February is the shortest month of the year, but it’s always a really busy one for our troop.
Taking a break after a busy morning volunteering at the Knights of Columbus’ Pancake Breakfast at ICC this past Sunday. Thanks to everyone who volunteered, including members of the Council of Ricks patrol pictured here: Andrew, Cameron, Ryan S., Nick, Ryan W., Justin, Owen, and John as well as Mr. Bozzi, Mr. Lutz, Mr. Marosy and Mr. Maslanka.
A Scout is Helpful…We kicked off the month volunteering at the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast on February 3. We had ~15 Scouts helping clear tables, set tables, etc. The Knights were appreciative of our hard work and were able to grab some bites to eat from the breakfast buffet.
New Patrol Leaders joined the PLC meeting on the 4th. Nate N. is our SPL, joined by Owen M. (Council of Ricks), Bo P. (Titans). We also have a few new faces and changes on our leadership team – Andrew B. moved from being our Scribe to being the Troop Librarian. Phil L. and John M. are remaining as our Chaplain Aide and Quartermaster. Ethan L. and Aiden B. are our OA Representative and Troop Tailor. Zach M. has turned over the responsibility of Historian to Owen M. And Owen has also assumed the responsibility of being the Troop’s Bugler – a position we haven’t had filled in quite some time. We are still looking to fill a few other roles including: Troop Guide, Den Chief and Webmaster.
That same evening we had a Committee meeting and Merit Badge Monday. Mrs. Maslanka worked with a large group of Scouts and covered several requirements for the Eagle-required Communications merit badge. Scouts interviewed and introduced each other and discussed different careers in the field of communications. They also came up with a list of over 25 ways to communicate including: Morse Code, smoke signals, texting, snap chat, instant messaging, calling someone on a phone, talking face-to-face, writing a letter and sign language. Meanwhile, in another room Mr. Maslanka and Mr. Bozzi worked with Scouts who were interested in earning the Backpacking merit badge.
A Scout is Kind…on Saturday the 9th we participated in the annual Hunterdon Arrowhead District ‘Scouting for Food’ drive in support of the Open Cupboard food pantry. We had great turn-out from our troop and worked alongside local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to help make a difference.
A Scout is Reverent…we participated in the Scout Sunday service at Immaculate Conception Church on February 10th. Mrs. Pedretti helped organize everything ahead of time and everyone had a role. It was nice being with the Cub Scouts, too.
We held elections for the Order of the Arrow at our February 11th meeting. Several Scouts were nominated and will have the opportunity to go on an upcoming Ordeal Weekend (A Scout is Brave). A huge thank you to Ethan L. for explaining everything about OA to the younger Scouts – it gives them something to work for. Also during this meeting, several boys had their Scoutmaster Review and Board of Review. Congratulations to: Bo P. (Tenderfoot), Rusty G. (Scout), and Justin V. (Star). An Eagle Board of Review was held February 21st for Zach M. – our newest Eagle Scout! Zach is Troop 200’s 90th Eagle. His brother Matthew became an Eagle Scout in 2013 and is Troop 200’s 67th Eagle!
The last weekend of February found us at Camp NoBeBosCo in Northern New Jersey where we cabin camped. Last year we went to Frost Valley in the Catskills, so it was nice checking out a new place. NoBeBosCo is located close to the Appalachian Trail so on Saturday we were able to take advantage of that and go on a hike. Everyone is a bit tired after a long hike with some difficult terrain, but amazing views and some impromptu sledding…and bugling (thanks to Owen M.!) made it worth the trek. Jack G. was our Grubmaster and the spaghetti dinner on Saturday was delicious!
The month ended with our 190th Court of Honor…yes, our 190th! But, we’ll make a separate blog post about that.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Summer Camp Sign-Up – Camp Powhatan (7/14 – 7/20): Tomorrow there will be a sign-up sheet for this very exciting adventure in Virginia this summer! The cost will be $345 / scout which is due by mid-April. Mr. Lutz will be talking about this more over the coming weeks and will start collecting fees for Summer Camp during the 2/11 meeting. Look for more information and any questions please see Mr. Lutz