Boy Scout
Haunted House for all Ages
The Children’s Museum’s Pirate’s Revenge Haunted House is now open! Oct. 10th through Halloween. 
This makes a great scout outing for all ages. The Children’s Museum’s Haunted House has haunts with
- lights-on for Cub Scouts or other persons who scare easily
- Wednesdays–Saturdays 10 a.m.–3 p.m.;
- Wednesdays 3:30–8:30 p.m.;
- Sundays 11 a.m.–5 p.m.;
- Halloween: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
- lights-out/frightening for Webelos and Tenderfoot scouts, or other persons who dare to be scared
- Thursdays–Saturdays 3:30–8:30 p.m.
- No Frightening Hours on Halloween
- Xtreme Scream, strongly recommended limited to teens and adults
- Oct. 23, 24, & 30: 8:30–11 p.m.
All Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who visit the Children’s Museum Haunted House can earn a patch for free with their paid admission. Ask for the patch at the Bootique’s cashier (sign about patches hangs over her head).
Other special events that are especially appropriate for Cub Scouts, such as Feast with the Witches, is also available. See the Haunted House webpage for more information.
Look for some of your fellow scouts and District Commissioner staff, haunting at Xtreme Scream!
Service Opportunities
Sometimes our units are looking for service opportunities. Sometimes we seek service where scouts to gain entry for future unit placement. Scouts do well at schools and churches where they offer service to their current or future host chartered organizations.
We are seeking access back into Pike and Washington Townships.
Our District Executive just received this request for service from Pik High School. Please make sure you let your scouts how much they are needed for service and as ambassadors for scouting.
Hello Con,
I am the event coordinator for Pike High School’s 2015 ISSMA Marching Band event being held on October 31st . It was suggested to me that the scouts may be able to help in our efforts to host this annual event. As a former scout, I know how scouts can make time for the community. (Trans Atlantic Council , Troop 1, Heidelberg, Germany) I understand some scouts may be needing community service requirements for Merit badges or other projects .
If this is something that would interest your troop, please let me know as soon as possible, as we are trying to fill as many spots as possible. I do have a “sign Up Genius “ set up that you could visit to see the type of positions available, anything from spectator parking to gate monitors , hospitality, admissions, hand stampers, water table monitor, and stand entrance monitors, We have two shifts available, or a person could volunteer the entire day, start times range from 9:30AM in the morning to 1:45 PM in the afternoon. All positions are over by 6PM.
The sign up genius is set-up for Parents , but we realize the maturity level of scouts and we know we can count on their assistance.
I do appreciate your consideration, and if this is something that can help your scouts, then Pike and the North Star District both win!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b45aca62ca3fb6-2015
Thank you ,
Doug Reilly
Event Coordinator
2015 ISSMA CLASS B MARCHING BAND COMPETITION
810-6262 (W), 297-7886 (H), 515-9805 (C)
dreilly@arrow.com, indyhog96.dr@att.net
Report from 2015 Fall Camporee
We survived the Zombie Apocalypse!
Thank you to District Camporee Chair Stu Bowes for a warmly received and joyful Camporee. We heard many rave reviews. The weather was delightful (especially given fresh memories of the Spring Camporee’s deluge).
We were warned about the coming Zombie Apocalypse by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
We even had Troop 358 do a solid rendition of Heywood Bank’s Famous “Toast!”
Our Assistant Camporee Chair Rick Akers broke out his stage make up to dress the victims to make the drill even more realistic.
We 18 adults trained in matters ranging from Youth Protection Training, Chartered Org Rep Training, District Committee Training.
Most importantly for training, the District would like to thank Troop 73’s Scoutmaster Vince Hernly and Troop 56’s Committee Chair Sandy McNutt for serving as lead instructors, respectively, for Scoutmaster Specific Training and Troop Committee Challenge. Thank you, too, to Troop 56’s Assistant Scoutmaster Don Bievenour for assisting Vince with the Scoutmaster Specific Training.
We have heard many thanks from scouters for reviving training at Camporee’s. Look for more in the future, including Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (and Crews?) targeted at current and future Senior Patrol Leaders.
Why is Attending this Emergency Preparedness Camporee so Important?
Camporee is important because Emergency Preparedness is important.
I am often interested in receiving ideas for articles that are interesting and timely. This article is due to a suggestion from Troop 343’s John Ruggles. The link he sent demonstrates that the general public is most prepared for emergencies if they have practiced emergency preparedness skills.
In 2009, FEMA conducted the Citizens Corp[s] National Survey of “Personal Preparedness in America ( http://www.citizencorps.gov/down… ).
The Citizens Corp[s] Preparedness survey highlighted several aspects of “preparedness”:
- Having disaster supplies
- Having a household plan
- Familiarity with community systems
- Volunteer experience with a community safety organization
- Knowledge of immediate response
- Participation in drills
- Preparedness training
It seems obvious when you say it, but research shows that people who receive preparedness training are more likely to be prepared.
And involvement in related projects demonstrably increases actual preparedness, more than just about any other factor:
Individuals who had been involved in a community safety program (74%) or a disaster response team (71%) were significantly more likely to have disaster supplies in their home as compared to those who had not volunteered (52% and 50%, respectively).
I also found the comment from Daniel Smith particularly useful. He reminded me of the 2012 Baylor University study of the impact of scouting on the scouts. Daniel sums up the study rather succinctly this way,
In short, the study discovered a trend between those involved in the Scouting program and their future successes in life. Some of the noted trends include “higher levels of planning and preparation skills,” a higher chance to “be in a leadership position at their place of employment or local community,” and they “report [to have] closer relationships with family and friends.” So, one can infer that Scouting alumni are better prepared than the average citizen for many aspects of life.
The BSA has done a nice job of reducing some of these findings into marketing brochures that you may have seen in the past.
Please make sure to consider some of this material as you prepare Scoutmaster Minutes, skits, and games for Camporee and in the immediate follow up. Reinforce a great message.
Thanks again to John Ruggles for the lead on a good story.
Forestry Merit Badge class
On Saturday, October 17, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, the Zionsville Park Naturalist Mindy Murdock will offer the Forestry Merit Badge class at Zionsville’s Starkey Park, 667 Sugarbush Drive.
Park Naturalist and merit badge counselor Mindy Murdock will guide you through most of the requirements needed to earn your Forestry Merit Badge. Requirements include: identify species of trees, shrubs and vines, describe contributions forests make, and find examples of animal damage on trees. Boy Scouts should come prepared with their blue card and dressed for the weather.
Register at naturecenter@zionsville-in.gov.
Camporee 5 Days and Pack Overnight 12 Days: Encouraging unit attendance
Remember that one of the most important parts of any scouting his boys in tents. Boys will not remember much of the meetings that they attend. They will remember many details of campouts.
The lessons we seek to impart are about finding a scout’s part in a community. Campouts are where they have the best chance to look at themselves and how they fit together with their buddies in their unit.
Often it is not the scout that we need to persuade to attend the camp out. It is the reluctant parent who finds excuses why the campout is not a necessary part of their son’s participation in scouting. A confident scout leader will always address concerns with the parent about why a Scout is not attending the camp out.
This is often an opportunity to teach a reluctant parent about why scouting works and what makes it unique as a program. It is often the best chance to explain how campouts teach citizenship and leadership better than almost any other opportunity in the child’s extracurricular activities. Confident scout leader will not look at this discussion as a problem but as a chance to build retention. Educating parents about the program is one of the best ways to make sure the scout stays in the program for an extended period of time.
This means that we, as scout leaders, need to be confident in offering camp out programs in the fall and asking questions of parents when their sons cannot participate. We need to be understanding when there are athletic or family conflicts on the schedule. But we need to help the parent find alternate opportunities to participate.
The district offers Camporees and Pack Overnights in order for units to have an easier time offering campout opportunities. Take advantage of this opportunity not just for your unit but for each of your boys.
If you take the time for sleepy boy’s parents that their attendance is important, your participation rates will increase dramatically. In larger units this can be a time-consuming proposition for a cup master or scoutmaster. It becomes very important to delegate those responsibilities to assistant cubmasters or den leaders or assistant scoutmasters to make the Ask more successful and timely.
How to train youth leaders
Troops and crews often face problems of teaching youth how to become leaders. Some scoutmasters rely on resources like scoutmasterCG.com. Some rely on official BSA training courses.
The unofficial resources do a good job of giving a fresh perspective of the problems that you run into with youth training. They tend to focus on training within the troop. The emphasis is on informality, effectiveness, practicality, and fun.
The official resources allow youth to continue to follow official BSA training continuum. Most important part of the BSA training regimen is the ability for senior youth leaders to have an opportunity to learn with their peers. Senior patrol leaders have an opportunity to go learn with and from other senior patrol leaders. The emphasis is a broader understanding of the BSA program.
The BSA youth leadership training continuum begins with Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops. This should be taught by council. Once a senior patrol leader has taken the course, he is expected to offer the course at his own troop. The preferred time for the training is immediately before the new youth elections. This allows the new candidates to better understand the positions they are looking to take on. This course is required, in theory, before a scout moves on to National Youth Leadership Training. Locally we refer to this as White Stag. This takes place in two sessions in June and July at Camp Redwing. Graduates can then become camp staffers in following years.
Graduates of White Stag then can pursue training at Philmont, and the other national centers, called National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience. Here they will put NYLT lessons to use.
Are your youth leaders looking to have leadership challenges beyond this? Look into the Kodiak Challenge. It can be offered at the unit, district, or council level, with Council’s Training Department approval.
You want to keep your older scouts engaged? Promote this leadership training continuum and watch how boys refuse to leave scouting.
Camporee: 10 days — Eagle Project
Bill Cherry and Rick Aker assumed shared responsibility as District Co-coordinators of Eagle Projects on August 20, 2015.
Both gentlemen will be attending the Fall Camporee.
Throughout the Camporee, these gentlemen will make themselves available to discuss Eagle Scout binder and project training to any adult (including scoutmasters, troop advancement chairs, troop Eagle advisors, and Eagle-candidate parents) who would like to hear more about what it takes to have a successful project and a proper binder.
Rick Aker serves as assistant Camporee Chair and will be around the Scout Cabin most of the weekend.
Bill Cherry will have some Camporee training commitments but will likely be floating around the Camporee more.
Camporee: Is your SPL Prepared?
UPDATE 10/7/15: Retitled.
This Fall Camporee is going to be fun but very busy. It may require a special emphasis on preparing your SPL.
Does your SPL know about these items:
- The Friday night meeting at 9:00 pm.
- The new Commissioner’s Awards for patrols and SPLs.
- Encouraging older scouts such as OA and Firecrafters to be involved in managing troop events.
- The requirements of the Willy Award.
- His adult leaders’ plans to attend District Training at Camporee to better manage contingencies.
- The time and place for the Saturday SPL meeting.
- His troop’s contribution to the Saturday night campfire.
The goal of all of these events is to offer opportunities to lead while having fun. Help your SPL focus on the fun and avoid unnecessary stress. If he is prepared, it will work well.
If problems arise, at least he will have stories to tell.
Camporee: Scoutmaster Specific Training (for ASM’s, too!)
North Star District Training Subcommittee and the Commissioner’s Service is happy to announce that we have confirmed that we will be offering Scoutmaster Specific Training on Saturday, October 10, 2015 by Troop 73 (St Paul’s Episcopal) Scoutmaster Vince Hernly.
Vince is an experienced scoutmaster, teacher, and outdoorsman. He received his Wood Badge in 2011. He has been on Council’s beloved Voyageur (canoeing training) staff at Camp Belzer for a number of years and is a regular visitor to the Boundary Waters and other interesting outdoor locales. He teaches karate as part of his professional life.
Due to conflicting Camporee events and trainings, Vince will be teaching this 4-hour class in two 2-hour segments. He will offer the first segment from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The second segment will be from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (which will conflict with the dinner time, so plan accordingly by eating early or bringing a brown bag). I will join him to team teach the evening segment.
Please bring notebook paper and writing utensil.
Old Scoutmasters Handbook or new Troop Leader Guidebook or both. SMs & ASMs should seriously consider owning their own copy of at least one of these. The new book is in two volumes and only volume 1 is available at this time.
If you have one, a copy of each of the following:
- Boy Scout Manual (Appendix available in PDF)
- Program features (old or new) (Available in PDF)
- Guide to advancement (Available in PDF)
- Troop Committee Guidebook (Available in PDF)
Please let your assistant scoutmasters know that this training is being offered so that they can get it on their schedule.
For assistant scoutmasters who need the Introduction to Outdoor Leadership skills, this will not be offered by North Star that day; however, Del-Mi will be offering OLS the same day at Camp Krichtenstein. OLS will then be offered at University of Scouting in January 2016 and by Del-Mi at each of its next Camporees. (North Star is considering offering it at Winter Camporee, too, if sufficient interest exists.)
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
You must be logged in to post a comment.