Many people look forward to the month of June. The reasons vary from school letting out, beginning of summer, open pools, and for Troop 150 – a trip to Goshen Scout Reservation. However, before all the fun could begin, Troop 150 needed to prepare. Many have not yet been to Goshen, so the Troop must teach them and formulate the meetings correctly. This is what Troop 150’s goal was for June 2019.
Some regular Troop events also fell into June as well. These events included an Eagle Scout Court of Honor, two Eagle Scout Projects, a Phoenix Day Trip, and a graduation ceremony for Braddock Elementary School. The events helped structure a busy yet enjoyable month.
On June 1st, two Scouts from Troop 150 hosted their Eagle Scout COHs. An Eagle Scout COH is an event where someone’s/multiple people’s years of effort put towards successfully earning the highest rank in Scouting (Eagle Scout) are recognized. Many people were at this event, including a Virginian Senator and Scoutmaster Emeritus Wood.
On the same day as the Eagle Scout Court of Honor, a Scout’s Eagle Scout project took place. The Scout leader and several other scouts painted a map of the United States on concrete at Canterbury Woods Elementary School, installed borders on the paths, and after the 2nd coat was finished, relaxed and ate some snacks. The next day, Scouts installed a “mulch border” to prevent mulch from spilling out onto the sidewalk.
The following weekend, another Scout’s Eagle Scout Project was held. Although it rained, Scouts worked hard to make drum-sets, chimes, and pipes. On the first day, the structures were erected. Due to excessive rain on the second day, the planned length was cut short and the structures were unable to be painted. However, Scouts used the time indoors to connect and glue together pipes for an instrument. When they were finished, they had lunch and went home.
Braddock Elementary School had their fifth grade graduation ceremony on June 12, and Troop 150 was there to help them out with it. They served as the color guard and then ate some pizza that was ordered to thank them for the terrific job they did.
Early on June 15th, Phoenixes and multiple other Scouts met to complete requirements. These requirements consisted of difficult tasks, but the Scouts got them all done. They ran a mile at the track, tied knots, etc. This event was truly beneficial.
On June 17th, Troop 150 was scheduled to hold an event called the “Goshen Pre-Swim.” This event would allow Scouts to prepare themselves for swimming in a lake at Goshen. Due to nasty weather, this event was cancelled. Instead, Scouts had a fun and relaxing meeting at the church. There, they played games, ate delicious food, and talked about Goshen.
It has successfully been one consecutive year of Turtle Express articles being posted on the fourth of each month, but that is not what makes today special. Today is the fourth of July – the day in which Americans celebrate their independence. Troop 150 is celebrating today in a special way. They are camping at Goshen Scout Reservation for the week and seeing an amazing firework show.
This month prepared our troop for the most awaited time of year: Summer at Camp Bowman. This essential month of planning and hard work will most definitely pay off into an amazing time.