First, since I was in the shed helping clean up, I missed the flag retirement ceremony and neglected to mention that Logan Bond was the Master of Ceremonies. Thank you, Logan!
Next let me congratulate- Josiah Baldwin, Arthur Dalton, Luke Irwin, Logan Bond, Ethan Lacayo for completing their Order of the Arrow Ordeal weekend! They are now official OA members. Mr. Dalton was also there (yes Adult Scouters can join the OA) and he is now also a member of the OA! Be sure to congratulate them at the next meeting.
Thank you all for a very successful meeting last week. We cleaned out the shed (thank you Mr. Jahns) and I appreciate that everyone was very respectful and was serious at the flag retirement ceremony. Thank you, Mr. Heatherington, for being the MC!
Thank you all for signing up for the Climboree and selecting your course preferences. A big thank you to Mr. Mulvaney for making all of it happen! We should be all set for now and just must wait for the big event in the fall!
TROOP MEETING
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill!
The weather looks good for tomorrow, so the theme will be fire building! We don’t want to have any accidents so please listen to your troop leaders and the designated firm marshals!
NATHAN WELLS EAGLE PROJECT- PART 2
Nathan completed the first part of his Eagle project this Sunday! See update from him below. Part 2 is coming up on May 4th (I expect lots of Star Wars themed comments that day)! This is the same day as our Scout Skill Saturday so I hope that some of you can stick around to help him out.
For an update with my project, I completed the first phase of the project (which will be evident at the next meeting), with the help of a few scouts from the troop. Everything went as planned and the next work date is currently being scheduled. Although there is scout skill Saturday is on May 4th, I will start at around noon, in case interested participants of both events would like to join. At that work day I will likely necessitate four boys or more from the troop.
BIKING & CAMPING TRIP
See email below from Mr. Mulvaney. We have wanted (and tried once before) to make this trip happen. I know that this will be the time and it will be an amazing trip. There are three parts to this trip and while we recommend that you participate in all three you certainly can opt out of one.
Monday May 6th (Tentative)
In lieu of a normal meeting, we will meet at Velocity Bike Shop in Del Ray and go over basic bike maintenance and safety. The mechanics will be there to look over the bikes and help us make any necessary adjustments!
Saturday May 11th
10 Mile (minimum) Shakedown Ride @ 12pm – Meet at the end of Commonwealth by Four Mile Run
If you are like me, it has been a little while since I have been on the bike, this will be a good opportunity to test the legs and the bikes and make sure everything is working right!
Saturday May 18th – Sunday May 19th
Bike Camping Trip on the C&O Canal
Meet at Swains Lock (Mile 16 just past Great Falls Tavern and Billy Goat Trail) @ 0900. We’ll do an out and back ride of at least 20mi, camp Saturday night and do another short ride Sunday morning. There is an option for Scouts to camp only, however preference will be given to bikers depending on the amount of interest and size of the campsite.
Parents, we’ll need drivers who can transport bikes and camping gear!
Due to harder than normal logistics for this one, we are asking everyone to sign up early! We really cannot have any last-minute sign-ups as we must arrange transportation of the gear and bikes.
A big thank you to Mr. Grocki (with support from Mr. Gross and Mr. Jay) for organizing this activity.
Who: Everyone with a sense of adventure who loves the outdoors (i.e. SCOUTS!!!!)
What: Riding into the sunset (or at least along the canal)
When: SAT 18 May – Sun 19 May 2024 (Just Sat & Sun this month!)
Where: C&O Canal
Why: Let’s Ride!
Cost: $20 Each
And there is a Biking Merit Badge (https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/cycling/)
Sign up at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDyQpNResSoEP6Hj1OnNI_HPHJW0XLmNMOcx3M5BdJh93m6A/viewform
Brendan Mulvaney
Outings Coordinator
Boy Scout Troop 131
HIKING MERIT BADGE
See email below from Mr. Mulvaney! This sounds like a great opportunity. Keep in mind that Hiking is an optional Eagle Required badge. In other words, you can choose hiking, swimming, or cycling to fulfill this requirement.
Are any Scouts currently working on, or interested in starting the Hiking Merit Badge?
Sean Mulvaney has joined an Order of the Arrow crew for a Philmont Trek this summer. He has come up with a training plan, which involves a lot of hiking. If any of our Scouts is interested in joining him for 5-, 10-, or 15-mile hikes (all of which are required for the merit badge), please email him at
Sean@Mulvaney.us
And he can let you know the schedule of the training hikes.
Brendan Mulvaney
Outings Coordinator
Boy Scout Troop 131
FUNDRAISING- Fun walk/run
Greyson Hunt’s (Goat Patrol) sister is helping to raise money for the Carpenter’s Shelter, please consider supporting this event!
On Sunday May 5 from 9:30-11:30am, the 5th grade class at Jefferson Houston will host a community service fun walk/run. All funds raised will be donated to the Carpenter’s Shelter. Anyone can participate in the run so they’re hoping for a good turnout of run/walkers as well as spectators.
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NATHAN WELLS EAGLE PROJECT- PART 2
See update from Nathan!
Event Address: 3606 Seminary Rd, Alexandria, VA 22304
Contact us at (716) 986-6794 or nathan.colman.wells@gmail.com
Second work party for Nathan Wells’ Eagle Scout Project on May 4 at 1:00 PM. This event will likely continue for 3-4 hours, ending at 3 or 4 PM.
The goal of the project as a whole is to construct a pathway behind the Church, and stone barriers around the Church and gardens. The stone barriers are intended to protect the Church building and structure from debri caused by excessive rain. The pathway is meant to create a more comfortable method of walking through the backyard space of the Church, as it is very muddy at this point.
On this work day, we will put the edgestones down, likely we will not complete the gravel. The gravel will be a multi-day process.
SCOUT SKILL SATURDAY
Unfortunately, due to some scheduling challenges, we decided to postpone this. We will find a time to re-schedule!
ILOS TRAINING
We need at least two ILOS trained adults on every camping trip. I know we had one parent who just completed their ILOS training recently, but I would certainly encourage anyone who wants to camp with the troop to consider taking the training.
There is an upcoming session on June 15th and 16th. See information below:
06/15-16 – Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS)
https://www.scoutingevent.com/082-iolsspring24
This training is for Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, Crew Advisors, Associate Crew Advisors who need to complete their program-specific training requirements, as well as those other adult volunteers who want to help with the outdoor program activities and basic advancement skills.
SUMMER CAMP SIGN-UP
The early bird pricing has unfortunately passed; however, it is still not too late to sign up! We have 15 scouts and 4 adults who are attending, and it should be a lot of fun! Not to mention, four of your Troop mates will be counselors at Olmstead again this year!
Please contact Mrs. Lacayo if you would like to go!
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, April 29th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday May 4th – Nathan Wells Eagle Project
Monday, May 6th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC) – Velocity Bike Shop (Tentative)
Saturday, May 11th – Shakedown Bike Ride – Four Mile Run
Monday, May 13th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday May 17th – 19th – OA Conclave – Camp Snyder
Saturday May 18th – 19th Camping – Biking Trip – C&O Canal
Monday, May 20th – Swim Test – 7:30 PM – Chinquapin Park Req. Center
Monday, May 27th – No Troop Meeting – Memorial Day
Monday, June 3rd – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (ELECTIONS) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday June 7th – 9th Camping – Canoe Trip – TBD
Monday, June 10th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC)(BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, June 17th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Sunday June 23rd – Start of Summer Camp
Monday, June 24th – No Troop Meeting
Saturday June 29th – End of Summer Camp
