Boy
Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan
UNIFORMS, MERIT BADGES, ADVANCEMENT
Medical
Forms and Permission Slips
Community Program / Fundraising
Cooperative
Agreement - Boy Scout Troop 196
Your son is standing at the doorway to one of the most exciting adventures imaginable. Not only will he find himself hiking along wooded trails, canoeing across misty lakes and camping under the open sky, he will be involved in his family, his community, and his environment. As he steps into the world of Scouting, he will grow in his involvement with his family. He will learn communication skills, responsibility to family and friends, and his vital role in the family circle. He will also learn to become involved in his community and find ways to make a difference in his schools. He will learn the value of citizenship.
Scouting is an adventure, and as a Boy Scout, your son will learn new skills as he camps outdoors. He will prepare his own meals, identifying wildlife and learning about the natural environment. He will have the opportunity to see the beauty of nature, and learn to respect its authority. He will learn to prepare for the worse and enjoy the best of the outdoor experience.
Scouting is a doorway to new friendships and fun. He may know boys joining Troop 196, but he’ll meet lots of other Scouts along the Trail to Eagle as well. As he matures in Scouting, he will learn to lead as well as to work with others – everyone helping everyone else. Scouting is a worldwide brotherhood many millions strong. Almost anywhere he goes, he will find Scouts excited about the same things he is.
The Man who
started the Scouting movement, Robert Baden-Powell, came home to
One foggy day in 1909 in
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
TRUSTWORTHY
A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises.
Honesty is part of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.
LOYAL
A Scout is true to his family, Scout leaders,
friends, school, and nation.
HELPFUL
A Scout is concerned about other people. He does
things willingly for others without pay or reward.
FRIENDLY
A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to
other Scouts. He seeks to understand others. He respects those with ideas and
customs other than his own.
COURTEOUS
A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or
position. He knows good manners make it easier for people to get along
together.
KIND
A Scout understands there is strength in being gentle.
He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless
things without reason.
OBEDIENT
A Scout follows the rules of his family, school,
and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these
rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner
rather than disobey them.
CHEERFUL
A Scout looks for the bright side of things. He
cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.
THRIFTY
A Scout works to pay his way and to help others. He
saves for unforeseen needs. He protects and conserves natural resources. He
carefully uses time and property.
BRAVE
A Scout can face danger even if he is afraid. He
has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at or
threaten him.
CLEAN
A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He
goes around with those who believe in living by these same ideals. He helps
keep his home and community clean.
REVERENT
A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his
religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.
Be Prepared
Do a Good Turn Daily
Troop 196 was
chartered to serve the boys in the expanding residential neighborhoods of the
Troop
196 is committed to five basic principles.
They are:
1. Scouting is a boy-lead
activity. Parents are encouraged to
participate.
2. The Boy Scout experience
builds character. Group interaction,
community service and individual responsibility will focus young boys on important
life skills.
3. A wide range of outdoor
activity is important in building strong group bonds and will encourage boys to
become involved in constructive efforts.
Troop 196 will schedule many activities and campouts throughout the year.
Boys are expected to participate in all activities when possible.
4. Advancement and achievement
is the key to enthusiasm. We make every
effort to help these boys advance in rank and maturity.
5. The Boy Scout activities
must be fun and exciting if we expect boys to choose to be involved.
There is a little more to
joining a Boy Scout Troop than simply completing a membership application and
paying dues. A candidate for Boy Scouts
needs to meet other requirements, too.
The Scout will need to purchase the Boy
Scouts Handbook, the official guide through all years of scouting and
serves as a record for advancement.
Unlike the Webelos book, the Boy
Scout Handbook will be used during all the Scout’s years in scouting.
The Scout will need to meet
all the requirements on page 4 of the Boy
Scout Handbook in order to earn the first badge in Boy Scouting, the Scout
badge. The Scoutmaster will then talk
with the Scout to make sure he knows what it means to be a Scout. The Scout
will then be officially welcomed into Troop 196.
Scouts who transfer into
Troop 196 are required to fill out a Boy Scout Application, sign it, and
present it to the Scoutmaster. The troop
the Scout is transferring from will complete the BSA Transfer
Application/Notice. These two documents
are then presented to the Council Office.
Credit for Merit Badges, Office Held, and Honors Secured (including the
Order of the Arrow) are limited to those shown on the Transfer
Application/Notice, so it is important to verify correctness.
Scout Annual
Dues (due when joining) $50.00 includes
equipments fees, BSA dues, insurance and Boy’s
Life magazine
(at least one copy per household).
Scout
One-time Fees (due within 60 days of joining)
Troop 196 Red Class B Shirt $10.00
Troop 196 Tan Class B Shirt $10.00
Troop 196 Cap (optional) $15.00
Parent
Annual Dues (due when joining) $22.00 includes
equipments fees, BSA dues, insurance and Scouting magazine.
(At least one parent or guardian per family
must register with the BSA).
Campout Fees
One night outings are typically $15.00, per person. Two night outings are typically $20.00. These fees cover groceries, supplies related to the campout as well as any awards that may be earned. Some campouts may require a fee to cover gasoline costs, which will be determined by distance. Payment for activities must be provided in advance. Refunds will only be considered if cancellation is made prior to expenditure of funds. There will be a reduced charge (usually ½ price) for up to 2 younger siblings of a Scout if their attendance is allowed. Non-Boy Scout siblings are not allowed at many BSA-sponsored events. Siblings are welcome at patrol or troop campouts unless there are issues about safety for younger ones.
When a boy joins Troop 196, he
is expected to participate in as many troop events as possible, and to attend
his patrol’s meetings when they are called.
Records are kept of his attendance and will be considered during a board
of review for rank advancement. Troop
196 defines “active participant” as a scout who attends 50% of the troop
activities; meetings, campouts, service projects and courts of honor. A scout is encouraged to be active in school
activities (including athletics), and the troop feels that over the entire year
50% attendance is easily achieved.
The troop program is to be
run by the Scouts for the
Scouts. A high level of participation
results in a quality program.
Participation and contribution by each scout is essential for the troop
to succeed in its aims. It has been
observed many times, that “You only get out of scouting what you put into it.”
When a boy joins the troop,
he is making a commitment – to the troop, the scouting program, and to
himself. Scouting must have a high
priority in his life. Personal
dedication, a commitment to excellence, and sense of duty, personal loyalty and
responsibility produce a young man who not only is a successful scout, but an
asset to society.
A scout is expected
to be on his best behavior at all times. If a scout is being disruptive, rude,
or disrespectful to others, the environment or the property of others, the
behavior will be discussed with the scout. He will be given one warning. If the
bad behavior continues, the scout will be given a demerit. 10 demerits within a
12 month period, and the scout is on probation. Once on probation, his parent
must deal with the situation. This may include the parent either taking the
scout home or staying in camp with the scout.
If a scout is violent or dangerous to himself others, the parent will be called
immediately and the scout must go home. If a scout’s parents are called during
an event, that scout will be on probation for the next event of the same
duration. Example: If a scout gets put on probation during summer camp, a
parent must accompany that scout to the next summer or winter camp.
The troop meets on the 2nd
Sunday of each month at the Liberty Hill VFW in the downtown area of
Parents are encouraged to
occasionally attend troop meetings. If unable to attend parents should be
prompt in picking up their son after meetings.
Troop policy dictates that no scout will be left at the meeting without
two adults present. A late pickup means
that two adults are delayed in getting home to their families.
Guests are always welcome at
Troop 196 meetings. Scouts are
encouraged to bring prospective members from time to time.
Each patrol meets on the 4th
Sunday of each month at the Liberty Hill VFW in the downtown area of
Every troop is part of some
established community organization. The
Troop is granted a charter by the Boy Scouts of America to operate as a troop
for one year at time. Troop 196 is
sponsored by the Liberty Hill VFW Post 8200.
Every troop has a group of registered
adults whose main job is to back up the Scoutmaster and help him run a good
troop. It is the Committee’s
responsibility to provide the resources needed to run the troop’s scout
program. This includes advancement and
outdoor programs, handling the troop finances, working with parents, overseeing
the safety procedures utilized and doing whatever they can to help the
Scoutmaster do his job. They assist the
boys in raising funds and keeping records.
They recruit other adult leaders, run the Board of Review, assist in
Court of Honor ceremonies and oversee troop communications. No Scoutmaster could do all this alone.
Committee Chair – Schedules and runs committee meetings. Gathers
annual dues and submits annual re-charter and insurance payments before the
unit charter expires each year on December 31.
Charter Organization Representative – Attends committee meeting and communicates any
issues, concerns or activities related to the charter organization.
Secretary – Keeps the committee meeting minutes. If secretary not present, committee chair may
do this or delegate to another committee member.
Treasurer – Maintains a financial record of the troop income
and expenses.
Advancement Chair – Maintains advancement records and medical forms.
Purchases awards for rank, merit badges, etc.
Fundraising Chair – Looks for fundraising opportunities. Maintains
records of fundraisers; who ordered what, who owes what, how much was spent
versus how much was taken in, etc.
Scoutmaster - The Scoutmaster’s main function is to coordinate
the activities of the Troop. This
includes training the Junior Staff leaders to plan and run the troop
activities, ensuring functions such as finance, activity programs and
individual scout advancement are staffed adequately. The Scoutmaster helps scouts to grow by
encouraging them to learn for themselves.
He conducts Scoutmaster Conferences and supports his Assistant
Scoutmasters in their roles.
Assistant Scoutmasters - Assistant Scoutmasters support the Scoutmaster. They are assigned specific program
responsibilities, such as advising patrols and assisting scouts in advancement.
The troop is to be run by
the Junior Leaders. With the guidance of
the Scoutmaster and his assistants, they plan the program, conduct the troop
meetings, and provide leadership among their peers. Troop 196 holds elections
for the senior patrol leader every year in January.
Senior Patrol Leader – The top junior leader in
the troop. He is elected by his peers to
serve in this position. He leads the patrol leaders’ council and, in
consultation with the Scoutmaster, appoints other junior leaders and assigns
specific responsibilities as needed.
Assistant Senior Patrol
Leader
– Fills in for the Senior Patrol Leader in his absence. He also is responsible
for training and giving direction to the quartermaster, scribe, troop historian
and librarian.
Patrol Leader – Takes responsibility for the patrol
activities and represents the patrol as a member of the patrol leaders’
council.
Assistant Patrol Leader –Fills in for the patrol
leader in his absence.
Troop Guide – A Senior Scout who is responsible for assisting new members and
patrols in learning the Boy Scout methods and Troop policies.
Scribe – The troop’s secretary. He
attends meetings of the patrol leaders’
council and keeps a log book of their discussions, but is not a voting
member. During troop meetings, he records attendance and maintains advancement
records.
Quartermaster – Responsible for troop
supplies and equipment. He keeps a
current inventory of troop equipment and sees that it is in good condition.
Historian – Collects and maintains
troop photos, news stories, trophies and other memorabilia.
Librarian – Maintains troop books,
pamphlets, magazines, audiovisuals, and merit badge counselor list available
for use by troop members.
Order of the Arrow
Representative – Serves as a communication link between the troop and the local OA
lodge or chapter.
Chaplain Aid – Assists the troop
chaplain. He sees that religious holidays are considered during program
planning and promotes religious emblems program.
Den Chief – Works with Cub Scouts and
Den Leaders. He encourages the Cubs to advance and serves as a role model for
the younger boys.
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster – A Scout at least 16 years
of age who has shown outstanding leadership skills may be appointed by the
senior patrol leader, with the advice and consent of the Scoutmaster.