Old Dominion Pride ... Catch it!

CALENDAR

The Old Dominion District E-mail Edition December 10, 2015

December 2015 10 Roundtable 10 Friends of Scouting Training 15 District Award of Merit Nominations Due 16 Joint ODD Committee and Commissioner Holi-

day Party 16 District Committee and Commissioner Meetings 17 Friends of Scouting Training 19 Life to Eagle Seminar 19 Den Chief Training January 2015 14 Boy Scout Troop Expo 14 Roundtable 27 ODD Committee Meeting 28 ODD Commissioner Meeting 29-31 Klondike Derby February 2015 8 BSA Birthday 11 ODD Roundtable 27 University of Scouting Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and V3 Roundtables, as well as Venturing

Officers Association, are 7:30 PM at Lee High School un-less otherwise noted

District Committee and Commissioner Meetings are 7:30 PM at

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 5800 Backlick Road.

ODD NEWS IN A NUTSHELL

Our Commissioner’s wisdom is on Page 2

Our Chairman’s thoughts are found on Page 3

Roundtable, and other news details on Page 4

University of Scouting details on Page 5

Commissioner College 2016, Page 6

Friends of Scouting Unit Training, Page 7

National Jamboree Information on Page 10

ODD Camp Cards Fundraiser details on page 12

Merit Badge Jamboree Information, pages 13-14

Klondike Derby details on page 16

International Scouting, page 17

Varsity and Venturing News begins on Page 18

OA info on Page 19

Advancement Information on Page 16

Merit Badge Counselors information on Page 21

Everything (almost) you ever wanted to know about Training Awards on Page 22

To subscribe to The Old Rag, from the email account to which you want the subscription sent, send a blank (empty) email to: NCACOLDDOMINION-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Scouts Are You Tougher Than A Patrol of Scoutmasters?

Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 2 December 10, 2015

Shortly we’ll be slipping into the glorious holiday season and taking well-deserved time off from school and work to pay homage to our Faith, our precious families and long-time friends. Be reminded that the #1 priority for you and your family, and animal compan-ions, while traveling and shopping or otherwise in a harried state,

should be Nobody Gets Hurt! Con-tinue to be perpetually aware of your surrounding and to Be Pre-pared for contingencies. Happy Holidays and Happy Holy Days to all of you wonderful BSA volun-teers and supportive parents. As most of families, friends, and/or

coworkers can fully attest, ODD Scouters are often considered to be “pathological optimists.” This phrase always gets a laugh because the reference to pathology suggest a condition detached from objec-tive reality. But the expression also works on BSA volunteers in a beneficial way, forcing us to wrestle with the question of whether it is sane to continue in optimism even in times when all visible indi-cations are not wholly positive. The continuous process improve-ment that we see in the BSA program (and in the OA) should give us hope that children in our charge will be properly challenged and maintain excitement about learning and achieving. Accordingly let us take time during this special season of the year to recommit our-selves to providing wholesome opportunities for our Scouts to expe-rience and excel in the BSA…for their individual betterment and for society as a whole. Lifetime Volunteers - A tip of the hat to our adults that continue to hold volunteer BSA leadership positions, long after their children have completed the youth program. And…(applause, applause!) to those very special adult volunteers that serve in positions of leader-ship/trust that never/ever have had youth in the BSA program. The program continuity/mentorship that these folks provide is indeed invaluable, and … inconceivable! Safeguarding Children – Per BSA Youth Protection Training Guidelines, and the Guide for Safe Scouting, all persons involved in BSA Scouting shall report to local authorities any good-faith suspi-cion or belief that any child is or has been physically or emotionally neglected, physically or emotionally neglected, exposed to any form of violence or threat, exposed to any form of sexual exploitation, including the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child por-nography, online solicitation, enticement, or showing of obscene material. BSA Scouting Volunteers may not abdicate this reporting responsibility to any other person. Charter Renewals Turn-in – We thank all of those units that met the deadline for turn-in by November 25th or shortly thereafter. For those that are still crossing T’s and dotting I’s, or otherwise chasing somebody for something, please provide, with all deliberate speed, and as soon as practicable, the completed packets to your Unit Commissioner for review and then turn-in to our District Executive. Our fear is that if not done soon, the recharter packets will be lost in the holiday hustle and bustle, leaving a lot of disappointed youth in the cold come January 1, 2016. Call your commissioners if you

have any recharter problem…we’re your 411 / “go-to” dudes and dudettes…”we may doze but we never close!” Journey to Excellence – Please bring your completed 2015 JTE forms for turned-in to your Unit Commissioners at the December 10th ODD Roundtable. Song Director Wanted – Singing inspirational camp, hiking and patriotic songs is a long-standing tradition in the BSA, including Wood Badgers and Arrowmen. For generations Scouts and Scouters have complemented their Scouting experiences by singing songs at unit meetings, campfires, hikes and summer camp. Accordingly, the ODD is recruiting for an enthusi-astic and musically-inclined Scouter and/or youth to ensure that singing songs is embedded in appropriate district events. Plenty of lyrics are readily available in BSA archives, or you can help craft new and unique lyrics for ODD units. Contact the District Commis-sioner for further clarification and interest on this exciting position. Kudos – We collectively congratulate Roundtable Commissioners Christopher T. Cooper (Boy Scout RTC) and John D. Griffin (Cub Scout RTC), on being awarded the coveted NCAC Outstand-ing Commissioner Award on November 12th. Along with this distinction, they also were presented with uniquely numbered/serialized NCAC shoulder patches; numbers 285 and 286 respec-tively. Hip Hip Horray! for these deserving gentlemen. Btw, only four (4) of these awards can be presented by the District Commis-sioner during each calendar year. We also congratulate and welcome Doug Cochrane to the position of Assistant District Commissioner (ADC) for Exploring – Learning for Life. In his new role, Doug will be the District Champion for this reengineered program for older coed Scouts. ODD currently has two Explorer Posts in place and hopes to add two more in 2016. We collectively thank Doug for his most recent leadership service as the ADC for JTE which he held for 4 solid years. And, lest we forget to mention the stellar performance of the fol-lowing commissioners that put on a delightful day of Commissioner Basic Training on November 14th: ADC for Training Peter Pate, UC Bill Mitchell, UC Ed Skinner and UC Steve LeFevre. And in addition, and on December 5th, Cubmaster Position-Specific Training and Charter Organization Representative Training was provided by dedicated and talented Commissioners Mark Burrows, Mike Nicholas, Peter Pate, Jess Speaker and John Tillman. Way to go Commishes for pressing the point that every Scout deserves a trained leader! The Old Dominion District Commissioner Corps looks forward to greeting the Unit Key 3s and their dynamic leadership teams at the December 10th Roundtable at Robert E. Lee High School cafeteria. Join me and your commissioners, and the full District Committee, at this fun, exciting and quick-paced information exchange. Thank you sincerely for all that you and your volunteer unit leadership (and supportive parents) continue to do for the deserving youth in our Old Dominion communities. Well done! Yours in BSA Commissioner Service Mike Nepi - OMHIWDMB District Commissioner Old Dominion District 703-915-8560 cell; commissioner@oddbsa.org

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 3 December 10, 2015

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

FANTASTIC!

Old Dominion District has been very

busy and Mr. Nepi and I are thor-

oughly enjoying all the activities that

units invited us to attend as guests.

The activities include Courts of Hon-

or, Pack Meetings, Scouting for Food, unit service pro-

jects, Friends of Scouting presentations, Good Scouter

recognitions, Order of the Arrow events and many more.

Units collected nearly 50,000 pounds of food for local

families in the National Capital Area Council Scouting for

Food drive. Some units have had additional food drives,

coat drives and toiletry drives to support even more fami-

lies. Our Scout family continues to show through these

efforts and other projects that we are a caring family.

Old Dominion had two members honored at the North-

ern Virginia Good Scout Inaugural Event as the 2015 Dis-

trict’s Good Scout, M Simmers of Troop 1853, and Scout-

er, Roundtable Commissioner Rich Wink. The event was

an opportunity to raise awareness of the Scouting pro-

gram through a distinguished leader in the community of

the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of Ameri-

ca, within Northern Virginia. The area includes Arlington

County, Fairfax County, Alexandria City, Fairfax City and

Herndon and consists of seven scouting districts servic-

ing over 17,000 young people. Congrats to these two

gentlemen and all other Scouts and Scouters nominated

for this honor.

The community started investing in our youth through

contributions to the Friends of Scouting (FOS) campaign.

Several units and the District Committee/Commissioners

have already had their initial FOS presentations and started

collecting pledges/contributions. Contributions directly help

young men and women in a program that stands for what is

good and right in today’s world. The FOS campaign allows

everyone to join hands with the local council to help ensure

that a quality Scouting program is delivered to young people

in the greater Washington DC area. That program costs an

estimated $200 per Scout to ensure they receive the best

program possible to include quality camping facilities, train-

ing for leaders, monthly roundtables, professional support

and guidance, and a service center with resources. When

compared with the cost of many other programs that young

people join, Scouting is relatively inexpensive.

Units are already planning for next year’s Summer Camp

and High Adventure outings. Some units have identified

additional slots available to places like Northern Tier. If your

unit would welcome additional Scouts and provide them the

opportunity to experience these camps, please let me know

the details soonest. The District will establish a list of oppor-

tunities with event details in a Google document and publish

the list periodically.

This last weekend, I was invited to join nearly 100 volun-

teers layout luminaries in one of the fields at the Antietam

Battlefield National Park in honor of nearly 23,000 casualties

of the battle. Thanks to Boy Scout Troop 1853, Boy Scout

Troop 4673, Boy Scout Troop 1906, American Heritage Girls

Troop VA2911, Girl Scout Troop 3192, and Girl Scout Troop

3195 for all the hard work and community service. A special

thanks to the Leaders, Parents, Grandparents and other

relatives for their Fantastic support also. If I missed your

unit, please let me know.

Speaking of service hours, don’t forget to report your ser-

vice hours to help your unit on its Journey to Excellence.

Each unit should log all of your service projects, including

Scouting for Food, Eagle projects, coat collections, etc. at:

www.scouting.org/Awards/JourneyToExcellence or on the

MyScouting.org site. I am sure when we combine all of our

efforts, Old Dominion District will achieve Gold status for

service as a JTE District. We are about 3,000 hours short

as of the beginning of December.

On behalf of our District Commissioner, Mike Nepi, and

myself, thanks for all you do and for all the invites to join

your units in the fun. Keep the invites coming and we will

join you as our time permits.

Be enthusiastic. It’s contagious.

Scouts are FANTASTIC! Thanks you for all you do for

our Scouts and Delivering the Promise of Scouting!

Dean Stinson

Old Dominion District Chairman

stinsonbsa@gmail.com

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 4 December 10, 2015

GEAR UP FOR LEADERSHIP AT ROUNDTABLE

Every 2nd Thursday except July.

Cub Scout RT: Scouting and Special Needs; next month’s Point of Scout Law is Trustworthy and the Great Race Boy Scout RT: Journey to Excellence Wrap-up and new Merit Badge Counselors Procedures The Venturing Forum: High Adventure Event Planning Varsity Huddle: 2016 Journey to Excellence Stand-ards and Goals Setting

Please make sure you follow us on the following to get information our District: Old Dominion District Webpage: http://ncacbsa.org/OldDominion Old Dominion District Twitter: https://twitter.com/ODD_Scouts Old Dominion District Program Twitter: https://twitter.com/oddncacprogram Old Dominion District Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NCACBSA.OldDominion

Congratulations to Patrick Rooney for being selected to succeed Tracy Goodwin as the Old Dominion District Vice Chair for Marketing (a.k.a. the King and Queen of All Things Marketing-the changing of Marketing Royalty as it were.) Best wishes to Patrick on his upcoming tour of duty in this key District position, and a hearty and warm Thank You to Tracy for a tough job Well Done!

NCAC Commissioner College 2016 When: Saturday, March 12, 2016 Where: Huntingtown High School 4125 Solomon’s Island Road Huntingtown, MD 20836 Contact: Dean of College Julia Farr, farr.scouts@gmail.com 703-965-7013

Scouts Are You Stronger Than A Patrol of Scoutmas-

ters? Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 5 December 10, 2015

University of Scouting 2016

February 27, 2016, 7:30 A.M.—5:00 P.M. Hayfield Secondary School

7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA

Tuition: $30.00

Online registration will open in early January and closes at midnight on Sunday, February 21, 2016. After that, the tuition goes up to $45.00

Five specific program areas to choose from:

1. Cub Scout College 2. Boy Scout College 3. College of Adventure 4. College of Elective Programs 5. College of District Operations

Approximately 160 different classes offered throughout the day! Coursework leads to Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate recognition. En-

joy a Scouting museum and vendor displays along the midway.

You will not want to miss this training event. Save the date now. Last year more than 950 scouters attended! More information is available at

http://www.ncacbsa.org/uos

Scouts Are You Stronger Than A Patrol of Scoutmasters? Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 6 December 10, 2015

Save the date ... March 12, 2016

2016 NCAC Commissioner College

Huntingtown High School Huntingtown, MD

(Three Rivers Service Area - Western Shore District)

Many changes are planned for 2016. In addition to offering degree tracks (Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate), there will be opportunities for Continuing Education Training, Network-ing, and complete Commissioners Basic Training.

Everyone is invited to attend - especially those who are not commissioners who would

like to learn more about Commissioner Service. A guest speaker from National will be present.

Lunch will be served. More details to follow.

For more information, contact Julia Farr, Assistant Council Commissioner for the College

of Commissioner Science at farr.scouts@gmail.com.

2016 Northern Tier Opportunity 29 Jul—5 Aug (Ely, MN Base) Troop 875, Falls Church, VA has four individuals (two adults/two scouts) signed up to do this adven-ture and can take up to four more individuals. We need at least two more individuals to make a crew. The cost is approximately $1300/person. If you are interested please contact Walt Frant at wfrant@msn.com or 703-855-2353

New Boy Scout Rank Requirements for 2016 BSA has new requirements for Boy Scout Advancement from Scout to Eagle Scout. You can obtain a comparison of the new require-ments – with the old requirements near the bottom of the following web page: http://www.scouting.org/Home/programupdates.aspx Scroll down to the “Boy Scouting” heading and you will find two doc-uments “Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements” which gives you the implementation timeline, and a “2016 Boy Scout re-quirements – parallel comparison.” Full implementation will be in 2017 – with 2016 being a phase in pe-riod based on rank. If you were at the Boy Scout Troop roundtable in early August, Mr Wink and Mr Cooper reviewed an earlier compar-ison document. This was later updated – as of August 27, 2015. On the same page is a wealth of information you may also want to review – and links to other web pages on the BSA website. Please let me know if you have any questions. John Selstrom ODD Advancement Chair

Scouts Are You Stronger Than A Patrol of Scoutmas-

ters? Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 7 December 10, 2015

Friends of Scouting Unit Training, Thursday, Dec 17th, 7:30pm - 8:30pm Where: First Baptist Church of Springfield, 7300 Gary St., Springfield, VA 22150 [Room C-104, lower level] (park and enter building from lower lot on Gary St. and look for "FOS" signs) Who: All FOS Unit Coordinators or at least one representa-tive from each unit required Why: Each unit is responsible for a well-lead presentation for the 2016 Friends of Scouting Campaign. Units that at-tend training have better results in supporting our Scouts. FOS presentation magnets will be available for pick-up. Due Now: In addition, each unit should have communicat-ed to Justin Mawdsley their FOS presentation date as well as the name and contact info for your FOS Unit Coordina-tor. Contact Justin at Justin.Mawdsley@scouting.org Resources: Everything you need to run a successful and efficient campaign can be found at our web-site, www.fosodd.com - check it out! Deadlines: All Pack FOS presentations should be conclud-ed by February 29th, all other units concluded by March 31st. Goal: 100% participation by all units and all Scout families - you can do it! FOS "Check'In" - at December, January and February Roundtable Time: 7:15 to 7:30pm before Roundtable Why: For each unit to check-in, ask questions, let us know how your campaign is going, drop off money or pick up "bling" Thank you for investing in our Scouts through Friends of Scouting! John D. Griffin, FOS District Chair, Old Dominion District e: FriendsOfScoutingODD@gmail.com c: 703.217.7418 ODD FOS Website: www.fosodd.com FOS Promo Video: http://vimeo.com/56736852

Scoutmaster Tom O’Hare received his Wood Badge beads at the November ODD Roundtable Jim Ashe, Scoutmaster Troop 1, Newly beaded Wood Badger Tom O’Hare, Cher-yl Dawkin, Fox Patrol; Terry Gigure, Trrop Guide for Fox Patrol and Harried & Over-worked Ticket Councilor

Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster Spe-cific Training and the Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills class. To be considered a Trained SM or ASM you need to complete both. Hope to see you in the woods! We learn a lot from each other, have a lot of laughs, and compare and discuss common challenges with the Scouting pro-gram. And, we always make new friends. Come join us. Spring course: 2 April 2016 ASM/SM ½ day Saturday 25 April IOLS planning, 1 hour, Monday 7:30 PM 29-30 April IOLS, Friday evening - Saturday even-ing, campout Links to register: (SM/ASM and IOLS are separate courses) SM/ASM http://bit.ly/oddsmf15 IOLS http://bit.ly/oddiolsf15 Take care, YIS, Ed Ed Phillips IOLS Head Honcho Carroll Hill SM/ASM Bubba

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 8 December 10, 2015

Troop 1145’s Pancake Breakfast Sur-prise Visitor! Last month our Troop held our annual pancake break-fast and bake sale at our chartered organization, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Our Scouts raise funds for camps, equipment and other Scout activities through two fundraisers a year, the pancake breakfast and our spaghetti dinner, held in February. The scouts are in charge of selling tickets, serving, set up, waiting on the guests and clean up. Scouters and other parent volunteers help with the cooking and tick-et taking. This year, we made just over $2,000 with sales, donations and the bake sale!

We were also treated with a surprise visit from our Dis-trict’s own Vice Chair of Marketing and former Pack 685’s Committee Chair (and Pack Recruiter, thanks to me) Tracy Goodwin. As one of her last visits as Vice Chair, she stopped by to say hi to some former 685

Scouts and Scouters. She commented, “All the pancakes were great, but the pumpkin and blueberry were my favorites!” Dwayn Hanford Scoutmaster, Troop 1145

Let’s Play the “Who has been an Out-standing Leader and Unit” Nomination Game!

You have been waiting for this all year! We know you have plenty of outstanding leaders within in your unit, and we want to know who they are! It will only take you less than your “one hour a week” of scouting vol-unteer time, to look over the criteria and send a few names to your Committee Chair. . These awards are for unit scouters in all programs ― Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturing, Varsity and Sea Scout. Nomination forms and the criteria can be found on the links below and will soon be on the district web site.

Nomination forms are due by March 1st. That gives you a little more than two months to think about this! They should be filled out by the unit Committee Chair or his/her designee and submitted via the newly im-proved Google docs form. Please take advantage of this district program for recognizing your eligible vol-unteer leaders for all that they do. So, don’t delay! Put your thinking caps on! Lisa Wokeck has graciously volunteered to head up my committee of one for these awards and she is anxiously awaiting your nominations (as is Dennis, who will of course help us in a fix because he is Mr. Google Docs Guru. Now that he is no longer Vice Chair of Program, he has all the time in the world to help us damsels in distress!) The links will be sent out via the Yahoo Group, Key 3 email and on the District website shortly. Cub Scout Packs: Outstanding Cub Scout Criteria & Form Boy Scout Troops Outstanding Troop Criteria & Leader Nomination Form Crews/Ships Outstanding Crew/Ships/SeaScouts Criteria & Nomi-nation Form Thanks! Tracy Goodwin District Dinner Coordinator Tracy.flores.goodwin@gmail.com Lisa Wokeck Outstanding Unit & Leader Awards Coordinator Lisa.Wokeck@gmail.com

Scouts Are You Stronger Than A Patrol of Scoutmasters?

Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 9 December 10, 2015

Save the tentative Date – May 26, 2016 Coming back by popular demand – the annual District Dinner and Awards Night! This year, we are taking over the Unit Commissioner Meeting date in May! Yes, Mr. Nepi, you agreed to this last year . . . We figured that one night of fun instead for most of you, an extra night of good food, awards, and surprises for some, and hopefully a first night of “WOW! That’s what I’ve been missing these past three years?!?” for a lot of you = Tracy will be a happy camper. Wait, I don’t camp, So, scratch that. I’ll just be a happy Grinch for the holi-days. Cost is again $15 per ticket or $30 for a pair. Theme will be announced in the January issue of the Old Rag. Why? Because I am jet lagged and haven’t figured out one and this article is late as it is. Hope you can make it! No excuses!

And for the Last Time . . . As your Vice Chair of Marketing, I want to say that it has been a fun three years. Everyone has been great to work with and I actually have learned a great deal about Scout-ing and I will miss the people in the Old Dominion Dis-trict. As my last month slips away, I leave with you my top 10 things I have learned: 10. It’s really hard to work in Scouts with a girl child who plays field hockey year round. 9. You can go without ever wearing or buying an adult

Scout uniform for the 12 years you were a Scouter. 8. Just roll your eyes and you can scare anyone away. 7. Making chili and chicken noodle soup for Staff at

Camporees is rewarding. 6. NEVER answer the phone on meeting nights if Den-

nis calls you. 5. Nothing about the District Recharter is easy, no mat-

ter what Council says. 4. For some reason, everyone at Council knows who

“Tracy” is. 3 A Princess tiara is way better than a Scout patch! 2. Flip Flops are not camp approved shoes. 1. NEVER EVER, in a million years, look Holly Brown

in the eyes. You may regret it. Just kidding about #1. It has been fun. One more thing . . . you all better be at the dinner! Tracy

At the 12 November Old Dominion District Roundtable, illustrious Scout-er Ben Royston (center) was present-ed with the coveted Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award. Making the presentation were Dean Stinson (left), ODD District Chairman, and Mike Nepi (right), ODD District Commissioner. This recognition was in honor of Ben’s sustained service and commitment to the youth programs in both the BSA and in Freemasonry. Ben is a long-standing member of the Grand Ma-sonic Lodge of Kansas and the Albert Pike Masonic Lodge #303 in Wichita, is an ASM in Troop 1853, Communi-ty Covenant Church, and has been appointed as the next Vice Chair for Membership in the Old Domin-ion District, effective 1 January 2016. Huzzah! to Ben Royston and his supportive wife, Manette, who is also an active Scouter!

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 10 December 10, 2015

LIVE SCOUTING’S ADVENTURE! Register Now (Spots open)! Go to www.BSAJamboree.org

Scouting’s PREMIER Adventure experience! Includes: whitewater rafting, rock climbing, rappelling, zip lines, mountain biking, canopy tours, shooting sports, BMX racing, skateboarding, kayaking and more. You will to love the arena shows with 30,000 of your closest friends.

When: The 2017 National Jamboree is July 19 - 28, 2017

Where: Summit Bechtel Reserve, New Hope, West Virginia

Requirements: Your leader’s approval and Boy Scouts: First Class and at least 12 years of age by July 19, 2017

Venturing: At least 14 years of age by July 19, 2017

How Much: $1250 per Scout or Crew Member. Fees include all food, equipment, as well as the use of a tent, cot, dining shelters, stoves, fuel and cooking. The fee also includes trans-portation to and from the Summit on motorcoach buses. No major additional costs. Just show up with your own camping gear and uniform. Sign up now; deposit of $225 is due to the Na-tional Capital Area Council on or before January 1, 2016.

More Details at www.ncacbsa.org/Jamboree

ScoutmastersAre You Tougher Than A Patrol of Boy Scouts? Prove It, April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 11 December 10, 2015

Vice-Chair for Program

At the district annual business meeting I was finally voted “off the island” as the Vice-Chair for Program. Actually, after serving as the Vice-Chair for Program since August 2010, I thought it was important to let someone else have the excitement and enjoyment as the Vice-Chair for Pro-gram. I enjoyed my time as the Vice-Chair, only because there are numerous individuals that make the program in the Old Dominion District run smoothly – and they are all volunteers, and some with many hats. Not one of them gets paid a penny, maybe a million smiles, and sometimes they might even receive a million Scout Bucks from me, but all volunteers, every single one of them. I want to thank everyone who has worked and supported the Old Dominion District Program while I was the Vice-Chair. Monica Lynch-Activities and Civic Service Chair, Fred Shin-er-Scouting for Food, Mike Cooley-5K Scout Strong, Bob Colella-District Pinewood Derby, Fred Woody (and now Kevin Doyle)-Klondike Derby, Karin Linehan-District Day Camp Director, Greg Boyette-Training Chair, John Hannon, Ed Phillips, Carol Hill and the Apple Corp-Boy Scout Train-ing, John Selstrom-Advancement & Recognition Chair, Dave Glenister and John Seltstrom-Keeping Track of Dis-trict Merit Badge Counselors, Jerry Prentice and the Eagle Board for making sure we have very few errors in pro-cessing Eagle Service Projects, Eagle Scout Applications, and conducting Eagle Scout Board of Reviews, Peter Lager-berg-International Scouting.

One comment that I do hear from scouters is that they like to work directly with the youth. I believe volunteering in the Program Area, you get to work with youth not only within your unit, but all youth in the district – camporees, Klondike, merit badge jamboree, pinewood derby, day camp, training, advancement, Eagle board of reviews.

The incoming Vice-Chair elected at the district annual busi-ness meeting in November is Tony Tersine. Tony has a classic Scouting background beginning as a Cub Scout (just like me), Boy Scout (just like me) and an adult Scouter (just like me). Tony is an Eagle Scout (just like me) and was be-stowed the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow. He has worked on the Districts Membership Committee as the Join Scouting Night (JSN) Coordinator and assisting and advising struggling Scouting units that require critical re-cruiting assistance. He has also worked on the Program Committee. He was the District BB Range Officer for many years, and has assisted with many camporees, including being the Scout Strong Spring 2014 Camporee Director. I know that Tony will do an outstanding job as the Vice-Chair of Program. If, you have any program-related ques-

tions, comments or suggest, don’t hesitate to discuss with Tony on how you can help improve the program. You can contact Tony at: program@oddbsa.org

December Internet Advancement Report

This is a reminder and a request to make sure all units sub-mit a final Internet Advancement report during the month of December. This report should contain all rank advancements, merit badges, and other achieve-ments not previously reported using Inter-net Advancement. This request is in accordance with the 2015 Guide to Advancement and is important because it supports our District and Council data collection for the Journey to Excellence program as well as statistical analy-sis. If you have any questions about using Inter-net Advancement see the extensive Help features in the on-line program or contact our Dis-trict Advancement Chair, John Selstrom at john.selstrom@outlook.com. If you have account access issues, please contact Margee Egan, NCAC Program Ad-ministrator, 301-214-9197, margee.egan@scouting.org.

Community Service Hours Reporting

This is a reminder and a request that you make sure you have your community service project(s) and hours entered into the JTE website https://servicehours.scouting.org/UI/Security/Login.aspx As of November 15, only 29 units (out of 88) have entered any information into the website. We do need all the units to enter any remain-ing service hours because the District is 3,000 hours away from reaching Gold for Service Projects. Last year we made Gold, right now we are at the Bronze level. If you participated in Scouting for Food - Bag Drop off and Food Pick Up please make sure those hours are entered.. If you do not know your user id or password, please con-tact our district executive: Justin Mawdsley, P 703.973.3868| F 301.564.3648, Justin.mawdsley@scouting.org

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 12 December 10, 2015

Old Dominion District CAMP CARDS Fundraiser

Cards sell for $15. Scout receive $10 back for any camp.

OLD DOMINION TO COLLECT FOR WORLD FRIENDSHIP FUND For the last ten years or so, Old Do-minion District has collected pocket change from anyone who attends our December Court of Honor to forward to the Boy Scouts of America World Friendship Fund. By asking folks to consider giving a few dollars they may have in their pockets at the Court of Honor, we have typically

been able to forward $150 or more each year. In this period we have sent over $1,000 to the Fund. This fund was created by the BSA after World War II to help Scout associations around the world who were rebuilding after the war. Because in less developed areas of the world, our money may go a long way, these funds can be very beneficial to Scout groups outside the USA. A few years ago, for instance, the Scouts in Guatemala asked for help to complete their country's National camp and training center. They had only raised half the money they need-ed. But when the World Friendship Fund looked at their request, it was not hard to agree, as the other 50% they wanted help with was only $35,000. If you have any spare cash at the Court of Honor, Ken Davis will collect it for the World Friendship Fund and forward it to the BSA headquarters in Texas.

Each card provides discounts at local retailers and 40,000 retailers nationwide using a

smartphone app

If your unit would like to pick up camp cards, they will be available at Roundtable this Thurs-day. Please see Ben Royston or Tracy Good-win. You may also contact Tracy or Dennis Wokeck to coordinate pick up of cards on any other days. Just call or email them at the below contact information. Tracy Goodwin 202-255-9995 Tracy.Flores.Goodwin@gmail.com Dennis Wokeck 703-372-2424 Dennis.Wokeck@nesa.org Note: Units may take as many camp cards as they wish. Card sign out is based on the Scout honor system. When the cards are sold, Scouts/Units keep the $10 outright and the re-maining $5 payment may be submitted after-wards. Please call with any questions

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 13 December 10, 2015

Old Dominion District 2016 Merit Badge Jamboree Saturday, March 12, 2016, 8:30am - 4:30pm, Lee High School, 6540 Franconia Rd, Springfield VA

Please pass this information on to your scouts.

The District received feedback from the scouts that we were not offering merit badges of interest to them. Based on the responses to this pre-registration, the District will identify as many counse-lors as possible. The scout will be placed in a session or sessions based on their selection from their pre-registration, counselor availability and Scoutmaster

approval.

Pre-REGISTRATION: Each Scout should complete a merit badge pre-registration form selecting no more than three merit badges at the following link: http://goo.gl/forms/sGLauLCoaW

We will use this to determine the merit badges to offer at our 2016 Merit Badge Jamboree. Our goal is to offer all merit badges that the scouts are interest-ed in. Question? Please contact mbj@oddbsa.org

The merit badge pre-registration form will be open

until December 22, 2015.

MERIT BADGE COUNSELORS: There will be a sepa-rate email to obtain your support in this event.

Estimated Cost $16.00 Per Scout. The registration fee covers facility rental, lunch and a special Merit Badge Jamboree Patch. Meal tickets will be issued at regis-tration.

Final cost, merit badge counselor information, sched-ule and additional information will be sent out after the first of the year.

No walk-in registrations accepted!

UNIFORM: Field uniform (Class “A” uniform) manda-tory.

Merit Badge Cards: Scouts will be required to turn in neatly filled-out merit badge cards, signed by a unit leader, to their Merit Badge Counselor as they enter their session(s). Merit Badge cards will be processed

and returned to the scout before they leave the

event.

MERIT BADGES: Scouts may take up to six (6) hours of merit badge activities (one 6-hr. session or two 3-hr. sessions). The purpose of this Merit Badge Jam-boree is to provide scouts an opportunity to work with qualified counselors on badges they might not be able to take at the Troop level. It is NOT to make it easy for them to earn lots of badges quickly. In order to complete the requirements for merit badges offered at the Merit Badge Jamboree, Scouts should expect to do a significant amount of work either be-

fore or after the event.

SCHEDULE: (Tentative)

· 7:45 a.m. Counselors check-in · 7:45-9:00 a.m. Counselors set up time. · 8:00-8:45 a.m. Units / Scouts check in · 9:00 a.m.-Noon Merit Badge Session · 12:00-1:00p.m. Lunch Break · 1:00-4:00 p.m. Merit Badge Session · 4:00-5:00 p.m. Wrap up, Counselors

check out, (no closing planned), room inspection

ADULT TRAINING: We plan on offering Merit Badge Counseling 101 Training in the morning. Other train-ing may also be offered.

PARKING: The Old Dominion District Cub Scout Pin-

ewood Derby will also be at Lee High School on the same date. Please plan to carpool and/or drop off scouts at the school, in order to leave parking space for the Cub Scouts and their families.

Scoutmasters Are You Smarter Than A Patrol of Boy Scouts? April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 14 December 10, 2015

American Business

American Cultures

American Heritage

American Labor

Animal Science

Archaeology

Architecture

Art

Athletics

Automotive Maintenance

Aviation

Backpacking

Basketry

Bird Study

Bugling

Camping

Chemistry

Chess

Cinematography

Citizenship in the Community

Citizenship in the Nation

Citizenship in the World

Coin Collecting

Collections

Communication

Composite Materials

Computers

Cooking

Crime Prevention

Dentistry

Disabilities Awareness

Dog Care

Drafting

Electricity

Electronics

Emergency Preparedness

Energy

Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Environmental Science

Family Life

Farm Mechanics

Fingerprinting

Fire Safety

First Aid

Fish and Wildlife Management

Forestry

Game Design

Gardening

Genealogy

Geocaching

Geology

Graphic Arts

Home Repairs

Horsemanship

Indian Lore

Insect Study

Inventing

Journalism

Landscape Architecture

Law

Leatherwork

Mammal Study

Medicine

Metalwork

Model Design and Building

Music

Nature

Nuclear Science

Oceanography

Orienteering

Painting

Personal Fitness

Personal Management

Pets

Photography

Pioneering

Plant Science

Plumbing

Pottery

Programming

Public Health

Public Speaking

Pulp and Paper

Radio

Railroading

Reading

Reptile and Amphibian Study

Robotics

Safety

Salesmanship

Scholarship

Scouting Heritage

Scuba Diving

Sculpture

Search and Rescue

Soil and Water Conservation

Space Exploration

Sports

Stamp Collecting

Surveying

Sustainability

Textile

Theater

Traffic Safety

Truck Transportation

Veterinary Medicine

Weather

Wilderness Survival

Wood Carving

Woodwork

2016 Merit Badge Jamboree List of Merit Badges that might be offered

Scoutmasters Are You Smarter Than A Patrol of Boy Scouts? April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 15 December 10, 2015

Fundraising Emails for the Yahoo Mail Group

In the interest of utilizing the Yahoo Distribution list more efficiently, the Marketing Committee has decid-ed that twice a month, we shall publish any unit "fundraising" activities that the unit is doing. Our de-cision was made in the interest of Scouting, and the fact that there are many members that do not have youth in scouts anymore or are part of a unit, but would like to help a unit if their time permits. These fundraisers will include things such as dining outs, mulch sales, car washes, cider sales - anything EXCEPT council wide fundraisers such as popcorn. If your unit has something you would like to share, please email your information to Tracy.flores.goodwin@gmail.com. Make sure you include the unit number, location and what the fundraiser is for (high adventure, summer camp, etc). I will send the emails out on the 1

st and

3rd

Fridays of the month, so plan accordingly. If you have any questions, please contact me at Tracy.flores.goodwin@gmail.com. Thanks!

Den Chief Training What: Den Chief Training When: Saturday, December 19, 2015 Time: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Lee High School Wear your scout uniform Bring: Den Chief Book, your Den Leader or Cubmaster (if you are already a den chief) or your Scoutmaster, water bottle, pen/pencil and paper. Note: You do not need to bring an adult to attend. Bring-ing your Den Leaders helps train them as well. Sign Up Online at: https://goo.gl/OtMPJw Cost: FREE

Den Leaders Get Your Den Chief Trained What: Get Your Den Chief Trained When: Saturday, December 19, 2015 Time: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Lee High School Wear your scout uniform Bring: Den Chief, water bottle, pen/pencil and paper. Learn how to use your Den Chief. Sign Up online at: https://goo.gl/icvYy7 Cost: FREE

Scoutmasters Are You Smarter Than A Patrol of Boy Scouts? April 1-3, 2016

Life to Eagle Seminar – Old Dominion District December 19, 2015 With a special one hour session on Selecting, De-veloping and Planning Eagle Scout Service Projects

● WHAT: An important seminar on the process to earn the Ea-gle Scout rank.

● WHO: Life Scouts who expect to work on the Eagle Scout Rank within the next 18 months, Scoutmasters, Varsi-ty Coaches, Crew Advisors, Skippers, Eagle Project Coaches, Eagle Advisers and parents of prospective Eagle Scouts.

● WHEN: Saturday, September 19, 2015 9:00am to 12:00 pm. ● WHERE: Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336 Carrleigh Park-

way, Springfield, VA 22152 IN THE FELLOW-SHIP HALL

● WHY: The information presented at this seminar will save you many hours of work and lots of frustration in the process of earning your Eagle rank.

● PREPARATION: Go to http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/

BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/resources.aspx. Download Both the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook AND the Eagle Scout Rank Application 2014. Study this information before you come and bring copies of these with you to the seminar.

● BRING: A parent plus the Workbook and Eagle Application

above. ● QUESTIONS: Contact Jerry Prentice at: jerry@prenticegroup.com

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 16 December 10, 2015

KLONDIKE DERBY 29-31 JANUARY

The 12th Annual Old Dominion District Klondike REGISTER NOW!

The venue will be the KOA campgrounds again. Same fun, but new challenges… The 2016 KLONDIKE INFORMATION GUIDE is posted to the District Website:

https://scoutingevent.com/?odd16klondike

The Klondike Derby – our premier winter Scout event!

Come to the Klondike Derby - because it’s fun and allows Patrols to have fun as Patrols. Sure there’s the competition aspect of earning gold, but it’s really the stations and games that tackle Scout skills, physical challenges, and the Patrol’s alertness that make Saturday fun. Patrols are rewarded for their patrol spirit, Scout skills, and quick thinking like saying the Scout Law backwards… Sure they might go “Reverent, Clean, Brave…Trustworthy” or they may just say “Scout Law backward.” Yes, the Scouts are awarded for being clever! Between the challenges, they may be confronted by Claim Jumpers, the Klondike Commissioner, or even the Yeti that roams the hills. During the event, the patrols (with NO adult direction!) get to choose the events they want to do and are rewarded for the choices they make. The Klondike Derby is a District Sponsored Event, but more importantly it is an option to your Scout program – and one which many troops return to because it delivers the “outing” of the Scouting Program with snow, ca-maraderie, and enjoyment. Troops can choose to either camp or stay in bunk rooms. The competition lasts all day Satur-day, but activities Friday and Saturday night make the whole weekend a great event. Although there’s a challenge during the Friday night social, the main goal of these socials is to encourage Scouts (and Scouters) of different troops to inter-mingle. Between the socials, the challenges, the awards, and the games, there’s very little downtime – the Scouts always have things going on. Registration for participants has opened on line at the district website. https://scoutingevent.com/?odd16klondike Costs are: Scouts & Scouters: $38.00 Scouters / Adults who preregister to work a station: $30.00 Includes:

_Saturday & Sunday Pancake and Sausage Breakfast _Saturday Hot Lunch _Saturday Pizza & Salad Dinner _Friday & Saturday Night Socials _Bug Juice, Coffee & Hot Choc all Day _And all Program Costs – patches, etc.

Cabins will be available based on registration date:

_4-man Cabins @ $68 each

_5-man Cabins @ $85 each

_6-man Cabins @ $102 each Sign up for cabins with Dorothy at doylekevinj@verizon.net, 703-451-1202. The Quality Inn is adjacent to the KOA with a lighted walking path joining the two. Rooms are available at a discounted rate currently at $210 – might be able to get a better rate as a group package or with other discounts. Great for parents who might like to observe, but don’t like to camp. Even the Klondike Madam likes the idea!! As we have done for the past few years, any troop desiring to sponsor a station – create, supply, and help man the sta-tion will be enable one free adult registration and reimbursement for reasonable station supplies/expenses. If interested in creating a unique station for this year’s Klondike, please contact Kevin Doyle soon! Our Colonial friends are planning to bring back the Knives! The Station and Point Values have to get approved by the Klondike Commissioner, but he’s pretty easy going… Adults that volunteer to run stations and PREREGISTER are able to get the $8 discount on their reg-istration, too! If you have any questions or want to volunteer to help, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Doyle at 703-585-8237 or 703-428-6864 or doylekevinj@verizon.net.

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 17 December 10, 2015

B-P Bits: How Green Bar Bill Hillcourt met B-P: B-P and his wife Olave were scheduled to at-tend the opening of the 1935 National Jamboree in Washington D.C. Since that was cancelled due to the polio epidemic, B-P ended up speaking to the National Training School at Schiff Scout Reservation where the Hillcourts lived in a cabin. At the big re-ception, B-P was in one corner to greet the men VIPs and Olave was in another to greet the ladies. Bill’s wife Grace, came up and met Lady B-P at the same time Bill met B-P. Olave learned that Bill was a journalist and had just finished the new PL Handbook. Olave wisked Grace over to B-P and loudly told him “Darling, these are the kind of people we want to be with.” Then the couples arranged to have breakfast at the Hillcourt’s home and eventually became life-long friends. Bill later wrote the B-P biography “Two Lives of a Hero”.

Scouting in Liechtenstein Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins (Scouts and Guides of Liechtenstein, PPL) is the national Scouting and Guiding association of Liech-tenstein. Dr. Alexander Frick (February 18, 1910 – October 31, 1991) was the Regierungschef (head of government) of Liechtenstein from September 3, 1945 until July 16, 1962, serving as a member of the Progressive Citizens' Party. In 1931, he founded the Scouts of Liechtenstein in Schaan. Guiding started in Vaduz in 1932. The Scout Association became a member of WOSM in 1933. Each division draws up its own program. Leaders organize various activities for all branches at local and national level and these are adapted to meet the requirements of the individual in the community. After WWII, Rangers and Rovers helped in dis-placed persons camps by collecting donations and food for the refugees. Members of the Association are involved in many community service projects. During Lent, Guides organize a Soup Day in most villages together with the Liechtenstein Lent Charity. In 1986 the Liechtenstein Scouts and Guides started a community development project in cooperation with the Egyptian Scout Federation. The aim of this "Palm Tree Project" in El Arish, Egypt, was to estab-lish a palm tree factory (which can process all parts of a palm tree including the dates) and therefore

provide jobs for the inhabitants of the region. The PPL is organized in four age branches: • Bienli/Wölfle (Brownies/Cub Scouts – ages 7 to 11) • Pfadfinderinnen/Pfadfinder (Guides/Scouts – ages 11 to 15) • Pionier (Pioneer – ages 15 to 18) • Ranger/Rover (age 18 and older) Motto: Allzeit bereit! • Be prepared!

13 November 2015: The Scouts of the World Award Seminar in Paris announced the new Scouts of the World Award Guidelines, designed for youth members between the ages of 15-26 years old. Have a look at the SW Guidelines on the World Bureau web-site. The Scouts of the World Award challenges all young people, Scouts and non-Scouts, to think about global issues and act upon them in their local community. It is the only award for young people provided by World Scouting. As part of the learning experience, you can gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to help solve global issues at the local level. The award requires a commitment from you to make your community a better place. On completion, you will be part of a network that pro-vides inspiration to others to take action.

The Scout emblem incorpo-rates the national colors of the flag of Liechtenstein. All members wear the same uni-form. The Brownies and Cub Scouts branch has a yellow scarf; all others wear a blue and red scarf which also sym-bolizes the national colors.

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 18 December 10, 2015

Venturing and Varsity Views, Old Dominion District

GIFT OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS. Give your youth the holiday gift of leadership skills. Lead your crew, team, or ship youth through “Introduction to Leadership Skills.” The syllabus is at http://www.scouting.org > Volunteer > Training > (center section scroll down to In-troduction to Leadership Skills for Troops ( ILST) [used by Varsity Teams] / Crews (ILSC) / Ships (ILSS). It is EASY and FUN and uses games to teach principles. The ILS consists of three 90-minute modules that can be taught at a single training session or in smaller segments as desired. In truth, it takes longer than 90 minutes to present each module effectively. Module 1 – Unit Organization (90 min) The Team Based Crew Crew Organization and Jobs Servant Leadership Introduction of Vision Module 2 – Tools of the Trade (90 min) Communications Planning Teaching EDGE Module 3 – Leadership and Teamwork (90 min) Teams and Team Characteristics Stages of Team Development and Styles of Leadership Inclusion Leadership Ethics and Values Vision Another alternative is get your youth signed up for “Introduction to Leadership Skills” at the University of Scouting on 27 February 2016 at Hayfield High School. They can take the course with other youth in this class. Sign up will be on the NCAC website in January 2016 – http://www.ncacbsa.org > Program > Training > University of Scouting.

VENTURER ADVANCEMENT TRAINING

“Project Management Training” The most recent Venturer advancement training

syllabus is available. It is “Project Management”

which consists of a 50-page professional produced syllabus and a 72 slide powerpoint teaching aid. The course covers: 1) What is a Project, 2) Initiating Process, 3) Planning Process, 4) Execution, 5) Mentoring and Controlling, 6) Summary The course can be presented in 6 modules or combined modules. It will be posted on the scouting.org Venturing webpage eventually but if you would like an advanced copy, email me at ppetty1@cox.net RESOURCES FOR THE VENTURING PROGRAM. (REGARDLESS OF YOUR CREW PURSUING ADVANCE-MENT OR NOT, THESE ARE EXECELLENT TRAINING COURSES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR YEAR-ROUND PRO-GRAM FOR YOUR CREW.) The resources need for the new Venturing ALPS Advance-ment (Awards) program are now online at scouting.org > Youth > Venturing > Resources: a. Venturing Investure Ceremony b. Ethical Controversy Vignettes (60+ minute class) c. Goal Setting and Time Management (3½ hour class) d. Mentoring for Venturing Instructor's Guide (2 hour class) e. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Venturers (4-5 hours class) - found at scouting.org > Youth > Training (tab in horizontal blue bar) f. Crew Officer's Orientation (also on DVD; 60 minutes) g. Personal Safety Awareness (also on DVD; 60+ minute class) h. Venturing Supplement to BSA Guide to Advancement i. Venturing Board of Review Guide j. Venturing Summit Award Service Project Book k. Venturing Summit Award Application What is also needed and found elsewhere are: a. CPR - American Red Cross (4 hour class) b. Standard First Aid - American Red Cross (4-8 hours class) "Lead the Adventure" Adair Petty, Vice Chair for Venturing, Varsity, and Sea Scouts

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 19 December 10, 2015

Upcoming Events The Lodge's Annual Banquet will be held January 2nd. Come out and have a great brunch with your fellow chapter member. The Lodge will be celebrating the accomplishments of the Lodge, chapters, and individuals over the past year. Several

members of Old Dominion will be recognized. Early bird registra-tion is available online only until Friday, 11 December and then the price will go up, so don’t wait. http://ncacbsa.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=699247&group=115700. Join the OA Staff at the 2016 Klondike Derby. The chapter will be supporting the District Klondike Derby on 29-31 January in Harper’s Ferry. Come on out and stay in a cabin with the rest of the OA staff, work as bankers and claim jumpers, run a program station, take part in elections training, and take part in a brother-hood conversion. Our next chapter meeting will be held Sunday, January 3, at 7:00pm at Sydenstricker United Methodist Church. Come to hear about recent events, learn about upcoming ones, and have fun with fellow chapter members. The address is 8507 Hooes Road Springfield, VA 22153. Park in the commuter lot on the corner of Hooes and Sydenstricker Roads. Unit Elections are Underway – make sure to support your units and the chapter. Elections Team Training was held at the Decem-ber Chapter Meeting and will be held at the January Chapter Meet-ing and the Klondike Derby. Make sure to attend one of these ses-sions and participate in at least one Unit Election from December through March. Recent Events The chapter participated in Scouting for Food by receiv-ing and sorting food collected by units across the district. We worked at Echo Food Bank and sorted over 25,000 lbs of food (and ate some pizza !). Lodge Leadership Develop-ment Course (LLDC). Chapter members participated in an LLDC led by our own Clark Billups in November. General information The Lodge 2016 dues pay-ments are now open. They can be most easily paid online at: http://www.ncacbsa.org/event/oadues2016. These must be paid for you to be eligible to wear your lodge flap, sash, and other symbols of the OA.

The Amangemek-Wipit Lodge 2016 Annual Passport is now available! The Passport is one purchase that allows you to pay for yearly dues, Lodge Banquet, Lodge Spring Fellowship, Lodge Fall Fellowship, and a bonus Passport patch, at a discounted price. It is online at: https://ncacbsa.site-ym.com/events/register.aspx?id=699247&itemid=59e5f3b9-3ff6-4bab-a292-58d1e37e88ea Last Chance to earn the Arrowman Service Award ! Applica-tions much be turned in by the end of the year or you will miss your chance to earn this once in a lifetime award. Contact Mr Mike Nepi if you need a form or turn it in at mnepi63@gmail.com. America’s Chapter is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Google+ and the council wesbite! Find us at the links below for an easy way to keep up to date on chapter events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/olddominionchapter/ https://twitter.com/OldDominionOA https://instagram.com/ODCOA https://plus.google.com/u/0/100407962002680042083/posts www.NCACBSA.org/ODOA If you have any questions about the information on this page please do not hesitate to contact us at ODDChap-ter@gmail.com. YiWWW, Nate Kidwell Vice Chief of Administration

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 20 December 10, 2015

New Guide to Advancement for 2015 The BSA Guide to Advancement for 2015 is now available at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf and at the Scout Store. An on-line searchable version is at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/GuideToAdvancement.aspx. The significant changes from the 2013 version are described on pages 7 to 9. Among these are incor-poration of the recent changes to the Cub Scout and Venturing Programs. Several changes to the Merit Badge Program are described in Section 7, including encouragement for small-scale approaches to merit badge counseling, management of the merit badge counselor process, and a cultural shift to partial completions being acceptable for merit badge in-structional events. Section 8 on Boards of Review provides from video-conferencing when necessary and guidance on Venturing Boards of Review – to include Board membership and the need for NCAC verification of the Summit Award application form prior to the Board. Section 9 on the Eagle Scout Rank emphasizes the need to use the Eagle Scout Rank Application form, clarifies fundraising – to include provision for “crowdfunding,” and added guidelines on disputed circumstances. Please download a copy and refer to it often! I’ve learned that every sentence is important – both in what it says, and in the context of the paragraph where it resides. Please let me know if you have any questions. John Selstrom ODD Advancement Chair

Advancement Notes New Boy Scouts Requirements book: ● The 2015 Boy Scouts Requirements book, the authoritative

resource for the most current rank, merit badges, and special awards requirements, will be available for purchase in Scout shops in February.

● Two new merit badges are featured as well: Animation; and

Signs, Signals, and Codes. There are minor updates to 16

merit badges, and more significant changes to Canoeing,

Swimming, and Whitewater.

Cub Scout Advancement: New Methods, New Materials ● The new adventure-based Cub Scout program will soon be

here! Youth handbooks and Den Leader Guides will be avail-

able for purchase in Scout shops and online starting May 1,

and the new program begins June 1.

● The basic unit of advancement in the new materials is an

“adventure.” The name was deliberately chosen to emphasize

the nature of the advancement process and the delivery of the

program as active, fun-filled, and boy-centered.

● More information is available in the information packet dis-

tributed via the ODD District Group E-mail on January 22,

2015 or at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/

programupdates.aspx.

Merit Badges The Boy Scouts of America announces a new informational re-source entitled “Counselor’s Compass.” This publication, to be issued as an e-newsletter, will support merit badge counselors in four ways: ● Things to do. What new counselors should do prior to coun-

seling a merit badge. ● Steps for Success. Helpful tips for both new and experienced

counselors as they work with Scouts, such as the importance of using the latest pamphlet and requirements.

● Glad You Asked. Articles that address commonly asked questions sent to merit.badge@scouting.org.

News You Can Use. Merit badge fun facts and information on new badges. Subscribing to Counselor’s Compass is similar to subscribing to Advancement News: Send a message to mer-it.badge@scouting.org, with “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line. Indicate your name, email address, and council in the message text. The Compass may also be accessed online at: www.scouting.org/filestore/ pdf/512-937_Dec2014.pdf Managing Subscriptions to Advancement News ● Advancement News is designed for council and district ad-

vancement committees, advancement staff advisors, and Ea-

gle processors. However, any Scouting volunteer or profes-

sional may subscribe.

● To subscribe, send a message to advance-

ment.team@scouting.org, with “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject

line. Indicate your name, email address, and council in the

message text.

For more information or to answer any questions, please con-tact your ODD Advancement Chair, John Selstrom, at 703-598

-7502 or at john.selstrom@outlook.com.

VIRGINIA SCOUT SHOP Located at: 5234 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA, in the Ra-vensworth Shopping Center - just off the beltway at the Braddock Rd. exit. Phone: 703-321-4836

Store Hours: Monday-Friday 9 AM - 7 PM Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM

They carry uniforms, scouting equipment, badges, literature and will accept most scout advancement form turn ins. (Turn in Eagle forms at NCAC, Bethesda.)

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 21 December 10, 2015

Old Dominion District Merit Badge Counselors

Over the last couple of years several things have happened to our District list of Merit Badge Counselors. Some things you should know.

First and foremost – being a Merit Badge Counselor means you are a member of the Old Dominion District – in addition to being a member of your ‘home unit.’

Second, our Old Dominion District Merit Badge Dean lives in Tokyo – so we have a special way to handle Merit Badge Counselor registration forms.

Third – what is below will sound complicated – but it is not, if you read all of the instructions (here and in what is provided to you to use to initiate your Merit Badge Counselor application package).

The process to become a registered Merit Badge Counselor.

Merit Badge Counselors are members of the Old Do-minion District – in addition to being members of an-other BSA unit. Being a member of a Troop, Crew, Pack or other BSA unit is totally separate from being an ODD member.

To be a Merit Badge Counselor, send an e-mail to Dave Glenister, ODD Merit Badge Dean and/or John Sel-strom, ODD Advancement Chair. They will send you four documents: a fillable adult application (with a fillable disclosure permission form), a Merit Badge Counselor Information Form, a set of instructions to complete the adult application and a copy of the NCAC ‘Examples of Merit Badge Counselor Qualifications).

A prospective Merit Badge Counselor then completes a BSA Adult Application that will be signed by the Dis-trict Committee Chair (not the individual’s primary unit Committee Chair).

The prospective Merit Badge Counselor completes the Merit Badge Counselor information form – using the NCAC ‘Examples of Merit Badge Counselor Qualifica-tions’ as a guide.

The prospective Merit Badge Counselor then provides the adult application, disclosure permission, YPT cer-tificate and Merit Badge Counselor Information Form to John Selstrom, in person at Roundtable, or by USPS mail to 6907 Dawley Ct, Springfield VA 22152. Do NOT send the adult application in an e-mail as it shows your social security number. The other documents can be sent by e-mail to john.selstrom@outlook.com

Once received, two things happen: o The Merit Badge Counselor information form

and a copy of the adult application with the social security number blacked out and is sent to Dave Glenister, our ODD Merit Badge Dean (in Japan) by e-mail. Dave then updates his Merit Badge Counselor information.

o The original adult application is signed by our District Chair and then provided in person or by USPS mail to our District Executive.

You can consider yourself a Merit Badge Counse-lor when the completed forms are provided to me (John Selstrom) as I will have our District Com-mittee Chair sign, and then deliver the forms to the District Executive within a few days.

If you think you are a Merit Badge Counselor, but are not sure:

Send Dave Glenister (dglenister@aol.com) an e-mail (copy to john.selstrom@outlook.com).

Dave will check his list and let you know if you are properly listed as an ODD Merit Badge Counselor.

If there is an issue, John will follow-up with you and our District Executive – keeping Dave informed.

If you are a unit Merit Badge Coordinator:

Dave has set up a version of Troopmaster to keep track of the ODD Merit Badge Counselors.

Send Dave an e-mail to gain access.

Questions?

Send Dave and John an e-mail

See John at the next Roundtable or call him at 703-598-7502.

For more information or to answer any questions, please contact your ODD Advancement Chair,

John Selstrom, at 703-598-7502 or at john.selstrom@outlook.com.

Scoutmasters Are You Smart-er Than A Patrol of Boy Scouts? April 1-3, 2016

The Old Rag E-mail Edition Page 22 December 10, 2015

Processing Training Awards, Unit Leader Key Awards, and any other awards

Trained leaders have the knowledge and self-confidence to provide young people with a quality program. There are two important parts of BSA’s Leadership Training Recognition plan: to honor demonstrat-ed performance and tenure of trained leaders in all areas of the Scout-ing program involving units and to encourage others to become trained. Trained leaders may apply for the knot appropriate to their program level by filling out the Progress Record for that award. The applica-tion should be put in the awards box at Roundtable to be reviewed by the district training committee for approval. You do not need to get a district signature before dropping off the form. The forms will be signed after a review is completed. All forms ask if training has been completed. We do review the training records. You can review your training records at myscouting.org. If your training records are not updated, please complete the following excel spreadsheet: http://tinyurl.com/NCACBSATraining and submit it to our Training Rec-ords, Molly Summers at summers.molly@gmail.com. Usually one reason why training records are not showing up is because the indi-vidual has not linked their BSA Member Number to their myscout-ing.org account. It is important that this is done so that we can show that our leaders are actually trained. Another error is not obtaining all the signatures required at the unit level. If the form asks for both the unit leader and the committee chairs signatures, then we need both signatures. Use the current forms (links to current forms are listed below). Type (each form is fillable) or print very neatly. We strive to present the awards and recognize the individuals receiv-ing these awards at the following Roundtable. If you have any ques-tions please contact, Dennis Wokeck, dennis.wokeck@nesa.org

TRAINING AWARD FORMS Below is a listing of the award forms that should be used and the link to the current document.

Unit Leader Award of Merit Nomination Form (Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Coach, or Advisor). Don’t forget to include the statement by the unit committee chair on behalf of the unit committee

attesting to the nominee’s performance as unit leader. For Scoutmas-ter nominations, also attach a statement by the troop’s senior patrol leader. For Varsity Scout Coach nominations, also attach a statement by the team captain. For crew Advisor nominations, also attach a statement by the crew president. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-003_WB.pdf

Den Leader Training Award – Adults that serve as Cub Scout Den Leaders may earn this knot by completing the required tenure, training, and per-formance for the award. Progress Record (Tiger,

Wolf, Bear, or Webelos den leader) http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-052_WB.pdf

Scouter’s Training Award—Adults that serve as Leaders in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Sea Scouts, and Venturing may earn this knot by completing the position-appropriate re-

quired tenure, training, and performance for the award.

Scouter’s Training Award for Cub Scouts–Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-057_WB.pdf

Scouter’s Training Award for Boy Scouting – Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-058_WB.pdf

Scouter’s Training Award for Varsity Scouts – Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-059_WB.pdf

Venturing Training Award – Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-060_WB.pdf

Scouter’s Key Award—Adults that serve as Scoutmasters, Varsity

Coaches, District Committee members, and Venturing Advisors may earn this knot by completing the required tenure, training, and performance for the award.

Cubmaster’s Key Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-053_WB.pdf

Scoutmaster’s Key Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-054_WB.pdf

Coach’s Key Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-055_WB.pdf

Advisor’s Key Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-056_WB.pdf

District Committee Key Progress Record http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/districtcommittekey.pdf

Roundtable Staff Progress Record for the Scouter’s Training Award http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34169-60.pdf

Roundtable Commissioner Progress Record for the Arrowhead Honor / Commissioner Key http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34169-61.pdf

District and Assistant District Commissioner Progress Record for the Commissioner Key / Arrowhead Honor Award http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34169-62.pdf

Unit Commissioner Progress Record for the Commissioner Key / Arrowhead Honor Award http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34169-63.pdf

Commissioner Award of Excellence in Unit Service http://www.scouting.org/filestore/commissioner/pdf/Commissioner-Award-of-Excellence-in-Unit Service Progress Form.pdf

Distinguished Commissioner Service Award http://usscouts.org/awards/distcommish.asp.

Progress Record for the District Committee Key http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34169-64.pdf

Training Course Requirements http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/BasicTrainingCourseRequirements.pdf

Scouting Forms http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/forms.aspx

Cub Scout Forms http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/Forms.aspx

National Summertime Pack Award http://www.scouting.org/filestore/CubScoutMeetingGuide/PDF/33748_WB.pdf