Scouts BSA Troop 457 > Announcements
CategoriesAnnouncements

Our TroopTrack URL is Changing!

Troop 457

Beginning the week of October 24, the URL we use to access TroopTrack is changing to:

https://Troop457Zelie.TroopTrack.com

This change is intended to align our TroopTrack URL with our website and new Social Media presence.  The Troop has also launched new, public-facing social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube which will be used for community outreach and recruiting purposes.  (For Youth Protection purposes, we will not post photos/video of our Scouts to these sites without parental permission.)

Facebook Opal-icon-instagram Youtube Globe

You are also invited to join our (soon to be private) Facebook Group where you can share photos from Troop events to our current members and alumni.

This change will also allow us to create custom email addresses that will automatically forward emails to the appropriate individuals in the Troop.  Need to send a message to your patrol or schedule a Scoutmaster Conference or Board of Review?  There will be unique email addresses setup to allow you to do just that.

Preparing for the Change

An email will be sent to all members from TroopTrack once the change is completed.  At that time, you should:

  • Update any links / bookmarks you have setup on your personal devices.
  • Add @Troop457Zelie.TroopTrack.com and @Troop457Zelie.org domains to your contacts / email whitelist so it is not treated as spam.
  • Relink the Troop Calendar to your personal devices (if you had previously subscribed to the).

We do not know if the old TroopTrack URL will redirect to the new URL after the transition.

CategoriesAnnouncements

Volunteers Needed to Organize 2023 Activities!

Troop 457

Many hands make light work.

The Troop has at least one event planned every month (in addition to our weekly Troop Meetings).  While our Scouts do much of the planning and coordination for these activities, they still need help from adults to be successful. 

We ask that parents signing up to help our Scouts coordinate one event per year.  Our goal is to have at least two adults assigned to each of the Troop’s events (one with over a year’s experience with the Troop). 

Volunteer Survey

Please complete the survey below to let us know which events you would be interested in helping to coordinate.  We will contact you with additional information before assigning you to the event.  (All fields are required unless otherwise noted.)

CategoriesAnnouncements

Mr. Maloney’s Wood Badge Ticket

Troop 457

TICKET COMPLETE!

In September and October 2022, I have attended the BSA’s Wood Badge leadership training course. As part of the course, I had to develop a vision and set of goals (collectively called a “ticket”) that will improve Scouting in some way. I now have until March 10, 2024 to achieve those goals in order to complete my Wood Badge.  I’d like to share some of the details of my ticket as my vision is intended to have a positive impact on our Troop, Scouts, and families.

I’m excited to start completing my ticket and I hope your excited about how our Troop will continue to grow and improve in the coming years. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas.

Yours in Scouting,

Mr. Maloney
Assistant Scoutmaster

WHAT IS WOOD BADGE?

Wood Badge is the ultimate leadership training program of the Boy Scouts of America. Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience and tradition, Wood Badge draws upon current leadership models used to train leaders in organizations throughout the world. Through hands-on activities, learning experiences, and games, leadership models are brought to life. 

Wood Badge isn’t just a training, it’s an experience. Participants come together with a variety of leaders in Scouting to learn and practice the latest in leadership models, backed by the timeless principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

MY WOOD BADGE TICKET

Vision

To create a repeatable onboarding process for new Scouts and their families that is welcoming and rooted in the deep heritage of Scouting.

Goals

Last Updated on March 30, 2023
  1. Create and send a series of “New Member Bootcamp” emails and website posts: (COMPLETED 5/2023) Joining a Troop (even from Cub Scouting) can be an overwhelming experience, especially in a Troop with over 80 years of history behind it. To complete this goal, I’ll continue sending monthly emails to our incoming AOL families sharing important information they’ll need to know when their Scout crosses over and make that same information (and more) available on a special “New Member Bootcamp” section of our Troop website.
  2. Develop a plan with the AOL Den Leader to engaged Scouts from the Troop in the Den’s annual advancement: (COMPLETED 11/2022) The Troop’s greatest recruiting tool is our Cub Scout Pack and we want our Cub Scouts to be excited to join our Troop. To complete this goal, I’ll work with our AOL Den Leader to a schedule for 2022-2023 and finding ways to get our Scouts to help the Den and Pack.
  3. Offer a Scouting Heritage Merit Badge Class to Scouts in Troop 457 after crossover this spring:(COMPLETED 5/2023) Scouting Heritage Merit Badge helps Scouts to learn the history of our program and gain a greater appreciation for this traditions and methods of Scouting. As a counselor for this Merit Badge, I hope our Patrol Leaders Council will allow me to present this merit badge class to all of the Scouts in our Troop.
  4. Hold quarterly “Coffee with the Scoutmaster” sessions:  (COMPLETED 2/2023) Scout meetings can be chaotic affairs and sometimes there just isn’t enough time for leaders to address questions from Scouts and families. During these quarterly events, Scouts, their families, and the whole Zelienople Community will be invited to join me at a local Zelienople business to have your questions answered while also helping the Troop be more visible in the community. (Think of it as an in-person Reddit “Ask me Anything”)
  5. Compile a “scholarship list” for youth who would like to participate in the program:(COMPLETED 5/2023) Scouting can be an expensive activity, but I want to make sure that every youth who wants to participate in our program can. This scholarship list will allow us to proactively identify ways that we can help Scouts fund their participation when the costs can’t be covered through fundraising or family contributions. (This may include setting aside funds at a Troop level, identifying donors in the community willing to sponsor Scouts, or even finding groups that provide Scouts uniforms.)

HOW YOU CAN HELP

I’m ultimately the one who needs to complete the goals on my ticket, but I hope that you will help me by:

  • Anyone: Participating in the “Coffee with the Scoutmaster” and Scouting Heritage Merit Badge sessions
  • Scouts and their Families:
    • Telling me about what you wish you knew when you joined the Troop
    • Responding to requests for assistance / input

LEARN MORE ABOUT WOOD BADGE

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