All Families are invited to the annual

Troop 287 Thanksgiving Court of Honor

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Set Up 5:30 PM – Dinner 6:00 PM – Court of Honor 7:00 PM

Wilson United Methodist Church

The Troop Committee will provide 2 Turkeys, Dressing, Potatoes, Gravy, Rolls and Butter. Scouts will provide a Thanksgiving themed dessert of their choice.

We ask that the troop families bring side dishes to complement our dinner and one canned food item per person to donate to Westside Care & Share.

We hope to see you there!

Please SAVE THE DATE for the Troop 287 Thanksgiving Court of Honor on November 18. Setup will begin at 5:30 with festivities beginning at 6PM. The troop will provide turkey and all the fixins – families provide the sides. All family members are welcome and encouraged to attend! Watch for details in an upcoming message post this weekend.

The next Troop Committee Meeting will be Tuesday, November 11 at 7:30PM at Wilson Methodist Church. We will be discussing the next Court of Honor event as well as other items. All parents are welcome!

All boys on the patrol leadership council should attend. See this blog post for more information: Troop Annual Planning Meeting Scheduled for Saturday, November 8

TROOP 287 COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

OCTOBER 21, 2014, 7:30 PM

Jen Jirous – Committee Chair

• No edits necessary from last month’s Meeting Minutes
• November 18 – Tuesday 6:00 pm – “Thanksgiving“ Court of Honor; Committee member volunteers needed to bake 3 turkeys, make stuffing and mashed potatoes; arrive at 5:30 to set-up
• Parent volunteers needed to bring side dishes and desserts
• November 11 – Next Committee Meeting at 7:30 pm – all parents are welcome to attend

Keith Moore – Scoutmaster

• October 28 – Scout Meeting – PLC monthly planning meeting
• November 8 – Saturday – Veteran’s Day Flag fundraiser, arrive at 7:00 am and meet back at 3:00 pm for picking up flags
• November 8 – Saturday, 1:00 – 3:00 (in between flags) PLC yearly planning meeting – PARENTS welcome!
• November 14 – 16 Dino Death March – (Picketwire Canyon, I think?)
• November 18 – Court of Honor
• November 25 – No Scout meeting, Thanksgiving Break
• No weekend Scout activities in December

Tom Sharp – Church Liaison

• October 26 – Fall Harvest Festival at Wilson United Methodist Churcht
• Volunteers needed, arrival time is 3:45 pm

Sandy Johnston – Activities Chair

• No forthcoming activities

Phil Stafford – Treasurer

• Popcorn forms are in; orders are processed

Gina Swanson

• Possible hut trip to occur over half of Spring Break 2015 – Ben Swanson will contact Dave Kresbian to confirm

The Wilson church community is sponsoring a Fall Harvest Festival at Wilson Church on Sunday October 26 at 4PM. They have asked for troop volunteers to help at the event. If you are interested and available, please arrive at the church by 3:45 on Sunday (no advanced sign up is necessary). Adults and youth volunteers are needed!

The next committee meeting will be held on Tuesday October 21 at 7:30 PM (note new time!) at Wilson church. All parents are welcome to attend!

A quick note to parents that we started Citizenship in the Nation this week at Scouts. This is an Eagle-required merit badge that mostly can be independently completed.  While we will have the opportunity to go over some of the remaining items as a group in the next 2-3 weeks, the boys could finish this merit badge mostly on their own in a very short period of time.

They need to fill in the workbook completely and can use any reliable resources to do so, including their Social Studies or any other American history/government book, the internet and even their older and wiser family members.  As another part of completing that badge, we toured the Air Force Academy after the last campout.  If they did not attend, they can visit another federal facility in town (like any of the military bases or the Olympic Training Center which is open for tours on Saturday), along with a place on the national historic register (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_El_Paso_County,_Colorado), or our state’s or nation’s capital and/or research a national monument (must do two of those four just listed).  They also have to research a famous speech in our nation’s history and talk about its importance then and now, write a letter to an elected official and watch the news for a week to explore the impact of current events on their own family/community.  Then they also need to complete the associated write-ups for that work in the book.  We will discuss those items in the next few weeks.

If they were not at Tuesday’s meeting, they can access the merit badge workbook here (http://www.usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/Citizenship-in-the-Nation.pdf) and start it on their own right away.  Other than the main requirements listed above, we completely filled out the content info through page 8 at last week’s meeting.  This is a great merit badge for the boys to demonstrate independence and self-motivation.  Please encourage and support them in that as you are able.

Best,

Gina Swanson
Troop 287 Merit Badge Counselor

All Troop 287 aspiring aviators should bring their aviation merit badge workbook to tomorrow’s meeting for final sign off…see you Tuesday!

Great weather and beautiful scenery made for a wonderful experience for our first time backpackers.

Due to scheduling conflicts the next Troop Committee Meeting will be RESCHEDULED from October 14 to October 21 at 7:30PM at Wilson Church. All parents are welcome to attend. Please contact Jen Jirous, Committee Chair, at jenjirous@gmail.com if you have questions.

The backpacking trip to Stanley Canyon on the AF Academy grounds this weekend is going to be fun and is meant to get newer, younger scouts into backpacking. We are meeting at Wilson Church on Saturday, October 11th at 12 noon. bring your own dinner and breakfast. We’ll have backpacking stoves to heat water. You want to pack for three meals plus snacks just in case. Wear boots, no tennis shoes. Wear class A uniforms to the outing. We will be doing a quick, informal tour of the Air Force Academy Sunday morning and returning to Wilson Church by noon on Sunday.

Backpacking List:

MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL BACKPACKING EQUIPMENT:
– Backpack, 3,000-5,000 cu in. or so, with good hip pad
– Boots, waterproof (or running shoes with good grip) … NO FLAT-BOTTOMED SHOES – Extra boot/shoe laces
– Wool/nylon socks (2 or 3 pair) … NO ALL-COTTON SOCKS
– Shorts (2 pair)
– Pants (zip away legs are good) … NO JEANS
– Short-sleeved shirts (2 or 3) … moisture-wicking is better than cotton
– Long-sleeved shirt (hoodie, sweater)
– Broad-brimmed hat or baseball cap
– Stocking cap … you’ll want to sleep with this on!
– Pajama bottoms … and tops, if you like
– Sleeping bag (rated 20-degrees or better)
– Sleeping bag stuff sack
– Sleep pad (foam or air)
– Bowl (preferably with a handle) … needs to be able to hold hot water
– Drinking cup … needs to be able to hold hot water
– Spoon … don’t need fork or knife
Have these easy to get to (outside pocket):
– Rain poncho … GARBAGE BAGS ARE NOT PONCHOS!
– Flashlight or headlamp (with extra batteries)
– Compass
– Whistle
– Pocketknife
– Water bottles, 1-liter (2) or CamelBak

Put inside zip-loc bag with name on it (these go in bear bag at night):
– Toilet paper, non-scented (1 roll) … THIS IS A MUST!!!
– Personal first aid kit (sterile gauze pads, antiseptic, 2″ gauze roll, moleskin, tweezers, triangular bandage, personal medication)
– Chapstick
– Sunscreen (lotion is better than spray)
– Insect repellant (lotion is better than spray)
– Matches
– Tooth brush & tooth paste (small)
– Deodorant

OPTIONAL ITEMS:
– loafers (optional) … NO FLIP-FLOPS or OPEN-TOED SHOES! – small pillow, 10 x 10″ max (optional)
– sunglasses (optional) … straps are a good idea
– hiking staff (optional)
– bandana or handkerchief (optional)
– camera (optional)
– duct tape (optional)
– rope/cord (optional) … 50 feet is good
– binoculars (optional)
– sit pad (optional) … can be used as a camp pillow, too
– playing cards (optional)
– hacky sack (optional)
– backpack rain cover
– personal hand sanitizer, small bottle
– underwear

DO NOT BRING!!!:
– electronic games or music – large pillows
– phones
– bad attitude

NOTE: For the boys, total backpack and contents should weigh no more than 30 pounds. That includes food and water. Everything should be ‘inside’ the backpack, not hanging outside. The scout shop or REI have a good selection of wool/nylon blend hiking socks. You can also put your clothing in large zip-loc bags … helps keep things organized and keeps it dry. Waterproof boots or shoes are HIGHLY recommended. We cross little streams and feet can get wet. If you send your boy with running shoes, make sure he has an extra pair to change into at camp. You may also want to try to apply water-proofing silicon spray to your boy’s shoes or boots.

HOW TO PACK:
Inner frame pack:
– lightest at bottom (sleeping bag, sleeping pad)
– heaviest in the middle (food and water, tent, gear) – medium at top (clothes)

Outer frame pack:
– lightest at bottom (sleeping bag, sleeping pad) – medium in the middle (clothes)
– heaviest at top (food and water, tent, gear)

Put your poncho, snacks, and water in a easy-to-reach location

Troop 287 Webelos Night

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

6:00-8:00PM

Wilson United Methodist Church

All WEBELOS I and II are welcome to come for a night of FUN & EXCITING scout events.

• Learn how to throw an ATL-ATL
• Learn how to throw a TOMAHAWK
• Learn how to build a FIRE
• MAKE & COOK your own camp meal

BE PREPARED! We will see you there rain or shine. Bring a coat as we will be enjoying the great outdoors!

For questions, contact Scoutmaster Keith Moore at 719-377-7737 or kmoore436@comcast.net

Committee Meeting

September 16, 2014

Jen Jirous – Committee Chair:

• Jen opened the meeting outside as Keith took a break from making atlatl’s

Keith Moore – Scoutmaster:

• Next week, September 23, is the Recruitment Party at 6:00 pm
• In order to set up, boys and parent helpers should arrive at 5:30
• We are expecting a large turn-out of Cub Scouts (thank you, Mr. Warner)
• Membership Packets will be available to hand out to prospective recruits
• There will be stations set up for the various activities: outdoor cooking station (Hobo’s Dinner), atlatl spear throwing, Soap Box Derby cars set out for demonstrations, a slide slow of photos from Sea Base and Philmont, and finally there will be a station for making S’mores.
• Upcoming: the boys are hoping to backpack Sat and Sun, Sept 26 and 27; John Uhlman is working on obtaining permission to use the AFA’s Stanley Canyon
• September 30: Mr. Woodard will be at the meeting to sign off on Aviation Merit Badge paperwork
• October (?): The boys are hoping to hike the “Dino Death March” sometime in the fall
• Upcoming: Scout Team Leader yearly planning meeting
• Upcoming: Gina Swanson will be offering the Citizenship Merit Badges (in the Nation and in the World)
• Focus for the fall will be to clean up any Merit Badges that aren’t completed

Sandy Johnston – Activities chair:

• Veteran’s Day is on a D11 school day this year
• Sandy will contact Will Mawhiney to set another date, possibly the preceding Saturday

Please join us at the next Troop Committee Meeting on Tuesday, September 16 at 6:30 PM at Wilson Church. All are welcome to attend!

Please join us for Tyler’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor

When:  Sunday, August 24th, 3 pm

Where:  Wilson United Methodist Church

There will be light refreshments following the ceremony.  See you tomorrow!

Committee Meeting – August 12, 2014

 Welcome to the informative and exciting page of notes from your very own Troop 287’s Committee Meeting.  Enjoy!

1) Jen Jirous – Committee Chair:

• Opened the meeting.
• Minutes from July were approved (Secretary’s note: “phew!”)

2) Keith Moore – Scoutmaster:

• Order of the Arrow initiation this weekend, Fri the 15^th and Sat the 16^th
• Court of Honor, next Tuesday the 19th – Ice Cream Social.  Each boy will bring his favorite ice cream topping.
• Aviation Merit Badge will be finishing up, Saturday the 23^rd 8 am – 12 pm – email Chris Woodard for more details
• Soup Kitchen, August 24th 
• Tyler Uhlman, Eagle Court of Honor, Sunday the 23^rd at 3:00
• Labor Day ‘Flags’ fundraiser needs a few more Scouts and more drivers
• Zombie Apocalypse; happening on the Friday after Labor Day
• Will get Cub Scout ‘Wee-be-lo’s’ to come for a Game Night on September 23^rd
• 20-mile hike coming up on a Saturday in October – details forthcoming

3) Joyce Moore – Advancement Chair:

• Joyce talked about recruitment, rank advancements and that many Merit Badges will be awarded at the Court of Honor.

4) Phil Stafford – Treasurer:

• Phil handed out treasurer reports; troop finances were discussed.
• Popcorn selling season is coming soon.

5) Court of Honor:

• Boys will build a rope bridge
• Committee is providing the ice cream and the syrup; boys will provide the toppings
• There will be a slide show of pictures from Philmont
• Change of leadership – Senior Patrol Leader
• Announcement will be made to give Scouts $20 bucks each for recruiting a new member

6) Special Game Night:

• Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 23, at 6:00.
• This will be a recruitment night to give local Cub Scouts a chance to check out our awesome troop
• Agenda: dinner and games
• Spread the word!