Author: Jeffrey Heck
North Star District Swim Test Sponsored by Troop 343, April 2, 2018
From Troop 343’s Brian Crow:
MSD of Pike Township Aquatics Center
5401 West 71st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Time: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.All North Star units interested in sharing this opportunity with Troop 343 should contact Brian Crow AS SOON AS POSSIBLE at ScouterBrianCrow@gmail.com.
Each unit is responsible for administering their own swim test. There will be two Red Cross certified lifeguards provided by the Aquatic Center to sign your forms once the tests are completed.
Directions: Find your way to the main high school entrance. The Aquatic Center is just to the left of the main entrance. Enter the Aquatic Center through door 11B. After entering, adults and Scouts should enter the pool deck to the left and find their unit’s designated adult organizer. Anyone not taking the test should go through the doors to the right and up the stairs to the spectator stands.
Each unit’s designated adult organizer should arrive no later than 7:15 p.m. and check in with Brian Crow. Adults and Scouts taking the swim test should arrive ready to test with their swimsuits already on. Locker rooms will not be available for our use.
The cost per unit for the use of the Aquatic Center is $30.00. Please bring CASH to cover your unit’s portion of the cost. Brian Crow will collect the monies the night of the test.
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Crow at ScouterBrianCrow@gmail.com.
Council Program Director Lee Murdoch also reports that Del-Mi will be offering swim tests at Noblesville and Carmel High Schools:
Sunday April 15, 2018
Noblesville High School
18111 Cumberland Road
Noblesville, IN 46060
Entrance door # 7
1:00pm—6:00pm
Contact Adair Vaught at (317) 610-9724
Sunday May 20, 2018
Carmel High School
520 E. Main
Carmel, IN 46032
Entrance door # 21
1:30pm—5:00pm
Contact Reem Okar at reemokar@crossroadsbsa.org or (317) 813-7094
Be advised that the rules of operation for Del-Mi are like the rules Brian Crow described for North Star’s Swim Test.
Typically Pathfinder District runs a swim test at Southport High School but Lee does not have those dates and times yet.
Roundtable This Week
As previously announced, the roundtables topics this Thursday will be:
- Cub Scouts: “Keys to Successful Annual Planning”;
- Scouts: “STEM and Explorer Scouting / Canoeing Trip Ideas”.
The Roundtables will take place this Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 7:00 pm at Luke’s Lodge, the 
outbuilding on the northeast corner of the campus of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 West 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46260.
Please forward this information to your Den Leaders, Committee members, and Assistant Scoutmasters. They are an important part of the Roundtables’ target audience.
Remember, attending roundtables is a key requirement to earn the Scouter’s Key for both Cub Scout leaders and Boy Scout leaders.
Reminder: Commissioner Staff Meeting Thursday
As announced previously, District meetings’ times and locations have changed. All Commissioners meet this Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 6:00 pm at Luke’s Lodge, the outbuilding on the campus of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46260.
Direct any questions to District Commissioner Stephen Heath.
District Committee meets next week, Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 7:00 pm at Zionsville’s Town Hall.
Review your Unit JTE Scorecard
North Star District Commissioner Stephen Heath recommends that all units take some time at their next unit committee AND the Patrol Leader Council (and Venture Crew Officer) meetings to review their 2018 Journey to Excellence Scorecard. We recently discussed the minor changes for 2018. You can download copies of the scorecard for your unit here.
Stephen recommends focusing on the section headers and picking one to be the focus of 
the committee’s attention for the next 30-60 days and state a clear goal the committee wishes to accomplish with that subject. At the end of that period, assess your progress and determine how well you met your goal. Then either renew your commitment to that topic with new efforts, or pick another topic to be the committee’s focus for the next 30-60 days.
Stephen believes that a unit committee, PLC, or Venturing officers that regularly review the JTE Scorecard and makes a conscious effort to improve a section at a time will have remarkable improvement before the end of 2018.
If you know where you need improvement but cannot come up with a plan to move the score forward, this is the perfect time for the committee chair or the chair’s designee to reach out to your Unit Commissioner or District Commissioner Stephen Heath to open discussions on what can be done. That is what the Commissioner Service is intended to do for you!.
Progress toward Long Term Goals
Subtitle: Or the Roar of the Crowd versus the Eagle Court of Honor.
I offered my thoughts on the differences between sports’ lessons on team work and personal development versus scouting in those same domains.
I was watching Professor Jordan Peterson, whom I have introduced before. In his fifth lecture on Maps and Meaning, he has an interesting side discussion on the dopamine effects on the brain for positive reinforcement. Yes, he is lecturing on Pinochio, and very funny in the process.
In the segment I am highlighting, the professor suggests that striving toward a vision or major goal in life is crucial for finding meaning in life (23:30). In one part of his analysis, he analyzes why athletes can have an injured thumb or sprained ankle and continue to play. Yet, the athlete is in excruciating pain once the competition is over. He attributes this mind over matter to the focus of a goal-oriented mind. In this case, the goal is winning the game, whether regular season, post-season, or championship game is not discussed. Implicit in the point, based on his later analysis, is the notion that the athlete is probably seeking a longer-term goal, as he defines it. (Championship trophy, college recruitment, all-time record, etc.)
The professor suggests that long-term goals are crucial for finding meaning in life (as opposed to the grander “meaning of life”) and personal satisfaction.* The professor hypothesizes that a person feels a dopamine (i.e., good feeling) response from the brain when a significant step toward a self-identifed, valued, larger goal is accomplished. Each step that moves the progress toward the long-term goal foward compounds the dopamine response. Then brain starts to associate accomplishing the long-term goal as a source of good feelings. Absent the longer-range goal, the person has a random spike in dopamine that does little to incentivize future behavior. It is important that the person have dopamine spikes often enough and systematically enough to engage this personal satisfaction.
Reminder for Roundtable Next Week
As previously announced, the roundtables topics will be:
- Cub Scouts: “Keys to Successful Annual Planning”;
- Scouts: “STEM and Explorer Scouting / Canoeing Trip Ideas”.
The Roundtables will take place Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 7:00 pm at Luke’s Lodge, the outbuilding on the northeast corner of the campus of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 West 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46260.
Please forward this information to your Den Leaders, Committee members, and Assistant Scoutmasters. They are an important part of the Roundtables’ target audience.
Remember, attending roundtables is a key requirement to earn the Scouter’s Key for both Cub Scout leaders and Boy Scout leaders.
REMINDER: No District Committee Meeting This Week
Just a quick reminder that the District Committee and Commissioner meetings dates and locations have changed. There are no meetings this week, especially Thursday, March 1, 2018.
Roundtable Schedule Announced for 2018
District Commissioner Stephen Heath, newly appointed Assistant District Commissioner for Education John Wiebke, and Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner Bill Buchalter have set a schedule for this year’s roundtables.
New Guidelines for Cub Scout Aquatics: Freedom!
From the Council Training Committee meeting this week comes this news:
AQUATICS
Contrary to past BSA program design, all Cub Scouts — not just Webelos — may participate in paddle sports as a pack or den; previously, they could only do so at district or council events. And, of course, Cub Scouts may continue to participate in swimming as a pack or den activity.
The Cub Scouting team worked with the Aquatics and Health and Safety committees to relax the council- or district-only requirements for paddle sports. But as adult leaders, you still must make sure that the points of Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat are incorporated, including training and staying within the BSA’s aquatics framework.
The new Cub Scout program includes one aquatics-related adventure for each rank, but you’ll notice they’re all elective, not required. That means Cub Scouts who aren’t interested in water activities are fine to stay on dry land.
Safe Swim Defense: Any time you take Scouts swimming, even if you’re going to a council event or local pool where lifeguards are present, you still need leaders trained in Safe Swim Defense.
- You can take Safe Swim Defense online at scouting.org. (Click My Dashboard, then Training.)
- You always need at least one leader trained in Safe Swim Defense — even if you’re somewhere that provides lifeguards.
- When lifeguards are notpresent, you need additional rescue personnel trained in Safe Swim Defense.
- Swim tests are not optional. A key part of BSA aquatics is knowing one’s limits.
- Safe Swim Defense training is good for two years.
Safety Afloat: You are permitted to take Cub Scouts boating as a pack or den. (Previously you could only go boating with your Cub Scouts at district or council events.) But any time you take Cub Scouts boating, you need at least one leader with Safety Afloat training taken within the previous two years. At least one adult leader must be trained in first aid and CPR as well.
- You can take Safety Afloat training online at scouting.org. (Click My Dashboard, then Training.)
- For Cub Scout boating activities, the ratio of trained adults, staff members or guides to participants must be at least one to five. (For Boy Scouts, it’s one to 10.)
- Cub Scouts must know how to swim to try paddle sports.
- All participants must wear properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
- Any swimming done in conjunction with the activity afloat should operate using Safe Swim Defense.
(Scuba: Cub Scouts aren’t permitted to do scuba.)
PLEAS NOTE: Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. Tiger Cubs must work with their parents or adult partners. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
For more information, always look to the Guide to Safe Scouting. The online aquatics section is here.
Order of the Arrow Troop Elections
From OA Chapter Advisor Mark Pishon:
Dear North Star Unit Key 3:
The Jaccos Towne Lodge expects units to hold OA Elections prior to March 15, 2018. Remember to have elections for youth and adults; they have different forms (see links at bottom). We would like you to use the new forms which now include email addresses are fillable PDF documents. My past experience tells me that a fair number of the Candidate Letters never get delivered because we can’t read your handwriting. Please fill in the form using a computer so it is legible.
I have also attached the National Order of the Arrow Guide to Unit Elections for your ready reference.
The results should be emailed to both your LOA Chapter Adviser (LOAAdviser@jaccostownelodge.org) and the lodge (Elections@jaccostownelodge.org). All election results must be turned in by March 15, 2018.
We would appreciate it if you get them turned in early so we can see where we are.
Please let the OA Adviser Mark Pishon know when they are on the calendar. LOA would like to send a representative if you do not have an OA Representative who is participating in OA Monthly meetings.
The Spring Camporee has not been fully scheduled out as of today but the dates are April 20-22, 2018. I suspect it will be at Camp Kikthawendund.. I will let you know once we know for the Candidate Call Outs.
As Scouting’s National Honor Society, our purpose 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.
Through Unit Elections, worthy Scouts are recognized and elected as Ordeal candidates. Arrowmen are needed to serve on Unit Election teams in their Chapter. Contact your Chapter Chief and volunteer! Most units do their elections in the first months of the year, so contact your Chapter Chief as soon as possible. Forms are available on the Lodge’s website under Resources. Please make sure copies of Unit Elections and Adult Nominations are turned into the Lodge.
It is an Arrowman’s responsibility to help promote camping through his unit, district, and council. This may be done through camp promotions to Cub Scout and Boy Scout units. Information and resources are available from the Council to help you make presentations on camping opportunities in the Crossroads of America Council. Doing a unit election and camp promotion at the same time for Boy Scout units is an efficient way of offering cheerful service and helping both the BSA and the OA!
Yours in Brotherhood,
Mark Pishon
LOA Chapter Adviser
LOAAdviser@jaccostownelodge.org
Cell 317.374.2262
Download his attachments here:
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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