PA Scoutmaster

Our council announced today that all Summer camps are closed. The camp straddles the state line between PA and MD, with part of the camp in each state.

Our council had a high adventure section on their website at one time. Scouters would post descriptions of trips they had taken with offers to help other troops with planning. If you have friends in other troops or if you attend round tables, talk with scouters and see what options are available in your area. You can also look into outdoor clubs outside of scouting for tips.

I agree, Stosh. I notice the Scoutmaster couldn't schedule because he wouldn't be at the next meeting. I never do conferences for an Eagle candidate at troop meetings. There are too many distractions. I would rather do it at during an outing, or at my house or the scout's house (with my wife or the scout's parent in the next room as a second adult). I look at the conference as my opportunity to help the scout be ready for his BOR.

Congratulations! The ability to set a goal and keep working toward it will help him throughout his life.

I see where you're coming from, Stosh. I would say that the parent references actually tend to be more critical than any others. I've heard from lots of moms that say their sons could use a little more work on "A scout is clean"

Congratulations! As far as paperwork, it does seem like busy work. However, it's not the worst thing in the world to learn how to do paperwork just as required. College professors and employers will not want you to "wing it", so I look at it as practice for the real world.

Sounds like a perfect job for the troop Historian! If you have a scout that wants to take on that role, he could go through what you have, research on line, talk to former scouts, etc. As a relatively newer troop, he could make a pretty complete history. I like the idea of documenting trips with photos and recollections of the outing by the scouts. I find scouts take much more interesting photos than adults do. We tend to pose people or have everyone looking at the camera, where scouts tend to take more random pictures that better tell the story.

Yes, it's the same logic for work uniforms. If you wear a suit and tie to work, you can't deduct the cost because it can be used elsewhere. If you wear a uniform like a UPS driver or a chef jacket, that would be deductible. I usually figure the deduction isn't worth as far as clothing is concerned. Mileage, on the other hand, can really add up.

Yes, that is correct. If he moved from PL to SPL, he can use both positions for the time requirement. For example, he was PL for 4 months as a Life Scout and SPL for 2 months as a Life Scout, that makes 6 months in an approved position of responsibility.

Congrats! Enjoy the ride, it goes by fast. My son aged out at the end of January. It seems like yesterday that he was just like the guy in the photo you shared.

Usually the SPL assigns each patrol to bring something (Hawk brings drinks, Owl brings sweets, etc). We have done either a meal or just snacks/desserts depending on what the scouts prefer.

Good point, Qwazse. Clarke Green had a nice article about this very subject in his blog today: http://scoutmastercg.com/every-scout-a-leader/

In case anyone needs it, here is a pdf of the new scout requirements 2016 from the new 13th edition handbook. They can be placed in the old handbook if scouts don't need or want to purchase the new edition. A scout is thrifty! http://www.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/524-012_BS_Requirements.pdf

They both fall apart quickly. The spiral bound does lie flat, but the pages fall out as soon as a scout opens it. At our council camp headquarters building, there are different edition handbooks going back to the 50's. Even with people regularly flipping through them, they are all in better shape than any handbook that our current scouts own.

I was not an Arrowman as a youth. When I did my ordeal as an adult, an elderly man approached me after the ceremony. "You don't recognize me, do you?" he asked. Turns out he was my Assistant Scoutmaster from 35 years prior. I was in my forties at the time of the ordeal. I have no idea how he recognized me as I was only a scout for a few years, in a different council.