Scouts

February 2012

Busy, Fun Times for Girl Scouts

There are lots of Girl Scout activities this month. Brownie Encampment is at the Balboa Girl Scout headquarters on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4, Junior Encampment is at Whispering Oaks on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 17-18, and Thinking Day is at Jerabek Elementary School on Saturday, Feb. 25. Thinking Day lets girl scouts of all ages learn about countries and cultures from around the world.

The Powder Puff Derby races are right around the corner on Friday, Mar. 9 and 16, at Jerabek Elementary School. For those participating, remember the mandatory weigh-ins for your completed cars are the Saturday before your race date, Mar. 3 and 10, respectively. For those needing assistance cutting their cars, there are workshops on Saturday, Feb. 11, and Sunday, Feb. 12, from 1 to 4 pm. The Powder Puff Derby could use more volunteers. For more information regarding the derby, please contact Lorelle Mudd at [lorelle@san.rr.com].

Girl Scout Cookie Sales are in full swing. If you missed a friendly girl scout at your front door, sales begin later this month in front of our local stores. The Scripps Ranch Girl Scouts, as well as regional and national Girl Scouts, appreciate your support during their main fundraiser. Our troops also appreciate your support of Operation Thin Mint, where you purchase tax-deductible boxes of Girl Scout cookies that are delivered to those serving overseas.

Troop 301 is Going to have a Great New Year

Troop 301 ended 2011 with a blast. We capped off a year of exciting camping with a desert campout in Agua Caliente. We had 23 hikers complete a 20-mile hike from Scripps Ranch to Torrey Pines. Also, scouts served meals to the homeless on Christmas Eve.

We are working to make 2012 even better than 2011. In January we had a Wilderness Survival merit badge campout at Lake Jennings. Our scouts learned about wilderness safety, building emergency shelters, and making a fire.

We also had a training backpacking trip for our scouts who will go to Philmont Scout Ranch this summer. They hiked through Daly Ranch from Lake Hodges. Troop 301's Venture Patrol took a ski trip, and the troop continued its community service project of assisting in food distribution to the needy in January.

Congratulations to new Eagle Scout Craig (CJ) Bosworth Jr. His Court of Honor was held in early January at Buca de Beppo. It was a time of great celebration and fantastic food! Troop 301 had 11 Eagle Scouts in 2011, and many more are very close!

Troop 616 is Proud of our Nine New Eagle Scouts

It was a banner year for the troop as Kevin Young, Will Mebane, Chris McGinn, Nathan Steinberg, Troy Rayder, Aseer Ali, Theo Wisniewski, Hunter Young, and Frank Poole became Eagle Scouts! It takes focus and dedication to persevere through the challenges of school, sports, and community obligations to climb the Eagle mountain. Congratulations to all!

Emergency preparedness was the theme for December, and each of our patrols came together for some great presentations on this topic. Although the month was a little slower than usual due to the holidays, we still squeezed in a few activities. We started off with good intentions to play broomball at the Iceoplex, but the Zamboni made the ice too slippery and we were unable to walk on it safely. This resulted in an ice skating adventure followed by hot chocolate.

We also had a visit by Webelos for a tour of our troop. We talked about our awesome troop and played fun games. We hope to see some of them back. We are gearing up for lots of fun in 2012.

Troop 663 Kicks Off The New Year

In January Troop 663 invited Webelos to our weekly meeting to show them how the troop works. Our troop is excited to welcome Webelos in the coming months as they bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. To join our troop, please contact our scoutmaster, Mr. Muckerman, at [MMuckerman@excelengineering.net].

On Sunday, Feb. 5, boy scouts will show scout spirit by wearing their uniforms to church. Scout Sunday coincides with a point of the Scout Law, "reverent." Scouts believe they should be respectful to all religions.

This year the troop resolved to do more high adventure trips, so on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12, scouts will participate in backpacking training. Also on that weekend, there will be a campout at Mataguay where scouts will participate in a service project, shoot rifles, and stay the night. The council also will go on a snow trip on Sunday, and scouts will be able to snowboard and ski. In March there will be a backpacking trip at Whale Peak, and scouts will experience high adventure and explore Blair Valley.

Troop 664 Hits the Snow

in the New Year

In January Troop 664 had some memorable experiences. Scouts traded in their tents for condos, as they traveled up to Big Bear Mountain for a weekend in January. There, scouts got to snowboard and ski, enjoying each other's company while having a ton of fun. After they were done skiing, the scouts resorted to their Big Bear condo where they relaxed from the day's activities.

Also in January Troop 664 took part in Webelos Day, setting up its classic trebuchet that launched water balloons great distances. For the first time, Troop 664 also built a large slingshot that also launched water balloons. If you are a Webelos scout who is interested in becoming a boy scout and enjoyed our display at Webelos Day, visit one of troop meetings, open to all Webelos.

Pack 616 is on a Roll!

Our Webelos scouts attended the Scripps-Mesa District Webelos Day at the Scripps Ranch Community Park. Six Boy Scout troops showcased the exciting adventures that await cub scouts after bridging into a troop. Thanks to all the boy scouts!

This month our Pinewood Derby takes place. The cub scouts work hard on their cars, and it is always fun to see the creativity and master skills on the tracks as they race their cars against fellow scouts. The results for fastest car, best workmanship, most creative, coolest, and craziest pinewood will be announced in the SRCA Newsletter. Last year we saw a guitar-shaped car!

For all questions and contacts, please visit [www.pack616.com].Until then, happy Scouting!