TROOP 78
Email: [email protected]
WELCOME to the Adventure of Scouting in Troop 78! This booklet will help you learn about Scouting, help you discover what makes Troop 78 special, and help you find answers to many of your questions. Scoutmaster Marc Antram will also be glad to answer any of your questions or concerns.
You are welcome to visit our activities. If you are interested in joining our troop family, be sure to sign up as early as possible. We meet every Tuesday night from 7:00pm to 8:30pm at the Damascus United Methodist Church located on sweetvalley Rd in Damascus.
Troop 78 is a "High Adventure" troop. We have an exceptionally active, challenging, and far-ranging outdoor program. Scouting is much more than just a wholesome and enjoyable activity. Active Scouts develop initiative, leadership, self-reliance, and self-confidence. Scouting helps boys become good citizens of strong character, who will be leaders and achievers in the adult world. Troop 78 Scouts earn youth's most significant honor, the Eagle award.
YOU are the single most important factor that will determine how successful your son will be in Scouting! Since 1976, over 450 Scouts have been part of Troop 78, and their experience demonstrates decisively: If you want your son to reap the benefits Scouting offers, you need to join Scouting with your son, either as a uniformed leader or as an active member of the troop committee. Scouts whose parents were actively involved attended more than twice the number of activities and attained more than twice the rank of Scouts with less-involved parents (and 90% of our Eagle Scouts have come from the 40% of our parents who have been most active). For these reasons, parent involvement is a condition of membership.
Being an involved parent takes time and effort, but it's also rewarding and FUN! One of the reasons our troop is so successful is because of the dedication of so many of our parents. There is something to do that matches the talents of anyone, and your involvement is vital to your son as well as to our other Scouts.
Current BSA policy requires all adult who have contact with the Scouts to register with the BSA. That is why we require all parents to be registered.
Be sure to put summer camp on your family calendar NOW so your son won't miss out on the most important and exciting week of the year [see the Scoutmaster for dates and final plans].
Boys who go to summer camp their first year stay in Scouting nearly THREE times as long as those who don't! Those who miss summer camp will have great difficulty catching up with the Scouts who went to camp, and more than half will drop out during their first year.
In 2003, Troop 78 will attend Camp moscican in Peninsula, Ohio! And thanks to the success of our car wash's, the cost will be the less than last year's summer camp.
Troop 78 makes unusual efforts to help new Scouts be successful. So we introduced a new Troop effort in our newly formed New-Scout patrol, where new members learn together about Scouting under the leadership of an experienced Scout (the Troop Guide). New Scouts remain in this patrol until the age of 13, when they may choose which regular patrol to join.
Scouting in Troop 78 means Adventure and Challenge for your son and for you. Scouting is a GAME with a PURPOSE: to develop future leaders of strong character, good citizenship, and personal fitness. Scouting's eight methods make it unique:
| Scouting Ideals (Law, Promise, Motto, Slogan)
| Patrol System
| Advancement
| Adult Role Models
| Outdoor Program
| Leadership Development
| Personal Growth
| Scout Uniform | |
Scouts tent and eat with other Scouts in a patrol, led by an elected boy patrol leader. Adults tent and eat nearby in a special adult patrol (called the "Geezers"). Boy leaders plan, execute, and evaluate the troop program, guided by our BSA-trained adult leaders. The result has been a consistently high-quality program recognized a number of years ago by the Boy Scouts of America in a Scouting Magazine article called "Anatomy of a Super Troop." As the article states, "The Official Boy Scout Handbook promises adventure, and the leaders of Ohio's Troop 78 deliver it."
We don't compete with sports, because our experience shows us that the most successful Scouts are those with a variety of activities and interests. We want all our Scouts to be active in church, music, sports, school, and other activities. However, if sports are your family's top priority, then Scouting in our troop is not for you.
Troop 78 welcomes any interested boy of Scout age (either 11 years old OR have completed the Fifth Grade OR have earned the Arrow of Light, whichever occurs first). A boy does NOT have to graduate from Cub Scouts or Webelos to become a Boy Scout. Visit some other troops so you can be sure that Troop 78 is the one best troop for you.
We expect each of our Scouts to be active, to advance regularly, to wear full Scout uniform, to practice good manners and behavior, and to do his best to live by the Ideals of Scouting as expressed in the Scout Promise and Law. The troop may suspend Scouts for poor behavior. Scouts who attend fewer than half the campouts pay higher annual fees, may be denied advancement, and may not be permitted to participate on certain special activities. The key to successful Scouting is the camping program, and only active Scouts can reap its full benefits. We expect our Scouts to attend overnight campouts year round, and to make every effort to attend our vital week at summer camp. We also expect parents to be actively involved with their son in Scouting, since Scouts with involved parents reap the greatest benefits from Scouting.
Just as a sports uniform identifies a boy with a team, the Scout uniform identifies a boy with the largest voluntary youth movement in the world. The Scout uniform tends to diminish the importance of a person's financial, social, and ethnic background, while clearly showing each individual's Scouting accomplishments.
Troop 78 requires members to wear a full and correct uniform, consisting of the following official BSA parts (the troop presents the CAPITALIZED items, and we present our troop neckerchief only on campouts):
| Scout shirt (short sleeves preferred)
| Scout trousers or Scout shorts
| Scout belt &
Scout buckle
| TROOP 78 NECKERCHIEF with slide
| TROOP 78 HAT
| Scout red-topped mid-calf socks
| merit badge sash (on formal occasions) | |
The shirt needs the following insignia:
| red shoulder loops
| BADGE OF RANK & Arrow of Light (if earned) on left pocket
| TROOP NAMETAG on right pocket flap
| Buckeye Council shoulder patch & "78" on
left sleeve
| American flag, & CURRENT-YEAR QUALITY UNIT PATCH on
right sleeve.
| optional World Scout Crest (above left pocket about 3 inches below
shoulder seam) | |
The Scout Handbook has full-sized sewing templates on the inside front and back covers. Not shown is the Quality Unit patch (sew on the right sleeve 4 inches below the shoulder seam just below the patrol medallion).
At most summer activities, Scouts wear Troop 78 T-shirt (one provided free; additional shirts may be purchased from the Scoutmaster), Scout shorts, and red-topped Scout socks (mid-calf, NOT the knee socks).
The nearest source for Scout supplies is Trail Head in Alliance. You can get supplies at the Scout Shop in Canton, OH or with the BSA national supply service in Charlotte, NC (1-800-323-0732). See the New Scout Checklist for a list of items to order.
Scouts typically wear full uniform at all meetings, to most day outings and warm weather campouts, and to any activities where we will be in the public eye. The newsletter calendar indicates the activities where full uniform is required.
You may be surprised how different Boy Scouting is from Cub Scouting. But then, boys of Scout age are very different from boys of Cub age. Here are some key contrasts:
The Cub Scout program is family-centered. Adults plan all activities, and most activities lend themselves to full family participation.
The Boy Scout program is boy-centered. Boys plan all activities (with adult guidance), and most activities do NOT lend themselves to family participation (because boys camp and function as patrol groups under their own elected boy leadership).
Adults (usually the boy's parents) conduct all Cub Scout advancement. Cub Scout camping is extremely limited, even for Webelos.
Boys and adults other than a boy's parents conduct all Boy Scout advancement. Camping is the very heart of the Boy Scout program.
Because Boy Scout advancement is so different from Cub Scout and Webelos advancement, few Webelos Scouts are prepared for Scout advancement. Cub Scout advancement is done mostly with parents. Webelos advancement is done mostly in groups with the Webelos leaders. In either case, adults determine the timing and course of the boy's advancement with little input from the boy. On the other hand, a Boy Scout has almost total control over his own advancement, which he will do mostly on an individual basis with senior Scouts and with a number of different adults.
Boy Scout advancement is much more challenging and difficult than Cub Scout or Webelos advancement, and it requires much individual effort and initiative. It also emphasizes leadership and service as much as badges and skills. Achieving First Class (which should happen within a year) takes more effort than earning the Webelos Arrow of Light award. And becoming an Eagle Scout is a crowning achievement of youth earned by fewer than 3% of all Scouts.
Advancement requirements for all Scout ranks are shown starting on Handbook page 438. To advance, a Scout must be active, must do his best to live by the Scout Law and Promise, practice leadership, give service to others, learn Scout skills (mostly in the outdoors), and earn merit badges (primarily from adult counselors other than his parents).
After completing all requirements for a rank, a Scout meets with one of the uniformed adult leaders in a "Scoutmaster Conference." Finally, he schedules a Board of Review with the troop committee (see the Scoutmaster for the name of the person to phone).
What can you do to help your son take full advantage of the Boy Scout Advancement method? Make sure your son attends our Adventure Weekend and summer camp! Offer encouragement and support. Know what your son needs for his next rank. Be active in Scouting with him, and strongly encourage him to attend as many Scout activities as possible, because only active Scouts advance.
In Cub Scouts and Webelos, adults provide all the planning and leadership. On the other hand, boys provide the planning and leadership for good Boy Scout troops and patrols (with adult guidance). This takes some getting used to, especially when we adults think we can run things more efficiently than the boys can. But remember, it takes practice to learn anything, including leadership. Your son will elect his patrol and troop officers, and later, he will hold some of these offices himself (leadership is a requirement for advancement beyond First Class).
Troop 78 typically meets every Tuesdays night per month year round from 7:00-8:30 pm, in the rear classroom at the Damascus United Methodist Church, Valley Rd in Damascus, OH. At the meetings, we plan and train for the important monthly campouts. Parents are always welcome at our meetings.
Our year-round outdoor program includes a variety of exciting and challenging activities. In addition, Troop 78 is unusual in providing a number of activities open to the entire family. While the Boy Scout program is designed primarily for the Scouts, most of our day outings and some of our overnight trips are open for family involvement (these are indicated in our calendar). Since neither the troop nor the Boy Scouts of America can assume responsibility for non-Scouts, we require that all non-Scout children be under direct parental supervision at all times. Please note also that we do not allow pets or guns on outings (both of which are often forbidden by the places we camp).
Troop 78 holds three Courts of Honor a year (January, May, and September). These formal ceremonies recognize each Scout's leadership, advancement, and other significant accomplishments in front of his family.
Our Scouts are transported by volunteer drivers like you. We ask our parents and other drivers to review these committee and BSA approved policies once each year. Thanks.
As a volunteer driver, I agree to do my best to abide by the following policies whenever I provide transportation for Troop 78:
No matter how carefully we plan, there will be times that things go wrong. When they do, here's what the troop's volunteer leaders and parents should do.
What the Troop Leaders Do
We make every effort to ensure that our volunteer adult leaders have taken Scout Leader Basic Training, acquire good camping experience and knowledge (such as first aid), and have good leadership and crisis judgment. And we follow standard practices recommended by the Boy Scouts of America and by emergency service agencies for situations such as bad weather, lost, injury, illness, delays, etc. We expect parents to have faith in the experience and good judgment of the Scoutmaster and other volunteer leaders.
The leader in charge will notify parents as soon as practical if the group is delayed or if a boy is ill or injured. When a problem occurs that prevents the group from proceeding safely or returning on time, the group will remain in a safe location either to wait until it is safe to travel or to wait for help to come. The leader will send someone out for help ahead of the group only when immediate assistance is essential. The leader will never send someone out ahead of the group solely to reassure worried parents (because of the danger of splitting the group's resources and the risk the people sent ahead may get lost or injured).
Estimated return times are ALWAYS approximate, because of the unpredictable nature of weather, terrain, travel time, etc. Figure that we are on time if we are within two hours of the planned return time. If we are going to be much more than two hours late, the leader will try if possible to notify parents, using our emergency contact person.
What Parents Should Do
When a problem occurs (or if you are worried or just have questions), FIRST breathe slowly and deeply for a few minutes and review carefully and logically what you think is happening. THEN call the emergency contact listed on the tear-off portion of the permission form, usually the troop committee chairman; second choice is the Scoutmaster's house.
It is the responsibility of the troop committee chairman (or other emergency contact) to determine what actions should be taken and when to contact emergency services.