Simsbury Troop 175

New Inventing Merit Badge Announced

One of those merit badges from the BSA's 100-year history was named Invention merit badge. The badge was discontinued in 1915 after only 10 boys had earned it. The reason for its low popularity? The main requirement told boys to "Invent and patent some useful article." Receiving a product patent is not an easy feat in any generation.

As of June 17, 2010, Scouts can now earn the Inventing Merit Badge. Here are the requirements:

Requirements:

1. In your own words, define inventing. Then do the following:
   1. Explain to your merit badge councilor the role of inventors and their inventions in the economic development of the United States.
   2. List three inventions and how they have helped humankind.
2. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Identify and interview with a buddy (and with your parent’s permission and merit badge counselor’s approval) an individual in your community who has invented a useful item. Report what you learned to your counselor.
   2. Read about three inventors. Select the one you find most interesting and tell your counselor what you learned.
3. Do EACH of the following:
   1. Define the term intellectual property. Explain which government agency oversees the protection of intellectual property, the types of intellectual property that can be protected, how such property is protected, and why protection is necessary.
   2. Explain the components of a patent and the different types of patents available.
   3. Examine your Scouting gear and find a patent number on a camp item you have used. With your parent’s permission, use the Internet to find out more about that patent. Compare the finished item with the claims and drawings in the patent. Report what you learned to your counselor.
   4. Explain the term patent infringement.
4. Discuss with your counselor the types of inventions that are appropriate to share with others without protecting and explain why. Tell your counselor about one nonpatented or noncopyrighted invention and its impact on society.
5. Choose a commercially available product that you have used on an overnight camping trip with your troop. Make recommendations for improving the product, make a sketch that shows your recommendations, and discuss your recommendations with your counselor.
6. Think of an item you would like to invent that would solve a problem for your family, troop, chartered organization, community, or a special-interest group. Then do EACH of the following, while keeping a notebook to record your progress:
   1. Talk to potential users of your invention and determine their needs. Then, based on what you have learned, write a proposal about the invention and how it would help solve a problem. This proposal should include a detailed sketch of the invention.
   2. Create a model of the item using clay, cardboard, or any other readily available material. List the materials necessary to build a prototype of the item.
   3. Share the idea and model with your counselor and potential users of your invention. Record their feedback in your notebook.
7. Build a working prototype of the item you invented for requirement 6*, then test and evaluate the invention. Among the aspects to consider in your evaluation are cost, usefulness, marketability, appearance, and function. Describe how your initial vision and expectations for your idea and the final product are similar or dissimilar. Have your counselor evaluate and critique your prototype.
8. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Participate in an invention, science, engineering, or robotics club or team that builds a useful item. Share your experience with your counselor.
   2. Visit a museum or exhibit dedicated to an inventor or invention, and create a presentation of your visit to share with a group such as your troop or patrol.
9. Discuss with your counselor the diverse skills, education, training, and experience it takes to be an inventor. Discuss how you can prepare yourself to be creative and inventive to solve problems at home, in school, and in your community. Discuss three career fields that might utilize the skills of an inventor.

*Before you begin building the prototype, you must share your design and building plans with your counselor and have your counselor’s approval

Adventure Race 2010 Results

Father's Day was a beautiful sunny day - a great day to watch their scouts compete in the annual Simsbury Boy Scout Adventure Race. 54 Scouts from all three Simsbury Troop challenged themselves to use their skills and endurance under a blistering sun.

The race began at Pennwood State Park where  the scouts mountain biked through the woods to arrive at Curtiss Soccer Fields. The next challenges were to  rappel across a river, climb over a 10 foot wall and to complete a compass course. After mandatory 15 minute rest, the scouts then set off on a 5 mile run/walk to the Sycamore Tree where they enjoyed another mandatory 15 minute rest before setting off back to Curtiss Fields in canoes. Along the way, they need to pick up some fire making supplies as the final challenge is to start a fire and burn through a string. A 15 minute deduction was given if the scouts started the fire with flint and steel.

For the second year in a row, the team of Lee Adamowicz, Mike Vallen and Keegan Rice from Troop 175 set a new course record and took first place with a time of 2 hours and 32 minutes.  They beat their last year record setting time by seven minutes and one minute of age adjusted time.

The team of Eric Barch, John Cahill and Isaac Peacock took second place with a time of 2 hours and 57 minutes.  Third place went to Nick Veltrop, Adam McIlveen and "ironman" Jon Epstein who carried his bike for part of the race after it broke during the first section of the race.

Congratulations to all of the scouts who participated and thank you to all of the parents who helped organize the event.

For photos of the event, go to the Troop 175 Photo Library.

Here are the full results:

Team 1	Time	Adj Time	Place
Lee Adamowicz
Mike Vallen
Keegan Rice	2:39	2:32	1
		F&S
Team 2
Eric Barch
John Cahill
Isaac Peacock	3:20	2:57	2
		F&S
Team 6
Jon Epstein
Adam McIlveen
Nick Veltrop	3:24	3:24	3
Team 18
Nick Summa
Jack Vallen
Kirk Scully	3:52	3:29	4
		F&S
Team 19
Connor Barnett
Mark Geschwind
Bryan Harmon	3:42	3:42	5
Team 13
Ryan Carr
Ross Harmon
Nate Lungarini	3:34	3:49	6
		F&S - 30 min penalty (compass)
Team 10
Karl Spooner
Joey Dunn
Justin Farrell	4:04	3:56	7
Team 7
Will Shuck
Kevin Burke
Hunter Boyko	4:30	4:09	8
		F&S
Team 11
TJ Nicholson
Will Sickinger
Caleb Ralphs	4:35	4:17	9
Team 5
Jake Van Loon
Robert Carter
Will Kelsey	4:34	4:19	10
		F&S
Team 12
Nicholas Paluso
Cameron Cantelmo
Mathew Guttierez	5:00	4:42	11
Team 16
Kyle Harvey
Andrew Bauer
Chris MacNeil	5:12	4:50	12
Team 14
Mike Ryan
Dan Brown
Josh Prell	4:46	4:56	13
		30 min penalty (compass)
Team 8
Charlie Siegel
Sam Spak
Jonah Garcia	5:17	5:05	14
Team 4
Tommy Adamowicz
Dan Paluso
Zack Zikovich	5:15	5:09	15
Team 15
Ian Crombez
Chris Reilly
Dillon Hermsen	5:45	5:17	16
Team 9
Andrew Guttierez
David Kalamarides
Gabe Tolls	5:40	5:26	17
Team 3
Erik Koontz
Jack Falkner
Jeff Hermsen	DNF
Team # 17
Andrew Fletcher
Alex Correia
Will Scully	DNR
Team 20
Ryan Holowesko
Will Oliver
	DNR

Congratulations Troop 175 High School Graduates!

On Monday night, several of the scouts from Simsbury Boy Scout Troop 175 graduated from high school to begin the next leg of their life time adventure.

Graduating from Simsbury High School were: Lee Adamovich, Rob Asensio, Max Drake, Carter Hill, Dan Kalamarides and John Mundy.

Graduating from Avon High School was Senior Patrol Leader Mike Vallen.

Adventure Base 100

  Experience Scouting like never before with Adventure Base 100! Created specifically for the 100th Anniversary Celebration, Adventure Base 100 will be traveling the country to give people an exciting, hands-on view of the history and future of the Boy Scouts of America. This 10,000 square foot campus features immersive Scouting experiences including a ropes course and zip line, interactive digital exhibits, a multi-sensory IMAX-like dome, and more! It will also house a traveling museum that will showcase artifacts from the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.


This exciting experience will be in East Hartford CT on June 27th.

Originally posted to Troop 175 Website  11/6/2009 and 5/3/2010

Presidential Traverse

A Presidential Traverse is a strenuous and sometimes dangerous trek over the Presidential Range of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Contained almost entirely in the 750,000-acre (3,000 km²) White Mountain National Forest, the Presidential Range is a string of summits in excess of 4,000 feet (1,200 m). To complete the traverse, one must begin at either the northern or southern terminus of the Presidential Range and finish at the opposing end.

Seven Scouts led by Rob Carter the Immortals Chief completed the very challenging Presidential Traverse. They began at the northern end of the White Mountain Presidential Range at 4:30 AM and traversed 9 Peaks, 19 Miles and 8500 feet of elevation change in 13 hours and 13 minutes finishing at Crawford notch at 5:43 PM. Hunter Peacock escorted the group from the trailhead to the top of Mount Washington 10.6 miles. Brad Mead  and Ryan Mead took the group from the top of Mt Washington to the end of the Traverse.

Scouts completing this extraordinary journey were: Rob Carter, Keegan Rice, Jon Epstein, Gabe Benjamin, Jack Vallen, Eric Barch and Isaac Peacock. These are the Iron Men of Troop 175 

Rendezvousing with the Traverse Gang  was another group of Scouts who climbed to the top of Mt. Washington via the Tuckerman's/Lions head trail and then back down the Boot Spurr Trail. They completed 10 miles and 4,000 feet of vertical gain. The group was led by Bruce Spooner, Jeff Mead and Ryan Mead(who then joined the Traverse Team))and included  Karl Spooner , Justin Farrell and Sam Spak. Will Kelsey accompanied the group on the descent.

It was a great day to be on the mountain. Congratulations to all.

Troop 175 New Eagle Scouts

 

Troop 175, the community, family and friends all gathered to celebrate the achievement of three outstanding scouts who attained the rank of Eagle scout at a special Court of Honor.

Congratulations to Carter Hill, Gabe Benjamin and Stephen Banulski.

To see photos from the event, please go to the Troop Photo Library.

Simsbury Adventure Race 2010

It's time once again for the Simsbury Adventure Race. The date us June 20, 2010. The place is Simsbury, Connecticut. The participants are members of Troops 175, 76 and 174.

Take a look at the two posts below to make sure you know what to expect come race day.

Simsbury Boy Scout 2010 Adventure Race Rules

Simsbury Boy Scout 2010 Adventure Race Course

Eagle Scout Stephen Banulski

Stephen Banulski has lived in West Simsbury his entire life and spent his school years in the Simsbury public school system attending Tootin Hills, Henry James and Simsbury High School, where he is completing his junior year.

Stephen began scouting as a Bobcat in Tootin Hills Pack 276 in 2000. In the 5th grade he crossed over to St. Mary’s Boy Scout Troop 175 under the leadership of Scoutmaster Rich Cady.

Stephen has several memorable experiences from Troop 175. One of the most memorable was the kayaking trip in Maine that took place at the end of Stephen’s second year of scouting. It was on this trip that Stephen not only learned how to kayak, but also learned to be more independent and led to his decision that scouting was something he was going to stick with.

For his Eagle Scout project, Stephen worked with the Simsbury Land Trust. There was a need for a boardwalk to be constructed on property located on North Saddle Ridge Road to provide better access over a swampy section of the land. With the help of many scouts from Troop 175, Stephen prepared and built the boardwalk on the Land Trust property helping to make this property more accessible throughout the year and encouraging more hikers to take advantage of one of Simsbury’s natural gems.

Other interests of Stephen’s besides Boy Scouts include membership in the Simsbury High School Orchestra, and Fencing Club. In his free time Stephen enjoys playing piano, fishing, and biking.

Eagle Scout Gabe Benjamin

Gabriel Benjamin was born on April 2, 1992 in Hartford Hospital and has spent his whole life growing up in West Simsbury. He attended Tootin’ Hills Elementary School from kindergarten through sixth grade. In first grade, he started his career in Cub Scouts by joining Pack 276 as a Tiger. His memories of Cub Scouting include the annual Pinewood Derby and the Blue and Gold banquets. His pack also often did cookouts at Camp Massaco.

In 2004, when he was in fifth grade, Gabriel got his Arrow of Light award, and crossed over to Troop 175. Gabriel chose Troop 175 partly because of his older brother Noah, who is an Eagle Scout as well, and partly because he thought it was the best troop in Simsbury. Gabriel remembers the many interesting and amusing times that he had while in scouting, which include traversing the subway system in New York City, twice, the first time being a new scout himself, the second time without losing any of the fifty new scouts. He also remembers visiting the historic battle site of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania; climbing Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mount Washington, and falling much of the way down; and the annual trips to Block Island and Nantucket, where biking, visiting the beaches, and wreaking havoc on the town were some of the activities.

But of course, the trip that Gabe remembers most is the trip to the Philmont Scouting Ranch outside of Cimarron, New Mexico in the summer of 2009. He remembers this trip because of the amazing views of the landscapes, spending two weeks hiking, and because of the great crew that he went with.

Gabriel did his Eagle project, which was building a beautification and sitting wall in the courtyard of Henry James Memorial School because of the usefulness of Simsbury Public Schools.

Eagle Scout Carter Hill

Carter Hill began his scouting career as a Tiger Scout and worked his way through to earn his Arrow of Light before crossing over to Troop 175 in fifth grade. He chose Troop 175 because of their presentation that focused on youth-directed trips. These trips would remain the focus of his scouting experiences, where “bare minimum” became his mantra.

One of the first lessons learned as a new scout was on the annual Blue Nose Challenge where Carter understood the great importance of keeping his shoes on all the time, realizing too late the painful lesson that comes with wet socks in sub-freezing temperatures. This lesson became especially valuable as it came after every older scout came to him, saying, “Little Man, you gotta keep those shoes and socks on.” He also enjoyed building shelters at Camp Mattituck, and understood that a lake-front shelter is wonderful in August, but Carter’s decision to build a “room with a view” in February meant a frozen “good morning.” As great as all his trips and good times were with Troop 175, including skiing Tuckerman’s, leadership trainings at Zealand Hut, and the biking around Block Island, his favorite experience was the Maine High Adventure Trip where he spent time canoeing, swimming, backpacking and being outdoors with good friends. Carter has also traveled to Peru, the Amazon Rain Forest, mountain biked through Machu Piccu, enjoyed Amsterdam with great friends, and came to the realization that sleeping in the airport in London was much better than sleeping with goats in Marangu, Tanzania.

But it was a side trip taken with Scoutmaster Brad Mead in 2007 that would provide the focus of his Eagle Scout Project. The trip to Africa to summit Mount Kilimanjaro was truly a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, but it was the trip into town where Carter saw orphaned children living in extreme poverty that struck him the hardest. Right there he knew what his project would be—he would return with the items these children so desperately needed. Securing the guidance and assistance of the Tanzanian United Nations Ambassador, Carter set out to begin his project. Following much planning and collecting and the outstanding assistance of his fellow scouts, their families, and the Simsbury community, he traveled back to Tanzania with 1,000 pounds of collected clothing, shoes, school supplies, and personal hygiene items for the orphans last Christmas. Because of the generosity of those who contributed, he was able to assist over 350 orphans in Tanzania. Following his return home, he was uncertain about what to do with the remaining clothes he was unable to bring to Africa. It was at that time the Haiti earthquake struck, and provided Carter a solution—he donated over 300 additional pounds of clothing to Haitian Earthquake Relief.

This fall, Carter will head to Montana State University in Bozeman, a perfect setting for him to combine his love of being active outdoors with college, where he plans to study pre-medical sciences and international political science. He hopes to pursue a career as a medical doctor working with the Doctors Without Borders Organization or the World Health Organization, delivering healthcare to needy communities worldwide. His long-term goals include visiting more countries than his father and living in a log cabin in Amsterdam.

Playing With Fire

 Simsbury Boy Scout Troop 175 Would like to thank Lt Vince Civitillo and the Simsbury Fire Department for helping them to have a great meeting while fulfilling several requirements for the Fire Safety merit badge.

Under the direction of Eagle scout and Simsbury Firefighter Lee Adamovich, the troop has been working on this important merit badge. After a short time in the classroom, the scouts were treated to some hands on activities including directing a live fire hose, going through the training building, and watching how fast a couch can go out in flames.

Any Scout 15 years old or older can learn about becoming a fire cadet by going to the Simsbury Fire Department Website.

To see photos from the event, go to the Troop Photo Library.

BSA 100th Anniversary Award Boy Scouts Requirements

For 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has created a strong foundation of leadership, service, and community for millions of America's youth. Through A Year of Celebration, A Century of Making a Difference, the BSA will demonstrate the incredible impact of a century of living the Scout Law.

Program participants will earn recognition for making a difference in their communities due to their dedication to five of Scouting's core values: Leadership, Character, Community Service, Achievement, and the Outdoors. Through that commitment, participants can earn each of five award ribbons to display from our 100th Anniversary commemorative patch.

A Year of Celebration will take place from September 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. The program is open to all Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, adult leaders, and Scouting alumni.

Here are the requirements for scouts:

LEADERSHIP

Scouting has a proud tradition of producing great leaders. Self-determination, teamwork, and preparedness are synonymous with Scouts everywhere. For Scouting’s 1OOth Anniversary, let’s celebrate this tradition of developing youth leaders.

The Year of Celebration Leadership Award encourages Scouts to explore and reflect upon the qualities of a good leader. The award recipients will work on leadership skills. The Leadership Award rewards participants for reflecting upon and sharing leadership lessons and skills. Scouts earning this award will look to role models, lead groups, and participate in leadership-building activities. Adults and alumni will build their unit leadership skills by emphasizing membership growth, volunteering, and providing role models.

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

Boy Scouts

1. Identify someone from your Scouting experience you think is a good leader. Ask them what makes them an effective leader and then talk to your parent or Scoutmaster about what makes a good leader. Write 200 words on the leader you chose and share with your troop leader.

2. Teach a Scout a rank requirement and help them to a successful completion.

3. Serve in a troop or team leadership position for three months.

4. Serve as a youth staff member for a unit, district, or council event or camp.

5. Serve as a den chief for a Cub Scout or Webelos den for three months.

ACHIEVEMENT

Achievement in Scouting builds self-esteem and fosters collaboration with others. With every rank advanced and award earned, Scouts develop pride in themselves and their units. More than just getting a patch, Scouting’s myriad of awards challenge Scouts to excel, have fun, and grow into healthy, prepared adults. In addition to advancement, the award recipient makes an active effort to reflect on personal achievements and those of other Scouts.

The Year of Celebration Achievement Award highlights the possibilities for personal achievement. Scouts will pursue rank advancements, religious emblems, as well as engage adults and alumni in conversation about their own achievements in Scouting.

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

Boy Scouts

1. Talk to a family member or family friend who used to be in Scouting or a Scout leader and ask about their favorite Scouting achievements. Write 200 words and share with your troop leader or parent OR fill out your family’s Scouting Family Tree at www.Scouting.org/100years.

2. Advance to Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, or Eagle rank, or earn two merit badges.

3. Earn the religious emblem for your faith.

4. Attend 90 percent of your troop or team meetings for three consecutive months.

5. Earn one of the following awards: BSA Lifeguard, Mile Swim, BSA Emergency Preparedness Award, or BSA Physical Fitness Award.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Scouting’s contribution to society is most visible in the movement’s commitment to community service. Service is interwoven into many of Scouting’s honors and is mandatory for earning the higher rank advancements. Through service, Scouts demonstrate that they provide an essential function to their communities.

The Year of Celebration Community Service Award rewards recipients for providing time and resources at no charge for the good of their local community. More than just engage in service, the award recipient must also share their thoughts about why service is crucial to our society and how Scouts today fulfill a 100-year-old legacy of serving communities.

Over the years, the Boys Scouts of America has partnered with several national organizations to accomplish some great service projects. If you are looking for service project ideas, consider the following options: Nothing But Nets Scouting For Food, Habitat for Humanity Our National Parks, American Red Cross Arbor Day Foundation, Take Pride in America, The Salvation Army, Cell Phones for Soldiers Preserve Our Waterways, 2010 US Census.

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award. * Make sure that all service hours are recorded online for ―Good Turn For America.‖

Boy Scouts

1. Participate in Scouting for Food or another food drive by spending at least one hour placing bags, collecting bags, distributing food, or spreading the word about food collection.

2. Volunteer to plant trees or landscape an area around a church, synagogue, or other place of worship or a not-for-profit organization that is not the Boy Scouts of America.

3. Provide two hours of service in a group community service project approved by your Scout leader.

4. Recruit one new boy or adult leader into Boy Scouts or Varsity Scouts.

5. Provide two hours of volunteer service at a hospital, senior citizen or veteran’s facility, or another facility approved by your Scout leader. 

CHARACTER

Scouting is a character-building enterprise. Youth learn that personal responsibility and integrity are essential to accomplishing one’s goals. They learn to do good turns without expectation of reward. They learn to be brave when challenged to do the right thing.

The Year of Celebration Character Award rewards recipients for engaging in an active conversation about living by the Scout Law. The award involves elements of citizenship, family life, and personal fitness. Scouts will reflect on their own character and values. Adults and alumni will rediscover the impact Scouting makes on their own character.

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

Boy Scouts

1. Participate in a flag ceremony, in uniform, for a non-Scouts organization.

2. Earn one of the Citizenship merit badges.

3. Present a written record of your daily Good Turns for a period of 30 consecutive days, verified by your parent, guardian, or Scout leader.

4. Provide two hours of assistance at an activity conducted by a Cub Scout pack, another troop or team, or other youth-serving organization approved by your Scout leader.

5. Conduct a family project (such as the examples found in the Family Life merit badge pamphlet) approved by your Scout leader.

Original Posted to website Sept 24 2009.

Fun Fishing For Flounder

Recently we had a fun trip to Rhode Island.

Friday night the troop arrived around 8:00 at Aquapaug Scout reservation. The Scouts set up their tents and started their fires. About half of them decided to sleep under the stars. Of course around midnight the storm changed that plan. They quickly learned that you should always have a plan B option. Fortunately John Cahill had set up his big tent so most of them did have a plan B.

Saturday we boarded the Admiral Frances around 8:00 am and set out to catch buckets of Flounder. It was beautiful day and the boat ride was enjoyable, especially to the group on the top deck who had a one legged balancing contest. It was windy so the wave action made this contest a challenge.

Dan brown caught 2 flounder and held onto the largest catch of the day till Will Kelsey bumped him into second place by 7 ounces. Steven Banulski fulfilled one of his lifelong goals and caught a flounder. Also we did get to see a hump back whale surfacing several times in the distance. We then went over to an area near Scarborough beach called Black Point. The boys had fun climbing on the huge rocks,checking out the tidal pools and some took a dunk in the cold ocean water. We continued our hike over to Scarborough beach where they built a dam out of sticks seaweed and rocks. Next we headed went down to swim in the lake. We had a first aide demonstration by Jake Van loon assisted by Mr. Peacock on Adam Mcilveen because of a piece of glass left behind that found Adams foot.

check out the Scout Photo Library for more photos.

Summer Camp Medical Forms Due

An email was recently sent out via the Troop Google Group requesting that all scouts going to summer camp have their forms, including medical forms, completed and turned in by June 25th.

See the Google Group email for complete details.

Please see Mr. Burke if you have any questions.

SLT To Offer Connecticut Trails Day Hike

Connecticut Trails Day Hike
West Mountain Trails

Saturday, June 5
9:00 a.m. • 60 Westledge Road

The hike begins at Simsbury Land Trust's trailhead at 60 Westledge Road, where there is off-street parking. It will traverse the 60 Westledge property with its Hop Brook bottomlands and historic dam. It will follow the red trail from there, up to and along a ridgeline affording splendid views of the Farmington Valley and beyond. A fairly steep descent will lead to the white trail through the saddle, which connects to the blue trail. The blue trail returns to the starting point through a dramatic and geologically significant valley. The loop totals about five miles, much of it steep and with somewhat difficult footing. This is a strenuous hike suitable only for those who are fit. It is not recommended for small children.

Wear suitable shoes or boots. Bring drinking water, a snack if you wish, insect repellent and perhaps a hiking stick. The hike will last about three hours The leaders will be Sally and Don Rieger. Participants should register in advance with the land trust at 860-651-8773.