nugent725

Twocub,

I gotta say, that story is pretty funny...it reminds me of a kid we had in my troop when I was a youth, but that's a different story for a different time.

Nevertheless, I have to agree with Beavah and the others, as far as the Epi-Pen goes. I understand that in most cases, you want an adult to administer it to the Scout. However, say the boys are off playing some kind of game or another and the allergic kid comes in contact with some sort of tree nut (often peanut allergic individuals are usually allergic to tree nuts)? No adults around...what do you do? I seem to be forgetting here...what's that motto thing, "Be what?". I'm not trying to come off as sarcastic and critical, by the way, I'm just saying that there are times when it may be necessary. Hopefully, it won't be...hopefully, you go your entire Scouting tenure without ever having to issue an Epi-Pen. As mikeb said in the original post "Peanut butter, trail mix, energy bars, etc., all staples of scouting", with that in mind its better to have the Scouts know how to use it and not need it...than to have them need it and not know how to use it.

Safe Scouting,

Ryan

Vigil,

I understand that Irish tartans are not set by Clan, but by County. For example, I would wear County Westmeath...because that's where the Nugents were most prominent. Nevertheless, I don't want to get sidetracked into the whole Celt/Scot tradition history.

What I was essentially hitting at is a BSA tartan. Now that I've had a few minutes to think on it, the Webelos necker pattern would be perfect. It has the green and red for the Boy Scout program, Blue and Gold for the Cubs...and the two are enmeshed together, signifying the union between the two. I don't know if the BSA designed this necker that way, but it makes sense to me. Anyway...take that "tartan", and place a small patch of MacLaren, with the log or beads.

I have to admit, I thought that this was an excellent idea, until I read jblake47's post. It did make me stop and think, and realize that we should respect the traditions of the old world. Yet, I love celebrating my Irish heritage (Yes, the Celts wore kilts too...not just the Scots), with kilts and old world traditions. So what to do? Well, this may be a bit of a middle ground. How about a new (and registered/recognized) BSA tartan, with a small swatch of the MacLaren Tartan, possibly with a set of beads embroidered over top? This way, we are wearing our own tartan, and respectfully paying tribute to the MacLaren clan. If the BSA were to really go for this (which realistically, I doubt they would) then you would have two kilts...one with the MacLaren swatch (for WoodBadgers), and one without for those that aren't. Just a thought.

YIS,

Ryan

Fellow Scouters,

I am currently working on a patch blanket (gigantic 90"x90") and am in need of some patches. Specifically though, I am looking for the BSA 90th and 95th Anniversary patches. At one point in my youth I had picked up the 85th anniversary patch(even though it was a few years later) on a Lodge weekend, and I have the 100th anniversary patch. I was wondering if anyone out there knew where I could get one (or if there was an extra willing to be traded/sold). I already tried eBay, to no avail...so I think I might be out of luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yours in Scouting,

Ryan

In my humble opinion, I am questioning why you would grant a unit leader an award of merit (be it ULAM, or anything else) when they choose what parts of the program they want to follow? Now I'm not saying we all have to live by the strict letter of the policies, but generally staying close is a good idea.

Moreover, I am wondering why anybody doesn't think that its a HUGE red flag that they are asking for pre-signed YP certifications! I did the YP training online and it only took roughly 30 min (if I remember correctly). So it's not like it's some huge ordeal that is extremely complicated, etc. When you have some spare time at home, take the course and print out the certificate. So I don't know why that doesn't raise a few eyebrows.

ScoutMythBuster,

First, and foremost, I would say that you have to look at what was causing the violent outbursts to begin with, before expulsion from the Troop. Is it something that can be corrected? Many times in situations like this, it gets tricky because now is when this young boy could use Scouting more than ever. With that said, your obligation to the other Troop's leaders depends on the situation. Was this boy getting physical because he was being picked on (and only the retaliation was noticed by the adult leadership)? If that's the scenario, then it may not be necessary. If the boy was genuinely being a bully, it may be a good idea to give a heads up. Regardless of which type of situation it is, if you decide to inform the other Troop's leadership, then I would say to emphasize that you are only informing them so that they can be on their toes, and not get blindsided with whatever situation may arise. Perhaps with this boy joining the other Troop, he will fit in better and he might not have tendencies toward violent outbursts. Also, was it a simple punch in the arm, or did he pin down another boy, wailing on him until he broke his nose?

There are a lot of different angles to look at before making your decision, and the original post doesn't quite have enough information to make a clear cut yes or no answer. Personally, I would say that a general heads up might be a good idea...but emphasize that that is all it is, and not to treat him differently, or expel him from that Troop, etc. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

YIS,

Ryan

m-mckai1,

In our Troop, we use Scoutlander. When I was toying with the idea of a Troop website, I did think about FB for a second...but realized its a bit too hard to monitor and regulate. I found scoutlander.com, which offers free web-hosting to packs, troops, and crews. It is set up with a public site and a private site (which requires login). By default, the photo gallery is in the private domain...and you can change who can/can't post photos. I also make sure that anything on the public site doesn't contain full names (for example I will use Johnny S., instead of Johnny Scout). It's worth looking into.

http://www.scoutlander.com

and here's our Troop's public site, so you have an example of what it would look like:

http://www.troop246.scoutlander.com

The private domain also has an event calendar (which can send a mass email about event reminders such as meetings, trips, COHs, etc.) as well as the "Knowledge Base", which is sort of a forum/bulletin board. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask.

Yours in Scouting,

Ryan

onevoice,

First and foremost...my condolences.

With regards to contributions that were made, you could either give them to the family, or establish a fund in his name. Recently, Unami Lodge recently lost our former Section Chief...who was only 19 (and in that short time had earned Eagle, Vigil, the OA Founders Award, and several other prestigious honors). In the obituary, it stated "in lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to the Thomas J. Richards Memorial Scholarship Fund". Losing a member of the Scout family is always hard, especially when they're young. Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of knowing this fine young man...but the effect is still the same nonetheless.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/obits_detail/article/136/2010/august/19/thomas-j-richards.html

I don't want to hijack your thread, but simply want to let you know that you are not alone...and we are all here for each other.

Yours in Scouting,

Ryan Nugent

Beardad: It's not just a Pacific NW thing...we do it here in the NE/Mid-Atlantic.

The logic behind it isn't really the whole "fashion statement" thing. If you were a little chilly and wanted to keep warm, you would wear a long sleeve tee right? That's the concept, except that you still want to be in uniform, so you wear it over top. Why not a L/S shirt? Maybe this scout doesn't own one? Maybe can't afford a second shirt? Perhaps he didn't bring it because he didn't think it would get cold enough to warrant the long sleeve. The point is that it doesn't matter why the scout is wearing a long sleeve tee. The original poster was asking about any regs on color of the shirt. I don't see why there would be...after all, there's no reg on color of short sleeve shirts, correct? If there were, then I think the greater question would be why the BSA has an interest in the color of my undergarments...

sam&johnsw mom,

According to the BSA Insignia Guide, the back of the sash is a place where temporary patches can be worn. With that said (and if anyone in the forum feels I'm wrong on this, please say so), one thing you could do is on the back of the sash (outside) sew on a council strip, troop # and patrol patch...all as "temporary" insignia. This way if, for some reason, your Scout loses it at camp someone will be able to return it based on the info on the patches. However, shortridge and ssscout are right. On one hand, it shouldn't be too much of a risk to lose it because it is typically only worn at special events. With that said, ssscout is correct because, well...kids lose things (you're a parent so i'm sure you know that already). My idea is only a mere suggestion due to the fact that it is also temporary (in the event that he outgrows that sash and decides to donate it to a smaller, less fortunate Scout). Hope that helped some.

Yours in Scouting,

Ryan

"TI, still abiding when we leave thee..."

I am really saddened by the fact that generations of scouts will miss out on this wonderful opportunity. It was a great camp, plus its historic value ("oldest" scout camp, and founding of the Order). I never served on the staff, but I was there quite a few times for either a weekend trip or summer camp. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take my Ordeal there...but it is where I took my Brotherhood. It's funny, now that I'm looking back I remember how much I hated having to haul all of your gear from the dock, up the hill and to your site. Now that it's gone, I would gladly do it all over again with a smile. My only hope is that FOTI rehabs the place and someday turns it back over to COL. Its also extremely upsetting to see how much work the Lodge members, local units, and interested parties put into fixing everything on the island...only to have it closed. I am curious though, how much money it will take to get TI back into working condition. It would be nice to not only hit that mark, but exceed it so that future generations can experience the wonders of TI (if you've never been, just ask anyone from Cradle of Liberty and they'll know what I'm talking about). For know we can only hope...

Yours in WWW,

Ryan Nugent

ASM, OA Troop Rep Adviser

Troop 246

Delaware District

Cradle of Liberty

I was kinda leaning that way, going with the less is more type philosophy...i just wanted to make sure. Thanks again.

YIS,

Ryan

Here's a question for all of you out there...

When in "Full Class A", I know that it is acceptable to wear the Eagle medal, but what about other medals such as Historic Trails, or other local medals. The Historic Trails medals were earned as a youth, but can be earned by adults. The other one in particular is the Union League of Philadelphia's Good Citizenship Award, which is only given to a handful of youth each year.

On one hand the line of thinking is that these are medals that are either rare or adult eligible. On the other hand, they were earned as a youth (but then again so is Eagle). I know its probably a stupid/silly question but its better to ask the question, and possibly avoid a uniforming faux pas. Thank you.

Yours in Scouting,

Ryan

Resica is a great camp, it is a mainstay in our program...and has been since I was a youth. Since Treasure Island was forced to close, Unami Lodge was moved to Resica. If you have any arrowmen in your unit, they might find it interesting to visit the founding Lodge.