CELEBRATING 95 YEARS OF SCOUTING SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITIES!
Boy Scout Troop 658 has served youth from Winooski, Colchester, Burlington, South Burlington, Milton, Essex Jct. and the surrounding communities since 1923. We offer exciting, adventure based programs for boys ages 11-17. We meet Sunday evenings at Saint Francis Xavier School from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Visit us and see for yourself what a difference you can make in the life of a young man.
Scouting's Journey to Excellence" is the BSA's council performance recognition program designed to encourage and reward success and measure the performance of our units. It is meant to encourage excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA. We are proud to be a "Gold" level unit for 8 years running.
Do I have your attention yet? The third point in the Scout Law is “HELPFUL”. The Troop Committee needs your assistance. We need 11-12 adults to fill both current and anticipated vacancies on the Troop Committee. Eleven of 17 committee members DO NOT have a child in scouting. GET INVOLVED NOW! The committee meets the first Monday of every month from 6:30-8:00 PM at Saint Francis. Our next meeting is Monday Oct 14th. Please join us to learn more about what you can do to help. If we do not receive help, the program will see a significant reduction in what we currently offer your child. Please keep scouting alive.
Scoutbook, the official BSA online advancement tracking website, is now accessible as an embedded window on our Troop website. www.Scoutbook.com works on any computer or mobile device with a browser, but now you can also access it by clicking "Scoutbook" in the left-hand menu of our Troop website. Please note you still need to log in to it using your Scoutbook credentials (not your website login).
Scouts, you and your parents should be using Scoutbook to see progress at-a-glance, check requirements needing to be done, mark items complete when you think you're ready to be tested & signed off, and get to know other troop and patrol members by putting faces with names on our Roster. Patrol Leaders are empowered to see what their patrol members need to advance, and can plan activities accordingly.
Parents, if you still haven't connected to Scoutbook, you'll be receiving another invitation email soon. Only you can invite your Scout to connect and take advantage of Scoutbook, so please do so when you feel they're ready!
Please see Mr. Kenyon or Mr. Lane if you have any questions. Click "Read More" to see screen shots -------------------->
Congratulations to Troop 658 on earning 2 silver medals in the 2019 Scouting Olympic Games!
Event SPL Ethan P. along with PLs Francis K. and Ethan L. led our two patrols of Scouts (joined by Webelos Kaiden who earned a medal in Archery) through the games and a weekend of camping & cooking. Some "liquid sunshine" on Saturday didn't seem to dampen the Scouting spirit.
Scouts competed in Rifle, Tomahawk, Knot Tying, First Aid, Fire Starting, Navigation, and lashing an A-frame to cross an "alligator pit". Memphis & Nicholas were chosen as Troop champions to compete in the Decathlon and came in a very close second, earning the troop Honorable Mention in that event.
Starting Monday, October 7 The Burnham Library in Colchester will be offering a program called Booksplorers, in which you can work with a MB Counselor to earn the Reading Merit Badge.
Sessions will be every other Monday for six sessions (10/7, 10/21 11/4. 11/18, 12/2, 12/16) from 6-7 pm. There will be snacks, volunteer opportunities, and of course, exciting and fun young adult literature.
Welcome to a new sort of library club for teens. We’ll meet every other Monday and talk books, library hacks, and general geekery. Attending all six sessions can count for the Scouting Reading badge, but all are welcome to explore. Find something awesome to read you’ve never heard of! Snacks and books for teens grades 6-12.
Sessions start next week so see Mr. Lane and obtain your Blue Card as soon as possible. Interested but may not be able to make the first session or might miss a session? We can work with that too!
Contact Heather Kenyon-Haff at kenyonhaff@hotmail.com (remember to cc a parent), or see me at Sunday's CoH for any questions.
Officers shall be paid 13 1/3 Continental dollars, Serjeants $8, Corporals and Trumpeters $6, and Privates to receive 6 2/3 dollars. Enlistment Bonuses shall be paid to recruits whose patrols have 50% or higher attendance.
Officers may sleep in the Allen house and dine by the fireplace with the other Regimental Officers & Staff, as befits such Gentlemen. Enlisted men will sleep out-of-doors in tents or under tarps and cook their issued rations by patrol.
The Serjeant Major advises enlisted men to be thrifty, and spend their pay on ingedients for the cooking competition and other necessities instead of sweets and trinkets. Above all DO NOT risk a court-martial by gambling with cards or dice! ;)
Soldiers will train as light infantry, handle and fire flintlock muskets, stand guard duty watching for British forces and Loyalist spies, and learn other 18th century soldier skills while competing for patrol prizes.
Scouts who have earned a shooting sports Merit Badge or have passed a Hunter Safety Course will be permitted to fire blanks from a musket (under supervision) during the maneuvering and firing exercises. Scouts not meeting this prerequisite will be allowed to use a non-fireable musket to participate. Special waivers will be required for this event.
Revolutionary War Trivia: The official enlistment age for the Continental Army was 16, (15 with parental consent)... The majority of Continental soldiers were young men, usually around 17 or 18 years old. Think about that for a minute. Teenagers fought and defeated the most powerful military in the world and freed our Country from British tyanny. Come spend a few hours in their shoes.
Scouts from the Waffle Patrol and the Sky Whale Patrol enjoyed an evening of mini-golf last Friday at Essex Family Fun & Entertainment Center on their inaugural Patrol Outing.
Photos courtesy of Kate McConnell & Heather Kenyon-Haff
