrol challenge! We'll work on basic knots, then have a relay to determine which patrol is "top knot-ch!" In case of a tie, well, that's how you get a knot! Winner will earn a knot emblem for their patrol flag!

We may have a guest at the Feb 26 meeting to discuss Coin Collecting Merit Badge. If interested, please plan to attend.

March 4: Camp planning + Knots and Lashings. We'll continue our adventures in ropes to learn about lashings. We'll hold a lashing relay, and scouts can use what they learned to finish the 1st Class knots and lashings requirements at the March camp.

Court of Honor: March 25. If you will need a Board of Review, you will need to contact our advancement committee to arrange this on or before March 11.

That's a lot of updates. We'll see you all on Feb 26!

Good Scouting!

High Adventure registration | Ski Camp

Happy February Troop 1! I hope you all enjoyed Groundhog Day, one of our greatest holidays (and the only American holiday celebrating a rodent)! Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, so it's time to start thinking about warmer weather - and warmer weather means Summer high adventure!

Summer 2024 - Boundary Waters: Week-long canoe trip, open to ALL scouts in Troop 1. We'll discuss details in upcoming meetings, but we need to lock in our interest quickly to obtain a permit. We need both scouts AND adult leaders to register if we are to make this trip happen.

• Register your interest here | See who else has signed up

Summer 2025 - Philmont: Backpacking trek at Philmont Scout Ranch, perhaps the "gold standard" of Scouts BSA high adventure. Because this is a national BSA High Adventure base, Philmont has age restrictions. Philmont can include 7, 9, or 12-day treks in New Mexico wilderness. Scouts must be at least 13 years old and have graduated 8th grade by June 1, 2025 to participate. As with Boundary, we need both scouts AND adult leaders to register if we are to make this trip happen. Treks are assigned by lottery, so we want our crews signed up ASAP.

• Register your interest here | See who else has signed up

Ski Camp update: We're closing registration SUNDAY NIGHT. Trollhaugen reports that they still have snow ("wet packed" snow, but snow nonetheless!). For any last minute registrations please email me directly. We're hosting at least 4 Arrow of Light scouts - I am looking forward to a weekend of fun as these new scouts get to know the troop. I know that you will all be awesome hosts for our guests!

• See who is attending

On Monday we will be finalizing Ski Camp plans and discussing high adventure opportunities. Scouts who have gone to BWCA or Philmont with Troop 1 in the past, please be prepared to share your experiences!

Good Scouting - and I'll see you all Monday!

Meeting next Monday | OA Elections | Upcoming camps

Hi Troop One! Hope all are staying warm.

Monday January 22 meeting plans - we'll start Snow Sports Merit Badge for those interested (print out workbook here). Please come ready to learn about ski/snowboard/snowshoe care, safety, and etiquette in advance of our trip to Ski Camp in February. For those not working on the merit badge, please plan to work on OTHER advancement, such as:

• Anyone not yet at 1st Class can work on any requirements with another scout.
• We started Genealogy Merit Badge in November, and will be scheduling time for our MB counselor Val Mayer to review the work for those who completed it at a future meeting. If you didn't start in November, you can work on it with a buddy this coming Monday.
• Those working on other MBs can talk to your counselor, if they are present!

Order of the Arrow Elections will be held at our meeting on Monday January 9. OA is the BSA honor society, dedicated to service and  brotherhood. To be eligible, you must be 1st class or above (or be a registered adult leader) and have logged at least 15 nights camping within the last two years. Members are elected by the Troop - all scouts get a vote.

• Scouts who show as eligible for this cycle are Del, Sam, and Finn.
• Scouts who were previously elected but have not completed their ordeal weekend are Alex, Andy, Mason, Cullan, Ami, Soren, Oliver, Lucien, and Henry R. (Yes, even scouts who aged out are eligible - OA youth members run through age 21.)
• OA report I ran through Internet Advancement did not show any other scouts or adults as eligible. If you think you SHOULD be eligible, but were not listed, please let me know ASAP!

Completing your OA ordeal weekend is the first step - completing a Brotherhood weekend is next. I've been in OA since 1990 but never did the Brotherhood weekend. If we can get a good contingent of Troop 1 scouts to complete the ordeal weekend, I'm totally up for joining you for Brotherhood!

Upcoming camps: Ski Camp, February 9-11 (register here | see who's going) is planned, but we have not solidified plans for March or April camps. We need to discuss what the troop wants to do and determine locations. For May, our plan is to join other troops at the Spring Camporee.

• March - tentative March 8-10
• April - tentative April 12-14
• May - Spring Camporee, Stearns Scout Camp, May 17-19. Program offerings: Citizenship in the Nation and American Heritage Merit Badges. More info here

See you all on Monday!

No meeting Monday | Upcoming meetings | Ski Camp

Hello Troop 1!

As Monday is Martin Luther King Day and there is no school, we will not have a Troop meeting. Next meeting will be Monday Jan 22.

We'll be working on Snow Sports Merit Badge for those who wish to do so. We'll start with classroom portion on the 22nd, so that we will have more time to do active on-the-snow portions at Trollhaugen.

As a reminder, Ski Camp is February 9-11. If you are not signed up to go, please do so soon as we need to start locking down food, gear, and transportation soon!

Register here | See who else is attending

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Happy New Year!

Holiday greetings, Troop 1! Reminder, no meeting tonight, our first meeting of 2024 will be Monday January 8.

As we wrap up 2023 and begin 2024, many of us are thinking about new year's resolutions. It's a time for us to reflect on what we would like to change for the coming year. Many people make resolutions, but not many people actually keep them. If you are thinking about making a resolution, how will you stick to it? How will you measure your success?

Your intended changes for the coming year don't need to be big, but they should be meaningful. Perhaps you're hoping to help out more at home (hint: Start Family Life or Home Repairs Merit Badge). Perhaps you'd like to start working on improving your fitness (Personal Fitness Merit Badge can help!). Maybe you want to be more proactive about earning your service hours (it snowed - are your neighbors in need of help shoveling?) or you might intend to be better at managing your time or money (Personal Management Merit Badge, anyone?)

However you look at the new year, I am glad you are looking at it as part of Troop 1. Stay warm, and be well!

Troop Elections | PLC | Court of Honor

Happy Tuesday, Troop 1!

Troop Elections were held last night. Your new troop leadership is Cullan (SPL), Del and Lucien (ASPLs). Full election details are listed in the Troop Leadership/Patrols file. If you need a position of responsibility (or wish to continue in your prior position, if vacant) and were not at the meeting for the election OR don't see your position listed in the file, please contact me ASAP. Some critical missing positions include Outdoor Ethics Guide, Librarian, Chaplain Aide, OA Representative, and Den Chief.

Adult leaders, this applies to you as well: If you are listed incorrectly (or not listed at all!) please let me know so I can update this file.

• Current Troop Leadership/Patrols

Patrol Leaders Council will be held Monday Dec 11, 6:30, at MUMC. The first meeting after a camp weekend is traditionally when we hold the PLC. All Patrol leaders (outgoing and newly elected) plus Scribe should plan to attend. Any scout who wishes to provide input on future meeting plans is welcome to attend but not required. Scouts can (and should!) contact their Patrol Leader to provide input: This is your Patrol Leader's job, to represent their patrol at these meetings. If you don't tell them what is important to you, they can't represent you in the meeting!

Court of Honor will be held Monday December 18 at MUMC. We have multiple newly earned ranks to award, and Merit Badges to present. Scouts should wear their best uniform. (If you're missing or have outgrown uniform parts, we may be able to help! The Troop has some extras for those who want them.) Families may wish to bring a treat to share with the troop after the event. If bringing a treat, please list ingredients to inform those who have dietary restrictions or preferences.

Last, a quick plug for service hours as we enter the winter months. Watch for snowy days! If you have neighbors and you also have a shovel, put your shovel to good use - you will have a really easy way to earn some hours and earn some goodwill at the same time.

Good Scouting!

Service Opportunities | Board Game Camp | Court of Honor

Greetings Scouts and Scout families!

Three upcoming opportunities for service to others:

Lucien's Eagle project needs volunteers to hand out flyers, this Saturday, December 2. Meet at MUMC at 9AM. Volunteers will also beneeded December 16 to pick up donated items. The project is collecting donated clothing to distribute to the Central Lutheran Free Store. Donations of new underwear, socks, mittens, gloves can be dropped off in a collection bin at MUMC. Any time on this project counts as service hours.

• Volunteer for a shift here

Sea Base Crew is staffing concessions at the Holly Trolley and Vinternatt this weekend. If you're not on the Sea Base crew, your help for this counts as service hours. Please look at the schedule and volunteer for a shift if you are able.

• Volunteer for a shift here

Pack 1 is seeking help from the Troop to support Cub Scouts in their winter camping skills. We need a few Scouts who are willing to go to Stearns Scout Camp the weekend of Jan 5-7 to assist. Pack 1 will provide food, we will sleep in a separate cabin and join the Pack at Tonkawa Lodge for the day Saturday. If we get enough attendees, we will split our group and use this as a winter camp for the Troop.

• Sign up to attend here

Monday Dec 4 is last call for Board Game Camp - if you plan to attend, make sure you are registered by then. We'll be planning the menu and setting up the duty roster at the Dec 4 meeting.

• Register here | See who else is going

Last, don't forget Court of Honor is December 18. If you hope to receive specific advancement items, make sure records of completion are turned in next Monday. If you are scheduled for a Board of Review, come to the meeting Dec 4 ready for the review. We recommend Class A uniform and don't forget to bring your Scout book!

That's all for today!