March 30, 2021

Posted on by Troop 177

In this week’s newsletter

Meeting this Week

This week we will be working on team building within the patrols. Both patrols will work on creating their patrol flags. If you have any art supplies that you would like to use for your patrol flags, please bring them to the meeting. In additon to the the patrol activities, there will be plenty of opportunity for Scouts that need to work on rank requirements to work on requirements and get anything signed off that has been completed.

Please note that Troop 77 will be using the BBQ Pit area for their annual cooking competition. We will be meeting in the church’s upper parking lot. For those of you that were there, where we did the water bottle rockets last summer.

As always, Scouts will need to wear masks and remain socially distanced.

Spring Break No Meeting

The week of April 5-9 is Spring Break for Dekalb County and City of Decatur Schools. We will not have a meeting on April 6th. . 

Camping Belt Totems

Early on in the troop, Scouts were given a Troop 177 camping totem to wear on their belt (see the picture to the right). We will resume recognizing Scouts and adults for each of their camping nights, by awarding a colored bead for each night of camping. There are different colors for the various weather conditions experienced on these camping nights, and additional beads to signify events and activities that take place on these camps. Scouts who attended Camporee will get a purple bead for camping in below freezing conditions and a light green bead for a district-wide event. Scouts and adults should wear these totems on their belts when in full uniform. They are not recommended for wear with class B uniforms. If you do not have a totem, or have not received all of the beads for your camping nights, please see Mr. Taylor.

Upcoming Camping Trips

Our April camping trip will be Biking the Silver Comet Trail April 24-25. We will have a couple of meetings devoted to bike safety, maintenance, and riding prior to the trip. The trip sheet and signup form can be found on the Camping and Outings Page.

In May we will be returning to Lake Allatoona Aquatics Base the weekend of May 14-16. We are looking at doing a watersports activity. More information will be available early in April.

Summer Camp

Summer camp registration is already open. More information can be found on our Summer Camp Information page. If you are planning on going please Sign Up as soon possible.

Service Opportunities

Eva has invited us to join Pack 345’s Bear Dean (where Eva serves as a Den Chief) for a Frazier-Rowe Park cleanup May 8 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Scouts will  will lay down mulch, pull weeds, remove invasive plants, pick up trash, move big sticks, or whatever else else is needed. Wear class B, bring your water bottle, 10 essentials and garden gloves.
For more information contact Eva. If you are are planning to attend, please RSVP through Scoutbook.

Merit Badge Opportunities

Citizenship in the Nation
Mr. Taylor is offering a Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge session on May 2, for Troop 177 Scouts only. If you need this Eagle Required Merit Badge and want to attend please contact him for information.

Aviation Merit Badge 
Offered May 8, 2021 by the Atlanta Area Council at the Aviation History & Technology Center in Marietta (9AM-12PM). Autumn P is signed up to attend and sharing this information if other T177 Scout are interested. It will require some “light homework” posted in the Google Classroom prior to the event. 
To Register visit: https://www.atlantabsa.org/meritbadgedays (Aviation under “other merit badge days”)
For more information download the Aviation MB Day Info Sheet.

Merit Badge Opportunities

Allatoona Aquatics Day
Atlanta Area Council is offering several aquatics merit badges most Saturdays from May through September at Allatoona Aquatics Base.
More information at: https://www.atlantabsa.org/caabmb

As of March 15 the following merit badges still have openings.

  • June 26 Rowing (2)
  • July 24 Canoeing (5) — Note this is the last day of summer camp. Those going to camp won’t return in time to attend.
  • September 11 Canoeing (4)

Construction Merit Badge Day
Atlanta Area Council is holding a construction Merit Badge Day on May 15 for Scouts 16 or older. Merit Badges Offered include: Drafting, Electricity, Landscape Architecture, Surveying, and Welding. Note that while the dates on the info page are for 2020, registration is open for the 2021 Construction MB Day.
More information and registration at: https://www.atlantabsa.org/cmb

Atlanta Area Council Merit Badge Days
In addition to the days mentioned above, the Atlanta Area Council offers several Merit Badge days dedicated to specific Merit Badges. Upcoming Merit Badge offerings include Aviation and Railroading.
More information at: https://www.atlantabsa.org/meritbadgedays

Northeast Georgia Council Pathfinders
Scoutland is a Northeast Georgia Council Scout Camp on the shores of Lake Lanier. This summer they are offering two weeks of merit badge classes, where you can work on, and in most cases complete, one merit badge per day. There are still a lot of openings for most merit badges. This a great opportunity to work through several merit badges this summer.
More information and registration at: https://www.nega-bsa.org/Pathfinders

Daniel Boone Council Virtual Merit Badge Classes
Every week Daniel Boone Council in North Carolina is offering several virtual Merit Badge classes via Zoom. Most classes are $10 and are two evenings per week, after school hours.
More information and registration at: https://www.danielboonecouncil.org/virtual

Spring Merit Badge Day at Camp Thunder
Flint River council is offering a one-day, in-person Merit Badge day at Camp Thunder (about 90 minutes south of Decatur), April 17, 2021.
Class list and Registration at http://www.flintrivercouncil.org/event/2775630