|
COLONIAL DISTRICT CRIER
ORDER OF THE ARROW The LAST GW Chapter OA Picnic will be held at Mason District Park in Annandale (just off Columbia Pike between Gallows and Sleepy Hollow Rds.) from 3pm 'til dark on Sat. August 15th. Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, tacos, watermelon, etc. will be featured. Anyone that wishes to may bring shareables (other dishes, sodas, treats,etc.) to add to our bill-of-fare (and will be greatly appreciated!) OA Members!!! Please pass the word and SHOW UP!!! There's nothing worse than a party when nobody comes! ps: This picnic is for the GW Chapter ... in other words that means everyone from the Colonial, Old Dominion and Patriot 'Chapters-to-be' BROTHERS!!! BE THERE!!! Thanks, Nick Cavalero AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SERVICE --DO A GOOD TURN DAILY-- Scoutmaster Charles Brown, T-118 wrote the following: As you are aware, the campgrounds at Fort Belvoir are in need of some maintenance. This area is used by the district for Scoutmaster Fundamentals, by troops from all over the country when they come to the national capital, by many local troops and by the Cub Scouts. After talking to the command at Ft. Belvoir, it appears the campgrounds will stay there for many years to come. It would be in the best interest of troops and districts that use this area to try to help bring it up to better standards. The six stall composting toilet that was damaged a few years back is now in service but could use a coat of paint to protect it. Paths in and out of the sites should be better marked and fire rings established in the sites. A general cleanup of the area would also help. I am working with post now to try to come up with a method of preventing trash from the dumpsters behind the commissary from blowing into the sites. I have also acquired many large cable spools to paint and use for tables in the campsites. The volleyball court could use some maintenance as well as a new all weather net. The campfire circle could use some maintenance as well. I will try to approach post for help in acquiring materials but really need labor. My troop has tried to help in the past but it is too much for one troop. If any troops in the area can help, please have them contact me. Yours in Scouting, Charles A. Brown Troop 118 Scoutmaster WELCOME TO COLONIAL DISTRICT Welcome to Colonial District, your link to Scouting in the National Capital Area Council, BSA. We're glad to have you as a part of the Colonial District and know that together we are going to be doing some great Scouting. What exactly is a district any way? Simply put it is a geographical division of your local area BSA Council organized to provide you with service at the neighborhood level in support of your unit. That service takes the form of great programs like district camporees, roundtables, training, commissioner support, and much more. Where is Colonial District? Our district includes all of the city of Alexandria and that part of Fairfax County that is East of the RF&P tracks or I-95, whichever is more Easterly. On the South and East, we are bounded by the lower stretches of Occoquan Creek and by the Potomac. (Please see the map on the next page.) Will we still have great roundtables, camporees, and other good stuff? You bet! Many talented and experienced Scouters have volunteered to help make our new district a roaring success. And as more people come forward we will do even better. Who is in the Colonial District? Here's a listing of the Units that make up the Colonial District.COLONIAL DISTRICT MAP Here's a Map of Colonial District
3 SCOUT LEADER MINUTES
Redwoods I don't know how many of you have seen redwood trees but I'm sure you've all seen pictures of them. They average over 200 feet tall and can grow to well over 300 feet. They can be so big around the base that sometimes tunnels are carved right through them so people can drive their cars through. You'd think that a tree that large would have to have deep roots to hold them upright and keep them from falling over. But that's not so. Their root systems are extremely shallow and it wouldn't take much to knock them down. So what keeps them standing upright? Well, there's something else about the redwood trees--you never see just one. There's always a group of them: a redwood grove. The roots that spread out from each tree intertwine with the roots from all the others in the grove. So these huge trees hold each other up. One, or two, or three alone couldn't do it; it takes all of them together. You know, a Scout Troop is sort of like the redwoods. A couple of us, or even a whole Patrol wouldn't be as good of a Troop. It takes all of us working together to do it; helping, and encouraging, and supporting each other.
On My Honor On My Honor. Every week we start out our meetings with these words and I suspect that some nights some of you just sort of mumble through them without giving them much thought. But what is honor? The Scout Handbook says that honor is loyalty to high ideals. Webster's Unabridged uses words like: "good name, reputation, excellence of character, high moral worth, nobleness, integrity, uprightness, trustworthyness" in its definition. However you define it, Honor goes to the very core of what you are. If you have it, everyone knows--they can tell it by your actions. And if you don't have it--well, it's equally obvious. So when you say "On my honor, I will do my best" and so on, you are pledging yourself to do the best you can. No half-measures or goofing off. You are saying that you will do it. And I know that you will. Duty Every week when you recite the Scout Oath you promise to do your best to do your duty. But what is duty? Well, as usual when I'm unsure of a word I go to the dictionary. My Webster's Unabridged defines it as "That which is required by one's station or occupation" and "That which a person is bound by moral obligation to do or not to do". OK, that's a good working definition. Duty is something a person must do because he or she is who & where they are. A police officer is required to enforce the law & keep the peace; a teacher is obligated to stand in front of a classroom every morning and teach; and a doctor has to keep people healthy. So, then. What is your duty? Well, the rest of the Scout oath spells that out. You know it as well as I do so I won't repeat it but it boils down to this: As a Scout your duty is to learn to become the best man you can be. And knowing you as I do I have no doubt that you will be.
Credits: The author is Mark Arend, Scoutmaster, Troop 736, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
|
