Simsbury Troop 175

Scout Photo Shows

As part of the Photography Merit Badge, Scouts from Simsbury Troop 175 have been submitting photo projects to complete their requirements for the badge.

Here are some of the Scout presentations for your enjoyment.

High Cascade - A photo journal of a week at summer camp by Keegan Rice
Download High Cascade

Wild Animal Kingdom - Zack Zikovick's wildlife photo essay.
Download Wild Animal Kingdom

Wildlife Photos - Issac Peacock's look at nature.
Download Wildlife Photos

Turkey - A day in the life of a turkey by Jack Falkner.
Download Turkey

Stunt Flying - Andrew Fletcher took his camera high above Simsbury for some great photos.
Go to Stunt Flying

A Day In Stratton Brook Park - Karl Spooner's walk through a local state park one winter day.
Download A Day In Stratton Brook Park

Knot You're Average Website

If you are looking for a great Website to help you learn to tie a specific knot, go to www.animatedknots.com. The site walks you through each step needed to tie a knot.

The have a section dedicated to scouting knots.

The also offer knots used for fishing (Including everything you need for requirement 4 of the fishing merit badge.

Most Popular Merit Badges

Merit Badges are an important part of scouting. They allow scouts to explore different area and help them advance in more than just rank.

Of the current 123 Merit Badges available, current scouts from Troop 175 have earned 60 of them.

The most popular are:
(as of December 1, 2008)

# of Scouts	Badge
31	Space Exploration
27	Environmental Science
24	First Aid
24	Leatherwork
23	Citizenship in the Nation
23	Citizenship in the World
20	Swimming
18	Camping
17	Golf
16	Small-Boat Sailing
16	Wilderness Survival
15	Basketry
14	Citizenship in the Community
14	Snow Sports
13	Wood Carving
12	Fishing
11	Fingerprinting
10	Astronomy
10	Communications

While many are earned during summer camp and as a group, all scouts can earn them individually by completing the merit badge requirements.

Immortal Blind Drop Trip

On November 7, 2008, four Immortals and two invitees departed from Simsbury on a blind drop. We drove north for a couple of hours until we stopped at a McDonalds. From this point on we would be completely blind folded. We pulled into an empty parking lot in the middle of the woods at around 9:30 pm with no idea where we were. We made shelters in the pouring rain and then went to bed.

The next morning we woke up to more rain and a hearty breakfast of power bars and apples. After a little mishap with our water filters we were given our objective. Without knowing our present location we had to find a specific lake using only a satellite image. We decided that our best chance of finding the lake was to get to the highest point in the area. We hiked in the dense fog and occasional rain up a trail that would lead us to a fire tower. Once there we would be able to see the entire region and pinpoint the location of the lake. Once we arrived at the fire tower there was good news and bad news. The bad news is that the fog was so thick that we couldn’t see the lakes. The good news is that on a prior skiing trip, Ryan Mead, Scott Miller and I had hiked to the same fire tower and know we knew that we were on the backside of Stratton Ski Mountain. We deduced that the lake in the picture had to be Stratton pond.

We soon found the Stratton pond trail and headed to the lake. Once at the lake we discovered a great shelter/palace to spend the night at. After lighting a fire in the pouring rain, eating a warm freeze dried meal, and having a push-up contest we hit the sleeping bags. The next morning we were packed up and ready to go by 8:40 am. We jogged back to the cars by 11:26 am.

The trip was a big success and a lot of fun. We practiced our navigation skills, fire building in the rain, and leadership. I expect we will have more trips like this in the future and am looking forward to them.

Michael Vallen,
Immortals Chief, Life Scout

Scouts on Snow

In December, Troop 175 took a day trip to Woodbury Ski area and we had a great time skiing, snowboarding and tubing before a extravagant luncheon buffet at Imperial China Buffet where a new squid eating record was established for the troop.

Click here to see photos from the trip.

Weather Merit Badge

Troop 175 would like to thank Bob Maxon, the weekday morning meteorologist on NBC-TV 30, for staying up late and spending time with the scouts discussing the importance of the weather around us. Mr. Maxon also was a great example of how to be a good public speaker.

While Mr. Maxon covered almost all of the requirements for the Weather Merit Badge, there is one additional requirement that need to be fulfilled to complete your merit badge.

9) Do ONE of the following:

a. Give a talk of at least five minutes to a group (such as your unit or a Cub Scout pack) explaining the outdoor safety rules in the event of lightning, flash floods, and tornadoes. Before your talk, share your outline with your counselor for approval.

b. Read several articles about acid rain and give a prepared talk of at least five minutes to a group (such as your unit or a Cub Scout pack) about the articles. Before your talk, share your outline with your counselor for approval.

To learn more about "requirement A" go to National Weather Service: Lightning Outdoors.
For option "B" try Myths and Facts about the Environment: Acid Rain

We will make time available before future troop meetings for scouts who would like to complete this requirement.

Note: For those working on their public speaking merit badge, this presentation would also qualify for requirement 2 of that badge if you include visual aids.

Scout Takes Second in HJMS Peace Poster Contest

 Each year Henry James Memorial School participates in a Peace Poster Contest sponsored by the Simsbury Lions Club.. This year they had a record number of Peace Poster entries with the theme “Peace begins with me”.  Judging took place on November 10th, and many faculty and staff came to judge the posters. The judging was extremely difficult with very original and creative designs.

Simsbury Troop 175 Scout Zack Zikovich took second place out of 104 entries! 

Congratulation Zack!

Public Speaking Merit Badge Requirement Test

At our Leaders meeting, several more scouts met the third requirement regarding impromptu speaking and did their personal introduction.

The final requirement for the merit badge:

5. Show you know parliamentary procedure by leading a discussion or meeting according to accepted rules of order; or by answering questions on the rules of order.

This requirement can be met by taking the following short 8 question online test and printing the results page and giving it to Mr. Rice (Don't forget to print the results page!).

Powered By ProProfs - Create A Quiz or Flash cards

Smoking Stinks Video Contest

Want to win a high-definition camcorder and an all-expense-paid trip to Philmont Scout Ranch? Or maybe a iPod? Well, here is your chance!

Boy's Life Magazine is sponsoring a "Smoking Stinks Video Contest" where you can submit a 3 minute video and have it posted on boyslife.org. Videos that receive the most views will win some great prizes.

This would also be a great way to earn the cinematography merit badge.

Videos can be submitted starting January 1, 2009 until March 4, 2009. Finalists will be determined by the number of viewings through April 30, 2009.

NBC-30 Weatherman Bob Maxon to Speak to Troop

Bob Maxon is the weekday morning meteorologist on NBC-TV 30 from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and again at 11 a.m. He will be attending the December 11th troop meeting at St. Catherine of Siena in West Simsbury to discuss the weather.

Scouts in Troop 175 should review the requirements of the Weather Merit Badge prior to the meeting in order to get a better understanding of what will be covered.

The requirements for several Merit Badges will change in 2009

The requirements for several Merit Badges will change in 2009. The requirements will become official on January 1, 2009. However, Scouts may choose to use the new requirements prior to that date with their counselor's approval.

The Boy Scouts of America has begun issuing new editions of ALL of the merit badge pamphlets. They have new, color covers and include color photographs and diagrams. However, the requirements for most Merit Badges have not changed.  Several of the new editions contain new information and new requirements.

They requirements for the following Merit Badges have changed: Architecture, Automotive Maintenance, Coin Collecting, Drafting, Emergency Preparedness, Engineering, Farm Mechanics, Indian Lore, Insect Study, Landscape Architecture, Lifesaving, Motorboating, Painting, Pottery, Radio, and Swimming.

In addition, some rank advancement changes have been made. Here are those changes.