COLONIAL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP

District Chairman:
Pete Straub (H) 703-370-5661
(W) 703-820-3600
(Fax) 703-820-8602

Deputy District Chair:
Tom Baerwald
baerwald-va@msn.com (H) 703-765-3128
tbaerwal@nsf.gov (W1) 703-306-1502
baerwaldt@oit.si.edu (W2) 202-633-9866

Vice Chair (Administration):
Helen Garamone (H) 703-360-5692
(W) 703-325-9762

Vice Chair (Finance)
Pat Tokarz (W) 703-379-8879

__________________________________________

Colonial District now has a home on the Internet's World Wide Web. Each month we will post this newsletter to the web. Our web pages are at:

"subscribe CDnetScouts Your Name"

in the body of the message (do not include the quotes). We will not add anyone to the e-mail list without their request.

Packs: 129, 133, 602, 609, 614, 615, 801, 1515

Troops: 62 113 120 129 131 135 609 1515 2000

Packs: 867, 1076, 1520, 1943

Troops: 1076, 1107, 1150, 1507

Packs: 658, 680, 888, 1435, 1504, 1509, 1852

Troops: 654, 680, 811, 996, 1509, 1901

Packs: 977, 1503, 1519, 1900

Troops: 118, 871, 876, 899, 993, 1519

Packs: 601, 1102, 1103

Troops/Venturing: 601, 1102, 1103, V 1103, V1183

Deputy District Commissioner: Sue Crane 660-6148

District Commissioner: Mike Porter 425-8489

Nominations for District Award of Merit are due to Coop Wright by January 31. The District Award of Merit is the only official BSA award that the Colonial District can award to its adult Scouters. While there are no specific requirements, the award recognizes outstanding service to youth within the District and is only presented for exceptional and dedicated service over a period of time.

If you know of someone who merits this award, you should submit his/her name, together with the information requested on the nomination form to the District Award of Merit Committee. (Nomination forms were passed out at last month's roundtable) Nominees will be evaluated on the following nine areas:

• Evidence of Scout Spirit,
• Positive impact on the district program,
• Quality of service,
• Level of responsibility,
• Variety of service,
• Training and tenure,
• Support of District and Council policy,
• Contributions to youth outside of Scouting, and
• Receipt of the Key 6 Award (generally a Scouter will be expected to have received the Key 6 Award prior to receiving the Award of Merit).

Nomination forms can be obtained at Roundtables or by calling Cooper Wright, 971-0044 (home) or 358-2802 (work). All nominations should be mailed to Cooper Wright, 7720 Hayfield Road, Alexandria, VA 22315 and must be postmarked no later than January 31, 1999.

The Colonial District Crier is published monthly. Contributions must be submitted no later than 9 p.m. on the Friday preceding monthly roundtables to our editor, Mike Bowman. You may submit your articles in Word, Rich Text Format, or Text on floppy disk or via e-mail to mfbowman@usscouts.org or you may deliver paper copies to 5832 Valley View Drive (Franconia).

District JSN Orientations will be held concurrent with RT on 7/14, 8/11 and 9/8/99.

Join Scouting Nights will be held during the week of September 13 - 17 and turn-in will be on 9/17 (7-9 pm) and 9/18 (9-12 am).

Jane Sanchez is the Vice Chair for Join Scouting Night and primary POC for all issues related to it. Her home telephone number is 360-9181.

Jim Poole

Chair, Membership Committee

Saturday, March 13, 1999 Landmark Mall; Alexandria Colonial Derby Director: Tony Moller

Details regarding specific times and arrangements for the Joint Colonial and Old Dominion Pinewood Derby will be posted at our website as plans evolve:

Friday, April 11-Sunday, April 13, 1999 Prince William Forest Park; Triangle, Virginia Camporee Director: Destry Jarvis Program Directors: Dominick Caridi and Jim Poole.

Colonial District Boy Scouts and Venturing Scouts will help the Boy Scouts of America kick off a new emphasis on Leave No Trace outdoor skills and ethics at district's Spring 1999 camporee. This event will be held at Prince William Forest Park, which is located about a dozen miles southwest of the Occoquan River beside I-95.

There is a pre-camporee meeting scheduled for 1 pm on January 14 at PRWI. I know that some are not available. If you have changes in plans, please try to make this meeting to coordinate with the camporee leadership team. Jim Poole welcomes your questions and can be reached at 202-565-1174. Thanks for your participation in this LNT camporee. More information is available at our website:

Saturday, November 6, and

Saturday, November 13, 1999

District Coordinator: Pete Farnham;

703/836-2841-H;

It's a new year 1999 and things have started off great. The first weekend of January was Goshen Staff Interviews. Our District had a couple of people apply. If you are going to Lenhok'sin - Rock Climbing - you'll find at least one friendly face. Also, I got an inquiry from North Carolina about Goshen. The ASM writing me said they found the place by accident, and they were really impressed. They were asking about space for their troop, and a staff position. Keep an eye out for the Tar Heels when you get to Goshen. You are going, Aren't you?

The District Camporee is the next District Outing event, in April. What are you planning for Spring? A hike? A Camporee? In our last article we talked about a Signal Knob hike and we asked for your ideas. Following is the list of ideas you submitted:

<NONE>

Things I would like to know:

• Do you have any interest in a standalone May Junior Leader Workshop ?
• Do you have Scouts planning to attend the Den Chief training scheduled for January 30? If so, how many?
• Are you thinking of participating in either the Spring or Fall Wood Badge Courses. (If you're interested, please provide me name, street address, phone numbers and email addresses.)?
• Can you help fill one of the vacancies on either the Scout and Cub training teams?

Cub Scout Basic Leader Training

Cub Scout Basic Leader Training is designed for all kinds of Cub adult leaders, including Cubmasters, Den Leaders, Webelos Den Leaders, Tiger Cub Group Coaches, Pack Committee members, and all of their assistants. It provides information and tips for keeping pack and den programs active, lively, and fun.

The next CSBLT course for Colonial District Cub Scout leaders will be hosted by the Old Dominion District Cub Scout Training Team on Saturday, March 6, 1999 at St. John"s UMC, 5312 Backlick Rd. Course will run from 8:30 to 3:00.

For more information about this day-long course and to sign up, contact Kevin O'Shea at 703/644-4852. Cost is $6.00.

Make plans to attend the Leave No Trace Train the Trainer course that is scheduled for March 20 - 21, 1999 at the Prince William Forest Park Education Center

The course is January 23rd in Hughesville, MD at the American Legion Post on Rte. 231, just West of Rte. 5. POC is Bill Farmer at 301-870-5660 (H) or 301-903-6672 (W). Bill said there would be a nominal fee ($2-3) to cover coffee and snacks, and folks should bring a bag lunch so we can keep working. Arrive by 8AM, and hopefully be done by 2-3 PM.

----Continued on page 7---

Mail Form to: VLT, c/o Philip Sternberg, P.O. Box 4052, Alexandria, VA, 22303.

Registration Deadline: March 15, 1999 (mail early as space is limited to 32 applicants)

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Unit/District: _________________________ E-mail:_____________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

City: __________________________________ State: __________ Zip ______________

Phone: (H)___________________________ (W) ________________________________

Comments (past high adventure experience, future high adventure plans):

WHAT The Basic Training for ALL Scouters and interested parents.

WHEN March 11, March 13, and March 26-27, 1999

WHERE Aldersgate United Methodist Church for first two sessions. Ft. Belvoir Scout Area for last weekend session

WHY Trained leadership is essential for a strong Boy Scouting Program

These three training sessions - one evening, one Saturday daytime, and a Friday evening - Saturday campout session - will provide a basic grounding in the goals and methods of Scouting, how Scouting is

organized, and how a Troop and Patrol operates. SMF will help your Troop adult leadership provide a better program to you Scouts. You will meet all the key Colonial District leadership and learn what resources are available to help you be a better Scouter. Highly Recommended for all parents and cub leaders who are bridging over with their Webelos Cub Scouts this year.

DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY! SMF will not be taught again until next fall. Please register by February 25 by contacting Norm Johnson at 360-6730 or EMail Johnsall6@aol.com - We can't accept walk-on registrations. For additional information or if interested in participating on the SMF Staff - contact Bill Wells at 360-5404 or Email rbwells@erols.com.

Wood Badge is advanced training offered by the National Capital Area Council for Scout leaders who have completed Scoutmastership Fundamentals. Wood Badge places participants in a simulated troop environment, with individuals working with colleagues in patrols to develop and apply key leadership skills that are useful both in and out of Scouting.

Wood Badge will be offered twice during 1999:

Spring: April 17-18; April 30-May 2, May 14-16

Going on a high adventure trek this summer and want to brush up your first aid skills? Christopher Tate, Director of the Wilderness Safety Council recently announced the schedule for this spring and summer's Wilderness First Aid Courses. These sixteen-hour courses include classroom study, hands-on practice, and result in a two-year certification. All courses will be taught in the Northern Virginia area. The dates for the courses are:

February 6-7 March 13-14 April 17-18 May 22-23 June 12-13 July 17-18

Cost of the course is $125. A $50 deposit is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, print out and complete the form at: http://wfa.net and return with a check made payable to Wilderness First Aid, to Christopher Tate, 214 East Duncan Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301. Include your name, address, day and evening phone. Please note your class date on the check. For additional information, please call Chris at 703-836-8905.

REI - Baileys Crossroads continues to feature outstanding seminars. On January 23, there will be a demonstration of TOPO! Interactive Maps on CD-ROM from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The new software allows you select USGS maps of the areas you want to travel and plot your course ahead of time. On February 3, at 7:30 PM, there will be a backpack cooing and nutrition demonstration of new recipes that are lightweight, simple to cook and taste like home cooking.

One of the reasons I enjoy attending Venture Leader Training and the REI Seminars (a blatant advertisement if I ever heard of one!) is that I always learn something new. I recently read "Outdoor Leadership" by John Graham. It is an excellent resource that belongs on the shelf of everyone who serves as a leader in the Scouting movement. The book covers all aspects of leadership including forming a personal style, finding courage, making decisions, communicating effectively, building teams, coping with stress, and inspiring others to be at their best. Isn't that what we are all about? I highly recommend it for you and for the young men and women who are leaders in your troops, teams, and crews.

from Gold Nuggets

A race with Old Age - long and hard with detours and distractions. But a Navajo tells her children to run towards the dawn every morning - to choose the most difficult trail because only the path that is long develops into a life worth running. A strong life. And if these young people should run well, then all good things in mind and spirit will become theirs.

Cooper Wright

Northern Virginia Venture Scout Coordinator

Colonial District Venturing Coordinator

(703) 971-0044 (home)

(703) 358-2802 (work)

• Leave No Trace;
• Council High Adventure Trek Planning;
• Advanced Camping Skills;
• COPE Director Training;
• Boy Scout Membership Growth;
• Essentials of Climbing and Rappelling; and
• High Adventure Skills for Venturing Advisors.

Most of these conferences will spend a significant amount of time in the backcountry. A full spouses program will be offered by the Training Center for those who wish to bring a spouse. The dates are September 19-25 and the fees are $250 for conferences and $200 for spouses. If you are interested in attending, let your District Executive and NCAC know. PTC is also offering two summer courses that might be of interest to leaders working with older scouts; Venturing, June 6-12; and The Venture Patrol and Varsity Team, June 13-19.

Helen Garamone

Vice Chairman, Administration

Colonial District, NCAC, BSA

9009 Stratford Lane

Alexandria, VA 22308-2743