Simsbury Troop 175

Simsbury Boy Scouts Celebrate 100th Anniversary

Boy scouts from all three Troops in Simsbury and long with several cub scouts packs gathered to celebrate the founding of the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. The event at St. Catherine of Siena Church in West Simsbury featured a flag ceremony, historic Boy Scout handbooks and merit badge pamphlets dating back to the 1920s and of course refreshments. The highlight of the event was a huge bonfire and Marshmallow roast.

Boy Scouts of America today is the largest youth service organization in America, with nearly 3 million members learning responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs and career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations.

Currently more than 215 young men between the age of 11 to 18 years old are Boy Scouts in Simsbury Troop 76, Troop 174 and Troop 175 where they are active participants in our community. Adult members of the community also volunteers selflessly to serve young people involved in scouting.

To honor the role scouting has played in the lives of so many in our community, Mary Glassman, the First Selectmen of Simsbury, proclaimed the day “Boy Scout Day in Simsbury”.

The Boy Scouts in Simsbury would like to thank St. Catherine of Siena Church, Weldon Hardware and Andy’s Market for helping to make this event a success.

Check out the Troop Photo Library for pictures from the event.

Scout in Action

 

Troop 175 Life Scout Keegan Rice was recently competed in the Burton Main Event Snowboarding Competition at Ski Sundown. He placed in the top 10 of the open division and competed in the finals.

His effort lead him to be invited to the Main Event Series Finals at Stowe Vt in February.

Here photographer Bryant Hughes captures Keegan during the competition using time lapse photography.

Operation Tuna

Thanks to all of the scouts in Simsbury Boy Scout Troop 175 who participated in the troop mobilization exercise "Operation Tuna".

To test our ability to reach all scouts in the event of an emergency, we used email, website, Facebook, text messages and phone calls to send a message to all scouts. Everyone was asked to bring one can of tuna to the troop meeting that night. The results were outstanding. We collected 62 cans of high protein tuna fish that was donated to the Simsbury Food Pantry.

Thank you to all who participated.

Lee's Fight for Air Climb

On March 27, 2010 Troop 175 Eagle Scout Lee Adamowicz will be participating in the annual Fight for Air Climb: Tackle the Tower at Hartford 21 stair climb to benefit the American Lung Association. Of every dollar raised, 77 cents will support their programs, services, research and public health education.

Not only is it the mission of the American Lung Association to prevent lung disease and promote lung health, they have recently launched an Own Your Air campaign to bring increased awareness to the quality of the air that we breathe. Research has shown that unhealthy air is one of the leading causes of lung disease. As challenging as it is to climb hundreds of stairs at one time, it doesn't compare to the challenge people with lung disease face each and every day.

Please consider supporting Lee and many others in this unique and exciting event. Online donation is easy. Visit his personal web page and follow instructions to donate to my cause.

Thank you very much for your support!

Troop 175 Mobilization Exercise for Tonight

As part of a troop mobilization exercise, we ask that each and every scout and scoutmaster bring one can of tuna to tonight's troop meeting at St. Mary's. If you do not have tuna at home, please bring one can of another high-protein food. Tuna is a great source of protein and in high demand by the Simsbury Food Pantry, where the cans will be donated after the meeting.

By bringing one can of tuna to the meeting tonight, we will demonstrate how well our troop communication system is set up. So please bring only one can per scout and scoutmaster.

Troop 175 Servers as Honor Unit for Simsbury Oath of Office Ceremony

Scouts from Troop 175 were asked by recently re-elected Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman to serve at the official for Simsbury's Oath of Office Ceremony.

Eric, Nicholas C. Keegan, Rob C. and Jack V. represented our troop in the ceremony. Here the scouts are pictured with First Selectman Mary A. Glassman.

Troop Mobilization Plan

As part of the Emergency Preparedness merit badge, the troop has create a troop mobilization plan. In the event of a national or local emergency, Troop 175 may be called to help the civil authorities maintain order or support relief efforts.

In case of mobilization, the Scoutmaster or designated Assistant Scoutmaster will contact by telephone and or email the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and ASMs.

The SPL will contact the Patrol Leaders and Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders by telephone and/or email.

Patrol Leaders will contact their patrol members by telephone and/or email.

In addition, the troop will be notified by an email via the Google group and a post on the troop website.

The central meeting location will be St. Mary's parking lot unless otherwise noted.

Gabe's Eagle Project

For the last couple of months, I have been working on my Eagle project. I chose to work with Henry James Memorial School and Simsbury Public Schools. They are a valuable resource in our town. In the courtyard at Henry James, there is an oak tree, whose roots used to stick up out of the rough asphalt. With the help of Mr. Twitchelll, grounds manager for Simsbury Public Schools, and Mrs. Peters, vice-principal at Henry James we decided that the most helpful project would be to build a sitting wall around the tree and put a miniature garden in the center.

The price for the project was around $1500.00, so initially we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to raise the money needed for the project, and that we would have to ask the Henry James PTC to chip in. But, with the help of an extremely productive car wash, and funds brought in by friend's family members, troop members and a few Simsbury businesses we actually exceeded the goal. This extra money will hopefully go to other Eagle Scout projects.

We also had to get the project approved by the Simsbury BOE. Finally, in late September we started the groundwork for the project, and in amongst rainy weekends and scout trips we finished the project on October 30, 2009. We used Techo Blocks to build the wall and glued them together with a strong adhesive. This wall will be useful as a beautification, retaining wall, and a place for people to sit and eat lunch or wait for the bus.

Once again, thanks to all the scouts and scout families who helped raise money or put in hours at the car wash or on the project. Also, thanks to the adult leadership for guidance in the process.

SIMSBURY BOY SCOUT SEEKING DONATIONS FOR AFRICAN ORPHANS

Eagle Scout candidate Carter Hill is currently seeking donations for a unique international project focused on children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Africa.  The service project will benefit the Mkombozi Centre for Street Children in Moshi, Tanzania.  Mkombozi (“liberator” or “emancipator” in Swahili) is the leading child-focused agency in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions.  It uses education, research, advocacy and outreach to help vulnerable children.  Hill, a senior member of Simsbury Troop 175, intends to bring critically needed items to the Centre later this year.

“I had the opportunity to visit Tanzania and the Mkombozi Centre during a scout trip in 2007,” said Hill.  “It has unimaginable poverty, and a very high percentage of children orphaned by the spread of AIDS.  It’s a challenge to plan and execute an international service project, but scouting is all about meeting new challenges,”

Hill anticipates a visit during the Christmas season to bring the children at the Mkombozi Centre lightly used clothing, shoes, school supplies, small sports and camping equipment and personal hygiene items.  He will be accepting both donations of these items as well as financial assistance to purchase items and to defray the costs of his trip to the region.

For more information, please contact Carter Hill at (860) 651-0290.

To learn more about the Mkombozi Center, visit their web site at www.mkombozi.org

About Troop 175

Boy Scout Troop 175 in Simsbury, Connecticut, is a successful and growing troop in the best tradition of scouting.  An active troop with strong adult leadership and  nearly 90 scouts actively participating, the troop focuses on building traditional scout skills, helping boys become leaders, and fostering a strong commitment to community service.  Scout skills, such as camping, hiking, fire building and orienteering, are regularly taught and tested during a wide variety of  trips.  The troop sponsored eighteen trips during the 2008/2009 school year.  In addition to domestic venues in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and the Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, scouts from the troop have also traveled to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (2007), camped in the Amazon jungle in Peru (2008), and canoed through the Algonquin National Park in Canada (2009).  Sponsored by St. Mary’s Church, Troop 175 has a proud record of success in engaging scouts and turning out the next generation of community leaders.  In 2008, the troop raised $25,000 through an Adventure Race to benefit a scout from a neighboring troop with a traumatic brain injury, which will be the topic of an upcoming “Boys Life” magazine feature.  Since 2000, 38 boys from the troop have achieved the ultimate rank in scouting:  Eagle Scout.  Learn more about Troop 175 by visiting our website:  http://www.SimsburyTroop175.org

Holloween Car Wash

This Saturday, October 31st, please stop by St. Mary's school parking lot from 9am to 2pm and the scouts of Troop 175 wash your car with all proceeds going to benefit the in Moshi, Tanzania.

This fund raiser is being organized by Carter Hill, a Boy Scout with Troop 175 in Simsbury. Two summers ago he traveled to Tanzania, Africa and met workers from the Mkombozi Centre For Street Children- an organization that educates, feeds and clothes children who have been orphaned, most from the AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa. The experience of meeting these children and workers had a profound impact on his life and he have chosen this organization as the focus of my Eagle Scout Project.

Here is how you can help to deliver these very needed items to the children.

THE CHILDREN ARE IN URGENT NEED OF: CASH DONATIONS WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATED
GENTLY USED CLOTHING AND SHOES, ANY SIZE/GENDER
GENTLY USED BED SHEETS AND TOWELS
ANY SCHOOL/ART SUPPLIES AND BACKPACKS
TOILETRIES AND PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS

Please bring any of these items to the car wash if you can.

Two Videos from Cape Weekend

Our version of singing around a camp fire.

Longboarding was a popular activity on the Cape.

Scoutmaster In Action

Assistant Scoutmaster Peter Van Loon is currently on assignment as a Captain with United States Navy Reserves in Djibouti. Here he is in Tanzania with members of a Ugandan Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit.

Some in the troop think that Mr. Van Loon was deployed with instructions to look for interesting future camping sites for Troop 175.

Troop Announces Next Year's Leadership

At the June Court of Honor, Troop 175's leadership for next year was announced.

Eagle Scout Mike Vallen was named Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) for the troop.  Mike will be responsible for the overall planning and running of the troop working directly with the Scoutmaster, Mr. Mead.

Assisting Mike will be his Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPL) Rob A, Jake VL and Rob B. Since Rob A will "age out" of his position prior to the end of the year, Keegan R. has also been named a ASPL for the upcoming year.

 

Immortals Accept Four New Members

At the June Court of Honor, four members of Troop 175 were inducted into the Immortals. The Immortals is an elite group of scouts that have demonstrated their advanced skills at scoutcraft and who participate in high adventure trips that test those skills.

The scouts joining the Immortals were Eric B, Issac P and Jake VL. Nicholas C also was inducted however he was not able to be at the ceremony. As a sign of their membership in the Immortals, the scouts received machetes.

Rob Carter was named Immortals Chief for next year.  

Troop 175 Scouts Off to Philmont

Good luck to Jake VL, Andrew F, Kevin H, Tommy A, Rob C, Eddie C, Jon E, Steven B and Gabe B. They are off to Philmont Scout Ranch along with Mr. Adamovicz, Mr. Van Loon and Mr. Hancock.

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America's oldest national high-adventure base. Its 34 staffed camps and 55 trail camps provide an unforgettable adventure in the high country along hundreds of miles of rugged, rocky trails.

More than 860,000 Scouts, Venturers, and leaders have experienced the adventure of Philmont since the first camping season in 1939. Throughout its existence, conscientious attention to low-impact camping techniques have helped maintain the ranch's wilderness flavor.

Troop 175 Boy Scout Adventure Race Team Assignments

The following Teams have signed up for the Adventure Race.  If you haven't signed up get two other guys and form a team. If you have two but need a third let me know. If you would like to race but have no team members let me know as well and we'll match people up. Remember the younger you are the more time that gets deducted from your final race time so you all have a chance against the bigger kids. Alumni are invited - you can race if you have not turned 21 years old.

  

Team #1

     Lee Adamowicz

     Mike Vallen

     Keegan Rice

 

Team # 2

 

     Eric Barch

     Nick Summa

     Isaac Peacock

 

Team#3

 

     John Cahil

     Nicholas Carabillo

     Justin Farrel

 

Team # 4

      Noah Campion

      Will Kendall

      Available

 

Team #5

       Gabe Benjamin

       Stephen Banulski

       Available

 

Team # 6

        Nate McIntyre

        Chris MacNeil

        Jeremy Mason

 

Team #7

        Karl Spooner

        Joey Dunn

        Jack Vallen

 

Team #8

        Robert Carter

        Jake Van Loon

        Taran Lucker (Troop 174)

This is a Charity Race and the Troop Committee has voted to donate to Simsbury Families in Need. Each team should start raising money and their will be awards for those who raise the most money. Checks should be made out to Troop 175 -Simsbury Families in Need. Our Troop raised over $ 20,000 for the Michael Bubnash Fund last year.

Troop 175 Marches in Simsbury Memorial Day Parade

God Bless America!

Troop 175 Marches in Memorial Day Parade

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers where placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington national Cemetery. Memorial Day is now celebrated in every state to honor Americans who died fighting in any war. Monday May 25th Simsbury celebrated Memorial Day. Many events were held throughout the day including the traditional parade. Troop 175 provided a contingent of scouts and scouters to march to honor the men and women who lost their lives while defending the United States.

Conservation Project Helps Simsbury Land Trust

Giving up a afternoon on a half day from school, a  dozen scouts from Troop 175 Performed a community service project under the direction Keegan Rice to benefit the Simsbury Land Trust (SLT).

The project targeted the removal of invasive plants on the SLT's Weldon property along the bank of the Hopmeadow Brook. The target was Oriental bittersweet, Multiflora Rose and Japanese Barberry - three plants that crowd out native plants. The scouts removed more than 700 plants during the several hours they worked, hanging the plants upside down to dry in the sun.  

There was a cost to removing such well rooted plants. A shovel and three pitch forks were broken trying to remove the invasive plants.

Special thanks goes to Mike Duff who coordinated the sign-in and sign-outs for the project.

Photos from the project are available in the Troop Photo Archive.

Simsbury Land Trust Photo Winners

Two members of Simsbury Boy Scout Troop 175 were recently recognized at the Simsbury Land Trust Annual Dinner for their award winning photography.

Scout Isaac Peacock accepted 3rd place in the student emerging artist category for his landscape photo.

Assistant Scoutmaster Bill Rice won Honorable Mention in the Landscape category for his photo "Wild Water at Welden".

Car Wash For Cort

The troop turned out in force to help Cort C. raise money for his Eagle project.

To see more photos of the scouts and parents in action, go to the Troop Photo Archives.

Scouts on Skis

Being a scout in Troop 175 means being active - and not only when in a scout uniform. Karl S. and Jack V. like to go fast down mountains so they participant in Ski Sundown's ski racing program. Both have qualified for the J4 Tri-State Championships later this month at Bosquet Mountain and Jiminy Peak.

Scoutmasters Have a Heart

Recently Troop 175 Scoutmaster Brad Mead and six of the assistant scoutmasters successfully renewed their CPR training in a private class held at St. Mary's School. This training is part of an ongoing effort to provide the safest possible environment for our troop's scouting activities.

Keegan Competes in Snowboard Competition

Keegan Rice, a Star scout and patrol leader in Troop 175,  competed in two snowboard competition at Ski Sundown. The Burton Mini Main Event, a under 13 competition, Keegan placed second overall.

Keegan also was the youngest competitor in the Burton Main Event Competition which featured professional snowboarder from all over the east coast.

Click here to see Keegan's jumps over a 40 foot gap on YouTube.

Troop 175 Scout Receives Grant From Northeast Utilities

 Lee Adamowicz, Troop 175's Senior Patrol Leader was recently presented with a check for $385 as part of the Northeast Utilities Environmental Project Grant Program. This Program funds local community and grassroots environmental projects that are often overlooked by large grant programs.

Lee's eagle scout project included the building and installation of birdhouses, a picnic table, and benches on the American School for the Deaf’s island campground in Salisbury, CT. The scouts working under Lee's direction also performed trail maintenance and remarking on the property.

Congratulations to Lee and thank you to Northeastern Utilities for their support of the community.