The Signaler - Troop 264 Newsletter 1 THE SIGNAL-ARR Website: http://www.troop264olney.net E-mail: [email protected]Upcoming Dates and Deadlines (Refer to calendars for specific times.) July 3-9 Seabase Tall Ship 5 Patrol meeting 7-13 Seabase Adventure 11-17 Advancement Camp (1 st Week) 12 Troop Meeting re Summer Camp 15 Troop Adult Meeting 16 Sharp Street Food Bank 18-24 Summer Camp at Heritage 19 NO meeting 23 – Aug 4 Centennial Scouting on the Mall 25 Centennial Parade in Washington, D.C. 26 TLC/BOR 29 National Jamboree Day Trip August 2 Patrol meeting 4 National Jamboree ends 6-8 Family Camping 9 Troop meeting 12 Roundtable (Foxes) 13–21 Montgomery County 16 Patrol meeting 19 Troop Adult Meeting 20 Sharp Street Food Bank 23 TLC/BOR 24 Signaler meeting 30 School starts 30 Troop meeting Seabase 2010 is HERE! Tall Ship Crew 1 departs July 3 for Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, while Adventure Ship Crew 2 departs July 7! We expect some salty stories when they return. May good weather and no scurvyness go with you! And three cheers for ―White Beard‖ Sherman who spent a lot of the last year making this all work! Advancement Camp at Camp Twin Echo – July 11-17 Five T264 scouts are headed to Advancement Camp this year: Gavin M., Jeremy N., Bradley N., Miguel A., and Jimmy B. These scouts will have the opportunity to work on 6 merit badges during the week. Scouts must bring the Annual Medical form (copy of the same one used for the Centennial Camporee and summer camp), the supplemental medical form (NOT the same one used for summer camp): http://www.gpc-bsa.org/Camping/stuff/medical_screening_0form.pdf , and a signed Code of Conduct form: http://www.gpc-bsa.org/Camping/stuff/Code_of_Conduct.pdf . Prerequisite work requirements for the Medical Week merit badges are posted at: http://www.gpc-bsa.org/Camping/stuff/Week_1_Prereqs.pdf . Bring all completed work to Advancement Camp to show the counselors that you completed it. J J U U L L Y Y 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 - - T T H H I I R RT TY Y Y YE E A AR RS S O O F F T T H H E E S S I I G G N N A AL L E E R R V V O O L L U U M ME E 3 3 0 0 , , N N O O . . 7 7
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The Signaler - Troop 264 Newsletter THE SIGNAL-ARR · 7-13 Seabase Adventure 11-17 Advancement Camp (1st Week) 12 Troop Meeting re Summer Camp 15 Troop Adult Meeting 16 Sharp Street
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12 Troop Meeting re Summer Camp 15 Troop Adult Meeting 16 Sharp Street Food Bank 18-24 Summer Camp at Heritage 19 NO meeting 23 – Aug 4 Centennial Scouting on the Mall 25 Centennial Parade in Washington, D.C. 26 TLC/BOR 29 National Jamboree Day Trip
August 2 Patrol meeting 4 National Jamboree ends 6-8 Family Camping 9 Troop meeting 12 Roundtable (Foxes) 13–21 Montgomery County 16 Patrol meeting 19 Troop Adult Meeting 20 Sharp Street Food Bank 23 TLC/BOR 24 Signaler meeting 30 School starts 30 Troop meeting
Seabase 2010 is HERE!
Tall Ship Crew 1 departs July 3 for Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, while Adventure Ship Crew 2 departs July 7! We expect
some salty stories when they return. May good weather and no scurvyness go with you! And three cheers for
―White Beard‖ Sherman who spent a lot of the last year making this all work!
Advancement Camp at Camp Twin Echo – July 11-17
Five T264 scouts are headed to Advancement Camp this year: Gavin M., Jeremy N., Bradley N., Miguel A., and
Jimmy B. These scouts will have the opportunity to work on 6 merit badges during the week.
Scouts must bring the Annual Medical form (copy of the same one used for the Centennial Camporee and summer
camp), the supplemental medical form (NOT the same one used for summer camp):
http://www.gpc-bsa.org/Camping/stuff/medical_screening_0form.pdf , and a signed Code of Conduct form:
The proper way to retire a torn or worn out U.S. flag is well
known. But what of the Maryland state flag? As no preferred
means of retiring the state flag could be found (as of 2010),
Holland McCabe and Mr. Tim McCabe created the following
presentation as a means of respectfully honoring the Maryland
state flag. This script was presented for the first time at the
Montgomery District’s Webelos Weekend campfire on the night
of April 24, 2010.
“Please remain standing for the retirement of the Maryland State Colors.” MC: “Color guard, please approach the fire.” Speaker #1 I am the flag of Maryland, the 7th State, the Old Line State. I am the symbol of a state steeped in history, one who has been a vital part of America since its founding. Speaker #2 Maryland gained the name “Old Line State” during the Revolutionary War, when General Washington bestowed the title on the state to honor the courage and dependability of the Maryland Line Infantry in battle. Speaker #3 In Maryland, Francis Scott Key penned our National Anthem after he saw Old Glory flying through the attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor in 1814. Speaker #4 My colors come from the heraldry of the Calvert family, the colonial founders of Maryland. My current form comes from the flags used by Marylanders on both sides of the Civil War. The Black and Gold design was originally the only portion associated with Maryland, and it stayed with the Union. The White and Red “Bottany Cross” was favored by Marylanders fighting for the Confederacy. Speaker #5 Both my designs originally came from Lord Calvert’s heraldry, yet I was split between the North and South during the Civil War. After the War, I was put back together again as the Union was reunited as well. In 1904, the Maryland General Assembly declared me the official state flag. “Color guard, retire the colors.” (flag respectfully placed on the fire) “Camp Attention!” “Scout Salute” (playing of TAPS) “Two” This concludes our ceremony, God bless America.
The Signaler - Troop 264 Newsletter
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Centennial Camporee – May 29 - 31
While this was covered in the June 2010 Signaler, there’s more to be said and shown!
More on the ―lost scout‖ episode reported in June:
“I read the "security" excerpt from the newsletter. The 264 shirts helped me ID the boys as scouts from my old troop. But the shirt the reported "lost boy " was wearing was classic. I found him because his brother told me his shirt read, "Really, I don't know where my brother is". I found him using my 4 wheeler tracking him back to Bowman. He was walking with another bunch of 264 boys who were orienteering I think.”
“Sorry I missed Mr. [Doug] L and Mr. [Martin] P. I found Jack Clifford with the OA Corps. I was moving around pretty quick on the 4 wheeler and there were many scouts there.”
M.P.O. C.F. Tidmore | [ Officer Tidmore is a T264 Eagle Scout from 1987, and Crime Prevention Specialist | was working with the security group at the Camporee. ] Leesburg Police Department | Community Services Section | [ Later information pieced together from several scouts indicates [email protected] | that the scouts broke into two groups on the field and the 703-771-4564 missing scout went with the second group without telling anyone
Archaeology Merit Badge Dig – June 18 The Archaeology merit badge can be a challenging one to complete, not least because one of the requirements is to
assist with an archaeological dig. Summer camps that offer this merit badge often have ―mock digs‖ in which a patch
of ground is salted with ―artifacts‖ for the scouts to find. Not very interesting, to say the least. However, the
archaeological dig at the Barton site is at a place along the Potomac River, south of Cumberland, MD, known to have
been occupied by American Indians over thousands of years, and artifacts of human occupation, including hand
worked chert and pottery fragments, are common. Participating scouts found many such fragments, hundreds to
thousands of years old. The Barton site is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. So even though T264
had only one scout – Jim B. – participate this year, we include this in the Signaler in the hope it may prove useful to
other troop scouts. Troop members may have an opportunity to participate in a future dig at the Barton site next year.
The first day of the Archaeology Merit Badge started out with traveling up to Cumberland, Maryland, [in April]
in order to fulfill one of the requirements. The building we were in [the BSA Potomac Council HQ] was next to a large
state prison and a county high-security prison. First, we had to learn a skill of the ancient peoples. Using real animal
bones and local stones, we were told how to make a bone awl using bone knapping. After the instructor demonstrated,
we were given each a bone and two rocks, and told to make an awl. Over the course of a few hours, we each made one
bone awl, which we tested on a thin piece of leather. After demonstrating, we left for the evening.
In June, we returned to Cumberland to do the archaeological dig. We went to a 30 acre piece of land owned by
The Archaeological Conservancy, and we went around to several of the dig sites. The site was a floodplain from a
nearby river that had been occupied many times in history, and there were several overlapping villages from different
time eras. Our merit badge teacher explained that the field was leased out to a soybean farmer to raise money, and only
soybeans were allowed because they do not need to go any more than six inches into the soil to grow. One of the first
sites he showed us was the Deep Unit, a small dig that [would go] all the way to the rock below that was present on the
surface before the floodplain existed. In the later months of the year, when they are nearing the rock horizon, they told
us they often find artifacts more than 14,000 years old. After seeing several of the sites, we went to one of them, where
we opened two new units by digging up the first soil horizon and screening all of the soil. We found fragments of
artifacts that included pottery, flakes from flint-napping, fire-cracked rock (rock is normally only found at least 16 feet
into the soil at this location, so this rock had to have been carried from the river), and bone fragments. Due to the
thousands of fragments found already, most were thrown back in, and only a few were kept. At lunch, we got to see
several things, including a skeleton of a bear the archaeologists had buried four years ago in order to get a complete bear
skeleton. We saw some bone awls, and some other artifacts dug up recently. After lunch, we continued on the units, and
eventually we reached the subsoil layer. After cleaning up the remaining topsoil, one of the archaeologists showed us
how to look for postholes that had filled in many years ago. We found three postholes from one of the villages’
palisades, which the archaeologists recorded. After doing more clearing and sifting, the day was over. One of the units
which had been completed was filled in, in full view of the roadway, where drivers thought we must have been burying
a body in a soybean field. After filling in the unit, we were allowed to leave.
Our Boy Scout Roundtables feature informative discussions on topics from youth leadership training, using OA more
effectively in your troop, and summer camp experiences. Each month there are wonderful presentations, from wood
carving to Dutch oven cooking, to help your unit leaders provide new ideas and opportunities for your troop. Come
see what great new locations your troop might want to visit!
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NOW ONLY ONE ROUNDABLE SESSION AT ONE LOCATION. The Roundtable time is held on the second Thursday of each month, at 7:30 PM. But in July, no Roundtable will be
Any scout needing a Board of Review should call Mr. Greenspon @ (301-774-5394) no later than two Sundays (8 days) before the scheduled Board of Review. Failure to give proper notification will delay your BOR for a month. If your scout is scheduled for a BOR, he must bring an adult with him. That adult is needed to sit on a BOR for another scout. This way we can accommodate all scouts striving for advancement. Scout dress code for BOR will include Class “A” shirt, neckerchief, slide, and scout pants (khaki or black pants can be substituted). A scout hat is preferred.
SCOUT SPIRIT for ADVANCEMENT
We all recognize that Scout Spirit is hard to evaluate. We know Scout Spirit includes being helpful and cheerful, but it is more than that…it’s giving back. In an effort to assist Patrol dads in recognizing Scout Spirit, the following guidelines are offered. Our troop believes that prior to each advancement, participation in the following activities exemplify the essences of Scout Spirit:
A minimum of 1 nursing home visit
Participation in at least 1 fundraiser
At least 4 overnight outings per year
Good deeds done outside of scouts The Patrol Dad, not a senior scout, is responsible for signing
off on Scout Spirit prior to your Scoutmaster Conference.
SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCES
Any scout needing a Scoutmaster Conference for advancement up through 1
st class, needs to contact one of
the following for a conference: Mr. Kennedy 301-774-5014 Mr. Greenspon 301-774-5394 Mr. Laing 301-570-4235 Mr. Long 301-924-4365 Mr. Pitts 301-774-3208 Mr. Predoehl 301-774-0974 Mr. Culbertson 301-774-7049 Mr. Zuccaro 301-774-0824 Scoutmaster Conferences for Star, Life, and Eagle must be held with Mr. Bogan - (301)-774-2768, [email protected]. Preparation for the scout’s BOR must include being prepared to answer skill, citizenship, first aid, and merit badge questions.
BOR for STAR and LIFE SCOUT ADVANCEMENTS
While ropes and compasses are provided for younger ranks, by the time you are ready for Star and Life advancement, you should be responsible enough to bring your own knot rope and compass for your BOR. We are requiring all scouts who are advancing to Star or Life to bring a knot rope and compass to their BOR.
LIFE and EAGLE SCOUTS as ADVISORY BOR MEMBERS
If you are a Life or Eagle Scout and would like to sit on a Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, or Star BOR, as a “Technical Expert”, call Mr. Greenspon on (301) -774-5394. You would be the fourth person on the Board. While you wouldn’t have a vote, you would have input into the decision-making process and add invaluable knowledge and insight by asking questions that perhaps scouters wouldn’t think to ask. This is a great way to give back to and maintain the quality of your troop.