Welcome to Troop 51

Scouts and Parents, welcome to Troop 51, a boys Troop in Scouts BSA. We are excited and happy to have you join us. “Be Prepared” for a great time. Parents, Scouts BSA is the next developmental step for your son. Our mission is to build character and provide an atmosphere where all scouts can have fun, enjoy scouting, learn skills, advance at their own pace, help themselves and others, and become responsible leaders in the community. At Troop 51 we take this as a serious commitment on our part and your part.

Boy Scouting is about having fun and learning about being an adult.

The boys run the troop! They plan the campouts and activities. The yearly calendar is created with them, by them and for them in mind. They manage the meetings and they take turns learning what it means to be a leader. Adult leaders serve in an advisory capacity, facilitating and supervising the activities of the scouts.

Terminology

Here are some quick comparisons between Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA to help you understand what we are talking about.

• Troop = Pack
• Patrol = Den – A patrol is usually between 6 & 10 scouts.
• Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) is the scout in charge of the Troop. He is elected by the Troop every 6 months.
• Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL) helps the SPL. He is chosen by the SPL.
• Patrol Leader (PL) is the scout in charge of the Patrol. The scouts in the patrol elect him every 6 months.
• Assistant Patrol Leader (APL) helps the patrol leader.
• Patrol Leader’s Conference (PLC) is a meeting we hold every month to plan activities and assign responsibilities for the coming month. All scouts are invited and encouraged to attend.
• Board of Review (BOR) is a panel of adult committee members who review a scout’s qualifications for advancement. The BOR also provides an opportunity for the scout to talk with adults about their scouting experience, goals and ideas for improvement of the troop. These are held monthly, usually on the 2nd meeting of the month.
• Court of Honor (COH) is the meeting where rank advancement, merit badges and awards are officially recognized. They are typically held quarterly in March, June, September and December. Actual rank advancement may occur at any time, but the recognition takes place at the COH.

Uniforms

Scouts are expected to wear their uniform to every scout meeting. A “Class A” uniform consists of a uniform shirt (tucked in), uniform pants/shorts, a scout belt AND socks. The Troop 51 neckerchief is not required for regular meetings, but is required for Board of Reviews.

Scouts MUST wear their FULL Class A uniform (shirt, pants/shorts, belt, socks and neckerchief) while traveling to and from a campout or activity, during a Board of Review and at any Court of Honor or other important scout sponsored event.

A “Class B” Uniforms is a scout T-Shirt worn during the summer and other activities. These are any scout related t-shirt. We have Troop 51 t-shirts for sale.

Troop Meetings

Troop meetings are Wednesdays at Floris United Methodist Church. Meetings begin at 7:15 PM and end around 8:30 PM. The end time is dependent on the number of activities planned and the organization of the scouts. Each meeting consists of the following activities:

Opening	5 minutes	Flag Ceremony, Introductions, Uniform Inspections
Announcements	5 minutes
Patrol Corner	10 minutes	Patrol business
Advancement	30-45 minutes	Rank advancement and/or merit badge work
Game	10-15 minutes
Closing	5 minutes	Scoutmaster’s minute, taps, retiring of the flags, closing moment.

As a parent, be prepared for what appears to be chaos. It may look like this because our troop is scout led. With luck and after a little training, what we hope to achieve is organized chaos. Each scout must learn to lead in some capacity and part of that learning is in how to conduct a meeting.

On the last meeting of each month, the Patrol Leader’s Council (PLC) meets. This is held at the same time as a regular meeting and is run by the SPL. Here we plan for upcoming activities, make decisions having to do with the troop and assign responsibilities. All scouts are encouraged to attend this meeting because this is where they can have a say on upcoming activities.