Sell subs now and save for Summer Camp and other weekend events.

• Subs and Sandwiches are made fresh by Shultz’s Delicatessen
• Please make checks payable to: St. Joseph Boy Scout Troop 103
• Order and Money Due Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2014
• Distribution Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 (Pickup between 3:30PM and 5:45PM)

Click here for the April Sub Sale Form

Check your email for detail schedule and signup sheets.

The Battlefield District Activities Committee is hosting the 2014 Spring Cookoree from April 25-27.. This Cookoree is open to all Packs, Troops and Crews. We would like to thank Christ United Church of Christ in Littlestown, PA for allowing our district to use their picnic grove for this event.

Theme:   This event will be based on “Cooking”. Saturday’s program stations will be a cooking related competition. Troops and Crews will have the same program.  Cub Packs will have a separate but similar program.

Click here for The complete Information Packet

Click here for the Permission Slip

Troop 103 Scouts,

Order of the Arrow (OA) Elections will be conducted at the Troop Meeting on Tuesday, April 8th.  Please make a strong effort to attend Tuesday’s Troop meeting.  Tuesday night’s agenda includes elections of your fellow eligible scouts into the Order of the Arrow. At least 50% of the members of Troop 103 must be present to conduct the elections so your attendance is important!  Existing members of the OA should wear their OA sash.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting.

The Purpose of the OA is to:

*          Recognize those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and through that recognition cause others to conduct themselves in a way that warrants similar recognition.
*          Promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship as essential components of every Scout’s experience, in the unit, year-round, and in summer camp.
*          Develop leaders with the willingness, character, spirit and ability to advance the activities of their units, our Brotherhood, Scouting, and ultimately our nation.
*          Crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

There are specific eligibility requirements for those who can be elected into the OA.  I will contact those eligible scouts to see if they are interested in being considered for this OA election.   More details about the election will be presented on Tuesday night.

Eligibility

The Order of the Arrow membership requirements are:
*          Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
*          After registration with a troop or team, have experienced 15 days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election.  The 15 days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy
Scouts of America.  The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.
*          Youth must be under the age of 21, hold the BSA First Class rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster or Varsity team Coach, be elected by the youth members of their troop or team.
*          Adults (age 21 or older) who are registered in the BSA and meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to the lodge adult selection committee.  Adult selection is based on their ability to perform the necessary functions to help the Order fulfill its purpose, and is not for recognition of service, including current or prior positions. Selected adults must be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities, and must provide a positive example for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge.

More information about the Order of the Arrow can be found on the Official National Order of the Arrow Web Site: http://www.oa-bsa.org/  The Local Sasquesahanough Lodge web site is here: http://newbirthoffreedom.org/oa/

Thanks,

- Jeff

Troop 103 Scouts, Parents, Committee and Friends,

Tuesday evening (2/18/2014) Troop 103 Life Scouts Jacob Grove and Mark Evich were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, becoming Troop 103′s 79th and 80th Eagle Scouts.

Jacob’s Eagle Scout Service Project involved leading others in the construction of new information kiosks for Codorus State Park.  Jacob is a senior at South Western High School and is acquiring proficiency in the welding trade.  During his Eagle Scout Board of Review, Jacob credited scouting with teaching him patience, planning skills and thriftiness.  He credited his parents, friends and brother (Ethan Grove, Troop 103 Eagle Scout No. 76) with encouraging him to achieve Scouting’s highest honor.

Mark’s Eagle Scout Service Project involved leading others in adding a reflection area to the St. Joseph Infant Section of Mt. Olivet Cemetery.  A cement platform was installed for an angel statue; benches were installed; and, trees were planted to offer visitors privacy from the neighbors and traffic.  Mark is a junior at Delone Catholic High School, active in student government, wrestling and cross country. Mark credited scouting with teaching him important outdoor skills.  His future plans include attending college and ROTC.

Please join me in congratulating Jacob and Mark and in thanking the beneficiary organizations (Codorus State Park, St. Joseph Church/Mt. Olivet Cemetery), all donors, family members, friends, leaders, scouts and others who helped make these accomplishments possible.

Click here for more photos.

Jeffrey Rosenzweig, Scoutmaster
BSA Troop 103

Sell subs now and save for Summer Camp and other weekend events.

• Subs and Sandwiches are made fresh by Shultz’s Delicatessen
• Please make checks payable to: St. Joseph Boy Scout Troop 103
• Order and Money Due Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014
• Distribution Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 (Pickup between 3:30PM and 5:45PM)

Click here for the February Sub Sale Form

Prepare for the Troop Elections by reviewing positions available.

• Scouts should review the various positions available.  These positions are described here: http://www.bsatroop103.org/leadership/TroopPositions.php
• Many Advancement Rank levels require that the scout serve in a leadership position.
• The scout applies for a position by filling out the “Leadership Position Application”.  http://www.bsatroop103.org/documents/Leadership_Position_Application.pdf .  Note: This application is the same form that was distributed to scouts at the last regular Troop meeting. 

This is the first sub-sale of the season. Wrap up selling subs now and save for Summer Camp and other weekend events.

• Subs and Sandwiches are made fresh by Shultz’s Delicatessen
• Please make checks payable to: St. Joseph Boy Scout Troop 103
• Order and Money Due Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2014
• Distribution Date: Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 (Pickup between 3:30PM and 5:45PM)

Click here for the February Sub Sale Form

Dear Parents, Scouts, and Leaders:

Here is the upcoming schedule for next weekend events.

• Court of Honor:   Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 6:15 PM
• Scout Sunday:   Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 9:00 AM mass

In coordination with Pack 103, the Troop will be celebrating Scout Sunday on Sunday, February 2 at the 9:00 AM mass.

The Winter Court of Honor will be held the night before on Saturday, February 1 beginning at 6:15PM.  All scouts are encouraged to attend and support those who are receiving rank advancements, merit badges and the Scout of the Year award.   More details about the Court of Honor program will be communicated on Tuesday to the scouts at the troop meeting.

At the Court of Honor there will be a Friends of Scouting Campaign presentation conducted by Ken Zinn. This is the annual giving campaign to support our local Scout council.  As members of the New Birth of Freedom Council, our voluntary financial support is important.  The Friends of Scouting campaign helps fund items such as maintenance of our camping facilities, professional support services, program administration, and volunteer training. 

Each family is encouraged to support the Friends of Scouting Campaign, so please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the campaign that is meaningful to you.  We are striving to have 100% participation.

If you have any questions before the presentation, please feel free to contact me via email at cc@bsatroop103.com .

Thank you for your consideration,

Robert Zinn, Troop 103 Committee Chair

Click here for the Permission Slip.
Click here for printable Itinerary

 Itinerary

Date: January 17-19, 2014

Cost: $12 Aquarium Admission Fee Plus $15 for food = $27 for the Weekend)

Departure: Fri. January 17

Time: 5 pm
Depart: St. Joseph’s Church parking lot
Other important info: Either eat a dinner before you come or pack one for the trip
The drive is about 1 hour and 10 minutes

Drive to the National Aquarium
501 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 576-3800

Depart from Baltimore Aquarium at about 9:30PM
Drive to Harper Hill Cabin (Property of Jamie Goulden)
55 harpers hill Lane, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Saturday, January 17

Practice and Develop Tracking Skills at the Cabin

Return: Sun. January 19

Depart Cabin at 9:00AM
Return to St. Joseph’s Church parking lot for 10:00AM Mass

 Emergency Contact Phone Numbers:

• Paul Seymour (c)
• Jamie Goulden 717-476-3044 (c)
• Geoffrey Schaefer 443-340-7639 (c)

Nearby Hospitals:           

The Johns Hopkins Hospital  (410) 955-5000
1800 Orleans St
Baltimore, MD 21287

Gettysburg Hospital  (717) 334-2121
147 Gettys St,
Gettysburg, PA 17325

Click Here! The 2014 Calendar is now available on our Troops website.

As part of the Troop’s Journey to Excellence program, I would like to present to Leaders, Parents and scouts the SCOUTStrong PALA CHALLENGE.  Both adults and youth are encouraged to participate in this program and to implement more physical activities into their daily lives and at troop meetings and outings.

WELCOME TO THE SCOUTStrong PALA CHALLENGE

The Boy Scouts of America and the President’s Challenge program have teamed up to help Scouts of all ages and abilities increase their level of physical activity by completing the SCOUTStrong Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). PALA is offered by the President’s Challenge, a program of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (www.fitness.gov).

More information is provided here:  http://www.scouting.org/SCOUTStrongPALA.aspx

Part of the process is establishing an account to record your progress.

Enjoy!

Bob Zinn, Troop 103 Committee Chair.

PLANNING WEEKEND
AT CAMP CONEWAGO

Fri. – Sun., Nov. 22 – 24, 2013

LOOKING INTO  THE CRYSTAL BALL:

 TROOP 103, THE FUTURE & ME

Fri., 11/22/13

Online registration begins on Weds., Dec. 4, 2013.  Merit Badge classes will be on Sat., Jan. 25, 2014 & Sat., Feb. 22, 2014.  Cost is $15 for up to 4 classes and includes lunch.  For adults, CPR Training will be offered & Blood Donations will be accepted.  More details available at http://newbirthoffreedom.org/districts/2013/2014harrisburg-mb/.

1.  St. Joseph Christmas Bazaar:  Cleanup is on Sat., Nov. 9, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.  Please advise Pete Slusser if you are able to assist (717-476-8885; slusserpa@lycos.com);

The New Birth of Freedom Council partnered with The Gettysburg Foundation and Gettysburg National Military Park to offer the Scouts of south-central Pennsylvania and beyond a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. On September 27-29 over 3,000 Scouts and leaders camped out on the grassy fields of the George Spangler Farm, which was used as a field hospital during the battle. All of the buildings at the time of the battle still exist and tent sites were carefully laid out throughout the farm, along with temporary power, water, lighting and restroom facilities.

Scouts arrived at Spangler Farm on Friday afternoon and evening to

set up their campsites. The National Park Service provided nearly all of the event’s programming on Saturday with a day-long, round-robin schedule of activities, including visiting the park’s Museum and Visitors Center. Scouts also provided two different service projects to help restore parts of the park to how these areas would have looked in 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Saturday evening concluded with an amphitheater show back at Spangler Farm that educated Scouts on how the country was changed forever as a direct result of what happened in Gettysburg and the Civil War. Re-enactors provided the voices of people who lived through the events that took place at Gettysburg.

http://newbirthoffreedom.org/gettysburg/

To the Scouts and families of Troop 103

I am currently working on my Eagle project, which is at Codorus State Park on the Mary Ann Furnace Trail. My project will consist of the clearing of overgrowth, resigning and marking of the trail, installing benches, prevention of erosion, and installing a wooden routered map of the trail.

I’d greatly appreciate if you and your families would be willing to assist me in working on my project.

If any of you have experience in skilled labor that includes wood working and trail work I could use their help.

Dates and Time:

• Saturday, September 7^th at 8am to 2 pm
• and Sunday, September 8 9-12:00pm.
• Additional future work dates are listed below.

Place:

Meet at Codorus State Park Office on Smith Station Road.  Kara Wright will provide shuttle service every 2 hours to the Black Rock Road parking area since limited parking is available there.

What to Bring:

• On these first days wear work gloves and mosquito repellent.
• Please bring shovels, rakes, manual trimmers and pruners.
• Bring a completed permission slip.  Click on link.

If you would be willing to assist me in my project in anyway I would be greatly appreciative.

Thank you for your time and help.

Sincerely,

Work Dates:

• Sept. 7th 8am-2pm
• Sept. 8^th   9am-noon
• Sept. 14^th 8am-2pm
• Sept. 15^th 9am-Noon
• Sept. 21^st 8am-2pm
• Sept. 22^nd 9am-noon
• Oct.   6   TBD
• Oct. 13^th TBD

Troop 103 was requested to help with setup & teardown for the St. Joseph Parish Outdoor Yard Sale next Saturday, Aug. 24th. Older scouts may be asked to assist with supervised traffic flow on the parking lot. Here are some details:

5:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.: Setup
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Teardown

Please be prompt despite the early hour and wear your Class B uniform. Please direct any questions to Pete Slusser (717-476-8885 or slusserpa@lycos.com). Thank you.