Our Troop
Our Sponsor
We are sponsored by St. Theresa's
Roman Catholic Church in New Cumberland, Very Rev. J. Michael McFadden,
Pastor
Meetings
Troop meetings are held Monday evenings during the school
year. The first portion of each meeting
is designated for troop planning and inter patrol activity, with the last hour
reserved for individual and group advancement.
Planning and Activity time involves an opening ceremony, necessary paperwork,
camp out planning, announcements, skills practice and games. Often scouting
skills and games are combined, producing a fun alternative to classroom style
learning.
When the troop breaks for classes, younger scouts go with older boys to begin
learning the basic skills which will help them on the road to Eagle Scout, while
those more advanced scouts either teach skills to younger boys or attend merit
badge classes.
Junior Leadership: A Key to Success
Troop 192 is run by the boys themselves, under the supervision of dedicated
adults. Every six months an election is held to select the leaders for the next
term. Offices such as Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader are elected positions
with specific duties to be carried out by the boys. Other offices such as
Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader, Historian,
Librarian, Instructor, Scribe, Quartermaster and Recruiter help the troop
leaders carry out their required duties. And still other troop positions are
appointed by the Scoutmasters and Patrol Leaders Council.
The junior leadership present within Troop 192 serves many functions. It teaches
boys about responsibility and commitment. The officers learn to respect all
scouts for their talents and abilities, while working to improve weaknesses, and
the troop learns the importance of respect for authority.
All work is done by the scouts, and they reap all the rewards. The advantages of
junior leadership can be seen in the success of each and every scout.
The Activities Troop
Troop 192 has become known as The Activities Troop for good reason. The scouts
participate in year round activities ranging from camping, hiking (both day and
overnight), bike hikes, rappelling, rock climbing and service projects. The camping program includes a
week long summer camp, a weekend winter camp, and other weekend campouts through
out the year. Service projects include Scouting for Food, Special Olympics,
Cansurmount, service to the New Cumberland's Senior Citizens, and St. Theresa's
Church and School. The activities provide the boys with frequent opportunities
to view nature, build camaraderie with other boys and provide service to their
community.
The Road To Eagle
The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest rung on the scouting ladder which a boy
may attain. Troop 192 has an excellent history of producing multiple eagle
scouts for over 30 years. The reason for this success is the constant presence
of instructors and guest speakers at scouting functions to aid each boy in
attaining the next step along the way.
But What Do We Actually Learn?
The knowledge and experience gained by participation in a good scouting program
are immeasurable. Instructors and speakers from all walks of life come to
meetings to share and teach. Practical life skills and knowledge such as
cooking, communications, swimming, budgeting and family life are taught, as well as scout skills such as
rope skills, wilderness survival and hiking, camping and environmental science. Of course,
fun is never left out!
What If I Just Want To Have Fun?
The boys of 192 combine fun with learning! In the past the troop has visited the
Smithsonian and toured the Capitol in Washington D.C. They have done
Summer and Winter camping, Klondike Derby, a 13 mile hike/campout along the
Appalachian trail, rappelling and rock climbing, laser tag, bike hikes on Rails to Trails,
a 9 mile hike through Valley Forge National Park and hikes through the Gettysburg National Park, along the C&O
Canal and Appalachian Trail.
last updated 09/28/06 10:37 AM