Camping & Outdoor Programming
White Stag Prereq at Spring Camporee
Some of the most successful troops in our district require that their SPLs and ASPLs attend White Stag, the National Youth Leadership Training, each spring or summer.
Some troops are not aware that attendance at White Stag requires a prerequisite class: Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (or for Crews).
BSA states on this webpage:
ILST is the first course in the series of leadership training offered to Boy Scouts and is a replacement for Troop Leadership Training. Completion of ILST is a prerequisite for Boy Scouts to participate in the more advanced leadership courses National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). It is also required to participate in a Kodiak Challenge Trek.
Once a youth attends ILST and has taken the first phase of train-the-trainer, “Fundamentals of Training,” the youth is eligible to offer this same training at his home unit.
North Star District will be offering ILST at the Spring Camporee. The lead instructor will Aryaman Gupta a recent Eagle Scout and SPL, who has just joined the scoutmaster corps at Troop 56. We are seeking another former or current SPL to assist Aryaman in his efforts. Please contact Jeff Heck with any volunteers.
Plan now to recruit your best candidates to attend White Stag so that they can get their prerequisites done.
Participants can (a) pay $5.00 to have their materials provided for them or (b) pay nothing and print out their own materials from the website as posted at a latter.
Reservations can be made at this link.
Winner of the Coveted Willie Award
The winner of the North Star District Willie Award for Best Campsite is Troop 69!
Senior Patrol Leader is Reese P.
Winners of the Inaugural Polaris Award for Patrol Competition
To recognize and memorialize the best patrol in competitions, the District is inaugurating a new award:the Polaris Award. The new plaque will travel with each new patrol listed and photographed.
The winner of the inaugural Polaris Award is Troop 56’s Elemental Patrol.
Members of Elemental are Sam R., Luke E., Will S., and Matthew H.
The phantom is the newest ASM and patrol advisor Cullen B.
REMINDER: Roundtable Thursday
Just a quick reminder, our new Roundtable schedule has us meeting on the SECOND THURSDAY of each month at 6:30 pm at ST LUKE’S United Methodist Church.
We are currently confirming the room assignment. Watch this post for updates. We will be meeting in Luke’s Lodge, the outbuilding on the northeast corner of campus.
National Jamboree Presentation
This week we will have a general session on news from around the District and a presentation on the 2017 National Jamboree from one of the Council’s Jamboree Scoutmasters Michael Thyen. I met Mike this year when he served as my Wood Badge Troop Guide. For nearly 20 years, Mike has served continuously as the founding Scoutmaster of Del-Mi’s Troop 202 at St Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel. Troop 202 is one of the largest and most successful troops in Del-Mi. He has attended National Jamborees before.
Please do not hesitate to bring your PLC members to the Roundtable to meet Mike and ask questions.
Mike’s presentation will be open to all scouters regardless whether serving in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, or Venturing. The reason for this is that National Jamborees come around every 4 years. All scouters should be familiar with the program as part of the long term goal of keeping scouts of all ages engaged in scouting and dreaming of their future scouting experiences.
Cub Scout Leaders are welcome to serve on staff of a National Jamboree contingent or on the camp staff.
The National Jamboree will be held at its new permanent home at Bechtel Scout Reservation in West Virginia.
In addition, the BSA with Scouts Canada and Asociación de Scouts de México, A.C. will be co-hosting the 2019 World Jamboree at Bechtel Scout Reservation in West Virginia.
Break Out Sessions
Boy Scouts
North Star District Advancement Coordinator for Boy Scouts Jim Beck, Scoutmaster of Zionsville’s Troop 358, will be leading a break out session on the Boy Scout Advancement and brainstorming ideas on how to promote advancement in the District.
Here is a link that you might want to look at in preparation for the conversation.
Cub Scouts
District Commissioner Jeff Heck will be leading a discussion on how Blue and Gold banquet planning and cross-over ceremonies for Cub Scouts are critical for creating excitement for Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Scouts as well as completing a successful transition from Webelos to Scouts.
Camporee Sign Up Information
At the last District Committee meeting, last Thursday, Stu Bowes led a discussion for the Winter Camporee and upcoming camporees. After the meeting, he distributed this information. Read the rest of this entry »
District Committee Agenda
At this Thursday’s Committee meeting, according to the 2016 District Chair John Wiebke the following topics will be on the agenda:
- Communicating around the District Planning and out intent to meet individually with people
- Winter Camporee- Stu Bowes, Camporee Chair will be seeking your input
- Finance- review schedule of FOS presentations
- Recruitment- Sharla’s ideas for the Spring
- Nominating committee update.
Gift Ideas for Scouts and Scouters
Clarke Green posts a regular list of scout wish list for Christmas and the holidays.
Take a look to see if it helps for last minute gifts.
Useful Camp Gadgets: Revisited
Back in June, shortly after I started this website, I posted an article about useful camp gadgets for Firecrafter requirements. It is read regularly each week.
This past weekend, I finally had a chance to go on a troop campout for the first time since I took the position as District Commissioner. I decided to use my own advice. I made a crude lantern holder.
As you can see from the previous post, my design is largely a knock-off.
While I was working with the hand drill by the campfire, one of our thespian scouts walked up and asked, almost as if reading from a script of the prior post, “What are you doing?”
I explained that I am teaching myself a pioneering method that is different the method in the scout handbook.
“What’s it called?” he asked.
“Cat drill. It’s based on a system I found on an Italian scout troop’s website.”
“Why are you doing it?” he continued.
I told him, “I want to be able to teach scouts who are interested how to do it. But, first, I have to make sure that I know how to do it. So I am experimenting on this campout.”
“Well, if you are doing it at summer camp, I want to learn how to do it,” he finished.
“Sounds like a great idea to me!” I exclaimed.
This entire project required a $12.00 hand drill from Amazon’s website, a $3.00 set of bits, a $1.00 ball of twine, and sticks I found near the campfire. Next time, it will cost me nothing but time.
Who knows who will join me. Maybe we’ll make something bigger.
BSA Licensing for Movies at Scout Reservations
We show movies at Scouting events from time to time . . . .
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Some camporees, day camps and summer camps show movies, too.
Because of this, we need to be obedient and follow the rules about showing movies in public — and yes, those rules apply to the Boy Scouts of America even though we’re a nonprofit organization.
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But starting now, the BSA has purchased an umbrella license through the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation that covers all council-owned properties.
The added benefit of this new umbrella license is that it covers all local council facilities and camps for the duration of the license: Nov. 1, 2015, to Oct. 31, 2016.
Anything from one of these studios. That’s a long list that includes Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., New Line, NBC Universal, MGM, Marvel Studios and many more.
I’m told that roughly 95 percent of movies are covered by this list.
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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