In February 2020, Troop 150 participated in two services offered at the church where we meet. At a later date, we cooked and served breakfast to the Annandale United Methodist Men’s Group, our sponsors. In addition, the Troop took part in an ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops) training.
On Sunday, February 9, Scouts met at AUMC early in the morning. During the two services that took place later that day, we served as color guard, ushers, readers, and representatives of the best Boy Scout Troop ever. After each service, Scouts provided snacks to those who wanted them. This event, called Scout Sunday, was a tremendous success. It keeps improving each year!
The following Friday, Scouts once again gathered at AUMC. There, we prepared food for Men’s Breakfast, which would be taking place the following morning. Men’s Breakfast is an event hosted by Troop 150 in an effort to express our gratitude towards the Men’s group. The Annandale United Methodist Men, or more commonly known as the “Men’s Group”, have been the predominate chartering partner of Troop 150 to this day.
Scouts came as early as 6 o’ clock on Saturday morning in order to set up and add some finishing touches to the food. At eight, Scouts began serving an appetizer of fruit and yogurt parfaits. Soon after, the main course (egg casserole) began to be served. During all of this, Scouts went around with pitchers of cold water and orange juice. Coffee was also available.
Thanks to all the hard preparation that had been put into this event, Scouts were able to fill the men in on what had happened since we last saw them. Talking and eating with them throughout this entire event was a privilege.
A week later, the ILST + Path To First Class campout took place. The purpose of this trip is to teach/refresh Scouts about leadership morals and skills, or for Scouts who are not yet the rank of First Class, to get requirements fulfilled. One of the major components of a strong leader is good communication and teamwork, and that is why Troop 150 began this trip by enjoying an escape room activity. After completing the convivial escape rooms, Scouts played a variation of baseball in the empty parking lot until the other groups of Scouts finished their rooms. This was a great way to start the campout!
After arriving at Hemlock, where the cabins we would be sleeping in are located, the Troop ate a lunch of pizza, cookies, and other small snacks. Afterwards, we set up the room for the training course session and those who were not yet First Class departed to earn some requirements.
The ILST training will definitely prove vital to those who just received it, and it was a good refresher for those who have already gone through it. Scouts learned the importance of communication, delegation, leadership, and so many more things. Scouts also received a leadership binder to refer to when needed.
When the training was finished, the Troop played football outside. For dinner, a delicious meal of fries, burgers, hot-dogs, and water that the Scouters had helped prepare was consumed. Once everything used for dinner was cleaned up, the Troop watched ‘The Avengers’ and analyzed the movie for the leadership that was shown :). During the movie, Scouts enjoyed ice cream and delectable toppings.
The following morning, the Troop woke up to hot chocolate and breakfast. Thereupon, we preformed a service project in order to properly thank Hemlock for their hospitality. The service project consisted of clearing leaves and sticks from their paths and collecting wood for a large fire. A PLC meeting was also held that morning.
The ILST was a great way to conclude the month of February 2020.
An update from Philmont Crew 727-W: This month, our crew had our first shakedown hike and a meeting where we prioritized our itinerary preferences. Our third meeting took place directly after Scout Sunday, and a lunch of pizza, brownies, chips, and coke was provided. After a master spreadsheet that included all of the itinerary preferences was hooked up to a TV, the crew debated which six we would want to do, in prioritized order.
As for the shakedown hike, the crew met at AUMC on Monday, February 19 with our backpacks. We were then driven by very generous adults to the Occoquan trail head. Afterwards, we hiked for 11.5 miles (although it felt like much longer). We stopped for a lunch of trail meals and nutrient bars about halfway through, and our crew got to practice setting up a rain fly and boiling water on a camping stove. On this hike, our lead adult adviser announced that we had been assigned trek/itinerary 12-30! This hike was just the trailer to how much fun Philmont will be this July.
