I hope you are all enjoying your long Memorial Day weekend! There is no troop meeting tonight, but that does not mean there are no scout announcements!
First let me thank Mr. Dalton for organizing last Monday’s swim test at Minnie Howard! Another big thank you to Tadhg Devlin, Arthur Dalton, Theo Ramirez and Isabel Ramirez for running the swim test. I cannot emphasize enough how fortunate we are to have so many Red Cross Certified Lifeguards and Goshen Councilors in the troop!
The backpacking crew this weekend had an eventful time navigating all the rain! I understand that there was a lot of learning going on, including how to pack and prepare for a camping trip in the rain! Despite the waterlogged scouts and more than a few wet sleeping bags, I understand that spirits remained high! I think some lessons learned at the next scout meeting are in order!
Our next outing is a hike on the Billy Goat Trail on Saturday June 6th. We need two adult volunteers to organize and participate in this event as I am not available, otherwise we will need to cancel it!
ELECTIONS- NEXT MEETING
Let me start by sending out a big thank you to our current SPL, Thomas Grocki. Serving as the SPL is a tough job and I would like all of you to thank him for his efforts and service.
Please let me know if you intend to run for SPL!
The troop is Scout led and not adult led, so this is your time to select the leaders. Please attend and take this seriously!
· We will start the meeting by asking the SPL candidate(s) to give a short speech on why they should be elected and what they want to accomplish during this term.
· All scouts in the troop are then free to ask them questions concerning this. Only one question per scout – so make it count!
· We will then vote for SPL!
· Following the vote, any scout who would like to have an appointed leadership position (scribe, quartermaster, troop guide, etc) to also stand up and indicate what specific position they would like and to speak as to why the new SPL should select them.
· We will then break into patrols and elect Patrol Leaders.
· Patrol Leaders will then appoint their APL.
· The new SPL will then appoint the ASPL(s) and other leadership positions.
· There are plenty of other leadership positions available, see list below of the roles that we commonly fill. For the older scouts, I would like to see at least two (2) Troop Guides, so please consider that position. The younger patrols will benefit from your experience and wisdom! If we don’t have enough then I will appoint them in consultation with the new SPL.
o The patrols elect the Patrol Leader. The Patrol Leader appoints the Assistant Patrol Leader.
o The troop elects the Sr. Patrol Leader. The Sr. Patrol Leader appoints the Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader(s) and the other leadership positions:
§ Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader:
§ Quartermaster:
§ Historian:
§ Librarian:
§ Bugler:
§ Scribe:
§ Troop Guides:
§ Chaplain’s Aide:
§ Order of the Arrow Rep:
EAGLE PROJECT – THEO RAMIREZ
Theo was just able to get his Eagle Project approved by the 4 Mile Run District. He would like to try and complete it before the end of the school year and before he leaves for 5 weeks at Goshen. See information below. Please note that the Saturday activity is for older scouts only due to the construction of fences and the use of tools. However, the Sunday activity is open to all scouts. Please sign up if you can help!
Description:
This project will be in Forest Park behind Chinquapin near the ACHS King Street Campus on the weekend of the 6th and 7th. The goal of the project is to block offside trails that are damaging the surrounding ecosystem and natural resources.
On Saturday we will meet at 112 East Randolph Avenue from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Since we are using power tools only scouts who are first class or above and 13 years old or older are allowed. We will start by assembling the signs and preparing other materials for installation as well as loading them into cars for transport.
On Sunday the exact location of the meeting place will be near the very far corner of the garden along Chinquapin drive from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This day scouts of all ages and ranks are welcome. For older scouts they will install the signs as well as a small rope fence for the larger trails. For younger scouts they will need to cover the smaller trails with logs, branches, and other materials.
-Theo
EAGLE COURT OF HONOR – GABE MULDOON – 2:00 PM on June 7th at Immanuel Church on the Hill
See below the invitation to Gabe’s Eagle Court of Honor. Everyone in the troop is invited and the family encourages everyone in the troop to attend!
EAGLE PROJECT- SPORTS EQUIPMENT DRIVE
For those that were at the meeting on Monday, a Scout from Troop 129 came and spoke about his Eagle Project. His project is a sports equipment drive. See note and link below for more information. Please help him out if you can!
Hello Troop 131,
I hope you all are doing well. I’m the scout that spoke to you from troop 129 about my sports equipment drive. If you would like to donate equipment, please look at my website included here.
https://sites.google.com/view/sportsdrivealexandria/
SCUBA CERTIFICATION
Dear Troop 131 Families,
Scouts participating in the scuba option for Sea Base will need to arrive fully certified by PADI or an equivalent recognized certifying agency. Scouts who are not yet certified have two options for completing their certification before the trip. The first is to enroll in a full open water certification course through a commercial dive center such as Aquatic Adventures in Springfield, at a total cost of approximately $1,074 including gear rental. The second option is to participate in the troop’s own certification program, where scouts complete PADI eLearning, attend troop-led pool sessions over the summer, and complete open water checkout dives on a troop camping trip at Lake Phoenix the weekend of August 28–30 — at a total cost of approximately $550 including gear rental. Training for the troop program will be provided by Assistant Scoutmaster Reading, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with 20 years of experience. Scouts who complete the pool sessions will receive the Scuba BSA recognition, and scouts who complete the full certification course will also earn the Scuba Diving merit badge. The troop program is also open to any scout who would like to get certified this summer, regardless of whether they are attending Sea Base.
Pool training will be conducted in small groups of three to four scouts, with multiple scheduling options to fit different family calendars. We will offer sessions on either Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM or Friday afternoons at 4:00 PM throughout the summer, beginning in mid-June. The open water checkout dives will take place during a troop camping trip to Lake Phoenix (Rawlings, VA) from Friday, August 28 through Sunday, August 30. Please email ASM Reading on ericreading@gmail.com with a copy to another adult if you are interested in the troop certification program so we can begin scheduling pool groups.
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, June 1st – Troop Meeting (TROOP ELECTIONS) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, June 6th – Day Hike – Billy Goat Trail
Saturday, June 6th – Theo Ramirez Eagle Project – Part -1 (Morning)
Saturday, June 7th – Theo Ramirez Eagle Project – Part -2 (Morning)
Sunday, June 7th – Taste of Delray Service Project (8:00-10:30)
Sunday, June 7th – Gabe Muldoon Eagle Court of Honor (2:00-4:00)
Monday, June 8th – Troop Meeting (BoR) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday, June 12th – ACPS – Last Day of School 😊
Friday, June 12th – 14th – Fishing Trip – Double M Farm- Mt. Crawford VA.
Monday, June 15th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, June 22nd – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, June 29th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Sunday, July 5th – Start of Summer Camp – Camp Olmsted – Goshen, VA
Monday, Jule 6th – No Troop Meeting
Sunday, July 11th – End of Summer Camp – Camp Olmsted – Goshen, VA
