February 2008 News
Committee Chair’s Corner
Marsha Kofman, Committee Chair, rdhetal@yahoo.com, 429-0794
The winds may be blowing and the thermometer continues to drop lower and lower, but scouting events still proceed. Be prepared, brings a new and different view to things. If there is a question as to whether an event will take place due to the weather, please check your email. An update on the event may have been forwarded. The scouts could also check with their Patrol Leader or advisor.
Check the phone tree for the telephone numbers.
I would like to encourage the parents and Members of the Troop Committee to attend the monthly committee meetings held at St. James Church, at 7 PM on the second Thursday of each month. Fresh ideas and energy are always welcomed and appreciated. The next meeting is Thursday, February 14th, at 7 PM. Hope to see you there!
Marsha Kofman, 429-0794, rdhetal@yahoo.com
Scoutmaster’s Minute
Ken Sanborn, Scoutmaster, ibdscoutmaster@comcast.net, 423-9835
The Troop has several great events coming up that have many opportunities for the Scouts to work on their advancements….Camp SPAM is a perfect example. Although it is the Scout’s responsibility to get those rank requirements taken care of, don’t be afraid to tell me or the assistant scoutmasters the things that you need to do to complete a rank. We are happy to incorporate specific needs into our events and, chances are, if you need to plan or cook a meal, work on first aid or use a compass, there are several other Scouts that need to do the same. So, before we all go to Camp SPAM, review the things you need to complete the next rank, let me, Mr. Seeley or the other assistant scoutmasters know what you need and we’ll make that happen!
Another important event that occurs this month is the growth of our Troop! February is the time that the eligible Cub Scouts move out of the Pack and into a Troop. At last count, we are expecting around 12 new Scouts to join us and I encourage all of you to welcome them and help them learn the “ropes” of Boy Scouts. Further, they will all have their chance to work on rank advancement during the Frank Daley Campout’s Tenderfoot Challenge at the end of May. This is a great opportunity for any of our current scouts to work on their required leadership skills. So, stayed tuned for more on how you can take advantage of that opportunity.
Your Scoutmaster
Ken Sanborn
Training Opportunities
· New Leader Essentials – February 13th at the Roundtable
· Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster training – March 1st at First Church in Nashua also on March 29th at the LDS Church.
· Venturing training – March 1st at LDS Church
· Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster Outdoor training:
Introductory meeting April 17th
Weekend training June 7th – 8th
· Den Chief training – May 10th
· Powderhorn training for venturing and troop leaders – July 11 -13 and 18-20 at Hidden Valley
You can obtain an applications and more information from Troop Training Chair, Robin Rich or from the DWC web page.
Upcoming Events
February
13 – District Roundtable
14 – Troop Committee Meeting
15-17 - Klondike Derby
29-3/2 – Camp Spam
March
9 – PLC
10 – Summer Camp Deposits Due
10 – Easter Bread Bake
13 – Troop Committee Meeting
15 – Maple Guys Tour
29 – YMCA Lock-in w/Troop 15
Advancements
Congratulations are in order for Jake T. Jake is Troop 401’s newest Eagle Scout!
Logan S. has officially earned the rank of First Class. Both will be awarded at the next Court of Honor in March.
Announcements
The Sweat Shirts Are Here!!!
The long awaited Troop sweatshirts have finally arrived. To pick up your order please bring your check payable to Troop 401. If you ordered a Hoodie, the price is $30.00. A crew neck is priced at $25.00. The wicking T-shirts are $18.00.
Don’t despair if you missed this order. Another will be going in this Spring!!! Thank you Mr. Sanborn for making the arrangements!
Klondike Derby
This year’s Klondike Derby will be held at the Lone Pine Hunting club in Hollis. The schedule for the weekend is as follows:
Friday, February 15
5:30 pm - Arrive for Freezeout, setup, prepare dinner
8:00 - Cracker Barrel
Saturday, February 16
8:00 AM - Opening Ceremony
Safety Checks and Registration open
9:30 Stations open
11:30 Lunch Break – all stations closed
12:30 Stations reopen
2:30 Stations stop accepting new sleds
3:00 Stations close
4:00 Awards
Camp SPAM
Planning is in the works for the upcoming Camp SPAM. Scouts will enjoy the Scout Camp Wanosockett, in the shadow of Mount Monadnock, from Friday, February 29th to Sunday, March 2nd. Scouts will enjoy snowshoeing, building shelters and other wilderness survival activities. Two patrols will compete for the best Spam dinner! Matt S., Joel Y. and Robert K. are the Scout leaders for this event. For those that participated in the gift wrapping fundraiser, the campout is free. However, $25 needs to be paid that will then be refunded into the Scout’s Scout account. For all others the cost is $25. Payment in both cases is due at the Troop meeting on February 18th.
Summer Camp Reminder
Summer camp deposits of $50 are due at the beginning of March. Please see Mr. Allard, the Troop Treasurer, to find out how much you have available in your Scout account for the deposit.
Troop Committee Meetings
All parents and leaders are encouraged to attend monthly meetings. They are scheduled on the second Thursday of each month, at 7 PM. The meeting takes place at St. James Church.
District Roundtable
Scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month, the meetings take place at the Church of Latter Day Saints in Nashua, next to Greeley Park at 7 PM.
All adult leaders are encouraged to attend this valuable training. Parents are also welcome to attend these meetings to learn more about the scouting program.
Upcoming Topics are:
February 13 – LL Bean presentation on GPS devices
March 12 – Eagle Board presentation (continuation)
Fundraising
Grocery Receipts
Please continue to save and bring in your Shaw's receipts! Mrs. Prive has turned in more than $15,000 in receipts!! Scouts, keep up the good work!
Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet
The 2nd Annual Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet fundraiser will be held on April 5th. Packets should be arriving in the mail this week to all Scout families. The packets include the 10 tickets to the event for the Scouts to sell, as well as, the call list of 10 businesses that we are asking each Scout family to call and secure the donations needed for the event to be a success. Please contact Mr. or Mrs. Seeley with any questions.
Scouts: We need three scouts to act as the youth leaders for this event. One will help the adult/parent leaders with organizing the dessert buffet and the other two will help with the planning and execution of the silent auction. Please contact Mr. Seeley if you are interested in being a youth leader for this event.
Parents: The troop will also be grateful for parent help in many areas. At this time we need one or more people interested in organizing the dessert buffet portion of the event. Please contact Mr. or Mrs. Seeley for any help you can offer 424-0734 or kseeley2005@yahoo.com.
Community Service
Library Book Sale
The Troop had outstanding participation at the Merrimack Library’s January book sale. Many scouts, parents and adults were there for both the set up and take down.
The scouts participating in the set-up were:
Nathan D., Max L., Matt S., Jack M., James R., Sam P., Joel Y., Jackson V. and Logan S.
Those there for the take-down were: Ryan S., Eric R., Logan S., Brendan A., Matthew B., Robert K., Jack M. and Joel Y.
A BIG Thank You from the Troop and the Merrimack Library!
Past Events
Snowshoe Hike
A clear and pleasant day greeted the hiking club as they donned the shoes and took a tour of the Joe English Reservation thanks to our knowledgeable guide Vickie. The short hike of 2.9 miles on January 26th seemed to finish too soon. Max L., Logan S., Ricky A., Tommy A., Jackson V., (and guest), Matthew B., Matt S., and Holden L. all earned 4 miles which helped a few more scouts hit the hiking club’s 15 mile mark. This winter activity was funded by the gift-wrapping fundraiser.
Ice Fishing Derby
A wet, cold, slushy morning greeted the hearty of Troop 401 on February 2nd. The slush was deep on the lake but that did not stop Ricky A., Tommy A., Logan S., Sam P., Robert K., and Max L. from digging holes in the ice and setting traps with the help of Mr. Killkelly’s brother. The fish were hungry and traps were springing. Sam’s pickerel came in third place just beating Logan’s by 2/10th of an ounce. Max won first place for his mighty perch netting the top prize – his own ice drilling auger. Mr. Seeley was also there but, sadly, he only caught a cold!
Snow Tubing
A great gaggle of Scouts, Webe’s and parents experienced the ‘gravity’ of the situation while riding their tubes to the bottom of the McIntyre Ski Area tubing hill on January 19th. It was shown that gravity favored those with the greatest ‘mass’ while all tried to crest the hill at the bottom. Rumor has it one of the Troop 401 entourage DID make it to the crest of the hill on his last run citing mass, gravity and technique as his keys to success
Klondike Practice
Fresh snow and warm sun welcomed the Troop to a Klondike practice at the Whip-o-Will site in Merrimack. Matthew B., Logan S., Kyle S., Brenden A., Max L., James R., Eric R., Robert K., Holden L., made fires without matches, cooked food without pans, tracked footprints without animals and made shelters in the snow. Some time was actually spent trying to pull the sled – but all will get the chance to pull even more beginning February 15th at the Klondike Derby held at the Lone Pine Hunting Club in Hollis.
Scout Sunday
Troop 401’s charter organization, St. James Methodist Church, celebrated the Troop and the Pack on Sunday, February 10th. Only two Scouts were in attendance Ryan S., and Logan S. Logan participated in the presentation of the flags and Ryan recited the Boy Scout Oath as well as read A Psalm for Scouts and Scouters for the congregation. Thanks to both Scouts for their attendance.
On Being a Scout….
The Boy Scout's Mother Asked
F. Darnall Daley, Jr.
Council Commissioner, Hawk Mountain Council, Reading, PA
|
"Where
has my little baby gone?" He'd
gone to be a Tiger Cub And
after that he was a Bear, Crossed
over to be a Boy Scout, "Where
has my baby boy gone?" To
hike the trails and pitch a tent, Down
the long trail to Eagle, Learned
to be a citizen, Where
has my baby boy gone?" |
Knot Knowledge
What knot would you use for lifesaving or mountain climbing?
Last Month’s Question: What kind of knot would you use to tie together two ropes – especially if they are different thicknesses?
Answer: Sheet Bend
Newsletter Contact
Kelly Seeley, Newsletter Coord., 424-0734, troop401news@yahoo.com