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Goals of Scouting
Mission Statement: The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Scout Oath (or Promise): On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law: A Scout is: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Scout Motto: Be prepared
Scout Slogan: Do a good turn daily
Outdoor Code: As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded.
There’s more information about the overall aims and methods of Scouting here.
Troop 28’s Goals
Our primary goal is to exemplify the Scouting ideal of a “boy-led troop.”
- A central principle of Boy Scouting is that a well-run troop is run for and by the young men who belong to it. The adult leaders assist the Scouts with activities, troop organization and advancement—but the Scouts themselves make these things happen.
- As with any learning process, we expect occasional inefficiencies and short-term difficulties… and are rewarded when we see our sons developing important life skills such as responsibility and leadership.
- In recent years, nearly every young man in our troop who has remained an active Scout after entering high school has earned the Eagle rank.
Troop 28’s objectives are:
- to provide a wide range of opportunities for the Scouts to develop Scoutcraft skills, to enjoy outdoor activities and respect nature, and to challenge themselves physically and develop self-confidence;
- to foster camaraderie and help Scouts understand the dynamics and value of teamwork; and
- to provide opportunities for Scouts to plan, organize and run their own activities, to test and develop their leadership skills, and to take responsibility for their individual and group efforts.
We try to provide a variety of ways for the Scouts to reach these goals.
- At a typical meeting, the Scouts plan upcoming campouts or service projects, work together on rank advancement or merit badges, and then finish with a few games.
- Most months the Scouts organize a weekend camping trip. Our current calendar provides an idea of the Scouts’ diverse interests—and their energy!
- Troop members also participate in several service activities during the year. These are programs oriented to good citizenship in the community, and include Scouting for Food, the Village Memorial Day and Pumpkin Day celebrations, and Eagle service projects.
- Troop 28 participates in a number of inter-troop activites each year, including the Klondike Derby/Winter Jamboree, a First Aid Meet, and Webelos Woods.
- Many of the Scouts enjoy a week together each summer at Camp Makajawan in Pearson, Wisconsin. Most summers, the older Scouts also organize a special adventure as well. In recent years, we have canoed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and backpacked in the Canadian Rockies, along the Appalachian Trail, and in Glacier National Park.
Parents can help the troop flourish in many different ways: as adult leaders, by helping with transportation for our weekend activities, by serving on the troop committee, or by offering their vocational and avocational knowledge as merit badge counselors. Please look at Support Troop 28 for more information.
Ranks and Requirements
After joining the troop as a Scout, you’ll earn six ranks on your path to Eagle Scout. You can work on the first three—Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class Scout—at the same time, and most of the Scouts in Troop 28 become First Class Scouts within 12-18 months of joining the troop. You’ll find that you can complete all of the requirements by attending troop meetings regularly, participating in the troop’s monthly outings, and joining us for our weeklong summer camp at Camp Makajawan. As you earn each of these ranks, you’ll find yourself developing terrific outdoor skills, self-reliance, physical fitness and community service. Click on the ranks below to see the requirements for each:
Tenderfoot Scout
Second Class Scout
First Class Scout
The next three ranks will sharpen the skills you’ve learned and help you develop new skills in different leadership positions within the troop. You’ll earn merit badges in a variety of areas, pass on your Scoutcraft knowledge to younger Scouts, and organize and carry out service projects and adventure activities. Click on the ranks below to see the requirements for each:
Star Scout
Life Scout
Eagle Scout
Merit Badges
Scouts can earn merit badges in 120 different areas. You’ll need to earn six to become a Star Scout, five more to become a Life Scout, and another ten—that is, at least 21 altogether—to become an Eagle Scout.
Among those 21 merit badges, an Eagle Scout must earn 12 “required” merit badges. They are:
Camping
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
Environmental Science
Family Life
First Aid
Personal Fitness
Personal Management
Swimming or Hiking or Cycling
The current list of all merit badges is above. To see the requirements for a particular badge, click here, then click on the name of the badge you’re interested in.
The Boy Scouts of America publishes merit badge pamphlets for each badge. These pamphlets contain the requirements to earn the badge and a wealth of helpful information that will help you to do so. Troop 28 maintains a library with current pamphlets for all of the most popular badges, and many of the others as well; Scouts can borrow them through the Scout Librarian. You can also purchase any of the pamphlets through the Northeast Illinois Council’s Scout Shop, located at 2745 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, IL 60035-1042 (Route 41 northbound, just north of Half Day Road). From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the Scout Shop's hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. During the summer, the shop is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and closed on Saturdays. You can check their hours by calling 1 847 433 1813 - extension 630, or on their Website.
Parents of Troop 28 Scouts are approved counselors for many of the most popular merit badges. We also have a directory of the adult Scouters in the area who are approved counselors for all merit badges.
Merit badges offered as of January 1, 2006, are:
Camp Makajawan
Troop 28 joins the thousands of Scouts from the Northeast Illinois Council who spend a week each summer at the Makajawan Scout Reservation. Camp Makajawan is located in 1,560 acres of pristine forest near Pearson, in north-central Wisconsin, about 25 miles northeast of Antigo. The camp comprises two lakes with boating docks, a natural creek, numerous trails, two full-service Scout camps, a wilderness camp, an outdoor climbing wall, a horse ranch and a family camping area.
Makajawan’s programs make it quite simple for a motivated Scout to fulfill virtually all of the requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Scout Class ranks through the Trailblazer program. Scouts can earn rank advancement and many merit badges at the nature lodge, the waterfront, the Scoutcraft area and the rifle range. It’s a particularly good time to earn the Environmental Science, Swimming and Lifesaving merit badges, which can be difficult to work on during the long Glencoe winter! And, when it's time to relax, there are plenty of opportunities for swimming, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, climbing, cooking, canoeing, sailing and kayaking. Adult Scouters supervise all activities, assisted by qualified Varsity Scouts and senior Boy Scouts.
Troop 28 usually prepares its own breakfasts and dinners in its campsite, but eats lunch (and a few dinners) in the camp mess hall. We also try to take a day to do some whitewater rafting together on the nearby Wolf River.
For more information, click here, then click on the link for Makajawan.
Becoming an Eagle Scout
Requirements
Click http://www.meritbadge.com/adv/eagle.htm to view the requirements to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
The Eagle Service Project
The capstone of your progress to Eagle Scout is your Eagle service project. While you are a Life Scout, you’ll plan, develop and lead others in a service project that will help a school, a religious institution, or our community. The project idea must be approved by the organization that will benefit from the effort, the Scoutmaster, the troop committee, and the district before you start. You should use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (BSA publication No. 18-927B) in planning and meeting this requirement.
Click here to contact Troop 28’s Eagle Advisor, Stu Schoder, who can provide further information.
Troop 23’s Recent Eagle Scouts
In recent years, nearly every young man in our troop who has remained an active Scout after entering high school has earned the Eagle rank. They include:
Andrew Edelston
Mark Ferguson
Paul Ferguson
Tom Ferguson
Trevor Funari
Jon Gately
Andrew Gumbiner
Jonathan Honor
Dave Kreft
Matt Leck
Adam Paseltiner
Mike Schoder
Michael Weisman
Sam Marshall
Joe Marshall
Mark Magulio
Click here to see photos of their Eagle service projects.
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