March 2008 News
Committee Chair’s Corner
Marsha Kofman, Committee Chair, rdhetal@yahoo.com, 429-0794
I would like to welcome the new Scouts and their families who have recently joined Troop 401. They have bridged from Webelos to Boy Scouts. All of them have earned their Arrow of Light Award and come with a lot of Scouting Skills. On behalf of the Troop, I would like to congratulate them on their accomplishment and encourage them to continue on the Scouting path. Every scout will help them along the way. The adventure has just begun.
The Scouting adventure is not only for the Scouts. The adults are encouraged to join in the adventure with their sons. Do you have a skill you would like to share, you can teach a Merit Badge. How about teaching scouting skills, you can become an assistant scoutmaster. Do you just enjoy being involved? You can become a member of the committee. There is something for everyone.
I would also like to thank EVERYONE for the help that they have already given and will continue to give, to make this 2nd Annual Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet a GIANT success!! There has been a great deal of thought, planning and phoning to get this program going. PLEASE, finish making your phone calls and return your completed call list to Kelly Seeley as soon as possible (if you haven’t already done so). She’s trying to keep the Troop Webmaster, Dave Markson, supplied with the current Bid List of donations. Be sure to visit the Troop web page to get the current list of donations.
Now, you need to sell tickets to your friends, neighbors, work collegues, and relatives! We need to have as many people as possible attend this event to make it successful. Keep up the good work.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at rdhetal@yahoo.com or home phone 429-0794.
Scoutmaster’s Minute
Ken Sanborn, Scoutmaster, ibdscoutmaster@comcast.net, 423-9835
Over the last month, Troop 401 has participated in and held some exciting events. These events take a lot of planning and hard work. The result of which created a fun time for all that attended. Our assistant scoutmasters put in a lot of time and effort to make these things happen and I would like to thank them for everything they do.
They, though, are not the only ones that make these events so great. The Scouts in 401 this year have also made being part of the troop enjoyable for me. The Klondike Derby and Camp Spam were a success due to the Scouts themselves, they planned and ran a good portion of these events. Some took leadership roles and carried out the plans they had put in place.
What I was most pleased by was the work everyone did as a team at Camp Spam. Good examples were set by the older boys as they took the responsibility for running activities and performing necessary tasks. The new Scouts jumped right in and took part in cooking meals, washing dishes, helping me cook dessert and cleaning the cabin as did everyone else.
Yes Mom and Dad, I am talking about YOUR son.
I am looking forward to the other events planned for this year knowing our troop grows stronger due to the efforts of leaders and scouts. Just more proof that it takes a little work to produce a lot of fun.
Ken Sanborn
Scoutmaster
Training Opportunities
· New Leader Essentials – March 29th, 8:30-10:30 and 10:30-12:30 at the LDS Church, free
· Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster training – March 29th, 10:30-5pm at the LDS Church, $10
· Troop Committee Challenge – March 29th, 1-4pm, free
· Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster Outdoor training:
Introductory meeting April 17th, 7pm
Weekend training June 7th – 8th
· Den Chief training – Postponed until October
· Powderhorn training – July 11 -13th and 18-20th at Hidden Valley (training for high adventure outdoor activities)
· Wood Badge training – September 12-14th, 26-28th (leadership skills course recommended for all Scout positions)
· Adult CPR training – April 15th, St. James Church, $12 includes book
You can obtain an applications and more information from Troop Training Chair, Robin Rich or from the DWC web page.
Upcoming Events
March
22 – Flyer Distribution for the Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet – Shaw’s South
29 – YMCA Lock-in w/Troop 15
29 – Flyer Distribution for the Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet – Location TBD
April
5 – Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet
5 – District Recognition Dinner
6 – PLC
9 – Roundtable
10 – Committee Meeting
12 – Souhegan Swing Prep at Camp Deplant
18 – 20 - Souheghan Swing Campout
26 – Hike-a-thon Family Hike on the Freedom Trail
Advancements
Troop 401’s Court of Honor will be held on March 17th. The following rank advancements were presented.
Scout Badge:
Paul
Andrew
Second Class:
Matthew B.
Maxwell
Jackson
First Class:
Logan
Matthew S.
The following merit badges were awarded:
Swimming
Matthew B.
Robert
Logan
Gardening
Tyler
Ryan
Citizen in the Community
Holden
Citizen in the World
Nathan
Wilderness Survival
Holden
Dog Care
Logan
The following special award was also presented:
Totin’ Chip
Sid
Matthew B.
Robert
Congratulations to all!!
Announcements
Summer Camp 2008
Great news!! The Troop has 21 Scouts registered for Hidden Valley camp this year. However, there are only three Scouts signed up for Camp Bell. Those three Scouts need three more Scouts to sign up and pay their deposit in order for any Scouts from Troop 401 to go to Camp Bell. In addition any Scout already signed up for Hidden Valley can also attend Camp Bell with a discounted deposit. Please contact Mr. Golemo immediately if you are interested in two weeks of camp this year.
Youth Protection Awareness
The Troop will be showing the Youth Protection Awareness Videos on March 31st at 8 PM, after the meeting. We ask that a parent attend the showing of the BSA videos with their son. If you would like to preview the videos, please contact Mrs. Kofman.
Orienteering Course Available
Six scouts from Troop 401 seeking their orienteering merit badge have volunteered to help setup and run the orienteering course for the Peabody Mill Environmental Center. The course will be available for all of the Scouts and certainly recommended for those Scouts that need to meet the compass requirements for second class and orienteering for first class advancement. The course is available on Saturday, March 22nd. See http://www.amherstnh.gov/pmec/schedule.html for more information on this opportunity.
Troop 401 Calendar & Announcements
Spring has arrived and everyone’s calendar becomes more active. Be sure to check the Troop Calendar at our web site and the monthly newsletter’s Upcoming Events section to confirm dates for the scheduled events and outings.
You’ll find the most updated info about events at the announcement portion of every Troop Meeting. Announcements usually begin at 8:15 PM. If you have any questions, this is the time to get your answer or ask your question. Please be sure to listen for the final details for Troop activities.
Proud Moments
Troop 401 is very pleased and proud of the fact that one of our Eagle Scouts has chosen to serve his country. Joe Prive, is now a member of the U.S. Marines! He has completed the first half of Boot Camp. May the entire Troop 401 “family” keep him in your thoughts and prayers to always keep him safe. Joe, we’re very proud of you!
District Family Hike
Also know as the Hike-a-thon, this year the Troop will take it to the Freedom Trail in Boston. This district hike is the best way a Scout can put dollars into his Scout account as 75% of the pledges go to the Scout! The other 25% go to the district. Unfortunately, nothing goes to the Troop so we encourage Scouts to sell tickets to the Silent Auction at the same time they are collecting pledges for the hike. Ryan Sanborn is organizing the details of the five mile hike along with help from Mr. Seeley and Mrs. Landry. Scouts can also earn a historic patch and/or fill a requirement in the American Heritage merit badge.
Stay tuned for more details but in the meantime get busy collecting pledges. Hike-a-thon forms were handed out to all Scouts at a troop meeting in early March. If you didn’t get one, please see Mrs. Seeley.
Woodworking Merit Badge Help Needed
Beginning in April, the Troop will begin work on woodworking skills by building new camping boxes. Senior Patrol Leader Eric Retelle reports that they plan to ask for donated supplies from local businesses for the project but has also asked if any families have any extra supplies that can also be donated. A list of supplies needed to build the wood boxes will be provided at an upcoming meeting. If you have anything that you can be provided, please let Eric what you have available.
Sweatshirt Reminder
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!
Troop Committee Meetings
Meetings are scheduled on the second Thursday of each month. We meet at St. James Church, at 7 PM in one of the classrooms. All adults are welcome to participate in the meetings.
When the Scouts plan an outing, parents are always needed to call and make the reservations, to provide transportation to the event, or even to suggest a new activity. So become an active participant in your son’s scouting adventure.
Hope to see you there.
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:
April 9th – PSNH presentation on electrical safety
May 14th – Continuation of how to prepare Scouts for an Eagle board of review
June 11th – Looking for volunteers to do a Dutch oven cooking demonstration
District Recognition Dinner
On April 5th, follow the Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet with the district’s recognition dinner. Tickets are $25. See Robin Rich or Dave Markson to purchase tickets.
Souhegan Sling
Plans have been finalized to share Camp DePlant in New Ipswich for a Catapult building campout and pioneering adventure with Troop 42 of the Monadnock District on April 18 – 20th. The camp is on an island where the Souhegan river pours into Waterloon Lake in New Ipswich about a 30 minute drive from Merrimack. We will have contest rules produced once the Scout leadership team is selected for running this campout. We will need some adult and Scout volunteers on April 12th to go and ‘scout’ out and set up the camping sites in a couple of new areas of the island. Mr. Seeley can be quoted as saying “this place is wicked awesome!”.
Fundraising
Grocery Receipts
Please continue to save and bring in your Shaw's receipts! Mrs. Prive has collected $155 for just turning in your receipts so keep ‘em coming!!!!
Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet
The Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet, the Troop’s major fundraising event, is quickly coming up! Here’s the checklist to make sure you are up to speed. Listen closely during Troop Announcements to get the latest details and several emails will be distributed to help everyone stay organized. Thanks to all parents and scouts for their GREAT support of this event.
Erica Beck and Christy Lambert are organizing the dessert buffet portion of the event. They have started calling families to find out what desserts families will provide and arranging dessert drop offs for the event at the church.
March 22 – Flyer Distribution at Shaw’s South (see schedule below)
March 24 – Last day donations can be accepted to be included into the auction program.
March 24 – Parent baskets are due, please bring to the church or make arrangements with Mrs. Seeley
March 29 – Flyer Distribution, schedule and location TBD
March 31 – Last day parent baskets can be accepted
April 5 – Day of the Event, schedule TBD, ticket sales can be turned in as late as April 5th
Shaw’s South flyer distribution on March 22:
2 – 4 pm – Max
Robert
Logan
4 – 6 pm Matt S.
Andrew
Jackson
A BIG thank you to Brendan, Matthew B., Tommy and Logan for attending the Town Council Meeting on March 13th to invite them and the community to our Silent Auction and Dessert Buffet. The Council was VERY supportive of the Troop and our event. They scheduled Brendan and Matthew to lead the group in the pledge of allegiance and Tommy and Logan made the presentation to the Coucil. They all did a fabulous job!!
Past Events
Klondike Derby
A hardy group of boys braved the cold weather to test their scouting skills against the frost of February. Max, Logan, Matthew B., James, Matt S. and Brenden camped out over Friday night where the mercury dipped to 7 degrees. They were one of only five troops that slept outside on Friday night. Holden, Tyler, Jackson, Robert, Kyle, and Joel. came in early the next early morning to join them. Not only did they survive the cold but did a great job in pulling their heavy sleds through the deep snow and participated in a selection of stations including shelter building, fire lighting and first aid. The PFD Patroll placed 12th scoring 104 points while the Lightning Bolts came in at 15th place with 95 points. There were 28 patrols in total. Great job guys!!
Camp Spam
The weather could not have been better for a wintertime outdoor adventure, cold and snowy. The cabin was visited briefly on Friday night before Tommy, Logan, Robert and Max dug into the snow banks to build shelters for the night. They even managed to climb out of the snow through 8 inches of fresh overnight powder to join the rest of the troop sleeping soundly in the cabin to eat Spam and Eggs. After a fantastic 2.5 mile snowshoe hike through untouched drifts that easily exceeded five feet (once in a decade opportunity) many of the remaining boys built shelters for Saturday night. Andrew S., made a great igloo for Logan and Max and they thanked him with a Spam burp. In addition to the hardy scouts outside Friday night, Matt S., Joel, Holden, Matthew B., and Jackson. made their homes out in the snow squalls and wind of Saturday night. The Spam cook off was very successful and complimented by Mr. Sanborn’s Dutch oven desserts. We were also very happy to welcome and very impressed with the new Scouts Andrew, Austin, Conor, Ethan, Jacob, Paul, Bailey, and Nathan to Troop 401’s first annual Camp Spam.
Troop Birthdays
Troop Birthdays for March are:
Holden 3/12
Drew 3/12
Bailey 3/18
Brendan 3/28
Ricky 3/28
Jack 3/28
On Being a Scout….
“Parents and troop leaders in this room, you are succeeding in your mission, our nation's mission, and also the Boy Scout mission to perpetuate the fundamental values that made our nation great, and to ensure that our young people become productive adults and responsible citizens."
Elizabeth "Betsy" McCaughey Ross, former Lt. Gov. New York
Newsletter Contact
Kelly Seeley, Newsletter Coord., 424-0734, troop401news@yahoo.com