Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Good morning!

I hope you and your families are taking advantage of the amazing Arizona weather.  With a three day weekend now and spring break just around the corner, there is no better time to explore all that Arizona has to offer.  While such activities as skiing, the Renaissance Fair, the Arabian horse show and spring training get you out in the cool air and the warm sun, there are miles and miles of maintained trails within short driving distance of your home, not to mention hundreds of thousands of acres of natural riparian or forest land just asking to be explored.  Sites like trails.com are terrific resources to find out about hikes to fit all ages and abilities.  Stores like Wide World of Maps have detailed topographic renderings of the areas that interest you.  Check the weather report, remember to leave no trace, and enjoy what our fellow scouts in the north east can only dream about this time of year!

Remember that tomorrow night is the Iron Chef competition.  Please check with your patrol leader if you are unsure about what your patrol is doing.  This is always a fun meeting as the patrols compete using stoves and Dutch ovens to prepare an exquisite dish or two as a patrol, utilizing the skills they have developed over the course of the past six months of outings.  Offerings are judged by the Pirates patrol for flair, theme, taste, uniqueness and other criteria.  Remember to bring a jacket or sweatshirt and all your culinary creativity.

This coming Friday is the first of the weekly fish fries at Blessed Sacrament.  Our troop partners with the Knights of Columbus, in seating the diners, serving the dinners, cleaning up and otherwise helping the Knights with feeding hundreds of parishioners for six weeks for their main charity fundraiser of the year.  Please sign up for all weeks that you can help – the evenings run from about 4:00 or as soon as you can get there until 7:30 or 8:00.  You will also have an opportunity to sign up to sell flag pins at the door, which is the first of our own troop fund raisers for the year.  Please talk with Mr.Jeorling regarding any questions you may have on the flag pin sales, Mr. A. Dahlmann on the fish fries.

On the 28^th we will have our Winter Court of Honor, so please complete all advancements no later than tomorrow night to be presented at the meeting next week.  Remember to finalize any blue cards for merit badges you have completed, or sit for your board of review tomorrow night, and then get results to Mr. McFetters by end of day on the 21^st.  Please note that the COH location next week has been moved to an Embassy Suites conference room south of Paradise Valley mall at 4415 E. Paradise Village Parkway.  If you can help coordinate some simple winter decorations, hot chocolate and other drinks or desserts, please let me know!

See you tomorrow night!

Mr. Cole

Good day!

As I said Saturday morning, it doesn’t get any better than this!  We had 75+ of our troop family gather to fete two of the most recent of T648’s Eagle scouts, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Frank.  There was pomp, there was circumstance, and there was some of the best stand-up comedy seen in this troop in many years as the boys were alternatively honored and roasted on this momentous occasion marking their individual achievements.  Many thanks to their families for the years of effort and support, which culminated in this most beautiful morning – one which will certainly live long in all of our memories.

We have a number of items of note upcoming.  Tonight is a gathering of those leaders in our troop who actively participate in the outings and advancement of our youth.  This group works in partnership with the troop committee, whose focus is on the administration of troop affairs, providing guidance and targeted support for the boys themselves and their execution of the annual calendar developed each summer during the Patrol Leaders Council retreat.  We will meet at New Covenant church, 15152 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd from 7:00-8:15.  Tomorrow night is the troop meeting, and we will be meeting in classrooms 7&8 next door (the ones where we had the parent meeting last week) due to a church youth activity for Valentine’s Day.  Most of the evening will be spent with Mr. Kuhl in the shed during a quartermaster activity he has developed for his Life project.  Please dress warmly and perhaps bring a headlamp.

Looking ahead, a number of the older boys should be progressing with their activities for their Citizenship in the Nation merit badges.  All the boys should plan to be here on the 21^st, as this is our annual Iron Chef competition.  All the cooking techniques the boys develop on the outings are brought to a creative pitch in an excellent cook-off in the Blessed Sacrament parking lot for bragging rights, and some extra Honor Patrol points.  Please also plan to finish up any advancement activities, and get that information to Mr McFetters by next Tuesday, as our Winter Court of Honor will be held at the Embassy Suites by Paradise Valley Mall on 2/28/12.  The address is 4415 E. Paradise Village Parkway.

Loose ends include:  The first payment of $100 is due for summer camp at Geronimo (July 7^th-15^th).  I hope you can attend – it is the best way to obtain a number of key merit badges in a concentrated time, as well as develop additional skills in the outdoors and camaraderie as patrols and as a troop.  Family camp is coming next month at Catalina State park in Tucson.  This is the one opportunity a year for you to bring your whole family (yes, even moms and sisters!) to camp together in the great outdoors with the troop.  Our first fish fry will be on 2/24 in the church social hall.  This is a great opportunity for us to provide 6 weeks of Friday night service projects for our charter organization and the Knights of Columbus, as well as kick off our fundraising activities in 2012 with our flag pin sales.  Come eat some free fried fish, work the event, and sign up to earn some money for your scout accounts selling individual flag pins in the courtyard.

Thanks for your continued participation and support of the troop.  See you tomorrow night!

Mr. Cole

Good morning,

This is a friendly reminder for the Eagle Court of Honor tomorrow, celebrating the Eagles attained by two of T648’s finest – young Mr. Andrews, and young Mr. Frank.  It will begin promptly at 10AM at the church social hall, and conclude before noon with a light lunch.  These ceremonies are special – acknowledgements of the terrific leadership developed by outstanding young men, glimpses into the highlights (and sometimes even the funny lowlights!) of their journeys, and tangible evidence of the goals which can be reached for and achieved by the younger boys on their own paths within scouting.  Thanks to all of you who RSVPed to the Andrews family, and I look forward to seeing you all in Class A uniforms for the ceremony tomorrow.

Mr. Cole

Good morning T648!

It was a fantastic weekend to be a part of T648!  Those couple dozen of us with ice water running through their veins awoke early Saturday, braced themselves for temps in the low teens, and then had a glorious day bombing down the White Mountains uncorking various feats of derring do!  Eddie the Eagle, the once upon a time British ski jumping champion (?) had nothing on our boys! From the ruddy cheeks of the returning winter sports stars, it was clear that the snow was excellent, and the sky was brilliant, and even with long lines and a most excellent BBQ lunch in the parking lot prepared by our own Mr. Parizek, a dozen or so monster runs from top to bottom were completed before the mountain closed for the day.  Thankfully everyone remembered their Safety Aboard training, and no major tweaks or crack-ups occurred.  Also on Saturday night back in Scottsdale, a different crew of scouts worked the kitchen for a massive social dinner held by our Knights of Columbus friends.  The hall was filled to overflowing, and despite the dish washer breaking down, our scouts hung in there and cleaned every plate, fork and pot with a terrific can-do attitude.  I think it is likely that a large portion of our troop collapsed in a heap on their beds this weekend.  I continue to marvel at the wonderful experiences our boys have at an early age – ones I most certainly missed out on in my teen-aged years….

This is a very important week for our troop.  Tuesday is Patrol Leaders Council – all boy leaders should attend at 6PM to plan the upcoming meetings and events.  At 7PM we have a parent and committee meeting to provide additional support for the events the boys have selected, as well as to continue to develop the structure to make us more organized in such things as health forms, communications and fundraising.  We will also have an adult leader meeting a week from today at 7PM, with a focus on continued boy leadership development and supporting our troop traditions.  But the highlight of the week will most definitely be next Saturday morning, as we honor two of our most capable young men in their achievements as Eagles.  This is a terrific opportunity for all of our boys and the troop family to show their support and appreciation to Mr. Andrews and Mr. Frank for their leadership and their achievement.  But it is also an outstanding way for the younger boys to see what is possible in their own scouting career.  Those things which you can visualize become more tangible as goals, and I would hope that for most of our young scouts, their goal is to join the ranks of leaders and Eagles in T648.  Please RSVP to the Andrews family to let them know that you will be able to attend.  It will be completed in under two hours, beginning next Saturday at 10AM at the church.

See you tomorrow!  Please bring a deposit for summer camp, if you have not already do so.  Geronimo awaits!!

Mr. Cole

Greetings!

We are going to have a Troop Committee Meeting on Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012 starting at approx. 7:10pm. The meeting will be held in the classroom adjacent to the regular troop meeting room and will occur at the same time as the troop meeting.

I would like to invite all members of the Troop Committee and any interested adults (parents, etc.) to attend. At the conclusion of the committee business, I will briefly address Summer Camp 2012 and can answer questions about camp.

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Reminder for Summer Camp: Summer Camp is coming up July 7-14, 2o12! This year we will be at Camp Geronimo.

The cost of camp is $365; the first $100 deposit was due last week. Many have signed up (which is great!) but have not paid their deposit (less great)… Please bring deposit payments to the meeting next week. I will bring a copy of the scout accounts to the meeting for those wishing to utilize their account for this purpose.

See you next week,

Mr. Benyi

Good morning!

It was a dark and glorious morning as the scouts went driving, driving, driving toward their sworn objective – the eradication of the dreaded invasive species.  Young Mr. Finnegan had developed a masterful plan, and the execution went off flawlessly.  By the end of the engagement, there were legions of dead and dying quarry bagged up and left on the shoulders of a couple miles of county road, and new life in the form of wildflower seeds had been sprinkled where once buffalo grass and star thistle had thrived.  Congratulations on a unique Eagle project well conceived, and performed with great enthusiasm and swinging of pick-axes by a team of 30-something from T648.

We are back to having a full dance calendar in the troop, it feels like if you blink you might miss something!  Here is the slate of dates on the near horizon:

• January 31^st  – first payment of $100 due for summer camp (July 7^th – 14^th)
• January 31^st – the beginning of Mr. Clapp’s Citizenship merit badge class for 1^st Class scouts
• February  3-5^th – Ski trip to Sunrise
• February 7^th – Patrol Leader Council for February at 6PM
• February 7^th – Committee & parent meeting (agenda includes summer camp, fundraising & troop finances) at 7PM.
• February 11^th – Double Eagle Court of Honor – Mr. Andrews / Mr. Frank – 10AM
• February 13^th – Adult Leader / Assistant Scoutmaster meeting – 7PM
• February 14^th – Have you hugged your mom and/or dad today?
• February 21^st or 28^th – Winter Court of Honor reschedule – 7PM
• February 24^th – Fish Fry service project at Blessed Sacrament begins – 4:30PM

And finally, I would like to provide an update on the Honor Patrol.  Everyone is still in the running, with the spread only 10 points between first and last place!  Keep participating – every troop event counts, and keep wearing your complete uniform , and bring your books to the troop meetings for inspection.  The current standings have the Wolves in first, followed by the Phoenix, the Pirates, the No Name, and the Royals patrols.  Who will follow the Royals from 2011 as this year’s Honor Patrol, and be the recipients of a trip to Disneyland this coming fall?

See you at tomorrow’s troop meeting!

Mr. Cole

Good morning!

I am still basking in the afterglow of a very fun and successful Webelos weekend put on by the scouts in T648.  We had 26 guests including a dozen Webelos I’s and II’s and a couple of non-scouts who spent the afternoon and evening with us.  It is always amazing to me to be aware of some of the chaos going into the weekend, and then be witness to the creativity and character of our boys as they come through with yet another coordinated and fulfilling event.  As I talked in the evening individually with the cub scouts, it was not the traditional campfire, monkey bridge or the roping the steer game they mentioned as their favorites, but the actual learning events in the afternoon delivered with humor and ingenuity by our scouts (fake blood, delusional pretend hikers running away from the search and rescuers, fire, fire and more fire in the firepit).  The parents were uniformly impressed by the poise, patience and effectiveness of our scouts with their sons, and a terrific time was had by all.  Many thanks to the youth for their numerous contributions despite the cool temperatures and wind , to Mr. Traynor for the outstanding meal preparation and delivery, and to the 20 adult leaders who performed many heroics and other balancing acts in the background to assist the 27 boys who set off on Friday night to deliver a truly memorable weekend for our guests.

As noted in yesterday’s post, we will not be able to hold our winter court this Tuesday due to a conflicting church event in the social hall.  We apologize to those who were working hard to finish advancements or merit badges by that deadline, but we will look to reschedule within the  next month.   This gives those of you who are close to finishing another week or two to button up those last requirements.  Additionally, stay tuned for:

• Mikey’s Eagle project – the attack of the killer invasive species in McDowell Mountain Park on 1/28
• For first class and above scouts, the beginning of the Citizenship Merit Badges on 1/31 with Mr. Clapp
• Begin planning for our 7/7-14 adventure at Camp Geronimo.  We will begin having orientations soon, and the initial reservation payment of $100 is due 1/31
• Our annual ski outing 2/3-5 at Sunrise in the White Mountains.  Come to our next couple of troop meetings as planning begins, and stay tuned to the website for further details
• What’s better than an Eagle sighting?  Seeing double!  Please plan to attend a very efficient Eagle Court of Honor for young Mr. Frank and young Mr. Andrews on 2/11 in celebration of their reaching the pinnacle in scouting.
• An adult leader meeting on 2/13 to further plan on supporting our boy leadership, and Mr. Benyi’s next installment of our troop committee meeting on a Tuesday in mid February.

We are blessed to have you and your families in scouting, and particularly in support of T648.  There are so many lives intertwining in an organization of this size, and we would not be who we are without each one of you and all the ways you support the patrols, the leadership, and the adults in making this troop the best we can be.

See you on Tuesday night!

Mr. Cole

Hello everyone as you all know my eagle project is January 28, 2012 and we will be removing invasive species from the McDowell Mountain Regional Park!! We will meet at McDowell Mt. park’s  Visitors Center at 7:00A.M. (Address below) and if you need a ride we will meet at the Church parking lot at 6:15 A.M. (if you need a ride you must arrange it with me immediately)I still need Adult volunteers for the carpool service please let me know ASAP if you can do it. And last but not least all Scouts MUST HAVE GLOVES!!!! for their safety and if anyone can bring tools such as shovels, picks,hoe’s etc. it would be greatly appreciated.  Also one last foot note our Troop is going for the troop Hornaday award and to even qualify for the award 60% of our troop must attend so PLEASE come and help me and the troop win this prestigious award!!! Thank you for your time and see you all the 28th !!!

Sincerely,

MikeyF

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

N Mcdowell Mountain Park Dr Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Greetings!

With a new year comes another exciting opportunity for Summer Camp. This year, our destination will be beautiful Camp Geronimo, north of Payson, AZ. Here are the key items to know about camp this year:

Date: July 7-14

Location: Camp Geronimo, Site 16 – We have a phenomenal site this year; we are right by the Mess Hall, Pool, Lake, & Trading Post, right in the center of camp.

Cost: $365

Key Dates:

Jan 31 – $100 Deposit Due

Feb 28 – $100 Payment #2 Due

Mar 27 – $100 Payment #3 Due

Apr 24 – $65 Payment #4 Due

Information: We will have the first parent orientation meeting and merit badge discussion in mid-late February. We will have a follow up meeting to discuss details and logistics in mid May.

I welcome you to sign up; it will be a great trip! I will also be accepting adult leader sign ups in the next few weeks as well. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks!

Mr. Benyi

I would imagine the vast majority of T648 is sleeping in today, grateful for the day off from school.  Judging from my kids’ homework over the years, schools today do a much better job of providing insight into the legacy of Dr. King, and his influence on civil rights and freedom for all within our country than my schools did in the 1960s of describing the problems at the time.  Inequality based upon color of skin, sex or religion was much more of a reality back then than it is today.  We haven’t gotten it completely right even yet, but as you enjoy your day today, take a moment to truly give thanks for the freedoms you do have in America, and for those pioneers who helped to focus our country on preserving those rights.

This morning I give thanks for those intrepid scouts who rose up early on their Sunday morning to cheer on the waves of runners in the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon yesterday.  Congratulations to three of our Eagles who ran either the marathon or the ½ marathon, as well.  Along with the tutus, pioneer garb, Elvis impersonators, and our Team in Training runners for leukemia, there were runners of all shapes and sizes being encouraged by our enthusiastic receptions at the 8 and 11 mile markers.  This is a longtime tradition within the troop, and nicely executed yesterday thanks to young Mr. McFetters.

Tomorrow night is our final meeting before Webelos weekend.  We will focus on the scout skills stations you will perform for the cub scouts, skits for the campfire, menu planning, and general preparation for making this a fun event for our guests (and ourselves!).  Please come with ideas for your patrol.  And come for all, or even a part, of Webelos weekend if your family is in town.  We hold it close to the valley to give the Webelos additional incentive to join us, but it also allows for us to easily get to a portion of the event even if we have conflicts during the weekend.   Tomorrow is also the last meeting before our Winter Court of Honor on the 24th.  Ensure that all your requirements have been completed by the end of tomorrow’s meeting, and blue cards and/or rank advancements have been provided to the elder Mr. McFetters to be recognized during the upcoming celebration.

Key future dates include young Mr. Finnegan’s Eagle project attacking invasive species in the McDowells on the 28^th, the ski weekend at Sunrise (pray for snow, but not this weekend :-)) on the 3^rd, and a double Eagle court of honor on the 11^th.  Lots of fun ahead on the T648 trail!

Mr. Cole