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Day 16
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/16.jpg)
Gave a patrol leader some advice on planning next month's campout on Troop Kit. He had the whole thing pretty much done on his own already and just needed confirmation.
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Posted: 23:25 02-23-2011 577
Day 15: OA Participation
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/15.jpg)
It's great for me to see because I've been coaxing guys to take on this role for awhile now. My hope is they will get other scouts in the troop excited about having their own ceremony team and cover the Blue Golds for all five packs in our community each year.
Historically, the OA hasn't been very strong in our troop. Scouts tend to see it as getting a cool sash rather than the beginning of another level of service and growth. I and a few others have gone on to Brotherhood, but most pay their dues, get the pocket flap and sash, and that's it. Doing these ceremonies is a step in the right direction.
A scout completed his Eagle board of review tonight. Whoop-whoop!
Scout On
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Posted: 22:19 02-22-2011 576
Day 14
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/14.jpg)
I met with the two high school-aged patrols this evening to discuss their general leadership in the troop - and have rootbeer floats.
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Posted: 23:17 02-21-2011 575
Day 13
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/13.jpg)
It was pretty much a "day off" from scouting and everything. I guess that's ok once in awhile.
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Posted: 9:25 02-21-2011 574
Day 12: Klondike
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/12.jpg)
Each patrol built their own sled out of absolutely anything they wanted over the past month. At the end of the day, the sleds raced over a course that was about 1/4 mile. Fortunately, our warm weather than then big cool-down yesterday made for well-packed snow and scouts could run on top instead of through it.
There were also sprint races and most of the day was filled with stations. A compass scavenger hunt, winter first aid, boot hocky, scout law race, and building a snowblock house.
Just a great, fun day to be out scouting.
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Posted: 22:38 02-19-2011 573
Day 11: First Cross-over
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/11.jpg)
Another scout from our troop participated in his first Arrow of Light ceremony with the Order of the Arrow. He was pretty nervous but did a terrific job. The ceremony was quick and looked good from the audience's view.
I also met with the new SPL for an hour, starting his training. He still needs to get a few more guys to fill out his leadership team, but he's chomping at the bit to get moving. So, I covered some basic job duties and gave him a handful of tasks to work on - getting his TroopKit.com meetings scheduled and preparing for the Troop Leader Training session.
It's interesting how every six months the whole feel of the troop changes when that new SPL takes over. Sometimes the meetings are chop/chop/chop and go home, while other times they are fun and rambling offtrack half the time. Merging the styles and skills of the SPL with his ASPL and the PLs is an important task for the scoutmaster to get done early on. It's a challenge to figure out the right amount of guidance that will help the SPL take charge but not alienate his peers or let chaos reign.
I'm really looking forward to this term and how things will unfold. I expect we have probably the most enthusiastic SPL in history - kind of like a pony running and bucking in the field but not getting anywhere yet. :-) Directing that energy will be fun.
Scout On
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Posted: 22:53 02-18-2011 572
Day 10: Conferences
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/10.jpg)
A Second Class scout needing the 'constitutional rights and obligations' requirement for First Class set up a time and place for his uncle, the attorney, to talk with anyone in the troop that needed to do it. Nine scouts took advantage of the opportunity tonight and it was an interesting discussion to listen in on.
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Posted: 22:22 02-17-2011 571
Day 9: Troop History
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/09.jpg)
So, they had paper copies of what are termed "Expire Rosters" - those registrations that will expire soon if not renewed - listing all youth and adult names. If a name is on the 2009 roster but not 2010, you see that he dropped from the troop sometime in the 2009-2010 year. For a troop that has not kept up its own history very well, these rosters can be very helpful.
I wrote down all the names for each year and brought them home. Then, I typed them into a Word document. Now, I can pass them on to the new Troop Historian and see what he decides to do with them.
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Posted: 9:10 02-17-2011 570
Day 8
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/08.jpg)
Printed out the information sheets we give to new scouts - youth app, adult app, welcome letter, survival guide, year's schedule, everything to get them up and running quickly.
Went through the scout handbooks of a couple transfer scouts and entered the data into Troopmaster. Now, there's a fun way to spend 1/2 hour of your life. :-)
Finally, hooked up a couple more instructors for the district's Intro to Leadership Skills training this spring.
I'm curious what you do when welcoming a new scout to your troop.
We used to have scouts welcome him at his cross-over by replacing the neckerchief and blue shoulder loops with the troop's custom neckerchief, slide, and green loops. Then, he'd be given troop numerals, scout handbook, binder of information, and pointed over to me so I could welcome him and his parents too.
We've had some scouts never show up after that, so it has changed.
Now, they don't get the custom neckerchief, slide, and troop numerals at cross-over. At the first troop meeting after they complete their "Joining" requirements, the troop does a simple ceremony where these items are presented by the SPL and the new scout is a 'member'.
That saves on lost items and gives incentive to get moving on advancement. It also makes the cross-over faster and less confusing and introduces each new scout once again to the troop later on. The new scout gets his scout handbook right away which he needs to get started, and the green loops show he's a boy scout.
Scout On
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Posted: 21:30 02-15-2011 569
Day 7
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/07.jpg)
This afternoon, I chatted with one of the scoutmaster candidates to start sharing all my information, files, tasks, and 'stuff'. I chatted with the other one last week.
We had a troop committee meeting specifically for parents to discuss the split, followed immediately by a troop meeting. The scouts elected a new SPL to start on April 1 for a 6-month term. Now, I get to start training him and helping him choose his leadership team and schedule Troop Leader Training.
We also had Order of the Arrow elections. The scouts in this troop have historically been very stingy with these elections. They proved that again last night by electing only 1 scout out of 14 eligible candidates. I did not hear the introduction to the voting so I'm not sure how the stage was set, but I need to ask about it.
Scout On
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Posted: 8:31 02-15-2011 568
Don't You Dare Forget
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/06.jpg)
Oh, and I baked cookies to take to the meeting and took a bag of wooden neckerchief slide blanks from Whittler Bob so everyone there could take one home to carve.
Tomorrow night, I've got troop meetings. Yes, I know it's Valentine's Day - that's why I brought flowers home today! And, I was pretty darn proud of myself too.
So, don't you dare forget your Valentine tomorrow!
Scout On
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Posted: 21:54 02-13-2011 567
Ever Notice?
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/flagsoup.gif)
Another thing that's interesting. Look closely at those little gold stars around the bottom of the soup can label. They aren't really stars - they are fleur-de-lis. Another BSA/Campbell's connection. Hmmmmm, I wonder.
Finally, one other point to ponder. The diameter of the top of a Campbell's soup can is precisely the same as the height of a scout rank patch. A scout can clean a soup can and store all his previous rank patches in it forever! Hmmmmm, I wonder.
![100 days of scouting](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/nums/05.jpg)
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Posted: 18:00 02-12-2011 566
Previous PostsComments:
Feb 25, 2023 - Joe Patterson
Just out of curiosity, are the Rockwell paintings on exhibit anywhere
Mar 16, 2023 - Adam John
Great question Joe! Have you checked out the Norman Rockwell Museum in
Stockbridge MA? (nrm.org) There is also the Rockwell Museum in Corning
NY. (rockwellmuseum.org) I believe the latter has more art. Hope this
helps!
Jan 21, 2024 - Johnna Downing
The Scouting museum at Philmont, Cimmaron, NM hopefully has the ones that
used to hang at the museum in Irving, TX. Good luck. Johnna
Scouting 2024 - Ask a Question - Add Content
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