Letters
Autism (continued)
Thank you for the great article in the September 2006 issue on Scouts with autism.
Scouting has often been a struggle for my son diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Like the parents described in the article, I, too, wrestle with how much information about my son to share with others. Your article put it out there for those of us who live with the situation daily and cherish each and every successful social interaction our boys make.
My son recently completed his first high adventure backpacking trip, thanks largely to the commitment of our Scoutmaster and several other dedicated adults. He is currently a Life Scout working on his Eagle.
Deb Prinz
Committee Member, Troop 146
Hudsonville, Mich.
Thank you and the many other parents, leaders, and youth who shared their personal accounts of successful experiences in Scouting by boys with autism. The September article is available in the magazine's online archive at www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0609/a-boys.html.
Planning troop outings
I really admire Troop 709; it is amazing how every month for nearly 35 years they have gone on at least one camp-out. (See "We Go Camping," October 2006, www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0610/a-wego.html.)
My troop doesn't do much camping, and I would like to do more. Are any planning tips available?
Nick Stewart
Winters, Calif.
To help leaders plan monthly programs and outings, Troop Program Features are bound into issues of Scouting magazine sent to Scoutmasters and assistants. The supplements include plans for weekly troop meetings plus an outdoor activity based on the month's suggested feature. Troop Program Features are also available for purchase in three printed volumes, arranged alphabetically, of 12 different features each (BSA Nos. 33110A, Aquatics through Engineering; 33111, Environment through Orienteering; and 33112, Physical Fitness Through Winter Camping), available at local Scout council service centers, Scout shops, and at www.scoutstuff.org.
'New' Scouts doing well
A follow-up to the May-June 2004 article "A Year With a New-Scout Patrol" about Troop 1113, Fairfax, Va. (chartered to the Knights of Columbus of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church), confirms that the new-Scout patrol concept—letting new Scouts stay together in their own patrol during their first year—with special youth and adult leadership—really works.
Seven of the then-new Scouts pictured on the cover are still active; most (including my son, Teige) are Life Scouts well on their way to Eagle. Two serve as troop guides for the latest new-Scout patrols, and three others have served as regular patrol leaders.
And the older Scouts pictured on the May-June 2004 cover helping the new-Scout patrol—Bryce Jones (the troop guide, shown holding a map) and Andrew Janeiro—have both become Eagle Scouts.
Patricia Corcoran
Oakton, Va.
"A Year with a New-Scout Patrol" is available in the magazine's Web site archive at www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0405/a-year.html.
Some more display tips
Here are a few more tips to supplement those in the October 2006 article on displaying Scouting memorabilia.
- To the back of the frame, attach a brief biography of the person whose awards and uniform are being displayed, including an explanation of the significance of individual items. This information may seem obvious at the time the display is created, but decades from now family members will be glad the details were preserved along with the memorabilia.
- If an item cannot be put in a shadow-box display because an adult still uses it (for example, a treasured Scout pocketknife acquired as a youth), substitute a color photograph. (Or, for flat items like patches or insignia, have a color photocopy made at a copy shop or with a PC and color scanner/printer.) Trim the print to show only the item; glue it to a piece of mat board, to simulate depth and keep the photo paper from curling.
- Ultraviolet (UV) rays can quickly fade memorabilia. Hang a frame away from direct sunlight.
Dave Wolverton
Curator, New Jersey Scout Museum
Morganville, N.J.
www.NJScoutMuseum.org
CORRECTION
In the September 2006 letter "Merit badge sash rule," from Kellen K., Troop 526, North Royalton, Ohio, the sentence "Except on formal occasions, I have always worn my merit badge sash on my side, over the belt" was edited incorrectly from the original. The sentence should have read: "I have always worn my merit badge sash (which I understand is worn only during formal occasions) on my side, over the belt."
January - February 2007 Table of Contents
Copyright © 2007 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.