good turns, good times special summer...

completing an Eagle Project

is always difficult, but ac-

complishing this task while

facing your senior year in

high school, is even more

daunting. Sleepy Hole Park

in Suffolk proved to be the

largest beneficiary of the

Eagle projects performed by

this group.

As we say farewell to this

group, we would like to

thank them for their leader-

ship and service to the troop.

Also, behind every successful

scout , there is dedicated

group of parents and family

members that helped guide

them along the scouting trail.

These families provided a

source of leadership, service

and dedication to the troop,

and to them we also express

our heartfelt thanks.

The June Court of Honor is

always a mixture of celebra-

tion, tinged with a touch of

sadness. Every year at this

time we say goodbye to a

group of scouts who have

been with us through many

adventures, but have now

reached the end of their

years as a Boy Scout. We

have celebrated the many

triumphs and achievements

of their scouting experience,

and now wish them the best

of luck in all future endeav-

ors.

This year’s group of scouts

first came to us in the spring

of 2005, for the most part

crossing over from Pack 259.

Out of the original group of

10 scouts, 6 of them are still

with us today. Over the

years we have gained and

lost scouts, but the final

group of 6 leaves us with an

impressive array of accom-

plishments.

The Class of 2012 will have

produced six Eagle Scouts.

All of the current members of

this class buckled down over

the last nine months and

worked hard to complete

their Eagle projects and fin-

ish requirements to become

Eagle Scouts. Planning and

Farewell to the Class of 2012

Three Rivers District Spring Camporee - Pipsico

Over the weekend of April

20-22, the Three Rivers Dis-

trict held its first Spring

Camporee. The merging of

the old Merrimac and Eliza-

beth River Districts this past

year created many logistical

problems in the planning and

execution of a district event

unprecedented in scope and

size. However, District Activ-

ities Chairman Michael

Qualls, and a dedicated

group of leaders from Troop

259, unselfishly devoted

countless hours planning and

implementing the event.

The first hurdle to overcome

was to find a suitable loca-

tion that could support an

event of this size and after

careful evaluation, Pipsico

Scout Reservation was chosen

as the ideal location. Once

the location was decided

upon, the details of the event

started to come together.

Recognizing that 2012 was

the 100th anniversary of the

(see Spring Camporee on back page)

Tonight we say goodbye to the graduating members of the Class of 2012

In this issue: SPRING CAMPOREE

SUMMER PROGRAMS

2012

CLASS OF 2012

PHOTO GALLERY

SENIOR LEADERSHIP

CHANGES

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

CAMP SHENANDOAH & NORTHERN TIER

2

CLASS OF 2012 2

SCOUT PROFILES 3 & 4

CHANGE IN TROOP LEADER-

SHIP

6

JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE 6

RANK ADVANCEMENTS 7

BACK TO BASICS CAMPOUT 7

Inside this issue:

June 7, 2012 Volume 26, Issue 1

B S A T R O O P 2 5 9 , C H U R C H O F S T . T H E R E S E

Good Turns, Good Times Special Summer Edition

During the week of July 1st,

Troop 259 will send 35

scouts to summer camp. This

year the troop will be visiting

Camp Shenandoah located in

Lexington, Va. The last time

the troop attended this camp

was in the summer of 2007.

15 campers will be attending

summer camp for the first

time with our troop. For most

of these scouts, this will be

their first summer camp ever.

For first year campers, this is

often the longest they have

been away from home by

themselves, and for the par-

ents (especially the moms) this

can be a nerve wracking

experience. Although there is

an occasional bout of home-

sickness, after the first day or

so, the scouts will be en-

grossed in their activities,

earning merit badges and

enjoying themselves tremen-

dously.

This year, the scouts will be

working on over 110 merit

badges, covering a range of

topics from Archery to

Weather. Summer camp

provides the opportunity to

earn many merit badges that

normally cannot be earned

during the course of the year

in a regular classroom set-

ting. For first year campers,

they will also get the oppor-

tunity to work on rank re-

quirements to help them ad-

vance from Tenderfoot

through First Class. For older

scouts, Eagle badges and

shooting sports or aquatic

badges often become a pri-

ority during the week.

When the week ends with the

final campfire, the newest

scouts will be seasoned

campers.

259. New membership is the

lifeblood of any troop, and

without an influx of new

scouts, a troop will perish.

The 1st year boy scouts also

bring a fresh sense of enthu-

siasm and wonder to the

troop that raises the energy

level for all involved.

These new scouts also pro-

vide a rewarding challenge

to the troop leadership, who

In February of this year, 11

scouts crossed over from Cub

Scout Pack 259 and joined

Troop 259. Additionally, the

troop also welcomed another

4 scouts from Pack 212 in

Chesapeake and one other

scout who joined us in January

who was new to scouting.

The 16 scouts, represented the

largest class of new scouts

ever welcomed into Troop

must be prepared to present

programs that help the newer

scouts develop their scouting

skills while continuing to pro-

vide events that appeal to

more seasoned scouts.

These 16 new scouts com-

bined with the 12 members

of the Class of 2018 will pro-

vide a strong base for Troop

259 for many years to come.

Summer Camp 2012 - Camp Shenandoah

Welcome to the Class of 2019

Northern Tier High Adventure Expedition

three high adventure camps

run by the BSA. The other

camps are Philmont Scout

Ranch (which was visited by

members of the troop in the

summer of 2010) and the

Florida Sea Base Camp.

For most scouts, the chance to

visit one of these camps dur-

ing their scouting career is a

rare treat, but for John B.,

Will G., Sam M. and James

W., this will be the second

high adventure program they

have attended. All four of

these scouts also attended

Philmont in the summer of

2010. For scouts Tyler P.,

Layne R., and Jake W. this

will be their first High Adven-

ture experience.

Special thanks goes to Asst.

Scoutmaster George Ball who

put this trip together and also

led the trek to Philmont in

2010.

From June 30th through July

11th, 7 scouts and 3 adults

will embark on an exciting

trek to the BSA Northern Tier

base camp. This high adven-

ture program features a ten

day program of wilderness

camping and over 100 miles

of canoeing in the boundary

waters between Northern

Minnesota and Ontario, Can-

ada.

The Northern Tier is one of

Page 2


Some of the newest members of Troop 259 at a recent troop meeting.

This year’s summer camp at-tendees represent the largest contingent in Troop history.

PHOTO GALLERY

Joined Troop: 11/10/2006

Rank Date: (Pending)

47th Eagle for Troop 259

Special Awards & Honors:

World Conservation Award

Order of Arrow, Brotherhood

Leadership Positions:

O/A Representative

Patrol Leader

Asst. Patrol Leader

Patrol Quartermaster

Special Training:

Junior Leadership

Marc has earned 39 merit

badges during his scouting

career., highlighted by his be-

ing Camp Champion when he

earned his Shotgun Shooting

badge at Camp Raven Knob in

the summer of 2009.

Marc has spent 44 nights

camping while a scout and

provided over 27 service hours

to the community in addition

to his Eagle project while in

the troop. He was elected into

O/A in 2010 and took the

Brotherhood walk in August

of 2011.

For his Eagle Project, Marc

added patio stones to a medi-

tation garden at the Church of

St. Therese. He also created a

special place in the center of

the patio area for the disposal

of sacramental liquids from

church services.

Mitchell has earned 39 merit


career.. In the summer of 2010

Mitchell participated in a high

adventure trek at Philmont

Scout Ranch.

Mitchell has over 100 nights

camping and provided over 85

service hours to the communi-

ty while in the troop. During

his senior year, Mitchell com-

pleted his eagle requirements

while serving as an Asst. Sen-


Rank Date: (Pending)



50 Miler Award

Historic Trails Award



Asst. Senior Patrol Leader

Troop Web Master

Patrol Leader

Special Training:

Junior Leadership

ior Patrol leader to the troop.

For his Eagle Project, Mitchell

did extensive renovation in

two different rooms at Nor-

view United Methodist Church

in Norfolk, VA. During the

course of his project, Mitchell

painted and installed cabinetry

in a room used as a second

sanctuary. Additionally he

painted and installed shelving

in another large room that is

used as a thrift store for the

local community.

Scout Profiles

Nate has earned 45 merit


career.. He was among the first

scouts in the Tidewater Coun-

cil to earn the new Scuba Div-

ing merit badge.

Nate has spent over 60 nights



ty as a scout. He has also been

an active member of the 259

Venture Crew since its incep-

tion and visited the BSA Flori-

da Sea Base in the spring of

2011 and scuba dived in the

Caribbean.

For his Eagle Project, Nate

enhanced one of the nature

trails at Sleepy Hole Park in

Suffolk,. He erected a retain-

ing wall along the trail to con-

trol erosion and added fill dirt

to level out the trail. Addi-

tionally he constructed bridge

along the trail to provide pas-

sage over section of the trail

that continually washes out in

heavy storms.


Rank Date: (11/3/2011)

42nd Eagle for Troop 259


Arrow of Light

Snorkeling BSA



Program Vice-President

(Venture Crew) Patrol Leader

Troop Historian


Special Training:

Junior Leadership

Page 4


Marc A.

Eagle Scout Candidate

Nate B.

Eagle Scout

Mitchell H.

Eagle Scout Candidate


Rank Date: (3/8/12)



Arrow of Light

Paul Bunyan Award



Troop Guide

Troop Scribe


Matt has earned 38 merit badg-

es during his scouting career..

As a scout, Matt has spent 45

nights camping and provided

over 70 service hours to the

community while in the troop.

For his Eagle Project, Matt

rebuilt the stage for the Am-

phitheater located at Sleepy

Hole Park. The Amphitheater

is used for nature programs

and has frequently been used

by scouting groups during

campouts.

The old stage had deteriorated

to unsafe conditions and need-

ed to be totally removed. Matt

dug holes to install the new

foundation and built a new

frame and stage platform. The

project also included a rear

ramp to make the stage handi-

cap accessible.

Joe has earned 47 merit badg-

es during his scouting career.

and was the first from the

Class of 2012 to make Eagle

Scout.

Joe has spent 50 nights camp-

ing while a scout and provided

over 50 service hours to the

community while in the troop.

He was elected into the Order

of the Arrow by his peers in

2008.


Rank Date: (10/20/2011)

41st Eagle for Troop 259


Arrow of Light


Order of the Arrow


Asst. Senior Patrol Leader

Patrol Leader

Asst. Patrol Leader

For his Eagle Project, Joe in-

stalled a pier in the retaining

pond beside Joliffe Middle

School. The pond was used

for nature studies in science

classes and the students had to

navigate a sloped bank to ob-

tain water samples for their

experiments. The new pier

enables the students to safely

obtain water samples from the

pond from a secure platform.

Scout Profiles

Justin has earned 40 merit


career. and also was among the

first to earn the Scuba Diving

merit badge.

Justin has spent over 50 nights



ty while in scouting. He was

elected into O/A in 2009. Jus-

tin is also an active member of

the 259 Venture Crew.

For his Eagle Project, Justin

worked in conjunction with

Matt P. refurbishing at the

Amphitheater at Sleepy Hole

Park in Suffolk, Justin re-

moved all the old seating and

installed new benches with

metal supports. He also creat-

ed a handicap seating area to

provide a firm, level area for

wheelchairs. He finished off

his project by adding crushed

stone for the aisles between

the benches in the seating area.


Rank Date: (03/29/2012)



Arrow of Light

Snorkeling BSA


Order of the Arrow


Troop Librarian

Treasurer (Venture Crew)

Page 5

Volume 26, Issue 1

Joe Z.

Eagle Scout w/ Gold Palm

Justin S.

Eagle Scout

Matt P.

Eagle Scout

This Court of Honor repre-

sents the final responsibility

for the outgoing Senior Patrol

Leader and his Asst. Senior

Patrol Leaders.

SPL James W., ASPL John B.

and ASPL Mitchell H. official-

ly relinquish their duties to-

night to the newly elected

scout leadership who were

voted in during the annual

May elections.

The troop was fortunate to

have a pair of Eagle Scouts

in James W. and John B.

serving in the these leader-

ship positions. Additionally,

Mitchell H. finished his Eagle

requirements and had his

Eagle Board shortly before

leaving office as well. This

threesome was elected to

serve for 12 months starting

at the end of May 2011.

The leadership of this trio has

helped guide the troop

through an unprecedented

growth in membership which

has resulted in a troop that

now proudly boasts 65 mem-

bers. During their tenure, the

troop also attained coveted

Gold level status under the

new Journey to Excellence

program for scouting units.

Our thanks go out to these

fine young men for all their

hard work and leadership.

The troop would also like to

welcome our new SPL Mi-

chael E. and his new ASPLs,

Garrett H. and Jesse H. who

are officially being sworn in

tonight. Additionally, Will G.

and James W. will now serve

the troop as Junior Asst.

Scoutmasters.

Without dedicated and com-

mitted leaders, Troop 259

would not have been able to

earn Gold Level status under

the Journey to Excellence

program. This year, Troop

259 was well represented

among the award recipients.,

further highlighting the strong

leadership foundation that is

a cornerstone of our pro-

On March 30th, the newly

formed Three River District

held its first annual awards at

the LOCATION in Chesa-

peake. This was the first

year that the old Merrimac

and Elizabeth River Districts

came together as one to rec-

ognize outstanding leader-

ship achievements over the

past year.

gram. The highlight of the

evening came when Doug

Hankins was presented the

coveted “Legend of Service”

award.

Also among this year’s recipi-

ents were Warren Goodman,

“Boy Scouter of the Year”,

Dave Byrd “Troop Committee

Member of the Year”, and

Wendy Halman named “Boy

Scout Sparkplug”.

Change in Troop Leadership

District Leadership Awards

Journey to Excellence

offered three award levels.,

Bronze, Silver or Gold. The

performance standard in-

creases as you move from

Bronze to Gold.

Since 1996, Troop 259 had

earned Quality Unit Status

every year based on the old

program that combined self

analysis and subjective eval-

uation based on goals the

units set for themselves.

The new Journey to Excel-

lence program provides a

more statistically driven set

of criteria based on measur-

able standards.

Without missing a beat,

Troop 259 met or exceeded

all standards and earned the

top award level of Gold,

reaffirming the troops com-

mitment to providing an out-

standing scouting experience.

The calendar year of 2011

marked a major change in

the way scouting units were

evaluated in their ability to

maintain and provide a re-

warding scouting experience

for their youthful participants.

The old Quality Unit Program

was replaced by new evalu-

ation standards under a pro-

gram called, Journey to Ex-

cellence. The new program

Page 6


District Leadership Award winners for Troop 259. Lto R: Doug Hankins, Wendy Halman, Warren Goodman

...TROOP 259

MET OR

EXCEEDED ALL

STANDARDS AND

EARNED THE TOP

AWARD LEVEL OF

GOLD...

L to R: ASPL Mitchell H., SPL James W. , ASPL John B.

During the first six months of

2012 40 different scouts

advanced at least one level

in rank. At the top end, four

scouts made Eagle Rank or

finished their Eagle require-

ments and six different Palms

were awarded to existing

Eagle Scouts. Additionally, 5

scouts became Life Scouts

and 2 scouts earned Star

rank.

There were also many ad-

vancements in the lower ranks

with some scouts achieving

multiple advancements during

the first half of 2012. There

were 7 scouts who made 1st

Class rank, 6 scouts made

2nd Class, and 16 scouts

earned their initial rank of

Scout.

Since January, the troop

welcomed in 15 new scouts

who crossed over from Cub

Scouts plus one other scout

new to scouting. Out of these

newer scouts, all have since

earned at least the Scout

rank. With events such as the

Merit Badge University and

the Spring Camporee, a

large number of merit badg-

es were also earned in the

first half of the year. Through

the June Court of Honor, 185

merit badges will have been

earned in the first half of

2012 with 77 being award-

ed at this Court of Honor.

The current scouts of Troop

259 have earned over 1200

merit badges during their

scouting careers. Besides the

Eagle required badges, the

most popular merit badge

has been Oceanography,

earned by 40 scouts.

prepared by the adults.

Scouts were paired up to

pitch and share a tent and

were introduced to the fun of

patrol cooking. As boy

scouts, meals are planned

and cooked at the patrol

level. Setting up cooking

stations and the clean up

afterwards are duties all

performed by the scouts, not

the adults. Additionally on

the campout, basic skill in-

structions were given so that

Over the weekend of March

23-25, Troop 259 had its

Back-to-Basics campout at

Sleepy Hole Park in Suffolk.

This annual campout is usually

the first camping trip that

new scouts who recently

“crossed over” attend with

this troop. For the new scouts

it is a change from campouts

as cub scouts where they

shared a tent with their par-

ents and had all their meals

all the new scouts earned the

Scout rank by the end of the

weekend. The scouts also

earned their Totin’ Chip and

Firem’n Chit and started

working on requirements for

the Tenderfoot rank..

Despite the rain and some

teeth rattling thunder, the

weekend was a success and

a good introduction to scout-

ing for the newest scouts.

Rank Advancements

Back to Basics

Recent Events—News Briefs

mance within the troop based

on the measurable criteria in

the Journey to Excellence

Program. Additionally, the

unselfish support the leaders

of Troop 259 provided to the

District over the past year

was taken into account by the

panel when they voted. As a

result, Troop 259 was select-

ed over every other unit with-

in the Three Rivers District.

On May 7th , Scoutmaster

Warren Goodman, on behalf

of Troop 259, made a spe-

cial donation to the Scottish

Rite Foundation at the Scot-

tish Rite Temple on Cedar

Road. The donation will be

spent by the foundation in

support of the ODU Speech

Development Center. Troop

259 has enjoyed the support

and use of the facilities of the

Scottish Rite Temple frequent-

ly for events in the past.

At the recent Spring Campo-

ree, Troop 259 was award-

ed the inaugural District Hon-

or Troop Award for the Three

Rivers District. This was the

first time this award had

been presented and Troop

259 was selected by a spe-

cial panel made up of scout-

ers from other troops in the

District. Troop 259 was rec-

ognized for exceeding BSA

standards for quality perfor-

Page 7

Volume 26, Issue 1

Scouts working on their fire building skills during the Back to Basics campout.

...Troop 259

made a special

donation to the

Scottish Rite

Foundation… in

support of the

ODU Speech

Development

Center.

Rank Advancements are pre-sented at the time they are earned and later recognized at the next scheduled Court of Honor.

scouting memorabilia provid-

ed by scouting leaders from

all over the district.

The camporee included a

campfire Saturday night,

showcasing skits performed

by the attending troops. The

Merrimac Tribe Order of the

Arrow Ceremony team also

performed a O/A Tap Out

ceremony to anoint the newest

O/Arrow members selected

by their individual troops.

Troop 259’s newest O/A

members were tapped out

during the ceremony. Con-

gratulations to Will G., John

B., and Jesse H. who were

selected by their peers to

become members of

“Scouting’s National Honor

Society”. ASMs Ted Miller

and Dana Reynolds were also

First BSA Eagle Scout, the

theme for the Camporee was

“Scouting Heritage”. During

the Camporee, scouts visited

multiple “stations” geared

towards the history of scout-

ing or the scouting experi-

ence. Participating scouts

were able to earn the Scout-

ing Heritage merit Badge,

introduced in 2010.

Over 375 scouts and 100

adults from all over the Three

Rivers District participated in

the event. Troop 259 led the

way with 39 scouts and 19

adults attending the event.

The scouts learned about

key individuals from the ear-

ly history of scouting and a

look at how scouting has

changed over the years. Also

on display was an array of

tapped out during the cere-

mony.

A highlight of the campfire

was the awarding of the

Honor Troop of the Year for

2011 for the Three River

District. Our own Troop 259

was this year’s recipient.

Despite the rain that came in

late Saturday night, the

Camporee’s was a huge suc-

cess and a great experience

for all the participants.

Thank you to all who gave

generously of their time to

make this event a rousing

success.

Special recognition needs to

be given to the Sheldon G.

who was SPL for the event

and Mike Qualls and his

“staff’ from Troop 259.

Spring Camporee (continued from page 1)

Church of St. Therese

4137 Portsmouth Blvd

Chesapeake, VA 23321

(757) 488-2553

Meets every Thursday evening

from 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM

Scoutmaster: Warren Goodman

Phone: 757-409-2434

email: [email protected]

Were on the Web

http://Bsa259.org

BSA Troop 259 has been serving the youths of Tidewater for over 25 years. Almost 300 different

boys have participated in the scouting experience with our troop through the years and we are com-

mitted to providing a positive and rewarding experience for all involved. Our goal is to challenge

the scouts to develop their fullest potential and provide them with the skills and confidence to suc-

ceed in all future endeavors and most importantly to teach them to be good citizens.

Upcoming events at a glance:

June 8th to June 10th - Hatteras Camping Trip

June 30th to July 11th - Northern Tier High Adventure, Minnesota

July 1st to July 7th—Summer Camp, Camp Shenandoah

The O/A Call Out ceremony during the recent Spring Camporee. Ceremonial Team members Jake W. and James W. “tap out” an inductee from the Three Rivers District.

Serve from the back...lead from the front.

BSA Troop 259

B S A T O O P 2 5 9 , C H U R C H O F S T . T H E R E S E J S Walker, Editor-in-Chief

good turns, good times special summer...

Documents