Committee Structure

As our Troop has grown and dealt with growing pains, the Troop Committee has concluded that its structure must be changed in order to be effective in governing and responding to the needs of the Troop. We are making a transition to subcommittees for detailed discussions and development of the program elements, with the Troop committee review and approval of the recommendations and actions of the subcommittees. With this structure, there will be more opportunities for scout parents to contribute to the Troop as members or leaders of the functional subcommittees. The precise structure will be posted on the troop Website. Parents willing to participate in troop subcommittees should contact the appropriate subcommittee chair as soon as possible.

May Activities

• An Eagle Court of Honor will be held on Sunday afternoon, May 5th at the O'Donnell Center. Set-up will begin at 12 Noon and the ceremony will begin at 2 PM.
• An advancement day will be held on Saturday, May 11 at the scout house.
• Scouts are asked to participate in the Manhattan Beach Memorial Day ceremonies at the Joslyn Center on Memorial Day. The ceremonies start at 11 AM.
• Our first backpacking trips of the season are scheduled for the weekend of May 17/18. There are four hikes scheduled: Valley Forge (easy), Skunk Cabbage, Dollar Lake (Friday departure) and Jackstraw (Friday departure). Water will be at a premium and we will carry our water on the training hikes.
• An Eagle Project is scheduled for the Weekend of 25/26. The project will improve the picnic area at Chilao in the Angeles National Forest.
• Patrol Coordinator training is scheduled for May 28th at 7:30 at the scout house.

June Activities

• An Eagle Project is scheduled for June 22 and 23. This project will improve another area of the Chilao Picnic area. Since this is the last Eagle Service project scheduled for a while, Scouts are encouraged to sign-up and attend to earn their service hours.
• On Saturday, June 15th, the Troop outing will be a Fishing Trip from Redondo Beach Sports Fishing. The meeting time is 6 AM at the boat and the cost is $25 per scout. Licenses are required and poles are available for rental. A sign-up and flyer will be posted.
• Four hikes are scheduled for the weekend of June 7-9. Three of these hikes are longterm training hikes. We are in the process of getting permits and finalizing the itineraries.
• Summer camp information night will be Wednesday, June 5 at the scouthouse. Circle X will be at 6:30 PM and Emerald bay at 7:30 PM. Final payments are due on information night.
• Medical exam night is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11 for Summer Camp and Longterm participants. Last names A to L will be at 7:00 PM and M to Z at 8:00 PM.
• Four hikes are scheduled for the weekend of June 28-30. Three of these hikes are longterm training hikes. We are in the process of getting permits and finalizing the itineraries.

Discussions of Past Events

• The Eagle project on April 13 & 14 on the Gabriolino trail near Chantry Flats was completed successfully. Attendance by the troop was lighter than anticipated.
• The Troop Backpack equipment orientation for parents and scouts was held on Saturday, April 13 at the scout house.
• The spring Camporee was held the weekend of April 20/21. Nine scouts and three adults attended and six scouts entered the Order of the Arrow. The temperature at night was very cold (26/28 deg F)
• Troop 849 Eagle Scouts who recently earned their Eagle rank were honored on April 28 with a luncheon at McCormick & Schmidt's. The event was very successful with a total of nine Eagles receiving their Eagle awards.
• First Aid and CPR training for adults was held on April 16 and 17 (CPR) and April 22 (FA). 15 adults received CPR certification and five adults received First Aid certification.

Committee Chairman Report

• All but one subcommittee chair position has been named. We are still looking for a "Ceremonies" subcommittee chair.
• Subcommittee chairs should be seeking out their subcommittee members and developing a draft subcommittee role and purpose document. All subcommittee chairs should be ready to report on their subcommittee plans/actions at each Committee meeting.
• We had three parents of new scouts in attendance. We thank these parents and encourage more parents to participate, especially in the sub-committees.

Scoutmaster Reports

• The scoutmasters reported success with scouts making announcements in lieu of adults when possible. It was pointed out that we do need to focus on better preparation and enforcement of quiet during the meetings.

Subcommittee Reports

• Backpacking Subcommittee - The plans and attendees for the Longterm hikes are being finalized. Remember that three training hikes are required to participate on a Longterm hike (two hikes if a previous participant and approved by the Longterm hikemaster).
• Merit Badge Subcommittee - A letter will be sent to the Troop adults soliciting for merit badge counselors. We are striving to develop an active and dynamic merit badge program.
• Quartermaster - There are few complete troop tents for our first hike weekend. We are missing eight of the longterm (Kelty) tents. If anyone has troop equipment at home, please return to the quartermaster so we can have enough equipment for our hikes. (Note: a workgroup was formed that sorted and relabeled the troop tents that were in the locker.)
• Fundraising - We are looking into the Fry's schedule.

Other Discussion Items

• It was pointed out that a number of scouts and adults have signed up for activities but have not removed their names when their plans have changed. Please call the hike leader or strike out your name from the sign-up sheet if your plans change as a courtesy to the people who plan and coordinate the events.
• We are encouraging all parents and scouts to sign-up for our broadcast system at announce@troop849.org. We need to use this system to communicate more thoroughly and completely because of the size of the troop. If you are not on the list, please sign up by going to www.troop849.org.
• We have added two dates in the Fall for Eagle Courts of Honor. We expect to honor multiple scouts receiving their Eagle rank on Sunday, October 27th and Sunday, November 17th.
• Suggestions/ideas for improving the Troop are always welcomed and should be directed to the Committee Chairman or Asst. Committee Chairman.

The next Troop Committee Meeting will be Thursday, June 6th, 2002, at The School Hall, at American Martyrs School at 7:30 PM.

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