Details of the backpacking weekend

Details of the Summer Camp 2011 are available on the troop web site.

thanks

Glyn Tomkins

ASM Troop 39

Matt and Amy sent some photos of the High Adventure group leaving from RDU.

Glyn Tomkins, one of the Assistant Scout Masters of Troop 39 is in Nigeria for four weeks from June 11th with IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, the cornerstone of IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility programs.  Glyn will be working with the Nigerian Universal basic Education Commision on how they can better measure the efficacy of education across the country.

Glyn is also planning to meet with Nigerian scouts and took a bag stuffed with scouting books, patches and other goodies to share with the Nigerian scouts. You can follow his adventures on his blog.

We had a great day in Eno River State Park today building a 16′ bridge over a creek on a soon to be built stretch of the Mountains to Sea trail. 8 parents and 10 scouts gave and total of 140 hours of community service today on this project.

Thanks to Amy H for these wonderful photos of the fundraising car wash from a few weeks ago. The scouts of troop 39 raised $279.65 which will be used to construct a footbridge in the Eno River State Park. The bridge will form part of a new section of the Mountains to Sea trail.

Most of the scouts helping build the bridge will use the service hours towards their Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge. It is also a great opportunity to get to see what is involved in an Eagle project.

You are invited to join us for a spaghetti dinner before the Court of Honor next Wednesday.  The dinner is organized for Troop 39 (friends and family too!) by the Philmont Crew to help raise money for the trip out west to Philmont this summer.

Details:

Wed May 25 at 6:30 pm at the UMC ($6 per person/$20 per family)

Followed by the Court of Honor at 7:30

Questions:  Call Jenny at 919-259-2950

Hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Jenny Leech and Kathy Cox

Scouts, Parents

Its time we got serious on getting organised for Summer Camp.  Summer Camp 2011 details were posted previously.   This is what must happen by next Wednesday, May 11th:

1. We need to have received your commitment to your scout’s participation in Summer Camp.  A simple Yes or No!
2. If your scout will participate in summer camp, we will need a minimum deposit of $100 but feel at liberty to pay the full amount.
3. Attendees also need to make their choices of activities as follows by completing a Troop 39 Camp Raven Knob MB electives form:
   • Scouts, Tenderfoots (or should that be Tenderfeet?): Must attend the Raven Scout Program in the morning and the Senior Raven Program in the afternoon(see P28 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide).
   • 2nd class Scouts:  Must attend the Senior Raven Program in the afternoon (see P28 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide) and can choose to do the Raven scout program or elect to take Merit Badges in the morning (see P14 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide).
   • Scouts , Tenderfoot Scouts and 2nd class scouts: May elect to take one MB in the final hour of the afternoon however scouts may choose to have this as free time spent in the Troop 39 camp.  See P14 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide.
   • 1st class and above: Must elect to take Merit Badges (see P14 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide).   They may elect to have one hour of free time spent in the Troop 39 camp.
     There are high adventure options available which might appeal to older troop members,  however these need to be discussed with and approved by Sammy.
   • Adult Leaders: Must elect to take the Lounging About knot in the morning and the Rest and Relaxation knot in the afternoon (see page 47-48 of the Raven Knob Leader’s Guide).  Note that this elective is not available to youth members of the troop however youth members will be required to assist the leaders in their attainment of these electives at all times when in camp.
4. We recommend that scouts also provide alternative MBs should their preferred session be full.  If they do not provide an alternative, then should it be necessary, the leaders may select one for them based on existing MBs earned and options available.

Note that some activities have an age requirement and/or an additional program fee (see page p3 of the Raven Knob Registration Guide).  If paying in full, please add the value of these additional fees to the $265 camp fee.

For the schedule of when each Merit Badge is offered and the registration code for the session, see page 5 of the Raven Knob Registration Guide.

Note that there are two different Raven Knob documents linked above – the leaders guide and the registration guide.

The balance of payment for the camp is due no later than troop night on June 1.

If a scout is unable to attend next week, you can submit your commitment and your electives to me by email by May 11th and follow up with payment at the next meeting.  The objective is to have a complete list of attending scouts and a complete list of their electives by May 11th.

Yours in Scouting

Glyn Tomkins
ASM troop 39

The photos from this weekend’s Camporee as well as the Order of the Arrow tap out are now on the troop web site.

Touch a Truck 2011 is now behind us – and is, alas, consigned to a large and growing pile of very fond memories of the wonderful things this troop does together!

For me, personally, two things will stand out:

• Seeing Julie getting so very excited when the helicopters arrived (see photos).   Julie – we are incredibly blessed in having you part of the troop and the wonderful passion you bring to events like Touch a Truck.
• Hearing TomTom explain all the details about the Messerschmitt to all those who came by.  A few more career options open up … who knows … perhaps we have an historian, a museum curator or a Top Gear presenter!

Enjoy the photos.

Glyn Tomkins
ASM, Troop 39

p.s. Thanks to John Christy for taking many of these fine photos.  John – my favourite is the guy who is about to be eaten by the machine!