THE DISTRICT
COMMITTEE AT WORK FOR YOU
703-799-7046
or e-mail: Jim_Poole@nps.gov
Colonial District Cub Scouters
Plan Now For Your
1999 JOIN SCOUTING NIGHT
Are You An Adult Leader In A Cub Scout
Pack? If You Are, Then You Need To
Begin Planning Your 1999 JOIN SCOUTING NIGHT (JSN99). JSN99 will be Thursday, September 16, 1999. JSN99 is the premier opportunity in 1999 to
take the Cub Scout message to those boys in our community who are not yet part
of the Scouting program and invite them and their parents to join the FUN!
Scouting is for EVERY boy. We need to do our best to ensure that every
boy and parent in Colonial District is invited to join the adventure of
Scouting, the one that will help shape the lives of those who are our future
leaders of our communities and our nation.
On September 30, 1998, there were 937 registered Cub Scouts in Colonial
District. At the end of December, there
were 1,363, or about 9 new Cubs in each of our 48 schools in the District. On December 31, 1999, we hope to have 2,000
- this number represents 13 new Cubs in each school.
Like everything else in Scouting, a
successful Join Scouting campaign depends on our volunteers, those who are
already in the program, who know what it offers to our youth and who will make
the commitment to achieve success. Each
Cub Scout pack should begin planning now to invite all boys and their parents
to an elementary school near their home to learn about Scouting and offered the
opportunity to join a Cub Scout pack.
In the National Capital Area Council, it is the intent that every
elementary school in the council be open on the same night - Thursday,
September 16th. If you are unable to
conduct your JSN on the 16th, you should select a date that is closest to the
16th, but not later than the 16th, as registration forms are due on the
17th and 18th.
Join Scouting Night is a short,
fast-moving session where boys and parents gather to see simple displays and to
hear a brief outline for the Scouting program.
They will talk with adult leaders, fill out applications (parents, too),
pay fees and get needed information about meetings and activities.
Join
Scouting Night requires people to make it work well. Each pack will need to identify a pack
coordinator and one school coordinator
for each of those schools where you recruit new Cubs (see list below).
The school coordinator presides at
JSN99 program at the school, helps parents register the boys, collects the fees
and turns the forms and fees over to the pack coordinator, who turns them in to
Colonial District on Friday, September 17th or Saturday, September 18th. To do a good job, these people need to be
identified early and begin their coordination with their assigned school.
The school coordinator has one more
very important job - to make a classroom presentation in every classroom on
the 16th and flyers to every boy who is eligible to become a Scout.
National
Capital Area Council recommends Join Scouting Night include exhibits and
displays with Scouts in uniform and pictures of their activities. Name tags should be provided for
parents It is critical to coordinate
your use of a school room early with school authorities. After conducting an opening ceremony, the
school coordinator should briefly state the purpose of the meeting and describe
the opportunities for Cubs and how parents can participate in the program. Unit leaders should be introduced and given the
opportunity to tell about the unit. (Don't
forget to invite a unit leader from your local Boy Scout troop to invite boys
who are at least 11 to join the troop.)
You may want to organize separate meetings for parents and Tiger Cub
leaders, Cub Scout leaders and Boy Scout leaders. At these meetings, the leaders should emphasize the importance of
the parent joining Scouting along with the boy, since Scouting is a volunteer
organization.
NCAC also recommends that you provide
information on the unit to include its leadership, meeting time and place, your
chartered partner, Boys Life subscriptions, the program for 1999-2000,
advancement and your Den organization.
You should conclude your JSN with a game for the boys and leave the
school grounds by 9 PM.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO NOW?
·
Select your UNIT COORDINATOR AND SCHOOL COORDINATORS right
away! Don't wait until fall.
·
Tell us who your Unit Coordinator is.
·
Call or send an email to:
Jane Sanchez:
360-9181, jsanchez@bna.com OR
Jim Poole:
799-7046, jjpoole@erols.com
Your Unit Coordinator should attend the
Join Scouting Night Orientation on August 11 OR September 8 to pick
registration forms and other materials to make Join Scouting Night successful
for your Pack, but let us know NOW who to talk to in your Pack to help you make
Scouting available to every boy!
The following
is the list of schools in Colonial District needing a Join Scouting Night
presentation this September. Each
school is paired to one Cub Scout pack based upon the recruiting area for the
pack.
NOTE: The pack is asked to conduct a
Join Scouting Night presentation at its associated school or schools and to
recruit boys for that pack AND for any other pack that the parent wishes the
boy to join, at the discretion of the parent. Packs chartered to wards of the LDS Church are not expected to
conduct a Join Scouting Night but should redouble their efforts to enroll all
eligible boys in their packs.
Area 1 Packs: Paired
School(s) for JSN99:
129 Barrett Elem., Mason Elem.
133 Lyles Crouch Elem., Maury ElemP.
602 Alexandria Country Day, Saint Mary=s
609 Jefferson Houston Elem.
614 James K. Polk Elem, Blessed Sacrament,
Patrick Henry Elem.
615 Ramsey Elem., Adams Elem.
801 MacArthur Elem.
1108 Cora Kelly Elem., Mt. Vernon Elem.
1515 St. Stephens (Lower School), Grace Episcopal,
Immanuel Lutheran
Area 2 Packs: Paired School(s) for JSN99
867 Bush Hill Elem., Franconia Elem.
871 Groveton Elem.
1076 Calvary Road Christian, Lane Elem.
1520 Burgundy Farm Country Day, Cameron
Elem., Clermont Elem., Mt. Eagle Elem.,
Rose Hill Elem.
1943 Browne Academy
Area 3 Packs: Paired School(s) for JSN99
658 Belleview Elem., Bucknell Elem.,
Quander Road Elem.
680 St. Louis Catholic School, Hybla
Valley Elem.
888 Stratford Landing Elem.
1504 Waynewood Elem.
1509 Fort Hunt Elem.
1852 Hollin Meadows Elem.
Area 4 Packs: Paired School(s) for JSN99
118 Fort Belvoir Elem.
876 & 977 Aquinas Montessori, Mt. Vernon Woods
Elem., Riverside Elem., Woodlawn Elem., Woodley Hills Elem.
1503 Washington Mill Elem., Engleside
Christian
1519 Hayfield Elem.
1900 Gunston Elem.
DON'T FORGET...CUB SCOUTING IS FOR BOYS...
EVERY
BOY!
202-404-8926 or
e-mail: Mike.Crane@bolling.af.mil
ACTIVITIES AND
CIVIC SERVICE - Bill Stewart
703-642-8942
or e-mail: ke4bae@crosslink.net
Colonial District Fall 1999 Camporee
Friday, October 1-Sunday, October
3, 1999 Gunston Hall Plantation, Mason Neck, Virginia Planning Coordinator:
Jim Garamone; 703/360-5692 -H; 703/428-0610 -W; jagaram@hq.afis.osd.mil -W.
Mount Vernon
Encampment
The Spirit of George Washington Encampment promises to be an exciting event that you
won't want to miss. From Friday evening, November 5, to Sunday morning,
November 7, nearly 1,000 Scouts and 150 adults leaders from troops, teams,
crews, and posts across the council will enjoy two nights of camping and a full
Saturday of program activities on the Mount Vernon grounds to help commemorate
the life of George Washington. The Saturday program will include visits to the
mansion and other attractions on the ground; opportunities to interact with
re-enactors depicting Washington as President and Revolutionary soldiers; a
special afternoon salute to George Washington in recognition of the 200th
anniversary of his death the following month; and an exciting campfire with
songs and skits from Washington's time.
Visit https://members.tripod.com/colonialdistrict1/SGW
for information about this Council Camporee.
People who might be interested in working on the staff should contact
Tom Baerwald.
ADVANCEMENT -
Jeff Schweiger
(W) 703-601-1437 e-mail:
schweiger.jeffrey@hq.navy.mil
(H) 703-461-9632 e-mail: jschweig@ix.netcom.com
Eagle Board Contact
Information: The Chair of the Colonial District
Eagle Board is John Tillery, who can be contacted at 971-8367 or
jttillery@aol.com. Contact John to
approval of Eagle Projects prior to undertaking the project and to have an
Eagle Board member assigned to serve as a member of the Board of Review once
all other Eagle requirements have been met
TRAINING - Dominick Caridi
703-360-9206 or
e-mail: DSCaridi@aol.com
SCOUTMASTER
FUNDAMENTALS COURSE
REGISTER NOW for the fall Scoutmaster
Fundamentals Course, the District's premier training course for all
Scouters. It's not just for new
Scoutmasters or Assistant Scoutmasters: anyone active at the troop level,
including committee members, will find it worthwhile. This is the place to get the knowledge and practical experience
to bring a successful Scouting program to the boys. The course is a hands-on learning opportunity that covers
essential outdoor skills as well as how patrols and troops are structured and
operate. There are three sessions:
Thursday evening, Sept. 9 (7-10 pm) and Saturday, Sept. 11 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
at Aldersgate, and Friday-Saturday, Sept 17-18 at Ft. Belvoir. It's a popular course and enrollment is
limited so register quickly. Contact
Course Scribe Norm Johnson, at (703) 360-9206 or johnsall@aol.com, Course Director Dom Caridi
at (703) 360-9206 or dscaridi@aol.com, or
Boy Scout Training Team Leader Dave Stewart at (703) 461-7233 or
dstew76798@aol.com.
JUNIOR LEADER TRAINING WORKSHOP
The District's one-day Junior
Leader Training Workshop will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2, during the fall Camporee at Gunston Hall. To enroll, Scouts should be at least First
Class and have completed JLT in their Troop.
Participation is not
limited to those holding (or expected to hold) senior leadership positions; the
purpose of the course is to enable participants to learn and practice the
skills which will enable them to be more effective if and when they assume
responsibilities as elected or appointed leaders in the future. However, since it may be necessary to limit registration,
Scoutmasters are asked to rank their nominees.
(We plan a similar course at the Spring Camporee.)
Workshop Staff: Each Troop
is requested to nominate one or two senior Scouts (Life or above) to serve on
the Workshop staff. Solid leadership
experience and presence is required; attendance at a previous JLTW session, at
IMPESSA or at a similar course is strongly preferred.
Register Now: For further
information, and to nominate Scouts to participate or to serve on the Workshop
staff, contact David Stewart, SM Troop 1515 at (703) 461-7233 or dstew76798@aol.com or Dominick Caridi,
District Training Chair, at (703) 360-9206 or dscaridi@aol.com.
MERIT BADGE JAMBOREE
Save the date: Saturday,
February 26. We want to offer a
wide range of elective Merit Badges, including (but not limited to) American
Heritage, Archaeology, Astronomy, Collections, Computers, Crime Prevention,
Disabilities Awareness, Energy, Engineering, Geology, Journalism, Medicine,
Metalwork, Photography, Public Speaking, Radio, Railroading, Space Exploration,
Surveying, and Weather. But we need
your help now to make the Jamboree a success. Which badges should be offered?
Can you (or another Scouter in your Troop) serve as an instructor or
counselor or assistant for any of these badges? Can you suggest others (teachers, professors, professionals) with
the necessary enthusiasm and expertise to teach our Scouts? Can you help with organization and
registration? Please contact Dave
Stewart, SM Troop 1515, at 703-461-7233 or dstew76798@aol.com.
Out-of-Council Training Opportunity
The Baltimore Area Council will
hold its Merit Badge Weekend on October 22-24 at Camp Cupertino. In addition to Merit Badges, they will offer
Den Chief training, JLT, First Year Camper, Youth Protection and other courses.
Registration deadline: September
15. For further information, visit the
website at http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~elloyd/scouts.html
or contact Kenneth Krantz at (301) 829 5080.
V3 VIGNETTES
Venture,
Varsity, and Venturing (V3) Vignettes
Venturing Roundtable
Beginning in September, the Colonial District will be
offering a Venturing Roundtable in conjunction with its district roundtable
meetings. The Venturing Roundtable will meet on the second Wednesday of each
month, beginning at 8 pm at Aldersgate United Methodist Church at the corner of
Fort Hunt Road and Collingswood Road.
Each Roundtable will feature one of the twenty-six Ranger core and
elective requirements taught by Venturing advisors and outside consultants that
work with Venturing crews. Because of
the similarity of these program activities to those in the Boy Scout and
Varsity programs, Assistant Scoutmaster for Venture and Varsity Team coaches
from ALL districts are encouraged to attend.
This initiative failed last year because the Venturing program was so
new that there was not enough interest to keep it going. Now, with the increase in Venturing crews
and the demand for high adventure activities by all units, the Venturing
Roundtable should fill your needs.
Please come and be a part of this new program!!! We can’t do it without you!!
Venture Hike-O-Ree
Can you believe it!
We will be celebrating a milestone this fall when the 10th Annual
Venture Hike-o-ree is held on October 1-3 and November 5-7, 1999 at the
Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center, Front Royal, VA. We have already started receiving
registrations and hike selections are made on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE
BASIS. September 20 is the cutoff date
for final shirt count for the October Hike-o-ree weekend, so you need to get
your planning done soon. Registration
forms are available electronically to coopwright@aol.com. The cost of the Hike-o-ree is $12.00 ($13.50
for extra extra large shirts). For
additional information, call Cooper Wright, (703) 971-0044 (home) or (703)
358-2802 (work).
NOLS Wilderness Guide Published
The National Outdoor Leadership School’s newly revised and
updated Wilderness Guide (Simon & Schuster $15.00) provides
outdoor enthusiasts everywhere with the latest information on equipment and
backcountry camping and hiking techniques.
Author Mark Harvey, a long time NOLS instructor and freelance writer,
delves into everything from planning a trip to monitoring changing weather
conditions, orienting a map, and preparing fresh-baked bread in a wilderness
setting. The new edition is a
compilation of tried and true NOLS skills and methods tested and practiced by
students and instructors for more than 30 years. Each chapter begins with a brief overview and introduction
offering a goal oriented outlined covered in greater detail throughout the
chapter. Subject titles include
expedition planning, equipment essentials, what to wear in the backcountry,
camping techniques, leadership skills, emergency procedures, weather, and even
backcountry cooking. My 1983 NOLS
Wilderness Guide is pretty thumb worn and I can’t wait to get my new
copy.
Wilderness First Aid
Two 2-day, 16 hour Wilderness First Aid Courses will again
be offered by Christopher Tate, a locally recognized leader in teaching
wilderness medicine and risk management.
Scheduled for the weekends of September 18-19 and December 4-5, 1999,
this course provides an in-depth introduction to patient assessment,
environmental emergencies, splinting techniques, and other topics. The two days of instruction provide Wilderness
First Aid certification. Many Scouters
from our district have completed this course and have found it to be excellent
training. Total cost of the course is
$125. Enrollment is extremely
limited. To reserve a place, please
contact
Christopher Tate, 214 Duncan Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301,
(703) 836-8905 or visit http://wfa.net.
Spirit of the Mountains
If throughout time, the youth of a nation accept the
challenge the mountains offer, they will keep alive in our people the spirit of
adventure. That spirit is the measure
of the vitality of both nations and men.
A people who climb the ridges and sleep under the stars in high mountain
meadows, who enter the forest and scale peaks, who explore glaciers and walk
ridges buried deep in snow--these people will give their country some of the
indomitable spirit of the mountains.
Justice William O. Douglas
Cooper Wright
Colonial District Venturing Coordinator
Northern Virginia Venture Scout Coordinator home: (703) 971-0044
work: (703) 358-2802
COLONIAL
DISTRICT AWARDS
Special Commendation Certificates
Michael Bowman
Helen Garamone
Cooper Wright
Outstanding Chartered
Organization Partner Awards
The Outstanding
Chartered Organization Partner Award recognizes the efforts of chartered organization
partners in the district to advance Scouting.
Chartered organization partners are nominated by unit committees, with
selection of the awardee made by the district's "Key 6" leadership
team.
Fairlington United Methodist Men
Aldersgate United Methodist Church
Colonial District Superior Scouter Awards
The Colonial
District Superior
Scouter Award recognizes outstanding service within Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout
troops, Varsity Scout teams, Venturing crews, and Explorer posts in the
district. Units may nominate up to
three individuals who have provided outstanding service to the unit. The unit committee defines the reasons it
believes each nominee should be given this award. Based on unit nominations, awards are made by the district's
"Key 6" leadership team.
Primary reasons for each individual's award are listed beneath her/his
name.
John Ballenger Steve Jacobson
Bradley Bailey Roger
Lee
John Carlson Leonard
Paul
Kenneth (Tracy) Evans Keith VanderBrink
Steven Harkness Tom Waddell
Ian Hollander Nancy
Woodward
Tommy Thompson Awardees
The Colonial District's Tommy Thompson Award recognizes outstanding
service to Scouting in the Colonial District.
This award is named after Tommy Thompson, a beloved Scoutmaster and
district leader from Alexandria, whose commitment to providing a high-quality
Scouting program to young people in Alexandria and eastern Fairfax County
serves as a model for those individuals selected for this award. Awards are made by the district's "Key
6" leadership team.
William Jones William
Stewart
Lucy Mitchell Rita Trimarchi
David Stewart
District Award of Merit Awardees
Tom
Baerwald Jim Poole
Linda
Hill Bill
Wells
HEALTH & SAFEY
·
Keep an eye on the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of
light, or increasing wind. Listen for the sound of thunder.
·
If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm
to be struck by lightning. Go to safe shelter immediately.
·
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or
television for the latest weather forecasts.
·
An AM radio will pick up static from lightning strikes in
your vicinity before you see or hear them.
·
Lighting storms are often announced by a sudden drop in
temperature and increase in wind. The temperature drop and breeze are usually
the result of a downburst of cold air. Once the air hits the ground, it has no
place to go but outward in all directions. In the process, the cold air mixes
with the warmer air at ground level, becoming a breeze and a temperature drop.
Temperature will also drop from the air moving toward you through all of that
cold water, in the storm, that is approaching. This can happen several minutes
before it actually begins to rain.
·
Find shelter in a building or car. Keep car windows closed
and avoid convertibles.
·
Telephone lines and metal pipes can conduct electricity.
Unplug appliances. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical appliances.
·
Stay away from open doors and windows. fireplaces,
radiators, stoves, metal pipes. sinks, and plug-in electrical appliances.
·
Avoid taking a bath or shower, or running water for any
other purpose.
·
Turn off the air conditioner. Power surges from lightning
can overload the compressor, resulting in a costly repair job!
·
Draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to
objects blow by the wind the shades will prevent glass from shattering into
your home.
·
The summits of mountains, crests of ridges, slopes above
timberline, and large meadows are extremely hazardous places to be during
lightning storms. If you are caught in such an exposed place, quickly descend
to a lower elevation, away from the direction of the approaching storm, and
squat down, keeping your head low. A dense forest located in a depression
provides the best protection. Avoid taking shelter under isolated trees or
trees much taller than adjacent trees. Stay away from water, metal objects, and
other substances that will conduct electricity long distances.
·
Stay in the car if you are traveling. Automobiles offer
excellent lightning protection.
·
If you are in the woods, take shelter under the shorter
trees.
·
If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter
immediately!
·
Don't take laundry off the clothesline.
·
Keep away from fences, metal clotheslines, telephone lines,
power lines, pipelines, and any electrically conductive elevated objects.
·
Avoid hilltops, open spaces, isolated buildings, exposed
sheds or other metal structures. Descend from ridges and mountains on the
leeward side.
·
Don't handle flammable materials in open containers.
·
Don't use metal objects such as fishing rods and golf clubs.
Golfers wearing cleated shoes are particularly good lightning rods.
·
Avoid the highest object in the area. If only isolated trees
are nearby, the best protection is to crouch in the open, keeping twice as far
away from isolated trees as the trees are high. Whenever lightning is nearby,
take off backpacks with either external or internal metal frames. In tents,
stay at least a few inches from metal tent poles.
·
When you are setting up a campsite in the summer-time, keep
thunderstorms in mind. Don't pitch your tent close to the larger trees in the
area, since these are the ones sought after by lighting. Be especially careful
to avoid trees that have long vertical notches in their trunks, or have long,
narrow strips of bark peeled from the trunk. When lighting hits a tree, most of
its force travels down the moist area between the bark and the wood of the
trunk. The bark gets stripped off when the resulting stream forces its escape,
and the narrow vertical notches come about as the tree heals over the following
years.
·
Go to a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles, or
metal objects.
·
Make sure the place you pick is not subject to flooding
·
Stop tractor work, especially when the tractor is pulling
metal equipment, and dismount. Tractors (including lawn tractors) and other
implements in metallic contact with the ground are often struck by lightning.
·
Get out of the water and off small boats. If you cannot get
out of the small boat (i.e., too far from land) you should position yourself as
low as possible in the boat, preferably with your entire body below the line of
the boat. Do not try to out race the storm to land. Also when getting out of
the water go at least 100 yards away from the shore.
·
Lightning takes the path of least resistance to the ground.
Since air is a very poor conductor, lighting seeks anything better - and an
upright human being is far better for its purpose than air! Stick up above the
grass and trees while hiking, and you become a prime target.
·
Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with
your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible. By
squatting with your feet close together, you have minimal contact with the
ground, thus reducing danger from ground currents.
·
If the
threat of lightning strikes is great, your group should not huddle together but
spread out at least 15 feet apart. If one member of your group is jolted, the
rest of you can tend to him.
·
If you can't get out of the open, put your pack, walking
stick, whatever, about 30 feet away from you, propped up high, and huddle on
the ground.
·
Don't sit down, you make a larger target. Crouch down
(between two boulders if possible) on your feet on top of your rolled sleeping
bag, a foam pad, coiled rope or whatever supplementary insulation you have and
ride out the storm.
·
Do not lie flat on the ground---this will make you a larger
target!
·
Stay away from storm-damaged areas.
·
Listen to the radio for information and instructions.
·
People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge and
can be handled safely.
·
Call for help. Get some one to dial 9-1-1 or your local
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) number.
·
The injured person has received an electrical shock and may
be burned, both where they were struck and where the electricity left their
body. Check for burns in both places.
·
Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue
breathing. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR.
·
Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR course. Call your local
Red Cross chapter for class schedules and fees.
·
The Guide to Safe Scouting (#34411)
available from the local BSA Council Office.
·
Fieldbook, Boy Scouts of America (#3200)
·
All About Lightning, Dover Books, ISBN
0-486-25237; Martin A. Uman
·
First Aid merit badge pamphlet
·
Electricity merit badge pamphlet
·
Emergency Preparedness merit badge
pamphlet
American
Red Cross materials:
1.
Are You Ready for a Thunderstorm? (ARC 5009)
2.
Thunderstorms and Lightning...the Underrated Killers
(ARC 5001)
American
Red Cross General Disaster Preparedness materials for children:
1.
Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book (ARC 2200,
English, or ARC 2200S, Spanish) for use by children 3-10.
2.
Adventures of the Disaster Dudes (ARC 5024) video and
Presenter's Guide for use by an adult with children in grades 4-6.
3.
To get copies of American Red Cross Community
Disaster Education materials, contact your Local Red Cross Chapter.