Scout Troop 437

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Welcome to Troop 437! Proudly sponsored by American Legion post 437 in Westford Massachusetts.

Are you an Arrow of Light scout looking for a Scout Troop to cross over to? or maybe you are new to Scouting and want a great Troop to join?

Either way, Troop 437 welcomes all youth to come and experience the adventure of scouting! Visit one of our meetings to experience what Scouting is all about and what makes Troop 437 a great Scout Troop.

We meet every Thursday evening when school is in session. Meetings start at 7:00 pm at the American Legion Post 437 at 114 Dunstable Road. Feel free to contact us at info@westfordtroop437.us and let us know you are coming or to contact us with any questions. For more information about the troop, you can start at our About Us webpage.

2024 Summer Camp at Camp Wanocksett

Merit Badge Opportunities

Posted on Sep 28 2022 - 7:23pm

Message:

Basecamp Online has many upcoming Merit Badge workshops. Check it out!

There are a lot of them including some Eagle merit badges. In general, they are 2 to three-hour online workshops, with some follow-up work done at home. The cost is $25 each but you can get a 20% discount by using your Adventure card account. The workshops are a great way for Scouts to begin working on a variety of badges.

https://experiencebasecamp.org/pages/online-workshops

Election Update and Advancement Reminder

Posted on Sep 14 2022 - 11:30am

Message:

Hello Scouts,

I want to update you on the election plans for this year's scout leadership. As planned the SPL elections will be held on September 22nd. We have 4 candidates running and they will all have an opportunity to share with the Troop their ideas on what they would like to do if they are elected SPL.

Since we re-formed the boys' patrols last week, the two boys' patrols also need to elect new patrol leaders. As it is likely that one or more of the possible SPL candidates would also be considered for patrol leader it seems prudent to delay electing patrol leaders until after the SPL elections on the 22nd. Thus we will revert to the Troop's usual election pattern and hold Patrol leader elections right after the SPL elections are completed.

As announced at the Troop meeting the advancement deadline for the Fall Court of Honor is September 29th. This means that any completed merit badge records and rank advancement needs to be submitted by the 29th. If you need a scoutmaster conference or a board of review to complete a rank please let Mrs. McKeen or I know by e-mail or on Discord and we will get them scheduled for the 22nd or the 29th. As we will not be at the Troop meeting this week there will be no Scoutmaster conferences or boards held this week.

Yours in Scouting,

Mr. McKeen

Gunstock Zipline and High Ropes

Posted on Sep 7 2022 - 6:19pm

Message:

Welcome to the Boy Scouts $400,000,000 Mecca to Adventure | GearJunkie

Signup Due September 8th!

Our first exciting outing of the 2022-23 Scouting Year will be Zipline and High Ropes at Gunstock.

We will camp in the Gunstock Mountain group campsites Saturday night, and then Sunday AM, everyone will get to experience Gunstock’s awesome ZipTour, traveling over 1.6 miles on one of the longest zip line canopy tours in the Continental United States! The afternoon will include the Aerial Treetop Adventure (high ropes course), and other great activities.

Arrive: 2 PM on Saturday, September 17, 2022. Depart: 5 PM on Sunday, September 18, 2022

or scan QR code.

Each attendee, scout and adult, must have a printed and signed

Welcome to a new Scout year!

Posted on Aug 31 2022 - 7:17pm

Message:

Hello Scouts and Parents!

The yellow school buses are once again rolling through the neighborhoods and it is time to start up an exciting new year of Scouting Adventure!

This Thursday will be our first weekly Troop meeting of the year. As usual, our Troop meetings will be held at the American Legion Post 437 (114 Dunstable Rd) in the 2nd-floor function hall. They start at 7:00 pm and run until 8:30 pm. Scouts should arrive 5 - 10 minutes before the start of the meeting to help set up and to get prepared for the opening flag ceremony. Parents are more than welcome to attend the meetings but are not required to. Parents are encouraged to come inside around 8:20 pm for the closing ceremony and closing announcements. Masks are optional at the Troop meeting.

Some notes about upcoming activities:

September Trip - On the Weekend of September 17th we will be doing a High Ropes/Zip-Line camping trip to Gunstock. Information and sign-ups will be sent out this week.

October Trip - October's trip will be a two-night/three-day trip to Acadia National Park on Columbus Day weekend. This trip will be an opportunity for families to come to Acadia at the same time and enjoy one of our National Parks. More details will be coming in the next few weeks.

Year Calendar of Events - Our website has also been updated with this year's calendar. As the Troop's plans change throughout the year please consult the website for the latest information. If you log into the website you can set up a calendar synchronization with your cell phone.

Scout Handbook Please remember to bring your scout handbooks to the meetings. It is vital to be able to complete and track your advancement

We are very excited to see you all on Thursday!

Yours in Scouting,

Scoutmasters McKeen and McKeen

Summer Camp 2022 July 3-9

Posted on Jun 22 2022 - 6:58pm

Message:

Sign-up due by April 7th (link below). Also here is a 1 page summary flyer.

The Troop has chosen to attend Camp Wanocksett in Dublin, NH this summer for our Troop summer camp week. Camp Wanocksett is situated at the base of Mount Monadnock on the shores of Thorndike pond.

Troop Camp week will be July 3rd through the 9th.

Summer camp is highly recommended for all scouts! Summer Scout camp is a wonderful experience and filled with a lot of fun adventures and activities. It is a great opportunity for scouts of all ages. If you have any questions about camp please don't hesitate to reach out to one of the adult leaders.

There will be additional communication soon with all the details on signing up and preparing for summer camp. Until then it is never too early to start preparing the needed BSA Health and Medical record. All camp participants must complete parts A, B, and C. Part C must be completed and signed by a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Click the link for a fillable PDF of the medical form. Please start this process now as it will take time to get the Doctor's signature.

Camp Wanocksett Additional Scout Activities

Posted on Jun 22 2022 - 6:58pm

Message:

Hi Troop 437,

In addition to the traditional summer camp opportunities, Camp Wanocksett offers the following programs focused on challenging older scouts (typically first class+ scouts 14 and older):

Adventure Team, replaces the morning merit badge and patrol blocks with COPE and other group selected outdoor skill challenges
NOVA/Super NOVA program for those into nature and the makeup of the universe, replacing all three merit badge sessions as well as the patrol session
BSA Lifeguard (15+ y.o. & have a CPR certification) is a program that requires 30 hours of intensive waterfront practice & studying and would allow the troop to schedule more waterfront time at home
Eagle's Nest - Really just a focus on Eagle required merit badges, an option for those challenging themselves for Scouting's penultimate rank
Counselor in training program - Not the best option for Troop 437's week though a way to further challenge your leadership skills leading to positions at camp in the future

Information flyer detailing those programs.

If you think that you need more of a challenge, please talk to Mr. or Mrs. McKeen or one of the other assistant scoutmasters. That applies for either summer camp or in general as there are lots of opportunities out there.

YIS,

Isaac Burk

978-294-9440

imburk@yahoo.com