Author: troop242nn

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Gathered at the Knights of Columbus hall, as one of the guest speakers reminded us, the Fourth of July is more than a time for barbecues, beach picnics, and fireworks.  It is a time to be reverent and remember the people who gave their lives to give us freedom. We should also remember the Founding Fathers who, if caught, would have been hung for treason for choosing to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Troop 242-B, Troop 242-G, Pack 242, the Knights of Columbus, guest speakers, Newport News City Council members, Delegate David Yancey, members of the Sheriff’s department, and the other scouts present honored our history by raising the American flag. It was a heartwarming and memorable ceremony. (Photo credit: Mrs. Carpenter)

Want to learn more about the 4th of July?  Visit these two websites.

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/july-4th

http://mentalfloss.com/article/502369/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-fourth-july

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Troop 242-B and Troop 242-G had a flag ceremony on the BEACH! Sounds like an ideal summer outdoor program. Everyone had lots of fun and, as an added bonus, it stayed relatively dry! That is some good looking scout-cooked-food.

Thanks for the great photos, Mrs. Carpenter.

• Spread out the tent to start drying right away!
• If the weather is not favorable to do this outside, throw it over the junk in your garage!

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Eighteen Scouts advanced in rank!

Scout: Troyus/TJ, Francisco, Jacob, Jayden, Brody, Neil, and Hunter

Tenderfoot: Abel and Gavin

Second Class: Gavin and Travis M.

First Class: Brandon, John, , Braden, Evan, and William G.

Star: Maison

Eagle: Adam

The following Merit Badges and awards were earned:

Scouting Heritage, Wilderness Survival, Cooking, Ad Altare Dei Religions Knot, Totin Chip, Firemin Chit, Recruiter Strip, Robotics, Cyber Chip, Pets, Snow Sports, Personal Management, Search & Rescue, Communications, and Public Health.

Our special guest, Mr. Zachary Oman, Field Director/COO Monitor Merrimac District, made a Friends of Scouting presentation too.

Note from Webmaster: I apologize for the lack of photos. My camera ran out of battery.

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From our Scoutmaster, Mr. Degnon: “Last Saturday’s [March 30th] Service Project at Trinity Lutheran Church and School had 11 Scouts and 6 Scouters from the Male and Female Troop for a total of 52 service hours.  Thank you to all that supported the event.”

For our annual Survival Campout, we canoed through Merchants Mill Pond’s swamp with our gear.  We set up our own shelters made out of tarps; no nylon tents (except for the adults) and slept in them overnight. More photos coming soon.

Rain? We didn’t notice the rain because we were too busy being Scouts!  We celebrated two bridging ceremonies, Pack 242 and Pack 342, plus a birthday.  Pack 48 joined in the fun too.  We retired flags in a fire.  We had many chefs in the kitchen making tasty food in cast iron.  The new scouts followed the model of older scouts in the bone yard while they worked on their Totin’ Chit. Newport News Park had perfect terrain for orienteering too.

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An ideal of scouting is duty to God.  One of our beliefs is that a scout is reverent. Members of Troop 242 and several cub scout packs joined together to celebrate God during Scout Sunday Mass.

William G., Braden, Branden, John, and Julian all earned their Ad Altare Dei, Catholic emblem, which means, “To the altar of God.”  Congratulations!

There were 13 Scouts and 5 adults that braved the cold in support of the Knights of Columbus’  Run For The Heart. We were the water station at mile 6 of 10. One runner said, “This is the best water station I have come past!” We take our service seriously while having fun.

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More from Andrew soon!