CONGRATULATIONS ARDEN -- Arden S. became Troop 4's newest Eagle
Scout when he passed his Eagle Scout board of review Thursday night
(April 28). He is the third Troop 4 Eagle Scout this year.
Final approvals must still be done by the Longhorn Council and the
National BSA office. His Eagle Scout leadership service project
"Project Motion Mission" was the refurbishing of several bicycles for a
church school in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. He joins Kevin M. and Joe K. III
as Troop 4's Eagle Scouts this year. Eagle Courts of Honor were
held recently for Kevin M. and for Drew S., who earned his Eagle in
2004.
LAKEVIEW DISTRICT AWARDS -- Members of Troop 4's adult leadership
recently won two top awards at the Lakeview District dinner.
Scoutmaster Jeff Carter won the "Lighthouse Award" for his work at
developing the troop website, promoting boy leadership, and for
organizing adults and scouts in separate rooms during troop meetings.
Eagle Scout Advisor Tom Anderson won the "Kelcie T. Nance Memorial
Emeritus Award" given in honor of a former Lakeview adult scouter.
The award is given to adults who continue working on the troop and
district level long after their sons have aged out of scouting.
Tom is also the editor of the troop's newsletter and the Lakeview
District's Eagle Board of Review coordinator. He has been a member
of more than 100 Eagle Scout boards of review since the late 1980s.
LIKE TO HIKE? by Linda Mitchell -- Work has begun on the Hiking
Merit Badge, but its not too late to join in. Under the leadership
of ASM Dan Berry, scouts Michael B., Jared C., Kyle C., Cole J. (and
younger brother Drew), Joseph L., and Ryan M. completed the first of
five required 10-mile hikes at Lake Grapevine on Saturday, April 23.
Joseph's Dad, Jim Lippert, also hiked with the group and shared with
them his vast knowledge of native plants, which fulfilled First Class
Requirement # 6 to Identify or show evidence of at least 10 native
plants in your community. While most of the berries and other wild
fruit we saw were not ripe, we did find one patch of blackberries that
apparently get more sun than the rest and we all got an unexpected
treat. Other advancement requirements met on the hike were:
Tenderfoot req. # 5 Explain the rules for safe hiking; and Second Class
req. # 1b to take a 5-mile hike using a map and compass. Leave No
Trace concepts were discussed and practiced as well. Jim and
Joseph are planning to participate in the 2006 Philmont Trek so this was
the first preparatory hike for them. Others considering the trek
should plan on joining the group as well. Speaking of Philmont, we
dined on a Philmont Style lunch prepared by the Berrys: Crackers, tuna
pouches, Fruit Roll-ups and Fig Newtons. Also enjoyed during a
welcomed break was GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts in case you ever
wondered where that silly name came from. Add a few M&Ms and
you've got a real treat and a much needed boost of energy!). Any
combination of nuts and dried fruits can be used, and we plan to
experiment with different versions on future hikes. More than the
required 5 10-mile hikes (and 1 20-miler) have been planned so you can
join us next time and still complete the Merit Badge and/or the rank
requirements mentioned above. Thanks to adults Leone Berry, Gil
Jordan, and Linda Mitchell for participating. The troop is
boy-led, but adult participation is vital to a good program. We'd
all like to thank Michael for acting as "Sherpa" on the hike, carrying
the food and extra water for the group! Each hiker is required to
bring at least 2 liters of water, so don't forget yours when you join us
on our next hike!
SCOUTING SKILLS CAMPOUT -- There will a scouting skills campout
May 13-15 at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch. The main objective of
this campout is for the scouts to complete requirements needed for
advancement. There is no predefined program at this campout such
as and any other scouts that need requirements signed off. It is
very important that scouts bring there book on this campout (actually,
they should bring them on all campouts). It is also important that
the scouts work with the Senior Patrol Leader and Troop Guide on their
plans. For example, it a scout wants to complete the requirement
to cook a meal over an open fire, they should bring a meal that is well
suited to this activity and if they need a grill or other item to
prepare the meal, the SPL/Guide can arrange to have it available.
If a scout wants to complete an open merit badge item, they must make
arrangements with their merit badge counselor prior to the campout to
make sure their plan is acceptable, any required materials will be
available and that the merit badge counselor has a method to verify the
completion of the requirements. Please check the signup sheet at
each troop meeting or contact ASM Dan Berry if interested.
NEW SCOUTS -- Benjamin B., Andrew B., Cole J., Nick C., Eric G.,
Kevin K., and Jared C. have completed the requirements for earning the
scout badge.
NATIONAL BSA JAMBOREE -- Former Troop 4 Eagle Scout Matthew
Fertitta, a freshman at the University of Texas, has been named a member
of the Order of the Arrow Service Corps for the BSA's National Jamboree
this summer at Fort A.P. Hill, VA. More than 50,000 scouts will be
attending the Jamboree in late July and early August. Troop 4 SPL
Ken C. attended the 2001 Jamboree, while former Troop 4 Eagle Scout
John Anderson attended the 1997 Jamboree and adult leader Tom Anderson
was a Jamboree staff member on the Merit Badge Midway's Radio MB booth.
NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST -- Troop 4 Eagle Scout Michael L. was
recently named a National Merit Finalist by the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation. This distinction places him in a group of
15,000 students representing less than one percent of U.S. high school
graduating seniors. He is now eligible to compete for one of
several National Merit Scholarship Awards which will be announced on May
4. Michael was also one of 11 students nominated for the
Colleyville Chamber of Commerce Youth of the Year, and he was recently
honored as an outstanding youth volunteer by the Colleyville Woman's
Club. He received their highest distinction, the CWC President's
Award, which honors youth who demonstrate outstanding community service.
In addition, he received a Certificate of Special Congressional
Recognition, and also, from President George Bush, the President's
Volunteer Service Award. Michael is also the United State's
youngest licensed nuclear reactor operator. Michael attended the Nuclear
Engineering Camp and Reactor Operations Workshop at the University of
Missouri at Rolla, and then completed an independent college level study
of Nuclear Reactor Theory with UMR. He was the youngest of three
high school students invited to take the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
exam, which consisted of a 3 part written exam and a 1 1/2 hour
walk-through of the reactor facility. He recently received his
Reactor Operator's License from the NRC, and is licensed to manipulate
all controls of the UMR Nuclear Reactor Facility.
PATCH CONTEST WINNER -- A patch design entitled "Be Brave, Be
Helpful, Be Prepared" submitted by Troop 4 Eagle Scout Kevin M. was
recently selected as the winning patch design for the Lakeview District
Camporee. Please see his patch design and award presentation
photo, by Dirk Stricklin, elsewhere in the newsletter.
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2005 SUMMER CAMP -- The fifth payment of $100 for Camp
Alexander CO is due May 9. Dates for summer camp are June 26-July
2, 2005. The troop will also have a summer camp contingent going
to SR2 summer camp near Bridgeport June 5-11 and Dr. Joe Kilianski will
be doing SR2 scout summer camp physicals at the May 9 troop meeting so
parents should attend..
ORDER OF THE ARROW -- Joseph S., Joseph K., and Nathan S. were
called out by the Order of the Arrow at the April district camporee.
They will have a chance to "seal" their membership at the OA ordeal this
weekend. There will also be a Labor Day weekend order.
Scouts elected to the OA must attend an ordeal in order to seal their
membership.
PHILMONT -- Troop 4 has been awarded a Philmont high adventure
trek beginning July 17, 2006. Scouts must have earned the hiking,
camping, first aid, and orienteering merit badges to join the trek.
In addition, scouts must have completed the 8th grade by Jan. 1, 2006
and be 14 years old. The first payment of $300 is due September 1,
2005. For additional information contact ASM John Flynn.
TROOP 4 BOR's -- Troop 4 boards of review are held the first and
third Monday meetings. Scouts are required to fill out a BOR
request form available from the troop scribe. Also all scouts are
requested to bring their scout handbooks to each meeting so rank
advancement requirements can be checked off. Scouts should report
merit badge completions and rank advancements as soon as possible to
Advancement Chairperson John Flynn in person, e-mail--
johnlflynn@yahoo.com
or phone (817) 481-7908. It is the scout's responsibility to
make sure Mr. Flynn is aware of their rank advancement.
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TROOP 4
Scoutmaster Conference &
Board of Review Checklist |
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1 |
Scoutmaster Conferences are held only on the first and third
Mondays of each month, unless the schedule is changed to
accommodate upcoming Court of Honor deadlines |
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2 |
The Troop
Scribe and the Troop Advancement Chairperson must be
informed of your intention to get on the schedule for a
particular date. Be prepared to be flexible if the schedule
is full on the date that you apply for. Available times are
first come first serve, so plan ahead |
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3 |
Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review are conducted
for candidates in a complete, First Class BSA Uniform.
Consult the Troop 4 Policy and Procedure manual for
specifications. |
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4 |
All
Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review are given
subject to the availability of the Scoutmaster or a
designated Assistant Scoutmaster, and the required number of
Troop Committee members / parent volunteers on the date
scheduled. If insufficient numbers of Review Board members
are available, or if the Scoutmaster or an Assistant
Scoutmaster is not present, every effort will be made to
reschedule your conference or review as quickly as is
practical. Exceptions to this procedure must be directed to
the Troop Committee Chairman. |
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ACTION |
INITIAL |
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DATE |
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Scheduled
with Scribe |
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(Troop
Scribe) |
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Board of
Review Date |
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Scheduled
with Troop Advancement Chair |
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(Advancement Chairperson) |
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Scoutmaster Conference |
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(Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmaster) |
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Board of
Review |
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(Board of
Review Chairman) |
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RETURN
THIS COMPLETED CHECKLIST
TO TROOP ADVANCEMENT CHAIRPERSON |
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RELIGIOUS AWARDS -- Information on scouting's various religious
awards is available at
http://www.praypub.org .
http://www.longhorncouncil.org
Longhorn Council web page.
http://www.troop4grapevine.com Troop 4 web page |
