News
Internet Rechartering Emails
District Executive Con Sullivan has emailed me that all units should have received their emails inviting their unit chair, unit leader, and Chartered Org Rep to the rechartering system. If the unit chair has informed Con about who will be the rechartering specialist, that person received an email, too.
Officially, the internet recharter system goes live on October 1, 2017.
Right now, the unit chair should be reviewing his internal records to have a clean list of scouts and scouters in his unit. This will be a very useful tool when the system goes live. The scouters on that list should have their YPT expiring after March 1, 2018, otherwise the recharter system will prevent the entire unit from rechartering. No open YPT issues are allowed by National Council this year. YPT must be finalized before the roster can be finalized.
The introductory email includes your access code and recharter turn-in date and time.
Remember no login names or passwords from last year work. You must log in as a first time user again.
I recommend setting a password that is NOT personal to you. That way if you have to share it with other leaders, it creates no problems.
Watch Rechartering Updates 2017 for updates as they are available.
Contact your unit commissioner with any questions.
Fall Camporee Updates
From Camporee Chair Mark Pishon:
Dear Camporee Stakeholders:
I’m very excited to announce the Purdue Motorsports Engineering Program will be joining us at the Subaru facility with their Grand-Prix Go-Karts.
We are only 12 days out so please get registered. The information and all the updates are attached.
YIS,
Mark Pishon
Fall Camporee Chair
Cell 317.374.2262
Willie Award Judging Criteria Fall Camporee 2017.pdf
Secrets to Eva’s Success and Lessons for Scouting
“The secret of Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy” in the New York Post tells the story of a charter school system in New York. It tells how the school has inner city kids performing well on standardized tests and grades.
Success Academy breeds success: Its inner-city students outperformed every other school district in the state in the 2017 exams. And one big secret to that success has been the application of the kinds of tactics and strategies that helped bring the city back from the brink more than once — this time, applied to education.
Both “broken windows” policing and Success Academy schooling target minor infractions that create a culture of chaos.
Writing about dealing with disruptive students in 2006-07, Success Academy’s first year, Moskowitz notes that when teachers are unable to stop even one student’s incessant misbehavior, it “can have a domino effect . . . and soon the teacher is playing whack-a-mole rather than teaching.”
That meant imposing “cultural expectations” on the classroom, which soon developed into a barometer Moskowitz calls “culture data.” Standardized test scores can only tell you so much so quickly. But monitoring “latenesses, absences, uniform infractions, missing homework, incomplete reading logs, and whether our teachers were calling parents about these problems” can serve as a “canary in a coal mine.”
It also manifested in instruction styles that required the kids to pay attention in class — such as randomly calling on students to respond to other students’ answers during a lesson — rather than just hoping they absorbed the information and then testing them to find out.
Consistent standards are also key. Unlike union-dominated schools, Moskowitz’s charters could fire bad teachers and administrators, ensuring those standards are applied evenly.
* * *
She explains: “Excellence is the accumulation of hundreds of minute decisions; it is execution at the most granular level. Once you accept the idea that you should give in to things that make no sense because other people do those things and you want to appear reasonable, you are on a path towards mediocrity.”
In scouting, we are not trying to be data hounds or playing BigBrother to make sure all is well with our scouts. But even laying aside the data, there are insights we can learn from this story.
If a scout regularly misses campouts, what does that tell us about the scout’s experience in scouting? What is that scout’s absence on his fellow scouts? Is it reasonable for a scout to miss a campout because he doesn’t “find it interesting”? If a parent accepts this complaint from the scout, what should the Cubmaster or Scoutmaster do in response?
John Cleese on Stupidity
John Cleese is one of the best observers and commentators on the human condition. He is deep and funny simultaneously. I disagree with his world view and some of his conclusions that arise from his observations. Nevertheless his observations are keen.
In this short clip, he focuses on people who don’t know that they are stupid. Very funny insights.
But let’s take that a bit deeper than just a look at stupidity. At the 0:25 mark, he quotes a professor, “In order to know how good you are at something, requires exactly the same skills as it takes to be good at thing in the first place.” Is this a true statement? In part, yes; in part, no. Let’s start from his premise that a “stupid person” doesn’t know he is stupid.
When my son was in preschool, we were sitting at the dining room table one night. I commented about an event of the day, “That is so stupid.” My son piped in, “Daddy said the S-word.” My wife and I stared at each other trying to recall if I had said the four letter word or not. My wife quickly recovered and asked, “What word was that?” My son look horrified at the prospect of repeating the forbidden word. After some coaxing and reassurance that he would not get in trouble, he proclaimed the S-word as “stupid.” He explained that at preschool two of the boys called everyone “stupid” so often, the teacher had told the kids to repeat “Don’t say ‘stupid’!” every time they heard the forbidden word.
So borrowing this preschool lesson, let’s change Cleese’s very funny use of the S-word to something more prosasic. Using more diplomatic language, we can translate that to “an inexperienced and uninformed person.” What does the translation do to our understanding of the professor’s point, “In order to know how good you are at something, requires exactly the same skills as it takes to be good at thing in the first place.”
Announcement from Patrick Sterrett
A message from Patrick to the Executive Board of Crossroads of America Council to the Executive Board this morning:
Executive Board-
Ed Bonach has asked me to communicate the following to you.
This past Tuesday morning, our Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh asked me to join his team as the Assistant Chief Scout Executive- Operations. I have great admiration for Mike, respect his managerial courage and look forward to learning from him. I accepted and begin Nov 16.
Lori and I have enjoyed CAC and Indiana. Quite frankly, this position (or the Chief’s job of course :)) was the only role that could draw us from CAC.
I met with our staff leadership team on Wednesday morning. I communicated this change to the entire staff this morning. They are a great team!
We had an Executive Committee meeting call this morning. We are blessed with a terrific Executive Committee and Board.
Ed will immediately begin the Scout Executive selection process and will discuss this in more depth at the Wednesday Board meeting. He/she will be on board in early January. The new [Scout Executive] will be lucky to serve with you.
Our council is strong. We are in great fiscal position. Membership is growing. The staff is energized and outstanding. We have tremendous volunteer depth and quality. We are blessed with top notch facilities. This change at the top will be a speed bump not a roadblock because of you and your passion for our mission.
I appreciate you and thank you for your un-wavering support of me and the Scouting movement. Scouting is strong and will grow again across the Nation just as it is doing here in central Indiana.
An email will be sent to all BSA employees and National/Regional volunteers later this afternoon.
Patrick
Patrick W. Sterrett | Scout Executive / CEO
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Crossroads of America Council
This is a huge gain for the National Council and an equal loss for the Crossroads of America Council. Patrick has been instrumental in providing a strong vision moving forward and recruiting personnel capable of carrying out that vision.
He will be missed.
Rechartering Outline Updated
District Commissioner has revised the Rechartering Update page on this website in anticipation of the new Rechartering season.
Dates, times, and locations of rechartering turn-ins have been posted. Please make sure that your unit’s chair and/or the rechartering champion have placed these dates on their calendars. If they cannot make it, they may ask another person to attend in their place.
Please be advised no turn-ins at the Council Registrar window will be accepted. Those will be put in the inter-office mail and sent to the District Executive. This delays processing of your Application to Recharter.
Please be advised that scouters without a current YPT expiration will prevent your Application for Recharter from printing your finalized roster. This is new for October 2017. Work on YPT now so that you can complete recharter turn in on time.
Service Hours Reporting Update
Last year (2016), North Star District reported 13,343 service hours. To date in 2017, North Star has reported only 3,567 service hours.
Thank you to those units that have exceeded 2016 service hours reports:
- Crew 408 (Zionsville American Legion)
- Pack 358 (Zionsville Christian)
- Troop 69 (Trader’s Point Christian Church)
- Troop 269 (St Andrew’s Presbyterian)
- Troop 358 (St Alphonsius RCC)
These troops serve as wonderful examples to our district and council.
Honorable mentions for reporting service hours at least once this year (but have not yet exceeded last year’s numbers and are rarely close), go to the following units:
- Pack 105 (Zionsville American Legion)
- Troop 56 (St Luke’s UMC)
- Troop 174 (Immaculate Heart of Mary RCC)
- Troop 180 (St Richard’s School)
- Troop 343 (Pike Twp Fire Dept, meeting at Bethel UMC)
- Troop 512 (First Meridian Heights Presbyterian)
- Troop 514 (St Monica’s RCC)
- Troop 804 (Zionsville American Legion).
All other units need to be reviewing their service hour reports because council has no information on file for 2017.
For more information on reporting service hours, see this 2015 article.
Free State Park Admission . . . with a catch
From Council:
DNR News
Division of State ParksCelebrate public lands with free entry and
program at DNR properties, Sept. 30Admission to Indiana’s state park properties and state forest recreation areas where entrance fees are charged will be free on Sept. 30 in recognition of National Public Lands Day.
National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.
Volunteer opportunities at Indiana State Park properties on Sept. 30 include trail work at Raccoon State Recreation Area, Turkey Run State Park and Brookville Lake, invasive plant removals at Brown County, Spring Mill and Ouabache state parks, and river cleanups at O’Bannon Woods and Tippecanoe River state parks. Many other properties will offer similar volunteer opportunities see attached list.
But National Public Lands Day isn’t all work and no play. The day is a reminder that public lands are places for outdoor recreation, conservation and making memories with families and friends. Properties will offer hikes, pioneer activities, crafts and live bird shows, too.
For complete list of programs, visit calendar.dnr.IN.gov and look on Sept. 30.
For more information on National Public Lands Day, visit PublicLandsDay.org.
Jody Heaston
Indiana State Parks Volunteer Coordinator
Ouabache State Park, 4930 E. State Rd 201
Bluffton, IN 46714
Phone: 260-824-0926 Fax: 260-824-9402
Email: jheaston@dnr.in.gov (best way to contact)Learn more about Indiana Master Naturalists www.indianamasternaturalist.org
On the Web: www.stateparks.IN.gov
They also offer the events listed in this flyer through the rest of the year.
Den Leader Training Report
Last night, Thursday, September 14, 2017, at Cub Scout Roundtable, Roundtable 
Commissioner Bill Buchalter and District Chair John Wiebke led a Cub Scout Den Leader Training.
Thank you to the following Den Leaders who participated:
- Alaina McSherry (Pack 175, Christ the King RCC);
- Tyler Christman (Pack 18, Second Presbyterian);
- Alexandra Hoogestraat (Pack 747, St Richard’s School);
- Jay Lorentz (Pack 18, Second Presbyterian);
- Vince Biedron (Pack 175, Christ the King RCC);
- Jeffrey Hamilton (Pack 171, St. Luke’s RCC).
We received wonderful reviews on the quality of presentation that Bill and John gave. All participants were happy to share the experience in person rather than doing the training online through my.scouting.org. They felt better connected to the local scouting community and received ideas, such as taking Tiger Cubs to Holiday Park to let the park docents help the Tigers complete some of their advancement requirements.
Pack Committee Chairs, please encourage your Den Leaders to get trained. Den Leaders who train in person get a richer and more informative experience than the generic online experience. They will learn about local resources and be more likely to continue as Den Leaders, since they will feel part of something larger than themselves or their pack.
Remember training is required for all leaders as part of rechartering, which begins in less than 20 days!
September 2017 Eagle Report
Congratulations to our September 2017 Eagles, who completed their Eagle Boards of Review on Wednesday, September 13, 2017:
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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