Troop
88
Bridgewater, NJ
Parent’s
Handbook
2006 draft |
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Introduction
Welcome to Boy Scout
Troop 88 of Bridgewater.
Troop 88 is one
of many Troops in the "Raritan Valley District", of the Patriots Path Council. A number of such Councils make up the
Northeastern Region of The Boy Scouts of
America (B.S.A.). In all, there are
four regions and about 400 councils making up the national B.S.A. organization.
Troop 88's
sponsor, or chartering organization, is The
Friends of Troop 88. Troop 88 is non-denominational and welcomes all
interested boys, age 11 to 18, into Scouting.
A boy needs no prior experience to become a Boy Scout.
The purpose of The Boy Scouts of America (B.S.A.) is to
build character, self-reliance, leadership, physical fitness and citizenship in
boys, as they become young men. To
accomplish these purposes, the B.S.A. offer a program based upon outdoor
activities and a patrol structure of troop organization.
Troop 88's goal
is to offer its boys an enjoyable opportunity to participate in the B.S.A.
program and to support its boys in their development of the community awareness
and personal values embodied in the Scout Oath and Law (as set forth in THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK).
Troop 88 hopes
that participation in the B.S.A. program will be a fun experience for each boy,
help make him a better person, and give him fundamental tools he might not
learn elsewhere to be successful in whatever path he chooses later on in his
life.
Troop Structure
Scout
Patrols
Boy Scout Troops
are organized and operated by the boys, using a patrol method. The patrol method is boys leading boys. Normally, a Patrol consists of six to ten
Scouts, of the same age group or members of the same graduating Webloes den,
with one Scout elected by the boys in the Patrol as the Patrol Leader and one
Scout appointed by the Patrol Leader as the Assistant Patrol Leader. Both positions have half-year terms. All the boys in the Troop elect a Senior
Patrol Leader, who appoints an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader.
Patrols operate
independently as teams, with the boys responsible for planning and carrying out
Patrol and Troop activities. Patrol
Leaders learn how to lead and manage Patrol activities by working under the
direction of the Senior Patrol Leader and his Assistant. Patrol Leaders meet bi-weekly to plan
meetings and programs. The Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Senior Patrol
Leader learn how to lead and manage troop activities by giving directions to
the Patrol Leaders and their Assistants.
The function of
the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters and other adults who participate in
Troop 88 activities is to facilitate, counsel and guide rather than actually
assisting the boys in performing their tasks.
This is a significant difference from the Cub Scout program, where
parents are expected to help their sons with various projects and all pack
leadership is by adults.
Patrol Leaders
Council (PLC)
All Troop 88
activities are planned, organized and run by the boy leaders with the support
of the adult leadership. The adults act
as advisors, counselors and facilitators for the boys. They are responsible for providing the
guidance to assure the experience the boys have is positive and fulfills the
B.S.A. purposes and Troop 88 goals embodied in the Scout Oath and Law. A Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) develops and
implements an Annual Plan, with monthly themes, for Troop 88's activities. The PLC consists of the Senior Patrol
Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Scribe (Secretary), Quartermaster
(Equipment), Troop Guide (Training) and the Patrol Leaders.
The PLC meets on
the 2nd Tuesday of every month from September to
June.
Troop
Committee
The administrative
needs of Troop 88 are supported by a Troop Committee consisting of adults who
are primarily parents of Scouts in Troop 88.
They have responsibility for keeping financial records, organizing
transportation, and raising funds for Troop activities. They recruit a Scoutmaster and his
Assistants. They meet monthly with the
Scoutmaster to help them make Troop 88 the best it can be each year.
Troop Committee
meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of each month (except July and
August) at 7:30 p.m. at the Eisenhower Intermediate school. All parents are urged to attend and
participate whenever and however possible.
Scoutmasters
The Troop's
uniformed adult leaders are a Scoutmaster and one or more Assistant
Scoutmasters. They are the adults who
work most closely with the Scouts. They
attend and supervise the weekly meetings of Troop 88 and accompany the Scouts
on trips and outings. The Scoutmaster
reports to the Committee monthly on the status of the Troop and seeks the support
of the Committee to make Troop 88 the best it can be.
Roster
and Calendar
The latest roster
of Scouts, Scoutmasters and Troop Committee members and the latest Calendar of
meetings and troop events are located on the Troop Web Site at http://www.troop88bsa.org. There
are also links to other Scouting related sites.
Troop Meetings
Weekly
Meetings
Troop 88 holds regular
weekly meetings on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 in the General Purpose
Room at the Eisenhower Intermediate School when school is open. The Troop meets at an
alternate site (St. Bernard’s or The Bridgewater United Methodist Church) when
school is closed. On the 3rd Thursday of each month, the Troop holds
an Advancement Workshop. This is an informal meeting (no uniform required)
where Scouts can work on Rank requirements or Merit Badges.
Each Scout is
expected to attend each weekly meeting wearing a Scout Uniform (shirt,
pants or shorts, belt, and socks) and carrying his own copy of THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK. Uniforms and Handbooks can be purchased at
the Patriots Path Council main office at
222 Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park, NJ 07932 or
at 1130 Route 22 West in Mountainside and at other locations specified in the
section titled "SCOUT UNIFORM."
Regular attendance at weekly meetings in full uniform is an important
measure of participation in the activities of Troop 88 and a way to show “scout
spirit” Scouts are expected to arrive on time and go directly to the General
Purpose Room. After each meeting, Scouts should go directly home or be picked
up at 9:00. Whenever possible, parents
are urged to attend weekly Troop 88 meetings to offer assistance to the Scoutmasters
and members of the Advancement Committee.
Scout
Conduct During Meetings
All Scouts are
expected to cooperate with and follow the directions of Scoutmasters, Patrol
Leaders and their fellow Scouts in maintaining good behavior at all Scout
meetings. During meetings, all Scouts
must stay in designated areas of the meeting place, respect public and private
property, and not disturb other groups using the meeting place at the same
time. Boy Scouts should also show
respect for all people who are giving their time and talents to instruct and lead
them, whether these people are Scoutmasters, parents, fellow Scouts or people
from outside Troop 88. Troop 88 asks
parents to remind their Scouts of these rules of conduct before each meeting.
Troop
88 cannot be responsible for Scouts who leave the meeting area while meetings
are in progress without permission from a Scoutmaster or other responsible
adult. Disciplinary action will be
taken if boys insist on leaving the areas Troop 88 has permission to utilize.
Courts
of Honor
Troop 88 conducts
3 Courts of Honor during the year, usually in October, February and June. A
Court of Honor is a special meeting at which public recognition is shown for
Scouts who have advanced in rank or earned merit badges. Troop 88 asks the family of every Scout to
attend all these Courts of Honor to show support for those Scouts who are
advancing or being awarded merit badges whether or not a member of the family
will be receiving an award.
The Court of
Honor in February is a dinner meeting, when the Troop re-charters and the boys
and adult leaders re-register with the Troop for another year.
Camping
Monthly
Outings
The B.S.A.
program offered by Troop 88 is based on the motto, "ScOUTing is
OUTing." For this reason, Troop 88
tries to schedule an outdoor event (weekend camping trips, 10 mile hikes, etc.)
for each month of the year. Parental
support is needed in properly equipping each Scout for camping trips and hikes.
Traditionally, several fathers go along with the Scoutmasters as chaperons on
all the events, particularly any canoe trips or ski weekends.
The Troop meets
at the Bridgewater United Methodist Church for outings. This is where Troop 88
has its equipment trailer.
Adult
Participation
Parents of the
Scouts, traditionally fathers, are encouraged to participate in all Troop
outdoor activities, both to help the Scoutmasters make the trips enjoyable and
to set a good role model for the Scouts.
The more outdoor activities parents attend, the more confident they
become in their own outdoor skills and the more they are able to contribute in
a meaningful way on subsequent activities.
Scouts are
expected to use the patrol method to plan and run each outdoor activity on
their own, to the extent of their abilities.
Scouts need to learn how to set up their own tents, purchase and prepare
their own food, and work together as a Patrol.
The function of the adults is to facilitate, counsel and guide rather
than actually performing or assisting the Scouts in performing their assigned
tasks on outings. Fathers of Scouts
should not become part of their son's Patrol or share tents with
their sons. Troop 88 has enough tents
for adults to sleep separately.
In preparation
for outdoor activities, adults should become familiar with the Scout Oath and
Law and other information about scouting in their son's copy of THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK. The B.S.A. have
developed considerable expertise over the years in camping and hiking methods,
and the Patriots Path Council offers
training courses to enable adults to learn these skills quickly. When an adult
does not know about a particular camping or hiking skill, it is best to ask the
Scoutmaster or one of the Assistant Scoutmasters before instructing the Scouts.
While the Scouts and their Patrol members are expected to learn by doing and
occasionally making mistakes, there is no place in the Troop 88 program for
either dangerous or un-Scoutlike behavior.
If any adult observes a Scout doing something which is obviously out of
place on any Troop 88 activity, he or she should act immediately to put a stop
to the behavior and then refer the matter to the Scoutmaster or Assistant
Scoutmaster in charge at the first opportunity.
Summer
Camp
Each year during the summer, often
the last week of June, Troop 88 spends one week at a scout camp, such as Resica Falls Scout Reservation located
in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
The Cradle of Liberty Council operates the camp. Participation by every
Scout is strongly encouraged and has been found to be a great experience for the
boys and a decided asset for advancement to Eagle Scout.
The program at scout camp revolves around a program for first year Scouts and merit-badge-related activities that include
waterfront, scoutcraft, ecology, rifle and shotgun shooting and archery.
The First Year Scout program is a structured program
that helps first year Scouts complete many of the requirements they need to
advance to Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks.
Each Scout can
choose from various Merit Badges offered at camp. The Scout makes his own
schedule and is responsible for completing the Merit Badge requirements. The camp staff are qualified Merit Badge
Counselors for the various Merit Badges offered at camp.
The Troop lives together
at a campsite with platform tents provided by the camp. Meals are cooked and
served at the Camp Commissary. The boys
are expected to help by serving as waiters during the week.
While most Scouts
participate in the camp program, some experienced Scouts can enroll in a
C.O.P.E program.
The cost per
Scout has been about $275 for the week.
Other Activities
Philmont
Scout Reservation
Every summer, the
Patriots Path Council organizes a 12-day
trip to Philmont, the B.S.A. high adventure reservation near Cimarron, New
Mexico, for backpacking and trekking. Each Scout must be 14 years old by
January 1 of the year he chooses to go to Philmont and reach the rank 1st
Class Scout. Every couple of years the troop will organize a crew of 12 (9 scouts / 3 Adults), but
scouts may also participate individually any year. The trip to Philmont generally costs about $1200, but costs vary
from year to year due to airfare and other traveling expenses.
National
Jamborees
Every fourth
summer The Boy Scouts of America
organize a National Jamboree, a gathering of about 30,000 Scouts from all over
the U.S. and around the world. Every so
often an International Jamboree is organized and Scouts from all over the World
participate. There are no set locations
for these Jamborees. The Patriots Path Council coordinates our
participation, and costs vary depending on location.
Totem
Trail
Every winter,
usually a Saturday in the latter part of February, the Raritan valley District sponsors
a winter competition. Patrols pull sleds across a "Yukon Territory"
to various "towns". The
competition involves different Scout skills at each town such as fire building and first
aid. Troop 88 Patrols have done well in
recent years. Scouts who participate
receive recognition.
Troop
Sponsored High Adventure Outings
Every
summer the Troop also tries to sponsor a High Adventure campout for Scouts 13
and older. In addition to Philmont, we have gone to Florida Seabase, canoeing in Minnesota, white water
rafting on the New River in West Virginia and many other places.
Advancement
Advancement
in Rank
To build self-reliance,
each Scout is supposed to be responsible for planning and completing his own
advancement in scouting at his own pace.
Rank advancement is earned through passing specific requirements by
demonstrating special knowledge or skills to the Scoutmaster, Assistant
Scoutmasters or Troop Instructors, by showing scout spirit (participating
regularly in the Troop 88 program, helping with fundraisers, and living up to
the Scout Oath and Law) and, for the higher ranks, by earning merit badges,
exhibiting leadership and serving others.
The ultimate in achievement for those scouts who are able is earning the
rank of Eagle Scout, and being publicly recognized in a special ceremony at an
Eagle Court of Honor.
While the
responsibility for advancement is each Scout's alone, most Scouts need regular
parental encouragement to advance.
Progress is supposed to be recorded in each boy's own copy of THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK, a parent
should periodically ask him how he is progressing, what requirements he must
satisfy to attain the next highest rank, and what his plans are for satisfying
these requirements. Note that parents cannot sign-off the requirements for their scout. Parents should also
show support by attending meetings, going on trips and participating with their
boys in other activities, which provide opportunities for advancement.
When a Scout has
completed all the requirements for advancement in rank, he must ask for and
have a conference with the Scoutmaster and a meeting with a Board of Review
made up of adult members of Troop 88, to check and confirm that the Scout has
satisfied all the requirements for the rank.
Badges or
insignia of rank are usually awarded to a Scout at the next regular meeting of
Troop 88 after he successfully passes a Board of Review. Public recognition for advancement is given
at the next Court of Honor held by Troop 88.
Merit Badges
Merit badge
requirements are found in THE BOY SCOUT
HANDBOOK and in special Merit Badge Pamphlets available where Scout
Uniforms are sold. Each Scout is
responsible for deciding which merit badges to work for, and how to go about
satisfying the applicable requirements.
Some merit badges are best or most easily worked on and earned in a
group at summer camp. Others can be
earned at special Merit Badge Workshops conducted each February by the Patriots Path Council, where a Scout
can work on up to three badges in one
day. Often merit badges, which a Scout
may need to reach the Star, Life or Eagle rank, will require the help of an
individual certified merit badge counselor.
In these cases, it is the responsibility of each Scout to contact and
make arrangements to meet and work with the certified merit badge counselor at
a mutually convenient place and time.
Troop 88 and the Raritan Valley District Advancement Committee maintain a list
of current merit badge counselors.
Troop 88's
Scoutmasters are always ready to advise a Scout or his parent about the best
way to earn a merit badge of individual interest to a Scout
Fund Raising
Registration/Dues
Troop charges each
Scout dues of $85.00 per year. This
includes a registration fee for enrolling each Scout with the B.S.A., plus a
year's subscription to BOY'S LIFE. It is a policy of the Troop that dues must
be kept current in order for a Scout to receive advancement or participate in
Troop events. Registration fees are not
refundable if a scout decides to leave the Troop.
Fund Raising Events
Troop 88 does not
require its Scouts to sell items to raise money. We do participate in the Bridgewater
Township Clean-Up and we try to organize two Car Washes per year. We encourage the Scouts and their families
to participate in these events to help Troop 88 raise money to help maintain
Troop equipment.
Scout Uniform
The Scout uniform
is Troop 88's symbol of membership in and commitment to Scouting. It is a visible reminder of the spirit and
ideals of Scouting and should be worn properly and neatly as described in THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK (which also
illustrates how badges and insignia should be sewn on).
Requirements
"Class A" uniform is required
for all Troop activities, including weekly Troop meetings, Courts of Honor,
summer camp, camporees, travel on most Scout trips, and as otherwise specified
by the Scoutmaster or Senior Patrol Leader.
It consists of: