Scouts from Troop 103 watch the International Space Station streak across the sky at over 17,100 miles per hour on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 8:08PM. The space station became visible at 41 degrees above the horizon looking west and crossed the sky in just 4 minutes until it disappeared to the east. The space station orbits the earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of about 250 miles above the earth.
Around the time that we were watching, the Expedition 59 crew continued more brain and breath research aboard the International Space Station today. Along with a variety of other life science activities, the crew also filmed a virtual reality experience inside the station.
The next sighting is April 26 at 5:41AM for 3 minutes appearing 10° above S and disappearing 16° above the ESE.
Both the Troop and Pack 103 will be participating in Scout Sunday of February 3, 2019 at the 10:30AM mass at St Joseph Church. Father Morelli will be celebrating mass. Please arrive 20 minutes early in full uniform and assemble in the Narthex.
Troop 103 has earned GOLD status for the “Scouting’s Journey to Excellence” Award. The award is the BSA’s council performance recognition program designed to encourage and reward success and measure the performance of our units, districts, and councils. It is meant to encourage excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA.
The Troop has qualified for the Journey to Excellence Award each year since its inception and for many, many consecutive years prior with the Quality Unit Award that was replaced by the Journey to Excellence Award.
Troop 103 is proud of providing and offering an excellent Scouting Program that provides opportunities to our youth to experience the outdoors and grow both morally and physically into strong leaders of the future. This scout led program is a partnership of both youth and adults.
In 2018, the Troop excelled in the following award objectives:
Planning and Budgeting: The scouts plan activities for the entire year at a planning outing each year. Our planning calendar is published on our website.
Advancement: 80% of our scouts advanced a rank this past year including 2 scouts that earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Service Projects: The Troop Participated in at least 6 Service projects that benefited the community or parish without any financial benefit to the Troop or scouts.
Following the Patrol Method: The troop has patrols, and each has a patrol leader. Our Troop’s youth leadership includes a Senior Patrol Leader and his assistant, We have patrols that are led by a Patrol Leader. The Troop also elects many other officers including the Scribe, Quartermaster, Librarian, etc.. The youth leadership (Patrol Leaders Council) meets each month.
Leadership and Family Engagement: In addition to the Scoutmaster, the troop had 4 Assistant Scoutmasters, 10 Committee Members, and at least 7 other supporting adults. The Troop held 2 Courts of Honor for scouts this past year. We present the annual Troop Calendar to parents each year outlining the plans of the troop for the upcoming year.
Trained Adult Leaders: All adult leaders including all committee members are fully trained in their positions. Three members of our leadership have also taken a week-long Wood-badge training. Multiple members of the committee support the district in planning and executing district activities.
Despite receiving the GOLD status, the Troop can still improve in the following objective areas.
Membership Growth: Improve scout membership numbers. Conduct Improved membership drives. Better interact with the Webelos and the Cub Pack and retain more Webelos that cross-over to the Troop.
Short-Term Camping: Including more tent camping opportunities vs. cabin camping.
This evening (12/18/2018) Troop 103 Life Scout Brody Goulden was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, becoming Troop 103’s 86th Eagle Scout.
Brody’s Eagle Scout Service Project consisted of leading the community in planting an apple orchard at the historic Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg (see Brody’s Evening Sun interview video below).
The Daniel Lady Farm served as Major General Edward’s staging area for the Confederate attack on Culp’s Hill, which Troop 103 visited last weekend. The Daniel Lady Farm also served as a Confederate field hospital. The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, which owns and operates the Farm, is seeking to restore the Farm to its Civil War era appearance, and Brody’s Eagle Project furthers the restoration effort. More information about the Daniel Lady Farm can be found at https://www.gbpa.org.
Brody is a junior at South Western High School. His favorite academic subject is Ecology and he is very interested in nature, ecology and preserving the environment. At his Eagle Board of Review, Brody shared that his easiest merit badge was Environmental Science, one of the more demanding merit badges. Brody is also likes to help other people and the community at large. His patience with the younger scouts in the troop is commendable. He plans to attend college locally before pursuing a career in law enforcement in which he hopes to continue to help others.
Please join me in congratulating Brody and in thanking the Daniel Lady Farm, donors, family members, friends, leaders, scouts and others who helped make these accomplishments possible. Please enjoy the attached photos of our proud Eagle Scout with equally-proud dad and other supportive members of Troop 103! Thank you,
This evening (8/21/2018) Troop 103 Life Scout Justin Henninger was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, becoming Troop 103’s 85th Eagle Scout.
Justin is a junior at South Western High School and plans to attend college to study psychology and business in pursuit of a career in entrepreneurship. Justin’s Eagle Scout Service Project consisted of renovating an unused kitchen/storage area at Olivia’s House, a grief and loss center for children. He supervised the removal of old cabinets and appliances and the installation of new cabinets and shelving. This provided needed storage and workspace. As a child, Justin benefitted from the services of Olivia’s House after the untimely loss of his father.
When asked at his Eagle Scout Board of Review about the most important lesson he had learned in scouting, Justin responded “hard work pays wonders”. Scouting provided Justin with the opportunities to sleep on a battleship, a submarine and an aircraft carrier, and Justin’s message to younger scouts is, “It’s worth it.”
Please join me in congratulating Justin and in thanking Olivia’s House, the many other donors (especially Justin’s fellow congregants at Hanover Church of the Brethren), family members, friends, leaders, scouts and others who helped make these accomplishments possible. Please enjoy the attached photo of our proud Eagle Scout with mom and other supportive members of Troop 103! Thank you,
Boy Scout Troop 103 of St. Joseph Catholic Church is honored to announce the celebration of its 100th anniversary of serving our youth and our community. In conjunction with our celebration, we will also be recognizing the 95 years of service to God and St. Joseph Catholic Church by the troop’s sponsoring organization, The Holy Name Society.
The celebration will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018 in the Msgr. Gribbin Parish Social Hall at St. Joseph Catholic Church and School on Grandview Road. Our celebration is scheduled to begin at 6:15 pm with dinner being served at 6:30 pm. The dinner will be catered by Boneyard BBQ.
The Troop program has continued to thrive and flourish through the years due to three vitally important reasons. First, there is the long-standing dedication of time and concern of our adult leaders. Second, there is an ongoing commitment of our troop committee to develop and offer a program that promotes worth and value in being a member of Troop 103. Finally, there are those timeless human values offered to the youth by the scouting program. Come celebrate with us.
We will give thanks to all of you who have helped in the first 100 years, as we look forward to the next one hundred.
Please complete the accompanied Reservation Form to confirm your reservation. Bring your family or friends. Meals can be purchased at a cost of $18.00 each.
Join us for a memorable occasion and meet some of the people who made these fine organizations great and those who continue to carry on the tradition.
Troop 103 Wins the District’s Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award
Dr. Joseph H. Riley’s interest in Scouting began during the 1920s when he joined the Scouting program of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Hanover and later Troop 3 (now Troop 103, Battlefield District). In 1931, he became a member of Troop 78, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Gettysburg. He was a role model for the youth and adults of Troop 78 and the Scouting community at large as he served as Chartered Partner Representative (now titled Charter Organizational Representative) for the Scouting units of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, as well as served concurrently on the former Black Walnut District Committee in numerous responsible positions: Health and Safety Committee and the District Awards Committee. Dr. Riley was involved in Scouting for over 75 years.
In November of 1991, the former Black Walnut District established an award for Scouting excellence in honor of Dr. Riley’s long and dedicated service to Scouting and the youth of the Gettysburg area. The Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award is presented annually at the district recognition dinner to the Scout Troop or Venturing Crew determined to be truly outstanding by the district awards committee.
In order to be eligible for consideration for the Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award, units must first qualify as a Silver or Gold Unit in the Journey to Excellence and submit an application request of consideration. Additional items reviewed by the awards committee include but are not limited to: information about the unit; year-round program opportunities offered; community service; participation in council/district activities; number of registered; trained leaders; and number of youth. These are only examples of activities that may be used. The committee will be looking for how well or how much the person works in the unit, helpfulness, the unsung hero (goes above and beyond), number of years of experience, and all outstanding service within the unit and community (may include district and council, but not necessary).
The Troop’s Highlights Included:
Troop/Crew Status:
Number of registered Scouts: 17 (Charter of Dec 2016)
Number of new registered Scouts: 9 (September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017)
Number of registered Adult leaders: 19 (Charter of Dec 2016))
Number of new registered Adult leaders: 0 (September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017)
Number of Patrols (Troop): 3
Meetings held this year (September 1 to August 31) Unit: 33 Patrol: 33 PLC: 12
Number of Boy Scouts serving as Den Chiefs: 0
Number of Webelos crossed over into the Troop: 3
Number of Total Advancements this Year (September 1 to August 31) Troop:Crew: Tenderfoot: Life: Bronze Award:
2nd Class: 1 Eagle: 1 Silver Award:
1st Class: 1 Palms: Bronze: Gold Award:
Star: Silver: Ranger:
Gold: Other (Trust, Quest, etc.):
Note: 14 scouts earned a total of 58 merit badges during the period.
Attended a BSA summer camp: X yes no Where: Rodney Scout Reservation, Maryland
Number attended: 7 scouts and 3 adults
Also Attended Sea Base: 6 Scouts from Troop 103 and 1 from another Troop. 4 Adults
Also Attended Philmont: 2 Scouts from our Troop
Qualified as a Silver or Gold Level Unit in the Journey to Excellence: silver X gold
NOTE: Troop 103 has earned GOLD status for three consecutive years
Chartered Organization Representative (COR)
a. How many times in a year does your COR contact the Unit? 2
b. How many times in a year does the Unit contact the COR? 12+
Is the charter presented to the Chartering Organization? Yes
Unit Commissioner (UC)
a. How many times in a year does your UC contact the Unit? Ongoing (as UC is member of Unit)
b. How many times in a year does the Unit contact the UC? Ongoing (as UC is member of Unit)
Unit Leaders
Position
Name
Trained in both Youth Protection and Position Specific
Yes/No
Executive Officer (Sponsor)
Richard Arigo
N/A
Committee Member
Richard Crouse
Yes
Committee Member
Maureen Evich
Yes
Unit Scouter Reserve
James Goulden
Yes
Committee Member/ Unit Com
John Helfrick
Yes
Assist Scoutmaster
Alina Henninger
Yes
Committee Member
Earl Hertz
Yes
Committee Member
Eugene Huff
Yes
Committee Member
William Klein
Yes
Charter Org. Representative
Andrew Lawrence
Yes
Assist Scoutmaster
Stephanie O’Brien
Yes
Assist Scoutmaster
Paul Race
Yes
Scoutmaster
Jeffrey Rosenzweig
Yes
Committee Member
Francis Sanders
Yes
Committee Member
Paul Seymour
Yes
Assist Scoutmaster
Peter Slusser
Yes
Committee Member
David Smith
Yes
Committee Member
John Zinn
Yes
Committee Member(Cub Pack Chair)
Kenneth Zinn
Yes
Committee Chairman
Robert Zinn
Yes
Unit activities for the year:
Community Service: Troop 103 scouts assisted in the following activities and events during the period of September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017:
provided cleanup services at the local parish’s fall Yard Sale events (Sep 16)
provided the “haunting” at the Cub Pack 103’s Annual Haunted Trail event (Oct 16)
provided clean-up services with the local parish’s annual Christmas Bazaar (Nov 16)
provided logistical support (set-up)of local parish’s annual Christmas overflow mass (Dec 16)
assisted the Holy Name Society with the process of announcing an upcoming event (Mar 17)
conducted preparation oversight to annual Easter mass overflow environment (Apr 17)
provided service support during the Hanover Historical Society’s monthly Summer Lawn Concert Series at the Warehime-Myers Mansion serving ice cream to the public(May-Sep 17).
assisted local school with moving furniture to new location (Jun 17)
engaged in a 20-hour environmental improvement project during the week of Summer Camp at Rodney Scout Reservation (Jul 17)
District and Council (Camporall, Klondike, Popcorn Sales, Friends of Scouting, etc.):
Council Popcorn Sale (Sep-Nov 16)
Participated in the Council Winter Klondike Camporee @ Tuckahoe (Feb 17)
District Friends of Scouting presentation during Winter Court of Honor evening (Feb 17)
Full contingent of scouts and adults to fill boat at week-long Florida’s Seabase Program (Jun 17)
One scout participated in a day-trip visiting the National Jamboree (Jul 17)
Committee members participated in monthly District Roundtable meetings (year-round)
Unit (Campouts, Field Trips, Fundraisers, etc.):
Weekend camping south of Gettysburg and visiting the WWII Living History event (Sep 16)
Camping at Pinchot State Park and visiting the Indian Echo Caverns (Oct 16)
Annual Planning Weekend Campout south of Gettysburg and included ghost tour & 5-mile hike (Nov 16)
Conducted various (monthly) sub sales during the months of January to June 2017
Evening Bowling Activity (Jan 17)
Weekend Camping including SkyZone Activity, Cooking, and Hiking Appalachian Trail (Mar 17)
Annual Flower Sale Fundraiser (Apr 17)
Participated in a day trip to local gun range for training in proper handling and use of firearms by council certified instructor (Apr 17)
Weekend camping of fishing and hiking (May 17)
Other Unit Activities:
5 adult leaders participated in a two-day training on Wilderness Skills and First Aid certification
Participated in the Hanover Memorial Day Parade (May 17)
Conducted four formal Court-Of-Honor ceremonies to recognize scout achievement and advancement
Began planning for 100th Anniversary Celebration in June 2018 (Jun 17)
Please visit the Troop website at http://www.bsatroop103.org/ to learn more about our program and witness the excitement enjoyed by our youth members in our gallery.
Please join us next Saturday in Washington DC for Smithsonian – A Day at the Museums. Itinerary, Packing List and Permission Slip are attached. Please RSVP so we can ensure adequate seating. Thank you,
Scouts from Troop 103 watch the International Space Station streak across the sky at over 17,100 miles per hour on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 8:08PM. The space station became visible at 41 degrees above the horizon looking west and crossed the sky in just 4 minutes until it disappeared to the east. The space station orbits the earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of about 250 miles above the earth. 
Both the Troop and Pack 103 will be participating in Scout Sunday of February 3, 2019 at the 10:30AM mass at St Joseph Church. Father Morelli will be celebrating mass. Please arrive 20 minutes early in full uniform and assemble in the Narthex.
Troop 103 Scouts, Parents, Committee and Friends,
Dr. Joseph H. Riley’s interest in Scouting began during the 1920s when he joined the Scouting program of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Hanover and later Troop 3 (now Troop 103, Battlefield District). In 1931, he became a member of Troop 78, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Gettysburg. He was a role model for the youth and adults of Troop 78 and the Scouting community at large as he served as Chartered Partner Representative (now titled Charter Organizational Representative) for the Scouting units of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, as well as served concurrently on the former Black Walnut District Committee in numerous responsible positions: Health and Safety Committee and the District Awards Committee. Dr. Riley was involved in Scouting for over 75 years.
Tonight’s Troop meeting has been cancelled because of snow.
Troop 103 scouts attend the Skyzone Trampoline Park.
