Boy Scout Troop 1001

Happy New Year Scouts and Scouters!

I hope you all have had fun and relaxing holidays and are ready for a great 2010!

Our next two campouts are just around the corner so the boys will be focusing on lashing and orienteering skills for the next few meetings. These are both essential Scouting skills all Scouts should learn. As we practice these skills it’s especially important that our younger Scouts get lots of “hands-on” time with both.

Derby Day is only a few weeks away.

Our next campout is January 29-31. All patrols should be having separate patrol meetings to plan and build their derby cars. If you are stuck and don’t know where to start or have “how-to” questions about building a car, ask your senior team to steer you in the right direction. Their car is nearly complete already! We will have prizes for the fastest cars as well as the cars with the most “style”. Style categories will be announced soon.

Aggie Eagle Program

Troop 1001 Eagle Scout Grayson Frank was on hand in full Cadet Class A to talk to the PLC about the Aggie Eagle program. This is a Texas A&M program that recognizes the accomplishments of Eagle Scouts and provides scholarships for these exemplary young men. Contact your Patrol Leader or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Two Merit Badges starting January 11.

Citizenship in the World and First Aid merit badges will begin this Monday, 01/11. Both are Eagle required. Make sure to be at the Church by 6:00 if you are interested in taking one of these classes. The Citizenship in the World merit badge is recommended for Scouts who are at least 13 years old.

Next meeting is Monday, January 11.

The Scouts are planning to cover a lot of topics during our next meeting. They will continue working on lashings and have a “camp gadget” competition, there will be a discussion of derby car building tips and tricks, and also OA elections. Make sure to be there and formed up promptly at 7:00.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Doug Miller is soliciting reservations for the North Trail District Awards Banquet to be held January 24, 2010. All adult leaders are encouraged to attend. Reservations should be submitted to Mr. Miller by Friday, January 8.

Mr. Miller is also soliciting nominations for Y.E.S. (Your Extraordinary Service) Awards to be presented at the dinner. Troop 1001 is eligible to nominate two adults. The Y.E.S. Award is a North Trail District award honoring individuals for their service to the unit, scouting, and most importantly the boys. Each unit may submit one application for each 50 boys in the unit. The YES Award should be presented to someone within Troop 1001 who has given his or her time to help provide a quality program for the youth. Contact Mr. Miller ASAP with your nominations.

More information is available on the North Trail District Web site.

Mike Reisinger is offering a class for the First Aid merit badge on Monday evenings at 6 pm starting January 11, 2010. All scouts who do not have this eagle-required merit badge are encouraged to attend. Scouts who have not yet achieved First Class rank are especially encouraged so they may complete the first aid requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class advancement as well. All sessions will be held at Trinity Bible Church.

The class will take seven Monday evening sessions, scheduled for January 11 and 25; February 1, 8, 15 and 22; and March 1.  There will not be a session on January 18.

See Mr. Reisinger's information sheet for more details. Be sure to bring your Boy Scout Handbook to each session.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

During our last meeting the Scouts worked on advancement and preparation for the Court of Honor. Congratulations to all the Scouts who advanced in rank this week. We had 11 Scouts advance during this meeting alone!

Troop 1001 wins First Place at the Richardson Christmas Parade!

On Saturday, Dec.5, Troop 1001 participated in the Richardson Christmas Parade. When the judging was over, Troop 1001 won first place in their division for best float. Thanks to all the Scouts and Scouters who came out early Saturday morning in the cold to help out with this fun event.

Six Flags/Service Day - December 12

Saturday, Dec. 12, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. Scouts should wear Class B uniforms and bring work gloves. The cost is $20 per person, which covers ticket cost and parking for those who drive. If your Patrol Leader hasn't contacted you yet make sure to contact him ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend. Parents must accompany non-scout children and youth. Be sure to bring a signed permission form.

Parents - We need your help to make this event possible. At this time we have transportation for only 7 of the 40 Scouts who have signed up. Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call my cell at 972-880-6706 if you can help drive.

Itinerary for Saturday, December 12

• 9 a.m. Arrive at Cottonwood Park
• noon Break for lunch
• 1 p.m. Leave for Six Flags
• 2 p.m. Arrive at Six Flags
• 10 p.m. Park closes

Drivers may leave the park early with their Scouts but must contact our Senior Scouts, who will be monitoring attendance. Contact information will be provided.

Court of Honor - December 15

Our Winter Court of Honor will be held at Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, Dec. 15. There will be dinner, a slide show, skits, and awards honoring the "Boys of 1001." Dinner starts at 6:00 followed by the CoH at 7:30.

Next Meeting - January 4th

Our next meeting is Monday, January 4, where the boys will be working on their orienteering skills. The compass work portion of orienteering takes patience and practice but is an essential skill for all Scouts to master. We will also be welcoming two new Scouts - Austin H. and Anton R from Pack 2007.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

We have two immediate needs for help. The first one is for adults who can participate in Boards of Review on Monday, December 7. Any leader or parent who has taken Board of Review Training can participate and by doing so, will help us get through a very busy evening. If you are available at 6 pm, there will be a few early BORs. Otherwise, show up at 7 pm.

The second need is for drivers willing to take a car load of scouts to and from Six Flags on December 15. Departure is at 1 pm and return is by consensus of small groups, but no later than 10 pm when the park closes. Lots of scouts are signed up, so we need lots of drivers. Contact Rick Goad ASAP to volunteer.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

Our last meeting focused on Patrol flags, personal fitness, and Trail-to-First Class advancement. Many of our Scouts completed the second half of the Tenderfoot fitness requirement and are ready for rank advancement. Congratulations to Ben R., Caleb S., and Westin S. for advancing to the rank of Scout!

Richardson Christmas Parade – December 5

Saturday, December 5th Troop 1001 will participate in the Richardson Christmas Parade. The staging area is at Richardson square mall, between Sears and Lowe’s. Troop 1001 will be in row A unit 105. Parade organizers request dropoff occur on the northeast side of Sears. All Scouts should arrive by 8:00 am in FULL Class A uniform. Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Parents, pick up your scout in the front drive of Apollo Junior High School, just east of Huffhines park where the parade ends. The troop may finish long before the parade is over so please make yourself available to pick your son up as soon as the boys finish. Make sure your scout knows how to get hold of you.

Six Flags Service day – December 12

Saturday, December 12th, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. Scouts should wear Class B uniforms and bring work gloves. The cost is $20pp, which covers ticket cost and parking for the drivers. If your Patrol Leader hasn’t contacted you yet make sure to contact him ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend. Parents must accompany non-scout children and youth. Permission forms and money are due at the Money Monday™ meeting on December 7.

Itinerary for Saturday, 12/12:

• 09:00 Arrive at Cottonwood Park
• 12:00 Break for lunch
• 1:00 Leave for Six Flags
• 2:00 Arrive at Six Flags
• 10:00 Park closes
• Drivers may leave the park early with their Scouts but must contact our Senior Scouts, who will be monitoring attendance. Contact information will be provided.

Court of Honor – December 15

Our Winter Court of honor will be held at the Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, December 15th. There will be dinner, slide show, skits, and awards honoring the “Boys of 1001”. Watch this site and look for an e-vite with details.

Next Meeting – December 7 – Schedule your Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review NOW!

Our next meeting is Monday, December 7th. Make sure to bring your handbook so you can have requirements signed off.

I will be on-site at 6:00 for Scoutmaster Conferences. All Scoutmaster Conferences and BORs MUST be complete by the end of this meeting to receive your advancement at the December Court of honor.

I will also be available for Scoutmaster Conferences after 6:00 each night this week and also this weekend. Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are ready for your conference and would like to do it before Monday.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Troop 1001 will start with a service project on Saturday, December 12 and finish with an exciting time at Six Flags. For the service project, we will clean up Cottonwood park, home of our favorite arts festival. After some good, hard work, we will reward ourselves by spending the remainder of the day at Six Flags Over Texas. Scouts will depart directly from Cottonwood Park for the theme park.

Times for both activities are still TBD, so stay tuned to the troop newsletter and this Web page to get the details as they firm up. Plan for the activities to take all day, morning until late evening.

Tickets for Six Flags and a contribution for driver's parking expenses add up to $20. Even though this does not include food or drinks, it is a great deal. Permission forms and money for Six Flags are due at the Money Monday™ meeting, December 7. 

Parents and siblings of scouts are welcome to attend at the same price. All non-scout children and youth must be accompanied by a parent.

We are in need of drivers to Six Flags and back. Please contact Rick Goad to offer yourself and your vehicle.

Parents and adult leaders, your work experience and hobbies make you uniquely qualified to counsel scouts who want to earn one or more of the following merit badges. Look through the list. You probably know enough about several of them to be an effective merit badge counselor.

But before you can take on that role, you need to know how merit badges are earned and what is expected of counselors. Not to worry! In one short hour, you can learn everything you need to know. Come to the November 30 troop meeting for merit badge counselor training. We will explain the BSA merit badge system and help you identify all the badges you can counsel. The training will start at 7:15 pm.

Happy Thanksgiving Scouts and Scouters!

This Thanksgiving marks 388 years since 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians celebrated their bountiful harvest of 1621 with a three-day feast and fellowship in which they gave thanks to God for their many blessings.

While this was the start of our modern-day tradition, it wasn’t until 1933 that president Franklin D. Roosevelt began celebrating thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, prompting Congress to later proclaim this to be the official Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate today.

I would like to wish each of you a wonderful week of good food and great times shared with your family and friends while we give thanks for all of our many blessings.

Backpacking Campout

Our backpacking campout at camp Meisenbach was a lot of fun.

Over 30 Scouts and a dozen Scouters made base camp at Ram’s Bluff Friday night. There was a light drizzle but the Scouts had all their tents set up, a great cracker barrel, and were in for the night before the rain picked up.

Saturday morning the Scouts set out around the Governor’s Trail with the Trail-to-First-Class Scouts leading the way using a compass and topo map. Nearly five miles later they arrived at Kodiak camp where they built some very impressive shelters, cooked on backpacking stoves, and learned about water purification from Ben J. The Saturday Campfire was one of the most spontaneous, hilarious campfires I have seen in a long time.

Sunday morning the Scouts had an inspiring Sunday Service in the wilderness led by Mr. Roy C. and his Chaplain Aid, Will S, before a short hike back to base camp.

Congratulations to Ray P. and the Merv Patrol for being awarded Honor Patrol for their shelter, cooking, and patrol spirit.

Thank you to all the Scouters who helped make this campout a success!

Richardson Christmas Parade – December 5

Saturday, December 5th Troop 1001 will participate in the Richardson Christmas Parade. Watch your newsletter and this site for details.

Six Flags Service day – December 12

December 12th, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. We will start the day with a service project at Cottonwood Park. After a quick lunch we will head out to Six Flags for a day of fun. We will have a special group rate of $16.50 pp if we sign up this week. If your Patrol Leader hasn’t contacted you yet make sure to contact Mr. Goad ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend but parents must accompany non-scout children.

Court of Honor – December 15

Our Winter Court of honor will be held at the Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, December 15th. There will be dinner, slide show, skits, and awards honoring the “Boys of 1001”. Watch this site and look for an e-vite with details.

Next Meeting – November 30 – Schedule your Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review NOW!

Our next meeting is Monday, November 30th. Make sure to bring your handbook so you can have requirements signed off. The Scouts plan to work on Trail-to-first-Class requirements, including personal fitness – Part II.

The Scoutmaster will be on-site at 6 pm for Scoutmaster Conferences. Don’t forget to schedule your Board of Review ASAP with the Committee Chairman. While Mr. Miller will always try to accommodate each Scout, it takes planning to make sure there are enough committee members available to sit on each BOR. All Scoutmaster Conferences and BORs MUST be complete by December 7th to receive your advancement at the December Court of honor.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette