New Scout Program
The transition from Cub Scout to Scout (or no scout to Scouts) can be a very exciting time for youth. But it is a big change and can be a little intimidating. Almost immediately they will see that other youth, and not adults, run the meetings and other activities.
Why aren't the adults helping? How can anything get done? These changes can be somewhat overwhelming to both the new Scout and their parents. To smooth the transition, we follow the New Patrol system.
When at all possible, the new kids are formed into a New Scout Patrol. A senior Scout (Troop Guide) is assigned to help with new Patrol planning and activities. The Troop Guide is there to instruct and support the Patrol; to help it succeed and encourage the new Scouts towards rank advancement.
An Adult Leader (Assistant Scoutmaster) is also assigned to the patrol. This adult leader will oversee the Patrol's activities, to create a safe environment for scouting and make sure the new scouts are getting the training they need. In most cases, this is simply done by directing a more experienced Scout to help and instruct the new Scouts.
When the older youth shares their knowledge and skills, several things occur. It promotes leadership growth in the older Scout, It helps the younger Scout succeed and feel a sense of belonging, and hopefully, it creates an atmosphere of growth in the new scouts.
A Troop 282 Committee Member will also be assigned as liaison to the new parents. We cannot expect a new Scout to have the maturity to fully understand all his responsibilities in the troop, and then pass that information along to his parents. It is the liaison's responsibility to help new parents learn the program, keep them updated on upcoming events, and to answer any questions and deal with any concerns of the parents.
Many of the activities in our troop meetings and outings are geared toward advancement and moving all our youth to the rank of First Class. These activities help the younger Scouts learn new skills and rewards of rank advancement. The older youth, even if they are already a Star or a Life Scout, will benefit by practicing leadership skills, by organizing themselves and the activities and by teaching the younger Scouts. More importantly, they all are practicing citizenship by cooperating, working together, and making friends. It is the troop's goal that each new Scout achieves the rank of First Class by the end of his second summer.
High vs. Low Adventure
Many parents of younger / new Scouts worry when they see pictures of white water rafting and ask if their kids can handle this type of event. Boy Scout events are catagorized as either High or Low Adventure.
Low Adventure is for Scouts of all ages and skills. A weekend camping trip is a Low Adventure event. Younger Scouts learn skills they need in the outdoors. Older Scouts renew what they have already learned.
For a Scout to participate in a High Adventure event, they must be at least 14 years of age. The Scout must hold the rank of First Class Scout. First Class ranked Scouts have learned all the skills required of a Scout.
In Troop 282, the Scout has also earned the First Aid merit badge, and must have passed the Scout Swimming test. All High Adventure events have trained instructors to help the Scouts. No Scout is ever forced to participate in an event where they feel uncomfortable.
Famous Scouts
- Hank Aaron (Life Scout) - Atlanta Braves slugger
- Michael Jordan (Boy Scout) - basketball legend
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (Boy Scout) - American Civil Rights Leader
- Neil Armstrong (Eagle Scout) - first man on the moon
- Robert Gates (Eagle Scout) - Director of Central Intelligence (CIA), President of Boy Scouts of America
- Mike Rowe (Eagle Scout) - star of "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" on the Discover Channel
- Walter Cronkite (Eagle Scout) - former journalist, TV commentator
- Michael Bloomberg (Eagle Scout) - New York City mayor
- Bill Gates (Boy Scout) - founder of Microsoft
- U.S. Presidents - Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford (Eagle Scout), John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama
- Actors John Heder (Eagle Scout) Ashton Kutcher, Richard Dean Anderson, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Henry Fonda, Jerry Mathers, John Ritter, John Schneider
- Steven Spielberg (Eagle Scout) - Filmmaker
- Sam Walton (Boy Scout) - founder of Walmart