www.westontroop153.org

September 11, 2008  

About Scouting:

Of the current members of the US Congress, 248 (nearly 60%) participated in scouting.  47 attained Eagle or have received an award of special recognition such as the Silver Buffalo.

Announcements:

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCOUTMASTER -  Will Brote has generously and adventurously stepped up to fill the large pair of shoes left behind by Jay Doyle, our departing Scoutmaster.  Will has been involved in scouting as an adult leader for eight years in both Cubs and as an Assistant Scoutmaster in our troop.  He has two sons (Erik and Oscar) who are members of 153. 

Seth Chernick, whose son Matthew is one of the senior scouts in the troop, is continuing as Assistant Scoutmaster and Will's right hand.

We are deeply appreciative of Will and Seth's generous contributions of time and energy.

APOLOGIES -  Our newsletter is late this week.  Ordinarily it goes out on Monday or Tuesday, but the Troop 153 IT department has been moving the location of the newsletter server this week.  Sorry for the delay.

WELCOME BACK.  We had a great kickoff meeting last Thursday with a Flag Ceremony, games, firebuilding exercises and s'mores.  This year promises many new adventures and skill-building as our scouts advance up the ranks of scouting.

This Week:

Thursday, September 11, 7:30 - 9:00  at the First Baptist Church- Weekly Troop Meeting

We'll start with games, followed by working on rank advancement.  OLDER SCOUTS, WE NEED YOU TO HELP YOUNGER SCOUTS WITH THEIR RANK ADVANCEMENT. PLEASE ATTEND. 

For younger scouts, this is their opportunity to get any remaining rank requirements completed before the upcoming Court of Honor.

Our new scouts can fulfill requirements to be awarded the Scout badge at the Court of Honor.

Upcoming Events:

September 12-14 (THIS WEEKEND), Kayaking and Camping Trip

We are kicking off the year with a favorite among the boys -- Kayaking. We will be camping at the YMCA Camp in South Dartmouth Friday and Saturday night, and kayaking on the Westport River nearby. The Westport River is known for its picturesque rural landscape, easy paddling, and great birding. There will be plenty of time after kayaking for younger scouts to complete rank advancement and for all scouts to explore the camp.

For those scouts that have not completed the 1st Class swimming requirements (BS swimmer test),  the director of the Y camp has agreed to give the boys the test on Saturday morning at 7:30. If your son has not completed this yet and wants to kayak in a single boat he should plan to take the test - so bring a bathing suit and towel.