Boy Scout Troop 1001

I am so impressed with each of the guys who participated in this past weekend's COPE shakedown, they demonstrated great teamwork, commitment, ingenuity and seemed to really enjoy each others company. All of these traits will serve them well on their Philmont trip. There is a great picture on this website of Scoutmaster Payette leaping from the top of a telephone pole over 30 feet off the ground. Each of the guys climbed that pole and really stepped outside their safety zone learning what they could accomplish as an individual and a crew. There are some additional pictures posted from the weekend at http://troop1001.shutterfly.com.

There are 2 crew meeting remaining (Sunday 4/11 and Sunday 5/2), both of these are from 1:30 - 3:00 at Trinity Bible Church. In addition, our final shakedown campout is May 7-9, 2010 at the Cross Timbers Trail on the south shore of Lake Texomoa near Whitesboro, TX. This campout is mandatory for all crew members, so please check your calendar now and make adjustments where they are necessary. I would appreciate knowing now if there are conflicts that cannot be altered so we can plan accordingly. The dates and topics for all events are posted at this link: http://www.troop1001.org/content/view/459/107/.

The $250 payment for travel costs is due on April 15, 2010; this will cover food, lodging, transportation and supplies. Now is a good time to make arrangements for Physicals, make sure your doctor signs the Philmont form that was distributed at February's crew meeting. The Philmont Physical Form is due back to me or Mr.Reisinger by May 2, 2010.

Please let me know if there are any questions and thanks for your support,

Kirk McClure
972-670-1258

Have you partially completed the Communications, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the Community or the First Aid Merit Badge? Then now is your chance to work through those last few requirements.

Communications Merit Badge: Mrs. Kim Lofley, 214-793-6131 will be available April 5 and 12 at 6:00 PM to help any scout who has started and not completed the MB.

Any of the Citizenship Merit Badges:  Mrs, Tana VanHamme, 469-374-0997, will be available, April 5 and 12 at 6:00 PM to help any scout has started and not completed any of these 3 MB's.

First Aid Merit Badge: Mr. Mike Reisinger, 972-907-8949, will be available, April 5 and 12 at 6:00 PM to help those scouts who have started  and not completed First Aid MB.  Please call or email, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to schedule for a Monday.  He can only handle 3 scouts on a Monday.

Bonus! Camping Merit Badge coming up soon: In addition, Mr. Rogge Heflin, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , will have class April 19 and 26 for any scout wanting to work on Camping MB.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

During this week’s meeting the boys learned about water rockets and got tips on how to build their own. Each patrol will build a rocket for the competition at Mr. Raney’s ranch in April. The remainder of the meeting focused on advancement and Capture the Flag.

Advancement

There are only Seven weeks left before Court of Honor. Can you complete your next rank by then? Now is the time to look in your handbooks and make a plan to complete all requirements for your next rank before the May CoH. There will be lots of opportunities for advancement, especially at Mr. Raney’s ranch. Make sure you bring your handbook to the troop meetings and work with your Patrol leader to get requirements signed off.

Patrol Leaders – Make sure you know what each of your scouts needs to advance and make sure they have the opportunity to complete their requirements.

Trash Bash this Saturday – Meet at TBC at 8:30. Six Flags day canceled

Saturday, April 3rd, will be our annual Trash Bash day where we give back to our community by helping to clean up Prairie Creek Park.

Please wear your Class B shirt, long pants, sturdy shoes/boots, and gloves. All are encouraged to do their part as good scouts and citizens. The boys will be tracking attendance for service hours. We will meet at TBC at 8:30 and return to the Church at 11:30.

Due to limited interest in Six Flags day the boys have decided to cancel the outing to Six Flags. We will try to reschedule for another, more convenient weekend.

Schedule for Saturday, 04/03:

• 8:30 Meet at TBC and head to Prairie Creek Park
• 11:30 Return to TBC for pizza

Next Campout – Mr. Raney’s Ranch!

April 16-18 is our annual event at Mr. Raney’s Ranch. This is a fun-filled weekend of fishing, archery, BB guns, water rocketry, shotgun shooting, iron chef cook-off, a special campfire, and more. Everyone is encouraged to attend. This is a great time for Webelos to visit as well.

Next regular Troop meeting is Monday, 04/05

In our next meeting Mr. Raney and Mr. Breaux will join us to speak about gun safety. One of our activities at Mr. Raney’s ranch will be skeet shooting. This gun safety discussion is very important if you want to participate.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Members of the 2010 Philmont treks participated in a COPE course at Camp Wisdom March 26-28, 2010 where Scoutmaster Payette took a leap of faith from the "Power Pole."

The troop will be facing a vacuum of boy leadership very soon. Why? Because older boys are growing up and moving on and younger boys have not been taking the training necessary to be effective leaders.

Formal leadership training for boys starts with Oak Leaf, an overnight activity for Scouts 12 years of age or older and of First Class rank or higher, though Second Class scouts are sometimes accommodated. The class is offered by the North Trail District. Your last chance to take Oak Leaf for a while is this weekend, March 27-28. There may still be time to sign up. See the North Trail web site for details and contact information. Note that parents must directly sign up with the course director (email address provided at the link). Troop 1001 does not manage registration.

Transportation: Mr. Graf will be driving to and from this event and has offered to take other boys as well. Contact him at 214-801-4601 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it He plans to depart TBC at 6:30 am Saturday and return to the hospital across Campbell from TBC about noon Sunday.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

The boys started up their regular meetings again on Monday, 03/22, with advancement, a fishing demo, and archery. These are just a few of the activities we are looking forward to with our next campout at Mr. Raney’s ranch. Congratulations to the Narwhals for earning honor patrol at Camporee!

Advancement

There are only eight weeks left before Court of Honor. Can you complete your next rank by then? Now is the time to look in your handbooks and make a plan to complete all requirements for your next rank before the May CoH. There will be lots of opportunities for advancement, especially at Mr. Raney’s ranch. Make sure you bring your handbook to the troop meetings and work with your Patrol leader to get requirements signed off.

Patrol Leaders – Make sure you know what each of your scouts needs to advance and make sure they have the opportunity to complete their requirements.

Scout Show tickets on sale now

Now is the time to work on your salesmanship skills by selling scout show tickets. The tickets are a great deal because they offer discounts at many local restaurants and services. What’s more, for each ticket you sell you get $4 in your personal scout account. This could help pay for summer camp or even Philmont. Many scouts have already picked up their scout show tickets. If you still need to pick up yours see Mr. Saverline at the next troop meeting. The deadline for turning in your money and unsold tickets is 04/26.

Trash Bash and Six Flags day

Saturday, April 3rd, will be our annual Trash Bash day where we give back to our community by helping to clean up Canyon Creek Park. After doing our part to clean up the park, those who participated in the Six Flags service day in December or helped out at Trash Bash are welcome to join the troop for a day of fun at Six Flags. Watch this page for more details.

Next Campout – Mr. Raney’s Ranch!

April 16-18 is our annual event at Mr. Raney’s Ranch. This is a fun-filled weekend of fishing, archery, BB guns, water rocketry, shotgun shooting, iron chef cook-off, a special campfire, and more. Everyone is encouraged to attend. This is a great time for Webelos to visit as well.

Next regular Troop meeting is Monday, 03/29

In our next meeting we will have a cooking demo from Mr. Watts and a water rocket demo from James M. and Mr. Roberts. This is your chance to learn these skills and help your patrol win Honor Patrol at Mr. Raney’s ranch.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Our next Philmont Crew campout is this weekend, March 26-28 at Camp Wisdom, just south of Dallas. We will meet at TBC on Friday evening at 6 pm. Saturday we will do the COPE course during the day and perform some conservation work for the camp Sunday morning. We plan to return to Richardson between 1 and 2 pm Sunday. COPE stands for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience and is a BSA developed program with team building exercises and individual effort. There is a release that is required to participate in the COPE program; download it here. Please bring the signed form on Friday.

Cost for the course and food is $45. The boys will be camping as crews and will need gear similar to what was used on the Backcountry Advanced Training campout.

Thanks for your support and let me know if there are any questions,
Kirk McClure

Mr. Reisinger asks that scouts who need to finish the First Aid merit badge make an appointment with him to complete the requirements. Many who took the class in January and February still need to check off first aid kit inspection and demonstrating CPR, among other requirements.

Appointments will be on Monday nights with only a few slots each evening to ensure each candidate gets the attention he deserves. Please email Mr. Reisinger to request a date.

It's the time of the year to start selling tickets for the annual Scout Show. They will be distributed at the March 22 meeting but are available now from Mr. Mike Saverline. If you want to get a head start before other scouts beat you to the sale, contact Mr. Saverline at 972-231-4149.

Remember that proceeds from the sale of tickets go to your personal account with the troop and may be used to pay for summer camp, dues, or even camping equipment. 

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

The boys had a great weekend at Camporee. The weather was fantastic and our campsite was a huge plot on the banks of Perryman Lake. With each campout this year the boys have planned a fun, featured event as well as a Trail to First Class skills instruction. Many of our older Scouts are instructors who spend a lot of time giving back to the Troop by teaching the younger boys the essential Scouting skills. This is part of being a “boy led” Troop. The boys do the planning, training, execution, and self-assessment of their program.

Because the boys lead this troop with minimal adult “assistance” it makes me especially proud to announce the great success they earned during Camporee. The boys earned 1st place in Troop Tunes, 3rd place in SPL birthday cake, 2nd place in SM birthday entrée, 1st place in campsite inspection, 2nd place in birthday cake blowout, had a fantastic skit (skit winners were not announced), scored 100% at several events, and…

Won FIRST PLACE TROOP at Camporee!

Congratulations to the “Boys of 1001” !

The next regular Troop meeting is Monday, 03/22 – No regular meeting on the 15th due to spring Break

During the next few meetings leading up to our annual campout at Mr. Raney’s ranch, the boys will focus on fishing skills, archery, water rocket building, “iron chef” cooking, and gun safety. Mr. Raney’s ranch is always a fun campout!

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette