AIDAN ROMUALDO
MY ADVENTURES IN THE BOY SCOUTS
Boy Scouts of America
Northern New Jersey Council # 333
Lenape Trail District #33
formerly Orange Mountains District#47
Northern New Jersey Council # 333
Lenape Trail District #33
formerly Orange Mountains District#47
Troop 16 (5216)
Chartered by St. Philomena's Church
Livingston, New Jersey
Chartered by St. Philomena's Church
Livingston, New Jersey
Order of the Arrow
Lenapehoking Lodge IX
Southwest Chapter
Northern New Jersey Council
Lenapehoking Lodge IX
Southwest Chapter
Northern New Jersey Council
Scouting 1
BOY SCOUTING
Boy Scouting, one of the traditional membership divisions of the BSA, is available to boys who have
earned the Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and
are at least 10, or who are 11, but not yet 18 years old. The program achieves the BSA's objectives
of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness.
earned the Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and
are at least 10, or who are 11, but not yet 18 years old. The program achieves the BSA's objectives
of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness.
________________
AIMS AND PRINCIPLES
The BSA is the largest youth organization in the United States. Its aim is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. The purpose of the BSA, to develop character and leadership, is carried on primarily through outdoor activities including camping, hiking, canoeing and other related activities. There is an emphasis on personal development through community service, assuming leadership positions, and individual challenge through Merit Badges.
________________
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
The principal founders were Ernest Thompson Seton and William D. Boyce who first incorporated
the BSA on February 8, 1910, on the model of scouting established by Robert Baden-Powell. U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill chartering the Boy Scouts of America as a private.
organization on June 15, 1916.
Because Baden-Powell was also associated with the YMCA in Britain, news of the early Boy Scout manual, Scouting for Boys, had already reached the United States. The Boy Scout movement, however, did not reach the U.S. until 1909, when it was instituted by William D. Boyce.
The story of how Boyce came to be interested in Scouting has appeared in various forms. All versions agree on the following: Boyce, a publisher from Chicago, was lost in London's famous fog when he was met by a boy who showed him the way to his destination; the boy then refused an offer of payment for his services.
Some versions claim that Boyce actually knew about Scouting before he ever met the boy in question, having in fact come to London with the intent of learning more about the organization, and that the place he was seeking in the fog was actually Scouting headquarters. Some assert that the boy vanished into the fog after refusing Boyce's money, but others declare that the two arranged to meet again, so that the boy could show Boyce to the headquarters. Still others hold that the boy was uniformed at the time. The truth of the matter may never be known for sure.
Boyce returned to the United States and, with two other businessmen, Edward S. Stewart and Stanley D. Willis, incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. The first troop was Troop 1, based at a YMCA. Edgar Robinson, an important administrator of the YMCA in Chicago, agreed to help Boyce organize the Boy Scouts as a national organization.
The BSA had many rival organizations in it's early days, including:
The Boy Scouts of America was successfully organized by 1910, when Seton, Beard and Baden-Powell, along with Boyce, Edgar Robinson and others, called a national meeting. The first national officers were selected, and it was agreed that the President of the United States (then Taft) was to be the Honorary President of the BSA, a tradition that is still followed today. The Scouts were then incorporated by Boyce on February 8, 1910.
In 1911, the Boy Scouts of America published the first American Boy Scout manual ("Handbook for Boys"), a revision of Seton's version. This was the first appearance of the American Scout Oath and Law. The British version was a pledge of allegiance to the King. James E. West wrote the Scout Oath, and added three points to the British version of the Scout Law (brave, clean and reverent). In 1912, Sea Scouting became an official program. Sea Scouting is now part of the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America focused primarily on maritime activities. Boys' Life magazine also began in 1912, and continues today to be the official Boy Scout magazine. In 1913, the Scouting magazine for leaders started.
Boy Scouts have served at every presidential inauguration since Woodrow Wilson's in 1913.
In 1916 Paul Sleman, Colin H. Livingstone, Ernest S. Martin and James E. West successfully lobbied Congress for a federal charter for BSA. Also in 1916, Baden-Powell organized Wolf Cubs in Britain, for boys too young for the Boy Scouts (minimum age twelve at the time). In BSA, Wolf Cubs became Cub Scouts.
In 1919 Baden-Powell began a training program called Wood Badge for adult leaders in Scouting.
It was instituted all over the world and is still in use today.
In 1920 the first International Scout Jamboree, a gathering of scouts from all over the world, was held in London. Jamborees are currently held every four years, in varying countries. It will never be held in the United States because BSA, in contrast to numerous other Scouting organizations around the globe, accepts female youth members only within its Venturing Division, and not in the Cub Scout or Boy Scout divisions.
In 1937, oil magnate Waite Phillips donated to the BSA a large tract of land in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. This is now the Philmont Scout Ranch.
The Order of the Arrow, a Scouting Honor Society began in 1915. It was officially recognized by the National Council in 1936 and became fully integrated into the BSA in 1948.
the BSA on February 8, 1910, on the model of scouting established by Robert Baden-Powell. U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill chartering the Boy Scouts of America as a private.
organization on June 15, 1916.
Because Baden-Powell was also associated with the YMCA in Britain, news of the early Boy Scout manual, Scouting for Boys, had already reached the United States. The Boy Scout movement, however, did not reach the U.S. until 1909, when it was instituted by William D. Boyce.
The story of how Boyce came to be interested in Scouting has appeared in various forms. All versions agree on the following: Boyce, a publisher from Chicago, was lost in London's famous fog when he was met by a boy who showed him the way to his destination; the boy then refused an offer of payment for his services.
Some versions claim that Boyce actually knew about Scouting before he ever met the boy in question, having in fact come to London with the intent of learning more about the organization, and that the place he was seeking in the fog was actually Scouting headquarters. Some assert that the boy vanished into the fog after refusing Boyce's money, but others declare that the two arranged to meet again, so that the boy could show Boyce to the headquarters. Still others hold that the boy was uniformed at the time. The truth of the matter may never be known for sure.
Boyce returned to the United States and, with two other businessmen, Edward S. Stewart and Stanley D. Willis, incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. The first troop was Troop 1, based at a YMCA. Edgar Robinson, an important administrator of the YMCA in Chicago, agreed to help Boyce organize the Boy Scouts as a national organization.
The BSA had many rival organizations in it's early days, including:
- The American Boy Scouts, (later "United States Boy Scouts" founded by William Randolph Hearst and headed by Colonel Peter Bomus, and charged with defending the national highways;
- The National Scouts of America, affiliated with a military school;
- The Peace Scouts of California;
- The YMCA Scouts;
- The Rhode Island Boy Scouts;
- The Leatherneck Scouts;
- The Sons of Daniel Boone, founded by Daniel Carter Beard, later associated with the BSA;
- The Woodcraft Indians, founded by Ernest Thompson Seton, who met Baden-Powell in person in 1906 and later became influential in the BSA. The Woodcraft Indians and the Sons of Daniel Boone eventually merged with Boyce's organization; the consolidation was complete by the late 1910's.
The Boy Scouts of America was successfully organized by 1910, when Seton, Beard and Baden-Powell, along with Boyce, Edgar Robinson and others, called a national meeting. The first national officers were selected, and it was agreed that the President of the United States (then Taft) was to be the Honorary President of the BSA, a tradition that is still followed today. The Scouts were then incorporated by Boyce on February 8, 1910.
In 1911, the Boy Scouts of America published the first American Boy Scout manual ("Handbook for Boys"), a revision of Seton's version. This was the first appearance of the American Scout Oath and Law. The British version was a pledge of allegiance to the King. James E. West wrote the Scout Oath, and added three points to the British version of the Scout Law (brave, clean and reverent). In 1912, Sea Scouting became an official program. Sea Scouting is now part of the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America focused primarily on maritime activities. Boys' Life magazine also began in 1912, and continues today to be the official Boy Scout magazine. In 1913, the Scouting magazine for leaders started.
Boy Scouts have served at every presidential inauguration since Woodrow Wilson's in 1913.
In 1916 Paul Sleman, Colin H. Livingstone, Ernest S. Martin and James E. West successfully lobbied Congress for a federal charter for BSA. Also in 1916, Baden-Powell organized Wolf Cubs in Britain, for boys too young for the Boy Scouts (minimum age twelve at the time). In BSA, Wolf Cubs became Cub Scouts.
In 1919 Baden-Powell began a training program called Wood Badge for adult leaders in Scouting.
It was instituted all over the world and is still in use today.
In 1920 the first International Scout Jamboree, a gathering of scouts from all over the world, was held in London. Jamborees are currently held every four years, in varying countries. It will never be held in the United States because BSA, in contrast to numerous other Scouting organizations around the globe, accepts female youth members only within its Venturing Division, and not in the Cub Scout or Boy Scout divisions.
In 1937, oil magnate Waite Phillips donated to the BSA a large tract of land in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. This is now the Philmont Scout Ranch.
The Order of the Arrow, a Scouting Honor Society began in 1915. It was officially recognized by the National Council in 1936 and became fully integrated into the BSA in 1948.
________________
ORGANIZATION
BSA's National Office is currently located in Irving, Texas. The National Organization is divided into four regions each composed of area Councils, which range in size from two small West Virginia counties (Mountaineer Council) to all of DC and much of Maryland and northern Virginia (National Capital Area Council). The Councils may be further divided into Districts.
The fundamental unit of organization within Boy Scouts of America is the small group called the patrol. Several patrols are grouped into a larger unit known as a Pack, Troop, or Crew, dependent upon the particular BSA Scouting division. Actual operation varies from unit to unit, and in many cases, few decisions are made at the patrol level.
The BSA has three membership divisions:
Cub Scouting is for boys between the first and fifth grades, or 7-10 years old. Cub Scouting has ten purposes, including preparing boys to become Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts meet in dens of six to eight boys, and several dens are grouped together as a pack.
Boy Scouting is for boys ages 11-17. It is perhaps the best known (though not the largest) of the divisions. Also existing for this age level is a separate program known as Varsity Scouts.
Venturing and Exploring are for young men and women ages 14-20. Venturing emphasises the traditional outdoor activities while Exploring is vocation oriented. They provide co-educational opportunities for older teens and young adults. The Venturing Division also includes Sea Scouts.
The fundamental unit of organization within Boy Scouts of America is the small group called the patrol. Several patrols are grouped into a larger unit known as a Pack, Troop, or Crew, dependent upon the particular BSA Scouting division. Actual operation varies from unit to unit, and in many cases, few decisions are made at the patrol level.
The BSA has three membership divisions:
Cub Scouting is for boys between the first and fifth grades, or 7-10 years old. Cub Scouting has ten purposes, including preparing boys to become Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts meet in dens of six to eight boys, and several dens are grouped together as a pack.
Boy Scouting is for boys ages 11-17. It is perhaps the best known (though not the largest) of the divisions. Also existing for this age level is a separate program known as Varsity Scouts.
Venturing and Exploring are for young men and women ages 14-20. Venturing emphasises the traditional outdoor activities while Exploring is vocation oriented. They provide co-educational opportunities for older teens and young adults. The Venturing Division also includes Sea Scouts.
THE SCOUT MOTTO
"BE PREPARED"
THE SCOUT SLOGAN
Do a good turn daily.
THE SCOUT OATH
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.
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.
THE SCOUT LAW
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous,
kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
THE OUTDOOR CODE
As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors,
and be conservation-minded.
and be conservation-minded.
THE SCOUT SIGN
The middle three fingers are raised and the tips of the little finger and
thumb joined, with the upper arm held horizontally and the forearm vertically.
thumb joined, with the upper arm held horizontally and the forearm vertically.
THE SCOUT SALUTE
The hand is held in the same position as in the Scout Sign, with the pointer
touching the forehead or hat brim. This is a modification of the salute used
by militaries around the world.
touching the forehead or hat brim. This is a modification of the salute used
by militaries around the world.
THE SCOUT HANDSHAKE
This is the traditional handshake done with the left hand instead of the right.
This stems from the Scouts' military traditions; a soldier must keep his right
hand free to grab his weapon. Another reason for the left handed handshake
is that the left hand is closer to one's heart.
This stems from the Scouts' military traditions; a soldier must keep his right
hand free to grab his weapon. Another reason for the left handed handshake
is that the left hand is closer to one's heart.
SCOUT RANKS IN ORDER
Scout - Tenderfoot - Second Class - First Class - Star - Life - Eagle
The ranks up to First Class are awarded for knowledge of Scout skills (first aid,
cooking, knots, etc.) The Star and Life ranks require that the boy serve in a position
of responsibility for several months (most of the positions listed in Troop Organization
below are acceptable for this requirement) and perform community service. The
Eagle Scout rank likewise requires a position of responsibility, as well as a large
community service project planned entirely by the Eagle Scout candidate, and the
earning of 12 specifically required merit badges plus 9 more, for a total of 21.
(A portion of the merit badge requirement must be completed for both the Star and
Life ranks.) The ranks require a progressively increasing commitment to the Scout
Oath and Law (see above). (A full listing of requirements can be found on the BSA
web site.
After attaining the rank of Eagle, a scout may earn Eagle palms. For three months of
troop service and five additional merit badges beyond the twenty-one required for the
Eagle Rank, a Bronze Palm is earned. If a Scout fulfills this requirement a second time,
he earns a Gold Palm, and for a third time a Silver Palm. If he continues his progress,
he may receive additional palms in the same repeating order.
Every rank advancement involves a Scoutmaster conference and a Board of Review.
At the conference, the Scout is tested on his knowledge of all skills required for the
rank he seeks to advance to, and all ranks he has earned. The Board of Review is a
test of the Scout's personal growth and his relationship with the Scouting organization.
cooking, knots, etc.) The Star and Life ranks require that the boy serve in a position
of responsibility for several months (most of the positions listed in Troop Organization
below are acceptable for this requirement) and perform community service. The
Eagle Scout rank likewise requires a position of responsibility, as well as a large
community service project planned entirely by the Eagle Scout candidate, and the
earning of 12 specifically required merit badges plus 9 more, for a total of 21.
(A portion of the merit badge requirement must be completed for both the Star and
Life ranks.) The ranks require a progressively increasing commitment to the Scout
Oath and Law (see above). (A full listing of requirements can be found on the BSA
web site.
After attaining the rank of Eagle, a scout may earn Eagle palms. For three months of
troop service and five additional merit badges beyond the twenty-one required for the
Eagle Rank, a Bronze Palm is earned. If a Scout fulfills this requirement a second time,
he earns a Gold Palm, and for a third time a Silver Palm. If he continues his progress,
he may receive additional palms in the same repeating order.
Every rank advancement involves a Scoutmaster conference and a Board of Review.
At the conference, the Scout is tested on his knowledge of all skills required for the
rank he seeks to advance to, and all ranks he has earned. The Board of Review is a
test of the Scout's personal growth and his relationship with the Scouting organization.
ACTIVITIES
Scout activities are conducted at the discretion of the troop, but all troops' programs
have some similarities.
Troops typically hold meetings once a week, though some do not meet during the
summer. The activities conducted at troop meetings vary widely, from Scout skills
training to camping trip planning to games.
Patrol meetings independent of troop meetings may be held to conduct troop business,
such as the creation of a patrol flag. Most patrols do not hold regular meetings
independent of troop meetings, but some go so far as to organize their own outings.
Patrol activities are planned by the patrol leader (see Organization).
Troops also typically hold excursions once a month or more. These are typically
camping trips. These campouts are an important place for Scouts to work on skills
and rank advancement, and also to entertain themselves. Some troops also hold
regular backpacking trips. Other excursions are more unusual, involving, for example,
rafting, climbing or rappelling.
It is common for several troops within a district to gather at least once a year at a
special weekend campout called a camporee. A camporee is a competition, with events
such as knot tying, flagpole raising and flag ceremony, and orienteering. Troops place
varying amounts of emphasis on preparing for camporees, and those that win the highest
awards usually do so by making camporee their first priority. Similar to a camporee, a
jamboree occurs less often and draws troops from an entire Council (made up of several
districts).
have some similarities.
Troops typically hold meetings once a week, though some do not meet during the
summer. The activities conducted at troop meetings vary widely, from Scout skills
training to camping trip planning to games.
Patrol meetings independent of troop meetings may be held to conduct troop business,
such as the creation of a patrol flag. Most patrols do not hold regular meetings
independent of troop meetings, but some go so far as to organize their own outings.
Patrol activities are planned by the patrol leader (see Organization).
Troops also typically hold excursions once a month or more. These are typically
camping trips. These campouts are an important place for Scouts to work on skills
and rank advancement, and also to entertain themselves. Some troops also hold
regular backpacking trips. Other excursions are more unusual, involving, for example,
rafting, climbing or rappelling.
It is common for several troops within a district to gather at least once a year at a
special weekend campout called a camporee. A camporee is a competition, with events
such as knot tying, flagpole raising and flag ceremony, and orienteering. Troops place
varying amounts of emphasis on preparing for camporees, and those that win the highest
awards usually do so by making camporee their first priority. Similar to a camporee, a
jamboree occurs less often and draws troops from an entire Council (made up of several
districts).
The Official Cub Scout and Boy Scout Internet site of Aidan Romualdo
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