The scouts of St. Joseph Parish’s Troop 103 have remained engaged in a variety of activities and events during the past five months. It is noted that the scouts in the troop (with guidance and support from adult leadership) plan all respective meetings, activities and events from selection, to organizing and logistical support, to implementation.
In August, scouts participated in a camping trip to Tom’s Cove on Chincoteague Island beaches during the weekend of August 11th-14th. This weekend included fishing, relaxing beach-related fun, and using a professional-grade telescope to observe the moon and enjoying the Perseid Meteor Shower right on the beach.

A chief aspect of scouting is “doing a good turn daily” and providing service to others. Living that slogan, several scouts from the troop assisted the Hanover Historical Society in serving ice cream treats to attending participants to the Society’s August Lawn Concert Series. They also provided service to the local parish community with support and assistance during several parish-sponsored events.

In mid-September, a weekend camp-out in the woods south of Gettysburg included a visit to the Eisenhower Farm where a WWI Living History event occurred. Scouts had an opportunity to interview and spend time with Clem Leone, a radioman and gunner on a B-24 bomber crew in the 8th U.S, Army Air Force’s 445th Bomb Group, 700th Squadron. Mr. Leone shared his story about how his plane exploded during a mission over Holland in February 1944. After parachuting down, Mr. Leone spent several months hidden by local civilians before being captured by the Germans and detained until the war ended. The scouts also made some time to do a little fishing during the weekend.

In October, the troop held a Court of Honor to recognize the many scouts who earned advancements and merit badges during the previous months. They assisted the Cub Pack 103 by providing the “haunt” during the Pack’s annual Haunted Trail event, and in a joint effort with another troop participated in a weekend camp-out at Gifford Pinchot State Park visiting Indian Echo Caverns and Hershey Chocolate World.

November had scouts engage in a campout weekend in southern Adams County, planning the 2017 Scouting Year, taking a 5-mile hike in the Battlefield, and enjoying a Ghost Tour in Gettysburg.

To finish off the year, scouts are taking tours of three different museums in the Gettysburg area in mid-December.

And so, with a busy and active 2016 schedule of meetings, outings, activities, advancement, and service, Troop 103 was able to earn the top rating of GOLD status in the Boy Scout’s Journey to Excellence Program. For more information about Troop 103, visit the Troop’s website: http://www.bsatroop103.org

Order Shirts, Sweatshirts, Neckerchiefs, and hats!  New to this year’s order form is a Performance  100% Polyester, Dry wicking, Anti Microbial short sleeve shirt.  We also have both Adult ladies and men’s polo shirts.

We have in-stock existing neckerchiefs notated with the 95th milestone.   We will not be ordering new 100th versions of the neckerchiefs until 2018.   The same is true for hats.  We have plenty of 90th anniversary hats in stock and do not plan on ordering 100th anniversary hats at this time.

Orders are due by July 26th, 2016

Click here for the Order Form

This evening (5/17/2016) Troop 103 Life Scout & former Senior Patrol Leader Jonathon Timmons was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, becoming Troop 103′s 82nd Eagle Scout.

Jon is a member of the National Honor Society, the Cross Country and the Track & Field teams at Southwest High School.  He ran a personal best of 4:43 in the mile run at last weekend’s championships, placing 6th overall, and last year his teammates voted that he receive the 2015 Sportsmanship Award.  Jon plans to attend college and earn a degree in Biomedical Engineering.  His career goal is to develop prosthetics as a biomedical engineer.

Jon’s Eagle Scout Service Project involved leading others in renovating a portion of the Homeless Shelter at the Hanover Area Council of Churches.  Floors were replaced, walls were painted, signs were hung and furniture was added.  One of the members of Jon’s Eagle Scout Board of Review was so impressed with the quality of Jon’s Project and Project Binder that he declared Jon to be well on his way to meeting his career goal!!!

Please join me in congratulating Jon and in thanking the Hanover Council of Churches, the many donors, family members, friends, leaders, scouts and others who helped make these accomplishments possible. 

- Jeff

Jeffrey Rosenzweig, Scoutmaster
BSA Troop 103

Fun Filled Fishing Extravaganza

Over a weekend in April, the Saint Joseph Boy Scout Troop 103 was afforded the opportunity to camp out and fish at Stonewall Fish Farm in Glenville, PA.   Along with his family, one of the boys in the Troop, Ryan Small, owns and operates the fish farm that is open to the public for fee fishing on Sundays.

The scouts were able to complete the fishing merit badge that included learning multiple fishing knots, the proper safety and first aid measures associated with the sport, fishing techniques, and the right equipment to use to be a successful fisherman for various types of fishing.  The Scouts successfully caught an array of fish to include rainbow trout, palomino trout, crappies, blue gill, catfish, and bass. Scouts learned to filet the fish that they caught.  They also learned to set traps for crayfish.  Later that evening, the boys engaged in a crayfish boil and large fish fry that was a first time experience for many and improved their cooking skills and accommodated everyone’s hungry appetites.

A Waterways Conservation Officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boating Commission visited the troop during the weekend events.  The officer gave an overview about his exciting and rewarding job and also an outline of the training and background that is needed for a career with the Pennsylvania Fishing and Boating Commission.

In the months ahead, the scouts of Troop 103 have plans to bicycle along the C&O Canal in West Virginia, participate in a week-long camping adventure in June at Puzzle Lake in Canada, and spend a week in July at the Rodney Scout Reservation along the northern shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Troop 103 will have an outing on Saturday, March 12^th (3 pm) at the Church of the Brethren (on Wilson Avenue in Hanover).  It will be a Skills Weekend, where scouts will improve their Knots, Lashings, and First Aid skills.  Scouts will also work on fire building.

If the weather permits scouts can participate in a GPS demonstration involving Smart Phones, handheld GPS’ and how UAS (drones) use GPS technology to assist in navigation.

Recap of the Event (As appeared in the Hanover Evening Sun)

Scouts Participate in a Geocaching hunt along the Hanover Rail Trail

During the month of March, scouts from Boy Scout Troop 103 of St. Joseph Parish, Hanover, engaged in a variety of activities where the focus was on electronics, having fun, and building a new skills.

Robert Zinn provided the scouts with a presentation and demonstration on drone (quadcopter) functions, uses, rules and safety. Scouts were able to personally navigate a drone and video-tape the surroundings while learning proper operational etiquette and expectations.

A workshop provided scouts an introduction to geocaching and acquiring the skills for the proper use of a GPS device in finding items placed at specific coordinates. After the Scouts practiced finding some caches, they were sent out in teams to locate hidden caches along the Hanover Trolley Trail. For most Scouts, this was their first actual geocache experience that built great excitement and created a strong desire to continue looking for caches on their own.

Scouts also worked on enriching their fire building and s’more making skills, both entertaining and delicious. This lead into a demonstration from a fire spinning expert who shared some fire safety tips as well as information on how his hobby of fire spinning has become an exciting career.

During the latter part of the month, the Troop held their annual Easter Flower Sale to raise money supporting the many scout activities and adventures that occur throughout the year.

For more information, visit the Troop’s website:  http://bsatroop103.org.

Please join our sponsor organization (St. Joseph Holy Name Society) this coming Saturday (March 5th) at 1:30 pm to help with Yard Sale Cleanup at St. Joseph Church.  The Holy Name Society supports us financially and recently treated us to ice cream.

Scouts from Troop 103 of St. Joseph Parish, Hanover, visited the mountainous trails of Camp Tuckahoe in mid-February to put their knowledge of outdoor survival skills to work during the annual Winter Klondike.

This event, designed to replicate the historic Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800s in Alaska, provided opportunities for scouts to mimic that journey. They pulled a specially designed sled packed with necessary supplies and gear to rotate through stations designed to challenge their survival and problem solving skills.

These skills included the use of lashings to make a ladder high enough to retrieve a flag at the top of a pavilion, using their knowledge of first aid to save a simulated avalanche victim, and utilizing teamwork and problem solving skills to complete a variety of other tasks throughout the day.

While Troop 103 did not earn the fastest time, they were winners in other ways. They reaped the benefits of working together and encouraging each other to keep going all the way through to the finish line. They earned a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing they worked hard, strengthened their skills, and learned something new while having a lot of fun in the process.

All registered adult leaders, parents or non-registered volunteers attending meetings or events must comply with these new regulations.   The deadline is July 1, 2016, but I would like our leaders or parents attending any events to comply by April 30, 2016.   New leaders or volunteers must comply immediately.

Click Here for detailed instructions for completing these requirements.

If you have any doubt if you should obtain these clearances, more information about these requirement can be found here:

• http://newbirthoffreedom.org/palaw/
• http://seb.newbirthoffreedom.org/2015/09/01/trying-to-understand-those-adult-leader-background-checks/

Dear Parents, Scouts, and Leaders:

In coordination with Pack 103, the Troop will be celebrating Scout Sunday on Sunday, February 7 at the 9:00 AM mass.  Scouts are encouraged to participate in uniform.

Robert Zinn, Troop 103 Committee Chair

St. Joseph’s Troop 103 didn’t let the overabundance of snow in January keep them from outdoor adventure or skill advancements.  The Troop was scheduled to go camping over the weekend of the 2016 blizzard, but since the cabin and tents were covered in snow and were inaccessible, the Troop spent a weekend of snow tubing and indoor skill review instead.

The weekend started off with snow tubing at Ski Liberty’s Boulder Mountain.  The leaders and Scouts had fun competing to see who could get down the hill the fastest.  There were races, spins, and belly flops on the inner tubes and then everyone enjoyed warming up by the fire in the lodge.

On Saturday morning Scouts had a day of skill review at the Hanover Church of the Brethren.  They practiced knot tying, rope fusing, and had more races to see who could set tents up the most quickly and accurately.  Some even slept in the tents indoors for fun.  They practiced their first aid skills by role playing different scenarios and enjoyed cooking meals with their patrols.

In February the Troop will be attending Sky Zone in Mechanicsburg and Klondike in Dillsburg to practice some search and rescue techniques.

The Scouts will be coordinating with Schultz’s Deli to hold monthly sub sales from now until June to raise money for summer camp.  If anyone is interested in purchasing subs, please contact and scout in the Troop.

Give the Gift of Yourself this Christmas!
Here is Our 2016 Wish List for Volunteers

We have so very much for which to be thankful. Here at the Council we have been greatly blessed with donations of time, talent and goods. This year alone we have had makeovers of our dining room (Eagle Project of Mac Anderson), our second floor hallway between the Clothing Bank and the Clinic area (Eagle Project of Jon Timmons) and of the Changing Lives Shelter Family Rooms, Play Room, Hallway and Bathroom (a Social Ministries Project of St. Matthews Lutheran Church.)

These were major projects and it caused us to wonder if there might be other groups who would be interested in working on similar projects. We invite you to Adopt-a-Project—For instance a Sunday School Class, Men’s Group, or Service Club could paint the following: the hallways of the Shelter, the Shelter bedrooms (6 on each floor), the offices of both the Shelter and our main building, or the PAL kitchen.

Troop 103 has achieved Gold Level status for the 2015 Journey to Excellence Award.  ”Scouting’s Journey to Excellence” 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 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 2015, the Troop excelled in the following award objectives:

1. 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. 
2. Membership Growth Plan
3. Retention of scouts in the troop
4. Webelos-to-Scout transition
5. Short-Term Outings (Nine outings)
6. Long-Term Camping Participation (64% participation rate)
7. Service Projects:  The Troop Participated in over 7 Service projects that benefited the community without any financial benefit to the Troop or scouts.
8. 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.  
9.   Leadership and Family Engagement.  Troop 103′s leadership is made up of 20 adult leaders with well over 400 years of combined experience.  It includes a Scoutmaster and his 4 Assistant Scoutmasters.   The Troop is fully supported by 15 additional committee members.  
10. Trained Adult Leaders: All adult leaders including all committee members are fully trained in their positions.  Two 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. 

Click Here!

The 2016 Calendar is now available on our Troop’s website.

Here are some photos from the 2015 Corning Glass Tour.

• Photos from some of the events

Here are some photos from the 2015 Niagara Falls Visit.

• Photos from some of the events

Here are some photos from the 2015 Puzzle Lake Outing.

• Photos from some of the events

l

Here are some photos from the 2015 Summer Camp event..

• Photos from some of the events