Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Remember meet at 6:30 tomorrow at the church, bring lots of warm clothes, money for gas, and lots of water.

Good morning!  I hope you and your families had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday

Last Sunday afternoon Brian and I returned in our full scout uniforms from our weekend camping near Burro Hot Springs.  As we usually do, we stopped by AJ’s for a drink on our way home to clean up.  The place was hopping, but as our number was finally being served, a tall high school student strode to the head of the line with his lidded glass half full of ice.  He rudely demanded that the grandmotherly lady at the register dump it out and refill it with fresh ice and water.  She sweetly told him that they cannot touch lids, and due to new regulations, no longer were able to empty a cup.  She suggested that he was welcome to take a number, and they would give him a refill if he would remove the lid and return the cup to her empty.  The boy exploded, swearing at her while insisting that they had always done this for him, and he needed it done now.  She patiently began again to say the health department would not allow it, but that if he returned with an empty cup, they’d be glad to help.  It was both incredible and disheartening to see the shades of color his face changed into as he again swore at her, slammed the cup into the garbage and stormed out of the store.  As Flora and I completed my transaction, we collectively shook our heads at what we had just witnessed.  I told her that if it was any consolation, I had 45 boys in my troop, and not a single one of them would deliver such a performance – after all, a scout is courteous under the Scout Law.

So, this holiday season, I am thankful for the fine examples of youth in our troop, and the families and adult leaders that support them.  I have witnessed mentoring, serving, teaching, and assisting in all shapes and sizes this past year – both within the troop, and within our community.  I am proud and honored to be associated with T648, and grateful for your presence in our troop family.

As we launch further into the holiday season, we will have our troop meeting tomorrow night, followed by a backpack trip into the wilds of the Superstitions Mountains this coming weekend – December 2-4.  We’ll be watching the extended forecast, as there are sprinkles ahead!  Please stay tuned for an upcoming parent information meeting on a Tuesday night in early to mid December, and also mark January 24^th on your calendars as the date for our Winter Court of Honor.  As you prepare for the holidays, keep in mind that we will have troop meetings all throughout the holiday season.  Please come join us if you are home for the holidays!

Mr. Cole

Good morning.  I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned at the last Troop meeting, I will be collecting the merit badge counselor information for the troop.  My objective is to insure that the Grand Canyon Council has all of the troop merit badge counselors properly registered.  Mr. Benyi has provided a few steps, which are listed below.  Please take care when filling out the application and merit badge forms, as they will be returned, if incomplete. The forms are on the Troop web site under Documents.  There is a fillable Merit Badge Counselor form and an non-fillable Adult leader application.  Even if you have previously registered as an adult leader you must fill out another another  application designating you as a Merit Badge Counselor.  This one is run through the district, not the troop.

-Fill out, print and sign the Merit Badge Counselor form. If you have more than six, write on the back of the sheet or attach a second sheet.

-New Adult Application;

–Sign the background check consent page.

–Include a SSN

–Include a DL#

–Fill out right-hand column with background info, including references.

–Sign the appllication.

–For position write in code “42” Merit Badge Counselor.

–Write “Multiple W/ Troop 648” at the very top center of the page.

Please ensure that your Youth Protection Training is up to date.  I will run a training validation document for the troop and submit it. I will keep hard copies of these documents (in a safe place), which will make it easier for re-processing next year.  E-mail me with any questions that you might have.  Have a great day and enjoy those Turkey sandwiches.

Take care and God Bless…….Mr. Martin

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Good afternoon!

We had a tired but happy crew of 30 boys and dads return to the church yesterday afternoon from our fabulous base camp in Burro Springs below Wikieup.  Crisp cool air, warm sun, yellowing fall colors next to a beaver dammed creek contributed to the setting for our November outing.  Campsite highlights included creative cooking (lasagna in a pot?, Dutch oven pizza?), Mille Bornes games by lantern light, scout advancement opportunities, and a roaring midnight campfire.  But the main Saturday highlights were the natural warm springs pool where a dozen scouts splashed and frolicked, and a 5 mile climb up to a recently active mining claim, complete with hundreds of abandoned, cataloged drawers of core samples baking in the sun.  Earlier in the week, two of our boy leaders met with the Kiva Elementary Webelos II den, and taught a rousing Readyman activity badge session.  A half dozen cub scouts sat spellbound for 90 minutes as our boys taught comprehensive basic first aid – complete with Karo syrup fake blood, fake skin, and take-home first aid kits.  It is in community service efforts such as this that one can see the impact that our boy scouts have in our neighborhoods – reflected in the sparkling eyes and laughter of a future boy scout, captivated by capable ‘big boy’ scouts.

Looking ahead, we are in the process of final recharter.  If you plan on being active on the roster for 2012, please complete final arrangements with Mr. Benyi or Mrs. Traynor if you have not already done so.  Our next outing is already coming up in two weeks, and will be a Superstition Mountains backpacking trip in Rogers Canyon to Angel Basin – one of my personal favorites.  It is very remote – 25 miles over a rough dirt road to the trail head, and then a four mile hike one way.  Our camp site will be near some very well preserved Anasazi ruins, in a meadow at the mouth of several canyons.  Later in the month we will also be having a family information session / meeting at the church during an early December (6^th or 13^th) troop meeting.  Please plan to come and discover / provide feedback on directions that the troop committee is proposing we take as we move into 2012. 

We will be having our normal troop meeting this week on Tuesday night, so if you are in town, please join us.  For those of you leaving for the weekend, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving with your family, from all of us in your troop family, and know that we are thankful for you. 

Mr. Cole

This has been a truly momentous week for T648, as our third and fourth Eagles of the year achieved their wings by passing their boards of review Thursday night.  Not since 1998 and a much younger Mr. Benyi and Mr. Runberg has the troop had as many earn
this accomplishment in a calendar year.  As you may recall, young Mr. Andrews orchestrated an ambitious project benefiting an organization which provided shelter for children whose parents were caught up in immigration issues.  We renovated a backyard ramada and grill area, while also improving their garden areas.  Young Mr. E. Lara organized a project which beautified the Pioneer Village landscaping around the relocated childhood home of Arizona’s first senator.  What terrific community service coordinated by our young leaders, who were then recognized by our council in this outstanding way!  Many congratulations to Mr. Andrews and Mr. Lara on reaching this supreme pinnacle within scouting.

Thanks to all of you who joined us at the Martins’ early in the week for the T648 family meeting moderated by Mr. Benyi as we evaluated how to provide a more comprehensive committee framework of support for our troop.  An overview of requirements and
preliminary roles and responsibilities were outlined, and it was agreed that we will have future monthly meetings at the church during the troop meetings on Tuesday nights to further develop ways for a wider range of parents and interested adults to become more active in the support and direction of the troop.  Those who are interested in providing input, participating in a position, or just understanding more of what T648 is and believes in – you are all welcome to attend.  Please stay tuned to future communications for upcoming meetings.

We have a location for the November outing – Burro Springs Campground!  We have been moving the location due to problems with the original site, and it sounds like the outing team has found a winner.  Burro Springs is a lower elevation riparian wilderness area with a running creek and a hot springs, and will be a great area to do advancement, a 5 mile hike, patrol cooking, and Dutch oven competitions.  All boys and Dads/adult leaders are encouraged to come.  The weather sounds great – low 70’s for the highs, mid 40s for the lows – remember how good that sounded in the midst of a summer stuck in air conditioned buildings waiting for the heat to abate?  News flash – it’s abated!  Come enjoy late fall camping at its best!

It is about this time of year that we traditionally have begun our gift wrapping fundraiser, but we lost our best locations – Borders – to bankruptcy.  After searching various unsatisfactory alternate sites, we have determined that we will not be doing this fundraiser in 2011.  We will be evaluating other opportunities with the Fundraising ASPL and the committee.  Fortunately this is not a year where we are going to Jamboree, Philmont, or an out of council summer camp, but we also recognize that we need to provide ways for the boys to expand their scout accounts for recharter, ski trip and Camp Geronimo.  We will focus on the April Pancake Breakfast, while looking to supplement it with another opportunity or two.

See you Tuesday at the troop meeting, as we prepare for Burro Springs.

Mr. Cole

A happy but exhausted Royals patrol returned from the happiest place on earth last night with dreams of perfect Southern California weather, thrilling rides, fabulous food, and early Christmas dancing in their heads as they slept during the long ride home.  The Club 33 meal was exquisite – one boy was overheard to say ‘I don’t want to miss a single thing’ while asking about a strange looking dish on the buffet  (crème brulee).  In as formal a setting as the most elegant high tea, our boys had an absolute ball, while at the same time maintaining the appropriate levels of decorum – you CAN dress them up and take them somewhere!  Disney was filming their Christmas Day special on Main Street and in front of the Castle, so while screaming teeny boppers frolicked in the fake snow in front of Disney stars on stage, our boys had very short lines to get to the best attractions on a gloriously crisp and sunny day.  For those of you wanting to experience something similar next year – keep active in your patrol while wearing the appropriate complete uniform for our meetings and events, and your patrol might just be the one!

Tonight at 7PM is the adult meeting at the Martin house.  All troop adults (parents or adult leaders and interested parties) are welcome, and no scout uniform is needed.   We will be laying out the proposed template for a troop committee, and requesting input and support for a framework more appropriate for the size of T648.  Many thanks to Jacob and the Martin family for
their efforts in developing and hosting this session.

The weekend of the 18^th through the 20^th we will be having a base camp at a lower elevation site where the focus will be on patrol development, hiking and individual advancement opportunities.  In other words – all the best of basic tent camping with your patrol! This would be a perfect opportunity for the majority of the troop and adult leaders to attend, and solidify cooking skills and camaraderie as patrols and as a troop.  It will be just north of the valley, or at a riparian wilderness location near Wickenberg –
to be finalized by tomorrow’s meeting.  Come enjoy a terrific weekend in the beautiful late fall desert with your troop!

A friendly reminder to bring your 2012 registration money to the meeting tonight, or the one tomorrow.

Mr. Cole

Happy Halloween T648!

This has been a relatively quiet week in the troop, perhaps the calm before the gathering storm of activity leading up to the end of the year.  I know a number of you are diligently working on advancements – various projects and requirements to move to the next rank.  Remember to leverage your leadership – both boy and adult – for anything you need as you continue to invest in your greatest resource – yourself!

Tomorrow night we will have Patrol Leaders Council at 6PM, followed by our troop meeting.  All boys in the PLC should attend, as it helps to develop much stronger programming when the entire team is engaged.  This coming weekend the Honor Patrol Royals and wild cards from last year get their just desserts, and embark on a whirlwind tour of Disneyland, California Adventure, and Club 33 from dawn til dusk.  For those of you not on the trip this time, a patrol who shows up wearing complete uniforms and participates in as many troop events as possible during the year – that is the secret sauce formula for winning honor patrol next year and having the same opportunity in the fall of 2012!

Looking further ahead, we have the adult troop committee meeting at the Martins’ home on Monday, 11/7 at 7PM.  All parents or adults looking for information or wanting to provide input into the re-development of the troop committee are encouraged to attend.  Please RSVP to Mr. Benyi by 11/3.  For the Brown’s Peak base camp  scheduled for November 18-20, the outing team is looking to optimize at a new location to give us the best opportunity for safety and fun in one of the best times of year to camp in our local riparian wilderness areas.  Please plan to attend – no backpacks, bikes or canoe paddles required – a good old-fashioned chuck box camp full of advancement opportunities awaits!

As you scour the neighborhood tonight in search of the perfect candy bar, or to obtain a gunny sack that is full to overflowing with goodies, remember to treat those you meet with respect even as you trick or treat them!  And stay safe – we would like all ghoul and goblin scouts in one piece for troop meeting tomorrow!

Mr. Cole

What a truly wonderful weekend to be a scout in Sycamore Canyon!  The shooting stars were frequent and brilliant, and the canyon showed off various early fall colors as Parson Springs flowed over boulders and pooled the length of the canyon.  Walking through the riparian wildernous was exhilarating as we criss-crossed the creek six times on the way to our campsite four miles up canyon, just above the spring and under a massive wild black walnut tree.  The boys worked on water purification and fire building skills, and had a rousing game of ‘ghost’ around the fire – taking turns adding letters to ever-expanding words.  The only casualty on this most excellent adventure was one boy’s breakfast which was lost to mini-bears overnight.  Amazingly enough, as the sun rose on Sunday, there was a most definite ‘horse to the barn’ exhibition as the boys took 1/2 the time climbing out of the canyon as entering it – Mr. Benyi would have been so proud!

This past weekend there was also an excellent trip to the Musical Instrument Museum, with much hands-on engaged by the participants.  A reconnaissance trip by young Mr. Norling and support team this weekend also now has additional alternatives being considered for our November base camp.  Stay tuned for further updates, as well as for updates on the reschedule of the crime prevention merit badge with our own Mr. Conrad.  Early November is already busy, as we have PLC on the 1st, Roundtable on the 3rd, the trip to Club 33 by our honor patrol the first weekend, and the all-troop adult meeting hosted by the Martins and facilitated by Mr. Benyi on the 7th.  All parents, scouters, and interested adults are welcome – please RSVP to Mr. Benyi if you can come and participate with us in the discussion around the concept of a more formal committee framework to support our growing troop.

I continue to marvel at the young men you have brought to become a part of T648.  They are all uniquely different, and yet they discover so many commonalities through scouting as they progress through skills, badges, outings or ranks.  Their enthusiasm for life is contagious – we are blessed to have such fine young men in the troop, even when occasionally a bit nutty.  It is moments like that which make me thankful that not all of our adults have grown up either, still sleeping on the ground, boulder-hopping across creeks, trying out the gin flavor of a juniper berry or the pithy, bitter taste of a wild black walnut.  Once a boy, always a boy, when you are still a part of a troop!

See you tomorrow, and remember patrol leaders will likely have to-dos for Mr. Butler first!

Mr. Cole

Greetings…

We are going to have a Troop Committee Meeting and you are invited!

Who should attend?

a)      Current members of the Troop Committee.
b)      Adults/Parents interested in joining the Committee.
c)       Parents who are interested in how the Troop operates.

Why are we having it now?

a)      After eight years of service to the Troop, Casey Huston is stepping down as Committee Chair and I am going to take on the position going forward. This will be an opportunity to thank Casey for his long term of dedicated service to the Troop and also to look forward to the needs of the Troop in the future.

What is our goal for the meeting?

a)      We have some committee positions that we need to fill. The Troop is at its best when the families are involved. Please plan to attend and learn about opportunities to serve. Please don’t let this scare you off; we are not conscripting anyone at this point!
b)      We will set the agenda for future Committee Meetings.
c)       I will publish a full agenda in about a week.

When is the meeting being held?

a)      The meeting will be held on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:00pm. (Subsequent meetings will be held concurrent with the regular Tuesday Troop meetings.)

Where is the meeting being held?

a)      This first meeting will be held at Mr. Frank Martin’s house. (Thank you Frank and Sherry!)
b)      The address is in the roster.
c)       (Subsequent meetings will be held at the Church in a room adjacent to the Troop meeting.)

I hope that you will plan to join us as we look into the future for the Troop. If you are planning to attend, would you kindly send me an email to confirm by November 3, 2011? I would like to get a count of how many chairs that we will need.

Thank you!
Jacob R Benyi