Scoutmaster Minute—Our Flag

 

Two upcoming events remind me of the sacrifices we have made for freedom—Veteran’s Day on 11/11 marking the end of the First World War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November which many mark as the end of the Cold War.

 

Our flag stands for freedom and equality. It is the banner of a people who are still willing to lay down their lives in defense of right, justice, and freedom. It is the emblem by which we proclaim to the world that this is “the home of the brave and the land of the free.”

 

Our flag is an emblem of true patriotism—the patriotism of deeds; the patriotism of courage, of loyalty, of devotion to freedom, justice, and humanity; the patriotism of men who have lived and died, not for themselves but for their country.

 

When we look at our flag—its star and stripes, its vivid red, white, and blue—and read its story and hear its message, when we contemplate what our flag means and what it stands for, and when we consider the sacrifices made and the lives given so that our flag could still be flying over us today, we are quietly reminded to cherish, to protect, and to defend it.

 

 

(adapted from p.13 in BSA Troop Program Resources)

Lions Club Scouting Service Award

Do you have long-time Lions Club members helping to lead your Pack, Troop or Crew? Consider nominating them for the Lions Club Scouting Service Award and square knot.

Keeping with the objectives and principles of both Lions International and Scouting, the nominee must have encouraged character development, leadership, citizenship and personal growth for scouting youth.

A Lions Club president can nominate a member registered in Lions for at least five years. The nominee must also have been a registered Scouter for 5 years (any combination of positions), be fully trained, “have strengthened the relationship between local Lions Clubs and Scouting”, assisted Lions Clubs in forming new scouting units; and “Exemplifies the BSA/Girl Scout Law and Lions Motto.”

Yes, you read that right, Girls Scouts qualify as well as Boy Scout leaders.  I saw this on USSP earlier and it slipped thru the back-to-scouting busy-ness.   While our Scouting for Food & Sight project has successfully concluded for the year, I’m thinking this is a good excuse to reach out to our local Lions Club and build relationships for next year’s drive.

The One Sheet is here.

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Scouting for Food & Sight

Scouting for Food and Sight Annual ‘Good Turn for America’ Drive

Instructions

Place items from the list below in bag and place bag curbside or in plain view outside your front door by 9:00 am this Saturday.

• Soup
• Beef Stew
• Chili
• Cereal
• Canned Fruit
• Canned Meats
• Canned Milk
• Pasta & Rice
• Canned Vegetables

Other items:

• Used eyeglasses, sunglasses & hearing aids

No perishable, frozen or food stored in glass please.

If this bag is missed, please take it to your local food bank.

Learn more about Scouting at www.siouxbsa.org
Sioux Council, Boy Scouts of America thanks everyone for their participation!

[Sponsors]

South Dakota Lions Foundation
BillionAuto.com
Midcontinent Communications
HyVee

United Way Participating Agency

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Scoutmaster Minute—A Scout Is Considerate

A person is considerate if he is concerned about the feelings of other people. With this basic idea in mind, what characteristics would make you considerate?

Have you heard the story about an old man who went to the Olympic Games in ancient Greece? He arrived late and not a single seat was left. A Spartan youth noticed the old man’s problem and gave him his seat. A group of Athenian boys saw this act of courtesy and began to applaud. The old man turned to them saying, “Yes, you Athenians know what is right to do—but it takes a Spartan to do it.”

Knowing what you should do to be courteous is not enough; you must put it into practice every day.

The courtesy you practice as a boy will make you a better man.

(from p.13 in BSA Troop Program Resources)

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Scouting for Food Week Proclamation

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, Hunger remains a pervasive intrusion on the quality of life for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, Hunger is a problem we can do something about by working together; and

WHEREAS, For more than 90 years the Boy Scouts of America has been an organization committed to community service; and

WHEREAS, The Scouting program instills the positive values of citizenship, ethical decision making, leadership and helping other people as outlined by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law; and

WHEREAS, The Sioux Council of the Boy Scouts of America and its corps of dedicated Scouts and volunteer leaders will coordinate with other groups to conduct a Scouting for Food on October 24, 2009, in this community and throughout the country in a positive example of its longstanding commitment to service of direct benefit to the less fortunate among us.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHUCK LUDOLPH, ACTING MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SLAYTON IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 18, 2009, THROUGH OCTOBER 24, 2009, AS:

“SCOUTING FOR FOOD” WEEK

IN THE CITY OF SLAYTON.  I URGE MY FELLOW RESIDENTS TO JOIN ME IN EXPRESSING THE GRATITUDE OF AN APPRECIATIVE COMMUNITY, AND ASK THAT EACH OF US CONTRIBUTE AS BEST WE CAN TO THIS WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOR.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the official seal of the City of Slayton this 5th day of October, 2009

CHUCK LUDOLPH
MAYOR

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HP VP tells Forbes his Scouting Story

Hewlett-Packard CTO & VP Phil McKinney is an Eagle Scout who is still giving back to Scouting. Here’s his Scouting Story:

During a previous interview session I did with Kym McNicholas at Forbes, I mentioned that we had to be done at a specific time as I had to take my Boy Scout troop on a campout that weekend. Kym become intrigued with my involvement with Boy Scouts and asked if she and cameraman could attend one of the troop meetings.

There’s an interesting message here, and maybe a warning. His 3-week final dash to Eagle sounds much too familiar to me. Well done!

Relief of Maefking Camporee

Our District’s Fall Camporee this weekend took on ‘The Relief of Mafeking‘. The troop planning the program put on a 24-hour survival operation based on proficiency in First Class skills. Scouts were tested on their ability to react to a high stress, low-rest environment while performing Scout Skills in an outdoor environment.

Stations included:

• Scavenger Hunt
• Action Archery Lane
• Canoe Crossing
• Swimmer Rescue
• Land Navigation
• River Crossing (simulation)
• Submarine Battle game
• Bear Bag Hang
• Shelter Establishment
• Water Boil
• Victim Extraction
• Minefield Clearing
• Breakfast
• Scout Oath and Law

The Camporee guide outlined materials required for each Scout and each Team of 4. Individual Scouts were to carry items such as a 2^nd Class First Aid Kit, mess kit, 2 quarts of water, raingear, a canoe paddle and PFD. Team equipment included a tarp, 100′ and 500′ lengths of rope, large skillet and spatula.  The guide recommended that Troops train to:

1. Become familiar with identifying certain trees and shrubs
2. Become familiar finding sings of certain prairie animals
3. Become proficient tying two-half hitches, tautlines, bowlines, and timber hitches
4. Develop methods of carrying victims long distances
5. Develop methods to throw ropes with great accuracy
6. Figure out how to light fires quickly, with and without matches
7. Determine an azimuth and measure distances for land navigation

I like the idea of a challenging event. Our camporees often center around a Merit Badge, which is nice to expose Scouts to different topics but can end up too much like Scout School. The thing is, we have boys from age 7 to 17 in Scouting (and up to 21 in Venturing) with many different skills and interests. There’s a big difference in interests between a new Tiger Cub & his Akela and a 2^nd year Webelos about to earn his Arrow of Life. Activities that draw a high school freshman Star Scout may draw yawns from the college freshman Venture Scout.

There has to be some balance in our Troop programs between learning skills and opportunities to demonstrate proficiency. This event drew the interest of several of our older Scouts, but the other half of our troop are still working on their First Class rank. It’s one thing to challenge youth. It’s another thing to set them up for exclusion and failure.

Even so, our Troop put together a team and was ready to go a week out. Then we got a look at the weather forecast. Low of 20*F and 4” of snow. This is doable with the right equipment; however, our Troop does NOT have the right equipment for 4-season camping. By Friday night there was One Scout standing: a Tenderfoot. Two Assistant Scoutmasters had volunteered to help out with the event so they did camp Friday night. I myself took the opportunity to be Akela with my Bear Cub for the Cub Scout day camp activities.

Hopefully next year we’ll Be BETTER Prepared.

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Scoutmaster Minute—Look At The Turtle

What can we learn from the turtle?  First we see his shell, his armor, his means of defense.  We are like the turtle in that we have many ways to protect ourselves—our instinct to draw away from danger, to shelter ourselves from it, for example.

Secondly, we see the turtle’s persistence.  He’s slow, he’s plodding, but he always gets where he’s going.  His persistence is memorialized in the age-old story of the tortoise and the hare.  The persistent tortoise outlasted the showy, flashy, and very fast hare.  We can learn from the turtle that our greatest accomplishments do not come from skill alone, but require our persistence in striving for the goal, such as in our journey to the rank of Eagle.

Finally, we see that the turtle can go nowhere unless he first sticks out his neck.  Again we are like the turtle in that we accomplish nothing until we dare to stick out our necks once in a while.

(from p.13 in BSA Troop Program Resources)

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Scoutmaster Minute—Everybody’s Canoe

A young Indian brave was busy at work carving a canoe out of a log. As he worked, members of his tribe passed by. They all had a piece of advice to offer the young man.

“I think you are making your canoe too wide,” one of them said. The young brave, wishing to show respect for the advice of an elder, narrowed the canoe.

A little later, another warrior stopped and said, “I’m afraid that you are cutting your stern too full,” he said. Again the young brave listened to the advice of the elder and cut down the stern.

Very soon, yet another member of the tribe stopped, watched for a while, then commented, “The bow is too sheer.” The young brave accepted this advice as well and changed the line of the bow.

Finally, the canoe was complete and the young brave launched it. As soon as it hit the water, it capsized. Laboriously he hauled it back onto the beach. Then he found another log and began his work anew.

Very soon, a member of his tribe stopped by to offer some advice, but this time the young brave was ready.

“See that canoe over there?” he asked, pointing to the useless craft on the beach. “That is everybody’s canoe.” Then he nodded at his work in progress. “This one,” he said, “is my canoe.”

(from p.13 in BSA Troop Program Resources)

Cub Scout Uniform Patches

Welcome new Cub Scout parents!  Uniforming is one of the methods of the Cub Scout program.  We want to make sure your Cub has his patches on his blue uniform in the right places.  This graphic is located in the back of the BSA Wolf Handbook.

Blue uniforms are available at Runnings in Marshall and Windom, Center Sports in Worthington, and the Scout Shop in Sioux Falls.  You want a Sioux Council strip (the wide curved patch that goes on the sleeve) and red ‘25′ pack numbers.  For Pack 25, this year:

1. Den 1 is the Wolf Den
2. Den 2 is the Tiger Den
3. Den 3 is Webelos II
4. Den 4 is Webelos I
5. Den 5 is the Bear Den

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