Boy Scout Troop 259Church of St. Therese

By Doug Hankins, Summer Camp Coordinator

The Troop is already making preparations for this year’s summer camp—the week of June 29th through July 5th. We are going to Camp Ottari, which is near Claytor

Lake and Pulaski, Virginia; it is also part of the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation. We are planning for about 35 Scouts and 15 adults attending this week of camp. At the same time, we will have 4 Scouts participating in the New River Adventure pro-gram at Camp Powhatan which is part of the same Scout Reservation, just a few miles down the road.

The initial down payment has been sent in and the second payment is due sometime in March. We are looking forward to a fun and exciting week of camp for all our Scouts (and also for the adults). In the next few months, we will be working with the Scouts to select Merit Badges for camp. We will also be providing parents with additional information as we go along, but if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cycling—Are YOU up to it?

The troop is working on orga-nizing a 50 mile bike ride for the weekend of May 31st—June 1st as part of the MS 150 chal-lenge. This challenge is a group bike riding and fundraising event which is sponsored by the Na-tional Multiple Sclerosis Society. The NMS will hold several rides in our area during that weekend.

If interested in participating or helping out with the planning, administration or support, please contact Bill Leber. This also counts as the last leg of the Cy-cling Merit Badge for those that need it.

February 2008Volume 3, Issue 1

Thank you to all the scouts, leaders, and parents that helped to

feed the homeless on January 24th. As it turned out, this was one of the coldest weeks of the year. When the temperature starts to drop, it is more important than ever that these ladies and gentlemen have a warm and safe place to spend the evening. It is also nice to receive a hot home cooked meal. Because of the cold, we fed nearly 100 people a menu of chili, rice, salad and cornbread, with cookies and brownies for desert. I would like to give out a couple of very special thank you’s.

First, to Warren Goodman, who arranged for the donation of the beef for the chili, and managed the kitchen during the evening. It can’t be easy for someone who has cooked at the White House to manage a bunch of hacks in the kitchen.

Secondly, to Bob McBride, who, without being asked, made a very generous donation of hats, gloves, and underwear so that our guests could stay warm during the day when they were not at the Church.

And finally, for all the scouts that participated, make sure that you keep track of your volunteer hours. They all count towards advancement.

By Dave Byrd

The scout leader for the troop, Joe Z. lined them up, counted them out, and got them under way. That started the grand adventure for the 23 scouts and 11 adults that every trip becomes. Forty-five min-utes into the trip brought us to the only bump in the otherwise smooth trip when 2 of the caravan of vehicles got into an accident when traffic ground to a sudden halt on I-64. No one was hurt and only one vehicle sustained significant damage. We got the excitement of two police cars and a fire truck at the scene! The scouts were calm, kind, considerate, and helpful at the scene in making sure everyone was all right, chang-ing the tire and putting the donut on Mr. Miller’s vehicle while the police were taking statements, and shift-ing gear out of the damaged vehicle to other cars. Everyone was very alert after that!

Everyone fit into the remaining vehicles and all got to the resort safely where there were a couple of inches of snow on the ground to start the winter activities (snowballs, of course). We all got settled in very late, but still managed to pop up bright and early the next morning for the second earliest breakfast slot (6:15 AM) that we were assigned. We handed out rules, ski tickets, and rental forms and got under way. Most scouts took lessons that morning and afterwards all scouts (including first timers) were able to zoom to their hearts content down the various slopes. The trails opened at 8:00 AM and stayed open until 9:00 PM. There were many scouts with enough energy to ski most of that time! Needless to say we went to bed a little earlier that night and started bright and early again with the assigned very first breakfast slot (6:00 AM) the next day.

It snowed half an inch that second night and continued snowing on into the day. The new snow made for some excellent skiing the second day. Two scouts were able to complete the Snow Sports Merit badge that day which required them to demonstrate advanced skiing techniques on steep slopes along with showing a more detailed understanding of mountain safety and skiing etiquette. Most of the scouts skied or snow boarded as much as they could and only grudgingly came off the slope for lunch and pack-ing out. Everyone enjoyed all the activity immensely and thus ended a perfect skiing and snowboarding weekend.

I would like to extend a huge hand to Bill Leber, Warren Goodman, and all the other Dads that helped Ted Miller and Dave Byrd make this trip the huge success that it was. A big round of applause also to Joe Z. and Colin R. for their leadership in organizing and motivating the scouts.

Spring Bazaar and Yard SaleTroop 259 will be having a Spring Bazaar and Yard sale on April

19, 2008. The Bazaar will be held in the St. Therese Church Social Hall with the kitchen open for the sale of snacks and beverages. The yard sale will be held outside rain or shine (tents will be set up if it rains). We are currently looking for vendors

who might want to buy a table and sell their products. The price of a table is $20.00. If you know of anyone who might be interested please contact Gina Abbate Baker for an application. Gina can be reached evenings at home (465-5825) or at work (492-8128).

Bob Zongolowicz has also agreed to coordinate the Yard Sale portion of the event. Additional information will be forthcoming as to the pickup and drop off of items at future meetings. St. Therese has graciously given us the Social Hall for the storage of Yard Sale items from Tuesday, April 15th to the day of the Sale.

Passing the Torch By Dave Gerrek

After coaching 18 Scouts in their trail from Life to Eagle, Warren Goodman will be taking over as the Eagle Coordinator for Troop 259. Since March 2001, I've had the great honor in being associated with outstanding Scouts. With pride, every time I walk pass the Eagle Board, I feel fortunate that I was part of their journey. The past and present leadership of the troop supported me in making our Eagle Journey the model of Merrimac District. In fact, we had all of our projects signed off at the district level. I look forward in working with Warren to keep this important responsibility at the highest possible level.

Methodist EncampmentNovember 2 - 4, 2007

On November 2nd, a small contingent from Troop 259 traveled to Blackstone, VA for the annual Methodist Encampment. Mr. Goldman and Mr. Greiling were the two adult leaders for the weekend. Joe E. did a great job as SPL on the trip and received a 100% on the troop inspection. We were also awarded the Honor Troop Ribbon and won second place in the cook off with Mr. Greiling’s Scotch-a-Roos.

The boys that attended earned over 20 merit badges and were able to see displays on frontier life and cooking, Indian lore, historical flags, conservation displays, and steam engines. Everyone had a great time! The other boys that attended the event were: Joe Z., Marc A., Mitchell H., Joseph G., and Sheldon G.

Wanted: Troop Newsletter Editor

Janet Powers

I do believe it is time for me to step down and give someone else a chance to showcase their journalistic talents for Troop 259.

Over the last 3 + years, I have been able to badger, cajole, and have even been surprised to get articles without asking from the Troop. It has been wonderful.

I have been able to put out quarterly newslet-ters with the help of many individuals, to Debbie Lacy when my computer broke down, to many of the Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters and at times even from the boys themselves. So its time for someone else to enjoy.

If anyone would like a copy of the clip art I use—just let me know and I’ll make a disc; and to all the budding photographers, keep the pictures coming! The troop is such an active one—it puts into perspective all the hard work the adults do to have the scouts learn and experience new things to help them achieve a possible career interests.

A Spaghetti dinner will be held on April 26, 2008 at St. Therese. A lot more information regarding this fundraiser will be distributed in Feb-ruary and March. We are asking every scout and parent to go out and sell tickets for this fun event.

Cooking & Camping Merit Badgeby ASM Warren Goodman

About 20 scouts and leaders had a great time at the cooking merit badge weekend. The event actually started on Thursday at our Troop meeting which was held at Maryview Medical Center. Valerie Ferebee, the head dietician for Maryview Medical Center, gave a very interesting and informative lecture on how to eat a well balanced meal. The scouts then divided up into their patrols and made out their menus for the weekend.

On Friday evening we meet at the church and made our way to the camp site at Johnson farms. We set up camp and then went to the Food Lion to shop for our meals. When we went shopping two patrols, with very different menus, actually had the same final bill at the register. Saturday morning started off with some great cooking by the patrols and leaders. We saw lots of hash browns and eggs being cooked. During the morning the scouts and parents had the opportunity to learn more about proper cooking methods. One area that was covered was knife han-dling. Some of the boys had the opportunity to race Mr. Goodman in cutting vegeta-bles. I am happy to report no fingers were lost and Mr. Goodman retained his title of fastest cutter. After another great meal, lunch, the boys had some time off. Some went fishing, good thing we brought some food, not much luck. The scouts and parents took time out of the day to pick up trash around the campsite and some of the lakes near by. We picked up about 4 garbage bags full of trash. The patrols got together once again to cook some really good food for dinner. In the evening the boys toasted some marshmallows and then played a round of capture the flag.

After a very filling breakfast on Sunday we took time out for the scouts, leaders, and parents to give thanks for a great weekend of fun and learning. Mr. Goldman led us in some prayers at the chapel. I would like to thank all the scouts, parents, and leaders for a great weekend of fun and learning. The scouts did a great job with cooking all their own meals. There was a great showing ofteam work from everyone.

JANUARY 18-20, 2008by SM George Ball and ASM Michael Qualls

January was an extremely busy month for the troop, with a merit badge day, a lock-in at the Air and Space Museum, feeding the homeless and a first time ski trip. Enough to make anybody’s head spin. For six of our senior scouts, we added one more event.

The weekend of January 18-20, Troop 259 sent 6 scouts and 2 adults to Annapolis, MD to participate in the 21st

annual USNA Merit Badge Jamboree. The event is hosted by the Naval Academy and the National Eagle Scout Asso-ciation. Camping was based out of YMCA Camp Letts, and the troop was shuttled back and forth in the morning and evening.

While there, they worked towards merit badges that are on the more technical side. We had 3 in Chemistry, 2 in Nuclear Science, and one in Oceanography. Our host for the weekend was none other than Jeff Iiams, an alumni of the Troop who is in his second year at the Academy and an Eagle Scout. In addition to the merit badges, the boys went to a Catholic Mass, and were not too subtly recruited to attend when their time comes to go to college. We were also treated to lunch and dinner at the dining hall with the Midshipmen.

The only negative was the early start on Saturday, and the very cold start on Sunday (close to 13 degrees),with winds gusting to at least 30 miles per hour. Brrrr! But despite the cold, the scouts had a great time and look forward to participating again next year.

Troop 259 participated in the Annual Scout Day and Football game at the Naval Academy, by joining the Elks Camp Barrett Camporee on November 16-18, 2007. A total of 23 scouts, plus 12 dads and 1 mom, assembled and de-parted St. Therese on Friday evening. It what may have been a first for the Troop, everyone was on time and we were able to leave 5 minutes early – good work parents and scouts! This was important as the trip to Annapolis took almost 4 hours and we arrived just before 10PM to find almost 1200 other Scouts already filling the Elk facilities. Once a space for us was located, camp was quickly set up.

Saturday morning started clear and cold, temperatures in the upper 20’s. Some of the adults learned that the Troop 259 practice of early rising and discussing the days activities was harming some of our neighbor’s beauty rest. No matter, we all lined up early for breakfast at the Elks Lodge and then we were off to the Naval Academy. In the morning, we were given an extensive tour by one of the Midshipmen who was an Eagle Scout. We then split up to explore some different areas before the game. One group spent some time below decks at the ‘Swift Boat’, where the scouts got to experience a variety of different military equip-ment. We then boarded a bus to go to the Football Sta-dium, where we joined all the Troops in a ‘tailgate’ lunch before the game.

One of the highlights of the event was watching all the Midshipmen march into the stadium in formation. This in-cluding one of our troop alumni, Eagle Scout Jeff I., who is in his second year at the academy and plays the Bag Pipes in the Pipe and Drum Corps. We all enjoyed an exciting game, as Navy beat Northern Illinois by a score of 35-24. Our troop was also the envy of our section when Jeff I. came up into the stands to be with us during half time dressed in his full Highlander Regalia.

Everyone agreed that the Academy tour and game were a fantastic experience. The camping facilities and food service though really suffered from the fact that the event was extremely over sold, almost 1200 attending an event that had a listed capacity of 800! The Elks volunteers were outstanding and worked very hard, but they just could not keep the lines and waiting times to a reasonable level. Plans are underway to find a camping location more up to Troop 259 standards for next year, while still en-joying the experience that the combined Naval Academy Scout Day and Football game provided.

Virginia Air and Space Museum Overnight Jan 12-13, 2008

After a hard day of working on Merit Badge requirements at Mr. Martin’s Merit Badge Uni-versity, 19 Boy Scouts traveled to Hampton to the Virginia Air and Space Museum to learn about aviation and spend the night sleeping next to a commercial airliner. They were joined by

8 Webelos from Pack 259.The boys and 10 adult leaders and parents listened as Major Bill Booth explained some of the unclassified facts

about his plane, the US Air Force’s super secret U-2 spy plane. He explained how planes develop lift and even demon-strated the pressurized flight suit that must be worn at the high altitudes. The boys were intrigued as Major Bill explained how the pilots drank and ate through a straw during the long flights and that while Nr 1 was OK, Nr 2 was not!

Ms. Barbra Morrison explained how pilots train and earn their wings and the many facets of the maps that they use to plan their flights. Mr. Bill Lee explained the many different types of engines used in aviation including reciprocating and several different types of gas turbines. At the end of the lecture, the boys had to use flight maps to plan imaginary flights.

Seventeen Scouts earned their Aviation Merit Badge before an informal late night tour of the museum. At 11:30 pm it was “Lights Out!” but some of the Scouts were too excited about the thought of camping next to exciting displays that ranged from airplanes to huge models of Aircraft Carriers. Mr. Ball and Mr. Goodman were more than happy to climb out of their sleeping bags to travel to the far side of the museum to restore peace and quiet. In the morning they feasted on breakfast crois-sants while the adults drank lots of coffee. After a quick last minute tour of the museum, the scouts packed up their sleeping bags and headed back to Chesapeake.

MERIT BADGES EARNED * Merit badges in red are Eagle Required.

Aviation Zach A., Thomas B., John B., Nate B., Jack C., Joe E., Sheldon G., Mark J., Tristan K., Robert M., Sam M., Chad O, Houston P., Tyler P., Justin S., James W., Jake W., Derek W., Ben W., Thomas W.

Basketry Joseph Z.Chemistry Zach A., Thomas B., Colin R.Citizenship in the Community Ben B., John B., Jack C., Joe G., Sheldon G., Mark J., Sam M., Tyler P., Mike P.Citizenship in the Nation John B., Joe G., Sheldon G. Citizenship in the World Joe G.Coin Collecting Joseph Z.Communications Thomas B., Nate B., Mark J., Mike P., Justin S.Computers Nate B., Cooking Joe G., William G., Sheldon G., Sam M., Tyler P., James W.Crime Prevention John B., Sheldon G., Tyler P., Electricity Thomas B., Jake W.Emergency Preparedness Chad O., Mathew P.Engineering John B., Nate B., Dan W.Family Life Joseph Z.Fishing Mitchell H., Ernest K., Sam M., Jacob M., Colin R., Ben W.Metal Work Tyler P.Nuclear Science Chad O., Derek W.Oceanography Joe E.Personal Fitness Greg L., Thomas W.Personal Management Thomas B., Nate B., Thomas K., Justin S., Derek W.Photography Ben W.Railroading Nate B.Snow Sports Mark J., Greg L.Traffic Safety Sam M.Truck Transportation Jack C.Woodcarving Nate B., Jake W.

RANK ADVANCEMENTSThe following scouts advanced since the last Newsletter in November.

Tenderfoot James W.Second Class Joe G., Tristan K. Robert M., Ben W.First Class Joe G., William G., Sheldon G., Star Thomas K.Life Justin S., Joseph Z.Eagle Ernest K.