December Newsletter
Scoutmaster Note
Fall is upon us and with the sun setting so early now, I’m reminded that we’re quickly approaching the end of what has been a tumultuous year. COVID restrictions are still very much with us and most schools and many jobs are still working remotely. Our Troops remain in virtual mode in order to protect our Scouts and volunteers and their families.
That said, Scouting continues! With leadership from our Scouts, and ASMs, and guidance from our Committee, our Troops have found ways to persevere while accommodating COVID social distancing guidelines. Many thanks go out to all those whose creative thinking and tireless efforts have made the best out of the current conundrum.
Patrols continue to meet virtually and work on advancement requirements. Patrols have even managed to hold virtual camp outs with scouts camping out at their own homes. The Patrol Leadership Council has been working hard to come up with engaging activities for our virtual Troop Meetings. Their efforts have resulted in Troop meetings that featured a group viewing (and group critique!) of outdoor adventure reality shows such as “Are you Tougher than a Boy Scout,” and “Eco-Challenge,” a high endurance adventure race. I was very gratified to see the Scouts discussing in Group Chat that one of the competitors in Eco-Challenge was clearly suffering from heat exhaustion and headed towards a very serious case of heat stroke, and that they would have prioritized that person’s safety over racing. Another Troop meeting featured a fascinating speaker, Dr. Cathay Olkin, planetary scientist, who happens to be a good friend of our volunteer Registrar, Laura Stark.
Our Troop Leadership Council has also been hosting virtual events on the weekends which have ranged from organized online gaming to presentations about hobbies, skills, and information on popular hikes or other adventures. These activities don’t replace the outdoor events we would normally be having, but they do help provide ways for our Scouts to get together, if only virtually, to share some needed social time and just maybe learn a few things.
Our ability to shift gears and adapt our program to these uncertain times really drives home the high level of resilience and dedication that our Scouting community shares. I am struck by how normal our virtual meetings and activities seem based on how our Scouts participate and our Scout Leaders lead. And perhaps that’s one of the great benefits of Scouting during this time — participating in Scouting injects a reassuring element of normalcy into our lives. Our Scouts are demonstrating by their choices and actions that they can accommodate and overcome these challenges and make the best of a difficult situation.
-Mr. Tom Hsiu, Co-Scoutmaster
Patrol 1
- Attendance: 10 attended
- First we did the scout oath, scout law, outdoor code, and pledge of allegiance. Then we had a troop election, but we determined that Robert was clearly the best choice to lead our patrol (plus many older scouts would be joining TLC). So, we unanimously elected Robert Cui as our next patrol leader for next semester. Robert made a speech and that concluded our short meeting (some had finals the next day).
Patrol 2
- Attendance: 8 attended
- For the patrol meeting on 12/16/2020, we met at 7 pm and had flags, after that we had announcements and our patrol position elections. We ended the meeting short so people could study for finals. Our new patrol leader is Justin Lee.
Patrol 3
- Attendance: 12 attended
- This was a short meeting because it was in the middle of finals week and many scouts had to study for their tests. The meeting started out with flags, and then the patrol leader election. The election was between Neel and Damon. Damon promised to have more meaningful meetings, with better first-year progression. Neel promised to keep things how they had been going, as he was running for a second term. Neel ended up winning through a blind vote on a google form. Then, Neel discussed other leadership positions in our patrol. Finally, Kevin gave a presentation about Silicon Valley as part of a merit badge requirement. After that, Neel dismissed everyone, but a few people stuck around to play skribbl.io.
Patrol 4
- Attendance: 10
- Announcements, rank progress, games. Our next patrol leader is Arthur Tran
Patrol 5
- Attendance: Willem Madwed, Allen Wu, David Zhou, Graham Sine, Jack Jemison, Jack Madwed, Vince Wu, Eric Sun, Ray Law
- 1. We did an opening ceremony
2. We looked at the photo slideshow for Aleksi and Mr. Vuornos, which can be found here:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EGoFFrOhNpa0Vl-r5SvKXf2Wakx4exfD34_OWRx3OvQ/edit?usp=sharing
3. We voted on Patrol Leader; the candidates were Jack Jemison, Jack Madwed, and Vince Wu
4. Jack Jemison won the election, Jack Madwed became quartermaster, and our Patrol Scribe has yet to be decided
5. We played skribbl.io
Patrol 6
- Attendance: Tayton Chow-Gregory, Brandon Cui, Beckett Hanna, Nathan Hunt, Greyson Goodrich, Ashray Gupta, Edwin Spackman, Advait Vendant, Jacob Wiener, Zachary Wiener
- Announcements: 1) Eagle Court of Honor coming up this coming weekend; 2) Safety Merit Badge: Our patrol will start the start this badge next term
- Patrol Leader Election: Congratulations, Jacob Wiener is our new patrol leader
- Rank Advancement: Discussed who needed rank advancement help and requirements and who is planning to advance by next January or February Court of Honor.
- Discussion on Patrol Roles: Discussed what roles are available next term and shared what it was like to hold patrol roles
- Cyberchip: Worked on Cyberchip requirement; watched two safety videos and discussed as a patrol; discussed internet safety
Patrol 7
- No meeting was held
- Still have yet to determine new SPL and leadership positions