Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Good afternoon T648!

As the majority of the troop family suffers through yet another warm weekend in the valley, our T648 high adventure expedition over the weekend of 5 hardy souls enjoyed light(ning) shows on the peaks as we headed on I17 into Flagstaff, a gorgeous full moon while sleeping under the stars on a pine needle bed in the Coconino Forest, and a hike up Mount Humphreys to 12,633 feet of wonderful coolness and panoramic views of northern Arizona.  Heck, even at the base of the mountain it was a delightful 71 degrees at 1PM in the afternoon.  The dark and early start ensured that the expedition was already descending when Saturday’s late morning lightning danced around the peak, and with storms Friday night and Saturday afternoon, the terrific itinerary planning left everyone totally dry and happy.  Many thanks to young Mr. Finnegan for an outstanding trip – well planned and executed.

This week brings Patrol Leader’s Council for our boy leadership to plan upcoming meetings and events at 6PM on Tuesday, followed by our weekly troop meeting at 7PM.  A key component of the meeting will be patrol planning for our upcoming outing next weekend to the Military Sink Hole area of the Rim, and canoeing and swimming at Willow Springs Lake.  We will be leaving from the church parking lot late Friday afternoon the 10^th, and returning shortly after noon on Sunday the 12^th.  Scouts meeting the sales target of 20 tickets during our spring Pancake Breakfast fundraiser will be treated to an outstanding meal by Mr. Parizek.  Patrol meal preparation should take that into account, and factor out those lucky boys for the Saturday night patrol food purchases.  Also, please remember that adult leaders will have the opportunity to complete the outdoor portion of their Indoor/Outdoor training by attending Mr. Parizek’s class during this outing.  As usual – the more, the merrier!  Let us know by Tuesday night if you plan to attend.

Looking ahead, we have an adult leader meeting at the Scottsdale Worship Center board room from 7-8:15PM on the 13^th, Mr. Butler will work with any scouts with First Aid partial merit badges left over from Geronimo on the 14^th at 6PM before the troop meeting, and our annual scout-led planning session will occur at Scottsdale Conference resort on the 24^th through the 26^th.  Scouts in leadership positions should be looking for invitations from Mr. Benyi to this extremely important working weekend (with a bit of fun thrown in after all the hard work is completed).  We encourage adult leaders and interested parents to stop by and watch your T648 boy leaders at work – please see Mr. Benyi or Mr. Cole for details on an appropriate time.  We also have Mr. Huston’s Eagle Court of Honor scheduled for 9/8/12 at the Elks Lodge on 32^nd Street and Acoma, with an actual start time still forthcoming.

On the things to be thankful for list, we have word that adult leader Mr. Grisa has been released to a care center, and if current progress is any indication, will be back on his bike and racing before we know it.  This week our young Mr. Finnegan was presented a Hornaday award at this week’s Four Peak District Roundtable, one approximately 1100 awarded in the 80+ year history of this BSA award for exceptional natural resource conservation and environmental protection efforts by an individual scout.

See you Tuesday night at the scout meeting!

Mr. Cole

Good evening,

I’m thinking I’m partially to blame for bringing the New Orleans weather here to the valley this week.  However, while we’ve had very similar rain and humidity, I can’t be blamed for yesterday’s haboob!  My thanks to Mr. Benyi’s very complete listing of upcoming events last weekend – I will add just a couple of items to his checklist for your consideration.

Tomorrow night is the troop meeting – Many thanks to Mr. Stults for working with us on the fishing merit badge last week – come prepared to continue on a fishing theme, and I believe shelter building is also on the agenda.

This weekend there is a high adventure outing to the Flagstaff area for those over age 14 and first class, including a summit ascent of Mount Humphreys.  The gathering location is the church on Friday night – return will be Saturday night.  Contact young Mr. Finnegan for further details.

The weekend of August 10^th is our canoe and fishing outing to the Military Sink Hole and Willow Springs Lake.  This will be a very busy event, as additionally Mr. Parizek will be teaching the outdoor portion of adult leader training, as well as cooking the award dinner for those scouts who qualified for the pancake breakfast sales award.

We will have an Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle meeting at Scottsdale Worship Center on August 13^th at 7PM, and we are also looking forward to the Patrol Leadership Council retreat as the boys plan the calendar for the upcoming year during the August 24-26^th weekend.  That weekend also marks the formation of the new boy leadership structure and patrols for the upcoming year – which also means that honor patrol competition for the year is winding down.  Have you done all you can do to give your patrol a chance for Honor Patrol glory?

We have both a date and a location now for the youngest Mr. Huston’s Eagle Court of Honor.  It will be on September 8^th at the Elk’s Lodge – now stay tuned for the time!  If you are in town, please come and see what a big event an Eagle COH is (and should be!)

Keep working on the great advancement headway you all made in Geronimo.  Finish up partial merit badges by checking in with Mr. Benyi.  Those of you who had only a few requirements left before a rank advancement, let’s get you positioned to complete them by our outing on the 10^th.  It is an outstanding time to finish things up before school comes back and takes over most of your daylight hours again.

See you tomorrow night at the troop meeting!

Mr. Cole

Greetings!

I will provide the weekly update this weekend while Mr. Cole is finishing up his trip to New Orleans. Though we seem to be on the downhill slope of summer, there are many troop related events coming up in August that I would like to share with you.

Mr. Grisa had his surgery last week and remains in the hospital. Please continue to keep Mr. Grisa and the whole Grisa family in your thoughts and prayers. A “CaringBridge” site has been setup where you can receive updates and leave a message of support. You can find Mr. Grisa’s CaringBridge site at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davegrisa. Best wishes for a speedy and safe recovery.

Eagle Scout Patrick Huston is also on the mend from his surgery last week. The Huston’s have set September 8, 2012 as the date for his Eagle Court of Honor. The location and time will be forthcoming, but please save the date!

For those who have partially completed Merit Badges remaining from Summer Camp, please see me as soon as possible to get your paperwork and complete your badge. The next troop Court of Honor will be in mid-September, so there is still time to finish MB’s and even get to the next rank. Please don’t wait until the last minute!

The next monthly PLC Meeting will be at 6pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 before the regular troop meeting. The annual PLC Planning Retreat will be held the weekend of August 24-26, 2012. This is a little bit later than usual; please plan accordingly. The meeting agenda is going to be slightly different this year; invitations will be going out by the end of July so please watch for that. Patrol Leaders and Troop Guides should begin consulting with their patrols about ideas for outings, service projects, and fund raisers. It is never too early to get started.

The August Outing will be taking place at the Military Sink Hole near Willow Springs Lake on the Mogollon Rim during the weekend of August 10-12, 2012. This outing will include canoeing and other activities and will be a good opportunity to get out of the heat and up into the cool pines. Also during that same weekend, Mr. Parizek will be leading “Outdoor Leader Skills” which is a required training for Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters. If you have not yet completed your Outdoor Leader Skills training, please use this opportunity to finish that up.

The next troop Committee Meeting will be held in early September, rather than August as originally planned. I will confirm the date in the next couple of weeks. There has been no Adult Leader Meeting in July; Mr. Cole will announce the date for the August Adult Leader meeting when he returns.

Congratulations to the entire troop once again for a fine showing at Camp Geronimo this summer. I hope everyone has a productive and enjoyable few weeks to round out the summer as we look forward to a new school year and the 2012/2013 Troop 648 Calendar year.

Best regards,

Mr. Benyi

Good evening,

In the continuing spirit of receiving the bandaid award from the Geronimo health lodge at summer camp last week, I wanted to give you an update on our hospitalized troop members tonight.  Assistant Scoutmaster Dave Grisa is going in for surgery at 8AM tomorrow for the broken 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae in his neck.  It will involve taking some bone from his leg, along with the insertion of some pins.  Please keep Dave, Deb and the Grisa family in your thoughts and prayers.

Eagle Scout Patrick Huston, on the other hand, has returned home from the hospital this very evening.  The leg hurts after his surgery last week, but with some good pain medication, crutches in the house, and wheelchair out and about, he is already doing much better.

Have a great week!  Jacob will be acting Scoutmaster tomorrow night, I will return from the bayou country next Tuesday the 24th.

Mr. Cole

Good soggy morning!

By now you have reflected or been debriefed on the 2012 T648 summer camp that was.  And oh, what a summer camp to remember!  Last weekend the scouts were just getting settled in, and a short week later they are the recipients of camp awards, earners of individual merit badges and advancements, and contributors to an excellent week of team bonding and accomplishment.  The mud-covered youngster delivered to the family car yesterday in the parking lot of Blessed Sacrament can be rightly proud of his development and many contributions to another successful year at Camp Geronimo.  Many thanks for your investment in the week, the benefits will be many and long-lasting.

From the start of the first dry weekend to the final morning of packing for home in the much-needed steady, soaking rain, the troop hit all of their marks, and had a ton of fun doing it.  Our new Senior Patrol Leader hit the ground running, the senior scouts were fully engaged in assisting with troop activities, and the patrols were supportive and helped in getting by a few small twinges of homesickness.  I also would like to note the terrific investments of time from our dozen and a half adult leaders who went above and beyond to ensure we had trailers pulled, coverage during the week, and enough seats for boards and transport despite the occasional mouse attack or confounding new camp policy.  The troop achieved individual awards (the top shots of the whole summer in archery) and group awards (the bandaid award from the health lodge for the most use of that facility – of course, also a reflection of the size of our troop).  We did camp service projects, helped other troops cover their flag ceremonies or KP, and excelled in all required activities, to the point of once again (to the delight of Mother Hen) achieving the coveted Big ‘G’ Award with Gold designation – the highest troop award given at camp.  Later this summer in our next Court of Honor, you will see evidence of the skills developed, the ranks advanced, and the 70 merit badges earned.  But for now, bask in the memories of doing your best, working well as a unit, playing cards by lantern-light, Revelry at 6AM played right next to our campsite, Polar Bear swims, Cat’s Eye hikes, the Mogollon monster, and being once again, the smartest looking uniformed scouts in camp.  You have represented our troop and scouting well this week, and I’m once again reminded of how proud and honored I am to wear the T648 patch.

This week we again resume troop meetings on Tuesday at 7PM at the church.  We will have Patrol Leader’s council on 8/7 at 6PM, chaired by Mr. Harness.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing SPL, Mr. Martin, for his leadership and excellent support at summer camp.  Please also put on your calendars our August outing at Military Sinkhole east of Payson.  That will be accompanied by canoeing in Willow Springs Lake and a special award dinner prepared by Mr. Parizek for all those boys who met the pancake breakfast ticket sales target (you know who you are!).  Please also note that the boys’ annual planning meeting at a local resort (PLC Weekend) will be August 24-26.  It is never too early to begin thinking about which outing locations, fundraising options, or service projects you would like us to do in 2012-2013.

We have a couple of our troop family in the hospital this week.  One of our Eagle Scouts, young Mr. Huston, had successful leg surgery on Thursday, and one of our Assistant Scoutmasters, Mr. Grisa, is in the hospital preparing for surgery on multiple vertebrae in his neck.  Please keep these members of our troop family in your thoughts and prayers this week.

Have a great week!

Mr. Cole

Good evening,

I am back from the wilds of Geronimo, and I have discovered something I had not remembered.  It is HOT here in the Valley!  Was it really last week that it was double digits for fireworks?  The good news is, your 25 T648 boys are basking in the warm sun and cool breezes in the tall pines of summer camp this week.  We had some challenges in getting there, as the vehicle pulling the trailer had it’s fuel line shaken loose over the washboards on the dirt road into camp.  Not to be denied, Mr Durrant came back to rescue the trailer with our gear, Mr  Butler got under the stricken car, and swears he did not use chewing gum and bailing wire, but in some way got Mr. Gingrich back to connected again, so he could retreat to Payson and obtain some more traditional repairs, while the rest of the troop checked in only marginally late.  Mother Hen Benyi again had obtained the best site in camp for T648 right next to the mess hall, and the boys had an outstanding weekend doing swim checks in the cool water of the Geronimo pool, raiding the bank to spend copious amounts at the trading post, eating ravenously, singing boisterously, playing cards, hiking the Rainbow Trail, performing flawless camp flag ceremonies twice, shooting bearings in the dark on a night orienteering course called the Cat’s Eye, and working amazingly well together as a team.  Great advancement had already taken place from multiple boys during some of the first two days’ free time, and today began the merit badges, with great amounts of activities from archery to wilderness survival.  You will have some exhausted but accomplished young men return to you in 5 more short days.  Thank you for allowing them this opportunity – they will have a great week!

For those of you remaining in town, please remember that we do not have scout meeting tomorrow night at the church.  We will resume our normal schedule on the 17th.  I’ll check back in with you next Sunday, after what is sure to be an amazing remaining week of camp.

Mr. Cole

Good afternoon,

I have a number of items which have turned up in my closet after not being claimed at the end of recent outings. If any of these are yours, please contact Mr. Cole

Co Union clear plastic water bottle – navy blue top with black band around middle

Outdoor Products blue metal water bottle, black top with black belt

2XL Bass Pro Shops logo navy blue long sleeve sweatshirt

XL Nautica pajama bottoms – plaid/stripes green/yellow/white

Green stuff sack, single man tent size

BSA standard slide

Good morning!

As the valley temps continue to soar, a young scout’s thoughts turn to summer camp in the pine forest – swimming, canoeing, shooting, hiking, camping, horseback riding – all wonderful diversions from taking shelter from the scorching sun in yet another video game or rerun.  In less than a week, we will be heading up the Beeline hill to Camp Geronimo.  Let’s cover a few things this morning, and then bring your remaining questions or thoughts and concerns to Tuesday’s meetings (PLC and Troop).  I will also resend via email to each of you the very helpful camp planning document compiled by Mr. Benyi.  If you peruse this document prior to Tuesday, I believe most remaining questions will be at least partially addressed, and we can hit the rest that night.  Additional thoughts:

Food – Troop food will be provided through the camp cafeteria, except for one meal to be prepared in camp on the adult kitchen.  Personal snacks should not be brought by the boys this year due to the number of bear incidents in the greater Payson area.  Bears have not been common in Geronimo, but let’s not encourage an exception this year.  Snacks can be purchased and eaten as desired from the camp store.

Patrols – You each should have been working on patrol yells and finalizing a patrol flag.  If those are not complete, please come prepared to finalize on Tuesday.  Each patrol will need to participate with both during flag ceremonies for our troop to compete for Big G Gold rating this year.

Saturday morning – We will be a bit tight on trailer space as we will be bringing loaner cots for all the boys to use throughout the week.  Please limit clothing / gear to a large duffle bag and a camp chair.  Boys never wear all the underwear and t-shirts packed, anyway J.  Think layering for evening temperatures, and remember that we travel in our dress uniforms – this time including our neckerchiefs and slides.  We ask that you arrive at 7:30AM on the 7th, so that we can depart on-time an hour later.  We will have lots of paperwork, banking, meds, loading, etc. to complete, and we do not want to be late for check-in.

Advancement – Summer camp is an outstanding time to enjoy the out-of-doors, and to pick up a number of the required merit badges in one short week.  Please check to make sure you have taken into account the prerequisites for each of your assigned merit badges.  It is also a time when you have ample time to practice and accomplish skills on your way to rank advancements.  Please bring scout book, compass, map, rope – any of the materials you need, and while you have down time – practice, practice, practice.  You have a large number of captive adults available for help or boards of review, and it is up to you to manage your time wisely.  There will still be amazing amounts of time left over for fun!

Troop clothes – If you need additional red troop t-shirts to last a week, or if you do not have a troop hat, the Andrews’ store will be open Tuesday night and Saturday morning.  Please ensure that all scouts have a hat ($15) with their name in it and multiple troop Class ‘B’s’ ($5)

I look forward to seeing you Tuesday night at 6PM for PLC and at 7PM for the troop meeting.  By the end of the evening, we should have our game plan for the week solidified, and hopefully all your remaining questions answered.   And just think, this time next week we will be walking under the pine canopies up the hill to our  own campsite #16, anticipating the week of fun to come.

Mr. Cole

Good morning

This past week’s Court of Honor was a terrific opportunity to recognize recent advancements by the scouts, welcome new scouts into the unit, visit with old friends and meet new members of the troop family, and to cool off with a refreshing root beer float.  Congratulations to all those awarded ranks and merit badges during the ceremony.  A special congratulations to Mr. Benyi, who was recognized by his Wood Badge leader and patrol during our meeting for completing his Wood Badge ticket and obtaining his leather waddle slide and neckerchiefs.  This represents completion of the highest adult leader training scouting has to offer, and now Mr. Benyi will be teaching Wood Badge classes this coming fall.  We also recognized and thanked Dr. Huston, who served as troop committee chair for over 7 years, and remains the only T648 father with three Eagle Scout sons.  As we reflect on last Tuesday night, if you didn’t quite get your requirements for that next rank done, never fear!  We will be having another COH in a few short months, and you will have an entire week with your book and a half dozen captive adult leaders in summer camp to finish up those remaining skills sign-offs and complete your board.

Tomorrow night we begin looking ahead to summer camp.  If they haven’t finalized them, patrols should each have yells known by all members and a flag they can design and be ready to bring to camp.  Each unit can be discussing what they will need to pack, review what merit badge prerequisites remain to be completed, and have a requirements list thought through on what each scout will accomplish in advancement.  There will be a number of things to review as an entire troop – items which will need to be accomplished during the week in order to achieve a ‘Big G Gold’ award designation as a troop at the conclusion of camp – a goal we always strive for, and historically achieve.  Please bring any and all questions to the meeting, as well as any outstanding health forms or payments.  Only 12 days until another fantastic week at one of BSA’s finest camps is upon us – think of the cool Tonto pines of central Arizona today as it hits 105 degrees in the Valley.   Time to start getting psyched!

See you tomorrow night at the scout meeting….

Mr. Cole

I hope that all of you fathers, or those of you with fathers, had a wonderful Father’s Day.   I did know either of my grandfathers, as they were advanced in age when my parents were born, and died before I came on the scene.  However, their strength, service to the community and character lived on in whom my parents became (one memory my mother has is of my powerful plumber, volunteer fireman grandfather lifting a ditched automobile back onto the road, my father recollects everyone in the community knowing and trusting Garn and the Cole hardware store).  My father has been my role model, has taught me patience, to love the outdoors, and how to love his wife over the course of 57 years.  My father-in-law has taught me how to work hard, the value of money, and the importance of family and community.  In today’s society, where many do not have a father who is a daily part of their lives, I am thankful for the Boy Scouts of America.  T648 gives all of us an opportunity for our boys to experience growing in outdoor and leadership skills, learning from older scouts and a dedicated and diverse group of adult role models.  Thank you all for all you are, and for being a part of our troop family.

Thank you for everyone who participated in last week’s excellent CPR training – it is great to always be prepared!  Please remember that tomorrow night at 7PM is the pre-summer camp Court of Honor in the social hall at church.  Come and meet your fellow troop families, and take part in a bit of pomp and circumstance.  This is generally a smaller court than the one after summer camp, but it allows for us to get as current as possible with rank badges before the camp.  On Wednesday the 20^th, we have adult leader training for anyone who wants to learn about being an outing advisor.  It will be at Al’s Beef, 14740 N. Northsight Blvd from 6-8PM.  Food and beverage will be available for purchase (but not required!).  Find out how to guide an outing’s success while still allowing the boys to do the planning from two of our more experienced scouters.

Keep working on getting prepared for summer camp!  Health forms are due.  Many merit badges have some prerequisites, and Mr. Benyi has helpfully documented yours for you in a previous email.  Obtain the merit badge books from our library or the scout shop, and determine what you need to complete before 7/7.  Begin thinking about whether you have the right number of pants, shorts, t-shirts.  Do you have a troop hat?  In what will you carry all of your gear for the week?  The boys are planning for a couple of meetings of camp preparation on the 26^th and the 3^rd, so if you have any questions or concerns, they hopefully should be gone by the time on the glorious morning of the 7^th when we all arrive for our week at camp.

See you tomorrow night!

Mr. Cole