bsatroop30

Luke Black earns Eagle Scout rank

Luke Black, a Boy Scout from Allston, MA, is now the first Eagle Scout from BSA Troop 30 in a number of years.

Luke achieved the Eagle Scout rank in February, after a board of review held by the BSA Sons of Liberty District.

“I’m very proud and happy for Luke, reaching this highest rank scouting.” said Scoutmaster Chris Derocher. “I’m happy to have been a part of it.”

To become an Eagle Scout, scouts must achieve a number of ranks, earning skills and taking on leadership roles inside and outside the troop. Eagles take their own paths within the scouting framework – all learning how to take care of their selves and others, but many choosing how they demonstrate those abilities, be it by being a bugler or as a troop librarian.

Luke has earned 29 merit badges, including Art, American Heritage and Astronomy, which is eight beyond the number he was required to earn for his rank. His public-service projects often involved conservation, participating in river cleanups and building bat houses.

For his final public service project, Luke saw the kids living in a new affordable housing unit in Allston had no basements where they could store their bikes – and leaving bikes on the lawn meant their bikes were being stolen. Luke raised hundreds of dollars for a bike rack by soliciting donations from customers at the Brighton Mills Star Market. He was then responsible for gathering scouts and a few professionals to help him pour a cement pad and securing the bike rack to the ground. The kids at Charlesview now have a safe place to keep their bikes, and Luke’s project was formally accepted during his board of review.

Son of Lee and Mary-Helen Black of Allston, Luke joined scouting as a member of Pack 30, the Cub Scout Pack meeting in Watertown. In 2013 he earned his Scout rank as a Boy Scout, and from there Luke has taken on leadership roles within the boy-led troop, serving as a Patrol Leader to the Badgers Patrol, and as Troop Historian.

Luke currently attends The Winchendon School. A formal ceremony awarding Luke the rank of Eagle will be held in June.

“Luke has been an outstanding example of how to persevere and not just meet but surpass the requirements the BSA set out for its leaders,” said Kat Powers, Troop 30 Committee Chairman. “Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts nationwide earn the rank of Eagle, it’s that hard. It’s an honor to have worked with a scout like Luke.”

BSA Troop 30 currently serves the youth of Watertown, Allston and Brighton. Based in the United Methodist Church on Mt. Auburn Street, Troop 30 is open to boys and girls age 11-18 who seek adventure. The troop participates in camping trips, service and conservation projects, and offers outdoor skills training – recently winning second overall in the Spirit of Adventure Klondike Derby winter skills competition. For more information, see Troop30BSA.com.

Troop 30 comes in second place in Klondike Derby

Troop 30’s Baconator Patrol earned second place among all patrols competing in the Sons of Liberty and Flintlock Districts Klondike Derby, billed as the Polar Bear Challenge, held at New England Base Camp in Milton, Massachusetts.

Troop 30, joined by Webelos scouts from Pack 30, competed as the Baconators Patrol, winning outright the log-sawing/wood splitting competition, and the A-frame competition.

Scouts competed in orienteering, tomahawk throwing, tent set-up and fire building, among other skills.

During the A-frame building competition, patrols were instructed to tie three branches together to form an A-frame, and then use it to carry a scout for a number of yards. Where some patrols took five, six or seven minutes to build the frame and carry a scout with it, Baconators did it in under two minutes, choosing to carry a Webelos scout across the line.

Scouts camped overnight in the Blue Hills and then competed in the Klondike race — where one Webelos Scout rode in the cart, and other scouts pushed-pulled-ran the course through Base Camp.

Given their overall performance, scores for being prepared at trail-in inspection, Troop 30’s Baconators won second place overall, beating out a number of much larger troops from all over the Greater Boston area.

Troop 30 camps once a month during the school year, and travels once during the summer for a week-long camping trip at a certified BSA camp. Boys and girls who have completed fifth grade are welcome to join us. Contact us at watertowntroop30@gmail.com for details.

Who teaches scouts?

As we’re preparing for a Klondike Derby, where scouts show off their winter skills and compete in races where they’re the sled dogs pulling a sled, we’re bringing in Webelos who are old enough to join the race.

Who teaches the younger scouts the skills they’ll need for the competition? Here Michael, our senior patrol leader, shows Webelos Scout Tage how to tie together two branches.

The Boy Scouts lead the activity, working with adults who guide, not lead.

Making creche figurines for Watertown-Belmont UMC

Our sponsoring organization, Watertown-Belmont United Methodist Church, asked if scouts could help celebrate the Christmas advent season by putting some skills to work.

Troop 30 scouts helped cut out creche figures for the church’s lawn, preparing a holy family, wise men, and barnyard animals to be painted by the church’s Sunday school classes.

Do you have a service project needing some scout help? Contact us at watertowntroop30@gmail.com.

Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts collect 200 bags of groceries for Watertown Food Pantry

What does the generosity of Watertown residents look like when combined with the hard work from scouts?

It looks like 200 bags of groceries for families in need in Watertown.

“We are so grateful for the contribution from the scouts,” Kathleen Cunningham, Food Pantry Director, said. “The hard work and commitment they supply to the pantry of food and service is overwhelming. We are so grateful for the continued support of the Boy Scouts. The amount of food and personal products they have collected in just one day surpasses any amount we can imagine. Their donation will allow us to help our clients for many months to come, and allow us to use our financial donations to continue to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to our clients.”

This was truly a group effort. Boy Scouts from Troop 30 teamed up with Cub Scouts from Pack 30 to participate in Scouting for Food, a nationwide program of the BSA. Working with Stop & Shop at 171 Watertown Street, scouts asked store customers to donate items needed most by clients of the food pantry — peanut butter, rice, beans, jams and cleaning supplies – to fill the pantry’s shelves.

Customers were given a shopping list created by Boy Scout Michael McNamara to use in the store. The result was amazing – families dropped off full shopping carts, couples dropped off full bags of groceries, and others gave cash so it could be used to get what was needed most. Boy Scoutmaster Chris DeRocher used cash to get cleaning supplies that are always needed but hard to find at food banks — $368.50 worth.

A few customers even wanted to support the scouts in what they were doing, buying them cupcakes to keep them going.

Troop 30 organizes a Scouting for Food drive every year with the help of Stop & Shop. Last year, scouts collected 126 bags of groceries to serve those in need in Watertown. Hoping to meet that same target, scouts organized the six-hour drive at the store. By 1 p.m., the target was surpassed and the Troop 30 trailer — usually packed full of camping gear for outdoor adventures – was nearly full of shelf-stable items.

Scouting for Food is just one of the community service projects scouts take on. Cub Scouts, age 5-10, clean trails, write letters to veterans and serve as an honor guard for local events. Boy Scouts, age 10-18, take on larger projects to earn merit badges – including two from Troop 30 who are regular volunteers at the Watertown Food Pantry.

BSA trains boys and girls in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. For more information, see Troop30BSA.com and Pack30.com.

Troop 30 celebrates Thanksgiving at Camp Carpenter (a few weeks early)

Happy Thanksgiving! Troop 30 was joined by Pack 30 at Camp Carpenter in Manchester New Hampshire. Led by our Scoutmaster/Chef Chris, Troop 30 made four turkeys, gallons of stuffing and potatoes, and a few touches from home. Check out our mouth-watering gallery.

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Scouts teach other scouts outdoor skills

Baconators Patrol Leader Patricio, left, coached two younger scouts who were making breakfast for their patrol.

When scouts pick up new skills, like learning to set up a tent, they’re most likely to be found acquiring those skills from the scouts who learned them the same way — from other scouts.

Troop 30 camped out at Camp Sayre this past weekend, joining in the regular Saturday program of archery, swimming, axe yard skills and other sports.

What’s a Grubmaster? He’s the scout feeding the patrol

Troop 30 is planning its first trip of the year. One of the biggest jobs on any camping trip is that of Grubmaster.

The patrol is going to be grumpy without enough food and leftover food is wasted if it’s too much. The Grubmaster must set a budget, collect money from patrol members and plan meals accordingly. This is a leadership task requiring the scout to learn how to budget, how to plan meals, and how to keep the patrol satisfied while managing food preferences, diet restrictions and allergies.

This is a big job.

As Grubmaster, it is the scout’s responsibility to stay within the food budget. Spending beyond your budget must be approved by patrol members helping to foot the bill. Parents have a role in this, but not as shoppers — parents might be supplying the coolers and driving the scout to the store, but it’s the scout who is getting the shopping done. Continue reading What’s a Grubmaster? He’s the scout feeding the patrol

Luke’s Eagle Scout project

If you’ve been at a grocery store in Allston recently, you may have seen Luke raising funds for his Eagle Scout project.

Luke, currently a life scout, learned that bikes were being stolen and vandalized near one affordable housing community — and the kids living there didn’t have a safe place to keep their bikes. Luke’s project will be to purchase and install a new bike rack at the complex. He’s even created a fundraising “thermometer” you can see, where he’s filling the bike wheels on his chart every time he gets $100 closer to his goal. Right now, thanks to the support of Start Market customers, Luke has at least three bike wheels completely full.

Stay tuned for project updates.

Regular meetings begin Sept. 6

It’s almost the first meeting of the year!

29243697_798752456984684_5535731675062861824_o Troop 30 will hold its first meeting of the 2018-19 year at 80 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown.

Meetings are held Thursdays at our sponsor origination, the Watertown-Belmont United Methodist Church, in the basement hall. Meetings are 7:15 – 8:30 p.m. Scouts can do anything at meetings from practice first aid (left) to play crab soccer to work on badges or plan out the next camping trip.

Want to join the scouts? We can provide more information at WatertownTroop30@gmail.com.