Cell phone have become a ubiquitous part of today’s society.  Many of our Scouts carry their phones with them to Troop meetings and events.  These phones can be a tool to help the contact parents, store information, or look things up to complete rank and merit badge requirements.  They can also be a distraction at meetings and isolate Scouts from one another.

We recognize that it is unrealistic to ban cell phones from Troop meetings and events, but our leadership has decided that we need to set clear expectations of how cell phones should be used during Troop functions.  Below is a proposed cell phone policy.  We invite Scouts and Parents / Guardians to provide their feedback to their youth leaders, the Scoutmaster or Committee Chair before November 19, 2023.  The official policy will be adopted in the November 21 PLC meeting.

Proposed Cel Phone Policy

• Troop 457 and its leadership are NOT responsible for the cell phone if it is lost, stolen, or damaged during Scout activities.
• Cell phones are a Scouts personal property (just like their tent and camping gear).  It is the Scout’s responsibility to keep track of the phone. If a cell phone is lost during a scout activity the Troop will not spend a large amount of time looking for it.
• Scouts should not be on their cell phones during Troop Meetings unless explicitly needed for the activity.  Cell phones will only be used during down times at Troop meetings and events and should never be a disruption to troop activities.
• Cell phones will NOT be taken into restrooms, shower facilities for any reason (charging, private phone calls, or for pictures/video). This is a violation of Youth Protection.
• No pictures or videos will be posted by Scouts on any social media site without the permission of the person in the picture or video.  The Troop is permitted to post photos / videos to the Troop social media accounts and TroopTrack.
• Use of the cell phone should follow the 12 points of the Scout Law. Inappropriate content should not be accessed.
• Cyber bullying is prohibited and will not be tolerated.
• Adult leadership will NOT provide their vehicles or other means for charging of cell phones. 
• No music playing at any time, especially at night. Earbuds are to be worn to not disturb others.

Registration

We are currently at capacity for the Troop Lodge for summer camp (22 scouts and 6 adults signed up).  We can accommodate more campers on our site if they are willing to camp in tents / hammocks.

If you or someone in your family plans on attending Summer Camp:

• Review your RSVP in TroopTrack to make sure you have responded.
• If you haven’t RSVPed for the event, register on Trooptrack ASAP so we know how many people to expect and to plan transportation.

The absolute final date to sign up or change your response is May 16.  After that date, campers will be charged based on their RSVP.

Merit Badge Planning

The schedule for merit badges classes has been released for our week of camp.  Scouts should review the schedule and create a plan for what badges they would like to participate in during the week.  Registration for merit badge classes will open at noon on Tuesday, May 6.  We are working on a plan to register Scouts for their classes at that time as some classes fill up quickly.  Additional information will be shared at an upcoming meeting.

Reading The Schedule

The schedule for our week of Summer Camp is available HERE.  The file contains 4 pages that look like the image below:

• There are 9 possible scheduling slots for the week (called “pods” on the schedule). This includes:
  • Morning sessions each day Monday through Friday
  • Afternoon sessions each day Monday through Thursday.
• Some merit badges require more than one pod to complete.  The color of the cell indicates whether the Merit Badge requires one or more pods to complete:
  • Merit Badges requiring 1 pod are shown in GREEN.
  • Merit Badges requiring 2 pods are shown in shades of ORANGE.
  • Merit Badges requiring more than 2 pods (i.e. Hiking MB, Project COPE) are shown in PURPLE.
• Note that the pods are shown OUT OF ORDER in the document (e.g., Monday AM and Tuesday AM are grouped together).  This is because badges requiring multiple sessions have classes in the morning or afternoon on consecutive days.
• Multiple classes may be offered for a merit badge in a week.
• The final four columns of the document contain additional information about pre-/post- requirements, cost and additional information.
  • “Starting Requirements” are the pre-requirements to be completed BEFORE arriving at Summer Camp.
  • “Finishing Requirements” are requirements that will be finished by the Scout AFTER Summer Camp.
    • Scouts will earn a “partial” on these badges until the requirements are finished.
    • The Merit Badge Counselor may allow Scouts to show they have completed these Finishing Requirements before arriving at camp, but this is up to the Counselor’s discretion.
  • Merit Badges with additional costs for supplies are indicated in the Costs column.
    • Some of these kits must be purchased at the trading post before starting the merit badge.
    • Scouts are responsible for bringing cash to camp to cover these costs.
• Many merit badges will have work to be completed at camp during a Scout’s open time.
• Classes are planned to be capped at 15 scouts with a waitlist in the event that a class is filled.

Preparing Your Merit Badge Plan

• Review the BSR Merit Badges Week 2 schedule.
• Plan to fill up to 7 of the 9 “pods”.  Leave some time for “campwork” and for personal advancements. If you fill all of the “pods”, you will have a very busy week.

• • Write out your ideal schedule for the week with your top preferences.
  • Include 3 or 4 possible alternates.
  • All scouts who do not have First Aid MB or Swimming MB must make those your top 2 choices.  There are 4 sections of each of those MBs in the course of the week.  Talk to your peers and plan to register for the same section.
• We are working on a plan for getting the actual registration completed.  You will be asked to bring your plan to a future meeting so we know how to register you.

In February 2023, the BSA updated the Guide to Safe Scouting policy to revise the Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse and the Cub Scout Coordinated Camping Sections.  The Scouting Barriers to Abuse change directly impacts who is permitted to stay overnight at a Scouting activity.

The following requirements are effective September 1, 2023:

Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including all meetings. There must be a registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over in every unit serving females. A registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over must be present for any activity involving female youth or female adult program participants.

Notwithstanding the minimum leader requirements, age and program-appropriate supervision must always be provided.

All adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered in an adult fee required position as listed or as an adult program participant.

See: https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss01/

What does this mean for our Troop?

Starting on September 1, any adult participating in overnight events with the Troop must be Registered Adult Leaders in fee-paid leadership positions.  (Merit Badge Counselors DO NOT meet this requirement.)

Adults who do not meet these requirements may participate in the events during the day but will NOT be permitted to spend the night.

How to become an Adult Leader

In order to become an adult leader, you will be required to complete a membership application, obtain necessary clearances, and complete the BSA’s Youth Protection training (YPT).  Instructions can be found HERE.

Troop leadership will help you determine the correct position based on how you would like to engage with the Troop as this can impact the Troop’s Journey to Excellence (JTE) score.

• Parents who want to play an active committee member or assistant Scoutmaster must take additional training to increase our JTE score.
• Parents who don’t want to play an active role in the troop can be registered as Unit Scouter Reserve.  YPT is the only required training.

Troop 457 is excited to welcome Elizabeth Peterson as the Troop’s new Advancement Chair!  Mrs. Peterson is taking over the position from Mrs. Byers who has filled this role for several years.

As Advancement Chair, Mrs. Peterson is responsible or:

• Encouraging Scouts to advance in rank
• Helping plan and conduct induction and advancement recognition ceremonies.
• Working with the Scouts to maintain the Troop’s advancement records.
• Arranging Troop Scoutmaster Conferences, Boards of Review and quarterly Courts of Honor.

Look for an email from Mrs. Peterson soon with additional information.  You can alway connect with Mrs. Peterson using the Advancement mailing list in TroopTrack or by completing advancement request forms in the Advancement Hub on the Troop website.