January 2015 - Boy Scout Troop 292 Mobile, AL

January 2015
Volume LXXXIII
Snow Skiing Campout
The troop will travel to Mentone, AL to snow ski during the Martin Luther King Weekend in January. This
activity has been a favorite for our scouts. We plan to
hike to see some beautiful waterfalls as well as ski.
The troop will spend the day on Saturday to ski and
snowboard.
Scouts and adults will cook and eat together for this
campout. We will camp at Camp Comer which is one
of the camps for the Greater Birmingham Council. We
will use their tents. It is anticipated that the cost of this
campout will be $80 which includes $45 for skiing,
$20 for food, and $15 for transportation. If scouts
want to ski again on Sunday morning, there is an additional cost of $28 for a half day of skiing.
Your scout can sell doughnut coupons to help raise
money for this activity. If he sells 20 dozen doughnuts at $6 he will earn $65. Let the Scoutmaster
know if your scouts want to sell coupons to help
pay his way in scouting.
Winter Camp
The troop had another great winter camp.
Yes, it was rainy ad cold. However, the boys
learned to deal with the elements and get
through the camp. The outdoor program is
designed to get our boys out of their comfort
zone and learn to deal with the weather and
other things they have no control over.
The troop had 35 boys at camp. These boys
took part in 79 merit badge classes. All the
boys performed well. Many of the boys enjoyed the night classes and learned to play
chess and how finger printing works. Winter
camp is important because many merit badges are offered that are required for the Eagle
Rank. Scouts who desire to become an Eagle
Scout must attend summer and winter camps
for several years. This is the best way for
them to acquire the badges they need.
In addition to the merit badges, two of our
adults were on staff. They included Mike who
taught the Personal Management Merit Badge
and Irene who was the camp nurse and taught
First Aid. These adults help the troop and the
Council.
Inside this issue:
Scoutmaster Update
Partial Merit Badges
Eagle Scout Ryan
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3
4
Leadership
5
December Highlights
6
Reader Contest
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VIEW THE
TROOP WEBSITE
TO STAY
INFORMED OF
TROOP
ACTIVITIES. YOU
WILL BE ABLE
TO PLAN AND
BUDGET IF YOU
KNOW WHAT
THE TROOP
ACTIVITIES ARE.
www.bsa292.org

Why You Should Not Get Under A Tree During
a Lightening Storm!
Copy to your browser:
http://www.wimp.com/
amazingstrike/
Important Dates:
 January 16-19
Snow Skiing Campout
 February 8
 Scout Sunday @ Providence
 February 20-22
 Talledega National Forest
 March 3,10,17
New Scout Orientation
 March 10
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Troop Elections
 March 31
Court of Honor
Manny's Epistle!
Troop 292
Scoutmaster Update
Scoutmaster Update
2015 has been an awesome year for the boys. We have camped in the mountains, canoed, hiked,
backpacked, cooked a lot of good food, cooked a lot of awful food, burnt up several fry pans,
fought mosquitoes, suffered through 100 degree weather, survived cold weather, and just made a
lot of memories that the boys will remember for a lifetime.
During this year we have had six Eagle Scouts. They include James, Riley, Cam, Mason, Ryan,
and Zach. In addition, 38 scouts held leadership positions. They learned valuable skills thru their
mistakes and the things they did well.
Take time to review the calendar for 2015. We have an awesome year of outdoor programs
planned starting with a snow skiing campout in January.
Thanks to our parents and grandparents for their support of their son/grandson. Without your
help the troop and your scout would not be successful. Thanks and let’s have an awesome 2015
in the outdoors.
Manny Russo
Scoutmaster
Weeblo Campout
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Partial Merit Badges
Parents: Sumer camp is now over and your scout probably has some partial merit badges meaning that they
have some work to do a home in order to complete the
badge he started at summer camp. Some scouts have
partial badges from 1-3 years ago that he also needs to
work on. To complete the badge will require parents to
help their scout just as you would if it were a homework
assignment. We are urging parents to review the advancement report that Scott sends out and help your
scout complete these badges. In some ways, scouting is
no different than school as the scout must accept responsibility for his badges just as he would with homework. I
January 3
David
January 13
Jett
January 23
Jacob
One of our Assistant Scoutmasters, Angel, has participated in Wood Badge Training which is the highest level of
training offered to adult scouters by BSA. One of her projects to complete as part of this training is to organize volunteers to help scouts complete these partial merit badges. This effort will be in full swing starting in August. Your
scouts should be hearing from one of our adults regarding
his partial merit badges. If have skills or interest in working
with scouts on a badge, see Scott.
Remember that you can help your scout at home to
complete a merit badge. He needs to use the merit
badge worksheets found on www.meritbadge.com.
Talk with your scout about this and give him a
little nudge in the seat of the pants!
Look What's New!
The troop is now accepting debit/credit cards to pay for recharter, campouts, summer camp, and other scout activities. This will make it much easier for those who do not use
checks. The troop will have to charge 3% extra to cover the
cost of the card. For example, if you pay $25 for an activity,
the amount debited will be $25.75.
We hope this will make it easier for you. You can still make
installments on activities and use your debit card each
month to make these payments.
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Take advantage of this easy payment method.
To Camp or Not to Camp!
(A message from your Scoutmaster)
Throughout the year that are many opportunities
to camp. Scouts will sign up for a campout and
then change their mind. I will often ask them why
they are not camping or why they changed their
mind. The answers are usually the same. “I did not
think I would have fun” or “it is not what I wanted
to do.” It is important for parents to remember that
camping is the major part of scouting. In fact, it is
the heart and soul of scouting. Troops that do not
camp much will lose scouts to troops that do.
Campouts are not always about doing what the
scout wants to do. It is about teamwork, being independent of adults, cooking, learning to deal
with stormy weather, developing relationships with
fellow scouts, and much more.
Eagle Scout Ryan
The Troop and Councils newest Eagle Scout is Ryan.
Ryan completed his Eagle Board of Review and is Eagle
Scout number 44 for the troop. Ryan purchased playground equipment and assembled and installed t at a
local church. He also erected a fence around the playground and assembled benches. This project required 4
work days and much planning.
Great Job Ryan! The Troop is proud of you.
Parents are urged to make sure your scout camps
every opportunity. I know that families are busy
and scouts will often prefer to stay home and play
video games, watch TV, or just sleep in. Scouting
takes your scout away from his “comfort zone”
and puts him in the great outdoors where he
learns new skills.
Camping is the focus and scouts should take every opportunity to camp and learn. He will grow
and advance if he camps often. Parents, it is important that you understand this message and
share it with your scout.
Thanks, Manny
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2015 Campouts
The boy leaders of the troop met and have planned the campouts
of 2015. They did a great job and have planned a year of scouting
that will be challenging, fun, and a learning experience.
January 16-19
Snow Skiing
February 20-22
Cheaha Hiking & Backpacking
March 13-15
Camporee
April 10-12
Survival Campout
May 22-24
Canoe Campout
June 14-20
Summer Camp
July 31-August 2
Snorkeling Campout
September 11-13
Paul Johnson Campground
October 9-11
Scout Skills Campout
What is Leadership?
When we think of leadership we usually think of the
Senior Patrol Leader, older scouts, those that get things
done, and so on. Leadership in many ways is less conspicuous than this. When your scout offers to help or to
carry out a task and demonstrates a positive attitude
then he is demonstrating leadership. At summer camp,
many of our first year scouts asked if there was anything that they could help with. This is leadership. When
scouts help other scouts, this is leadership. A good
leader must first be a great follower to his SPL, ASPL, or
Patrol Leader.
At the Court of Honor you saw the many scouts that
assumed leadership positions. These positions will enable your scout to grow. Every 6 months scouts will have
an opportunity to hold a position of responsibility. Some
will do well while others will falter. However, those that
make mistakes will learn from the experience and will
perform much better the next time he holds a leadership position. Making mistakes is part of learning and
growing.
Step up to serve your fellow scouts
Be a leader
November 13-15
Hiking & Backpacking
December 28-31
Winter Camp
5
December Highlights
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News You Can Use Reader Contest
Scouts, read your newsletter cover to cover to locate our logo, or
, and then email your
editor, Irene Watson at [email protected], with the total number of logos you find in the entire newsletter. Look everywhere, including on uniforms and flags. The first three scouts to email
will be entered in a drawing to receive the prize of the month from Mr. Manny. You must be in
full uniform with your scout book at the meeting in which the prize is awarded. And I would bet
you’ll be really informed about all your troop’s happenings, too. Good Luck!
Website and
Photo Gallery
If you would like to submit articles for the website or tell us about something your scout has
done outside of scouting, please email this information to:
Manny at [email protected] or
Steve Marcantonio at [email protected].
Troop 292
News You Can Use
Providence Presbyterian Church
2320 Schillinger Rd
Mobile, AL 36695
Scoutmaster: Manny Russo
E-mail: [email protected]
the
We’re on
web!
292.org
www.bsa
Editor’s Note - If you have any suggestions or contributions for
292 News, please contact Irene Watson at
[email protected].
Troop 292 is a very active troop that camps each month regardless of the weather! We will camp in excess of 30 nights and
days per year. The Boy Scout Program is an “Outdoor Program,”
meaning that scout skills and leadership skills are developed
throughout this outdoor program, not only at Tuesday night meetings. We also provide hundreds of hours a year in service projects as we teach scouts this key value of “Service to Others.”
Join us as we provide a quality program that turns young boys
into young men who live the Scout Law and Oath in all that they
do.
Our Mission—The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to
prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes
by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
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