Programming
BSA Advancement Newsletters
Like most businesses today, BSA has built many online resources and is using social media and email lists to push that information to potential users.
Some users automatically receive these newsletters based on their position. Some users have to opt-in to the newsletter lists.
Merit Badge Counselor’s Compass is one of those. (You can subscribe by emailing merit.badge@scouting.org.) In the current issue of the Compass, they discuss:
- Changes Counselors Need to Know
- Interactive Digital Pamphlets Now on Sale at ScoutStuff.org
- Be Sure to Read The Notes
- Merit Badge Myths: Fact vs. Fiction
- Completing Requirements as Stated Matters
- Beekeeping: A Part of Existing Merit Badges
Go Away, Mosquitos!
USA Today has an interesting article about bug repellents. Good timing for camp!
What they seek:
Day says he is convinced it’s mostly about carbon dioxide: mosquitoes and ticks find their victims by detecting it and some of us produce more than others. That includes heavier people, pregnant women and exercisers. “The amount of carbon dioxide you produce depends on your metabolic rate,” he says.
What leads to CO2 production:
What you eat and drink may matter, Day and Bernier agree. Alcohol, in particular, seems to attract mosquitoes, they say. At least one study also suggested smokers were at higher risk – but probably because they spend so much time smoking outside, Day says.
What to use:
CDC says you want one that includes DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or a chemical called IR3535.
What to avoid:
• “Natural” repellent sprays made with plant oils, such as citronella, lemongrass, and rosemary.
June Roundtable Agenda
Our June Roundtable will be held, as always, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N Meridian St, 4th Floor, Indianapolis. RSVPs are welcome, but not required.
We plan on introducing our new District Executive Con Sullivan. He will be asked to give a few remarks.
The opening general session will be “Maximizing Council Resources for Your Unit” by District Commissioner Jeff Heck.
We will then break into Cub Roundtables and Scout Roundtables.
Sharla Merrick our Cub Roundtable Commissioner will host a conversation on Cub Recruitment, with a special emphasis on what will be happening in July, August, and September this year.
Jeff Heck will host a conversation about planning high adventure and using fellow district members as resources. We will discuss BSA bases and non-BSA trip ideas, planning cycles, and problems to watch out for.
Please be sure to invite any and all adults from your units. It is very important to get as many membership coordinators from all of our units to participate in Sharla’s discussion. Cub Recruiting this year is going to require Boy Scout Troops’ help, so please have your membership coordinator attend.
– Jeff Heck
Useful Camp Gadgets as Teaching Aid
As we arrive at our Ransburg campsite, the Firecrafter phrase “useful camp gadget” appears. For new scoutmasters, this seems to be a unique phrase. It is as mystical is the idea of “scoutmaster.”
In fact both of these phrases go back over a century. A scoutmaster is a reference to the 19th century word “master,” which was short for “school master.” The schoolmaster had a master’s degree, which gave him the authority to teach bachelor’s degree candidates. Baden Powell picked up on this notion of a master-as-a-teacher when he named “scoutmasters.” Simply this was a teacher of scouts. Scoutmasters were assumed to have deep knowledge of a particular area, scout craft. The biggest part of this was woodcraft.
Order of the Arrow Cookout at June Meeting
On Sunday, June 7, 2015, the Lowaneu Allanque Chapter of OA will hold its annual cookout at Marrot Park, across College Avenue from Park Tudor School, approximately 7351 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220.
OA Brotherhood Members should bring side dishes. Ordeal Members should bring drinks. OA will provide meat and buns. Please Register by Friday, June 5, 2015.
The Firecrafters and OA will join together for the cookout.
Prior to the cookout, Firecrafter members will hike the Monon Trail beginning at the Park beginning at 1:00 pm.
The cookout will begin at 2:00 pm.
Joint Service Project for LOA and Firecrafter
John Ruggles announced a reminder service project Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the American Legion Post #3 from 8:00 AM -12:00 NOON. Mr. Ruggles is the the advisor for our LOA chapter of the Jaccos Towne Lodge of the Order of the Arrow.
This project is a great way to pick up some service hours for our chapter. The post will provide sodas.
We will be combining this service activity with Firecrafter.
Can your Troop Boost Advancement at Camp?
What are some ways that your troop can truly excel in advancement at summer camp? If you do increase your emphasis on advancement with scouts, does it make more work for the adults? Maybe not.
As we discussed earlier this week, it pays for the adult leaders to be familiar with the Guide to Advancement (2015) that is now available online as a webpage and as an e-book in PDF form.
Committee Planning Session
I look forward to planning with you on June 11th at St Luke’s UMC. This will be an opportunity for us to begin to gel as a team. North Star will once again rise to it’s #1 status in this council. What a great bunch of volunteers! GO NORTH STAR!
District Committee Planning Session June 11th
All members of North Star District Committee should attend Committee Planning Meeting.
To that goal, Vice President of District Operations Stroh Bronn and Director of Field Services Rob Hemmelgarn will be leading this session on the evening of June 11th. The session will be held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Room N101 (the same room as the May District Committee Meeting). The class will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Merit Badge Counselor List
Quote Posted on Updated on
One of the major projects for the District Committee is going to be making sure that the Troops’ expectations of who is a registered Merit Badge Counselor matches the District’s records.
The Guide to Advancement (2015) now has a system for automatically de-registering merit badge counselors who do not respond to emailed inquiries. Several of our former merit badge counselors are no longer registered in that position, who believe that they are. A copy of the current merit badge counselor list has been mailed to all of the Troop’s Key 3 (chartered org rep, Scoutmaster, and Troop Committee Chair).
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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