APRIL 2023 NEWSLETTER

Namaste, Scouts & Families!

Following up on our January, February, and March newsletters, please read on for the highlights so far and important updates for the months ahead.

SCOUTMASTER’S CORNER

Hello, Troop 60!

March was a busy month! We had our OA weekend, Merit Badge Extravaganza, a visit from several of our Rickshaw Patrol members (Mumbai), and a drug awareness presentation from a DEA Agent. Whew! A big thanks to Evan and the Phoenix Patrol for helping lead this month's program feature of cooking — a skill that is continuously honed through the year during our monthly campouts, and it's one of the hardest Eagle-required merit badges.

Youth Leadership is at the core of what we do in Troop 60. Using Troop leadership positions, the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC), and the Patrol method, Scouts learn how to plan, organize, and lead their peers. We are part of perhaps the single greatest youth leadership training program that exists, and it is one of my favorite parts of being an adult leader: watching Scouts learn and grow (often by failure) in their leadership skills.

You don't need to hold a formal leadership position in the Troop to be a leader. Your example and willingness to step in and help make it easier for the Troop to function efficiently And in particular, we emphasize servant leadership. One of my favorite quotes is: “He who serves his fellows, is, of all his fellows, greatest!” And regardless of your religious persuasion, there is truth in this maxim: “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.”

May we ALL strive to be servant leaders in Scouting, our families, schools, communities, and countries.

Scout on!

Mr. Tyler, Troop 60B Scoutmaster

SCOUT LEADER SPOTLIGHT

Kaiden Barker,
Blackhawks Patrol Leader

Birthday: February 23, 2007
What brought you to Scouting? For me, Scouting started out as a family thing, I think. Our church chartered a Scouting group and so I think that’s kinda the reason we started in the first place. I remember all of my older brothers going through Scouting and wanted to do the same thing.
When did you join Troop 60? At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.
What is your current rank? First Class.
What was the first merit badge you earned? My first merit badges were Archery, First Aid, and Swimming. I completed all of these at Camp Arrowhead in Missouri, USA in 2018. I also partialled in Pioneering at the same camp.
What was your favorite merit badge to earn? Metalworking, Small-Boat Sailing, Archery, and Rifle Shooting were all super fun merit badges. They were all mostly hands-on for me and that made them all super fun.
What was the most challenging merit badge to earn? Citizenship in the World and in the Community were both particularly hard for me because I didn’t have the most motivation for those ones.
Which merit badges do you still want to earn? I’m not really sure. I think most of the water sports ones or extreme sports ones would be really fun to earn.
What is your goal for Troop 60 this year? I want Troop 60 to be a fun place where people can learn new skills. I love learning with other Scouts (especially hands-on stuff) and I really want this to continue. I want my patrol to be a part of this in helping the younger Scouts on their journey of learning.
What is your favorite thing about Scouting? I really love going camping because to me, it’s what Scouting is all about. I love being outdoors and Scouting helps me to be able to get there.
Favorite camping meal: It’s not really a meal (it’s more of a dessert) but I love Dutch oven peach cobbler. It’s simply amazing.
Where else have you been involved with Scouting? Nixa Missouri, USA (Troop 820), Second Troop in Nixa Missouri (Troop 200), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Transatlantic Council Troop 802) and here.
What do you like to do when you’re not busy Scouting? I love to read, hang out with friends, run, swim, play sports, build and create things, listen to music, play instruments, and make art.
Anything else you would like Troop 60 to know? The photo of me in uniform is from Halloween! I dressed up as Scoutmaster Tyler!

ADULT LEADER SPOTLIGHT

Mike Barker,
Troop 60B Assistant Scoutmaster

Birthday: October 28, 1972
What brought you to Scouting? I am the youngest of four brothers who all did Scouting. It was just a natural part of growing up to be a Cub Scout. I would always look forward to the next level of Scouting. When I was a Webelo, I could not wait to be a Scout and go camping and start fires and have my knife. As a Scout, I loved the camping and hiking, but I looked forward to the high adventure as an Explorer Scout. In Exploring, I enjoyed the adventure and looked forward to doing more. I followed my brother into summer camp staff and camped every summer, all summer, teaching wilderness survival, orienteering, pioneering, first aid, and rifle range.
When did you join Troop 60? September 2022
What is your role(s) with Troop 60? I am one of the Assistant Scoutmasters, and I also teach the First Aid Merit Badge.
What is your favorite merit badge or rank requirement to help Scouts earn? I love teaching First Aid. It seems that so many merit badges start with First Aid requirements. Many of the rank advancements require First Aid. As an emergency physician, it is one of the most fun things to learn and to teach. In my opinion, it is the best. But perhaps I am biased, but is there really anything more fun than stopping bleeding, splinting broken bones, and providing CPR?
What is the most challenging merit badge or rank requirement to help Scouts earn? I think earning the merit badges that require long-term monitoring are some of the hardest. I have seen so many scouts start and restart Personal Management. Yet it is so helpful for scouts to learn the skills of time management, consistent effort, and working toward a goal - and First Aid skills, of course.
What is your goal for Troop 60 this year? My goal for Troop 60 is for scouts to catch the vision of Scouting. That vision includes a youth-led troop planning and executing incredible activities and campouts. But more importantly, I want each youth to not just act like a Scout, but to become a Scout. A Scout who is confident, who is kind, who is prepared, who has honor — and who knows First Aid.
What is your favorite thing about Scouting? As much as I love how Scouting has shaped my character and taught me many things, my favorite part is the outdoor adventure. (Well, maybe there is something else, like….)
Favorite camping meal: Slow roasted filet with Lowey seasonings, Dutch oven potatoes, and dutch oven cobbler. Sadly, no First Aid is required.
Where else have you been involved with Scouting? I started Scouting as a youth and adult in the Mountain West of the USA. I served as an adult leader in the Midwest of the USA, continued in DR Congo, and now in India where knowing First Aid is so important. We have snakes here, right?
What do you like to do when you’re not busy Scouting? Other than First Aid, I love to be in the mountains. And if that mountain is cold and covered in snow, I love skiing down it.
Anything else you would like Troop 60 to know? My wife and I have 6 boys — all of whom are scouts. And did I mention I like First Aid?

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Scouting Success Starts With You!

We have a few adult-sized Troop 60 Class B T-shirts still available for Scouts and parents! (See photos above.) Need one? Please contact Nicole Gupte.
We’re seeking volunteers — Scouts and/or parents — for designing and organizing special patches and future uniform and T-shirt orders. (We may be able to lower our supply costs by working with a local vendor, but we need more volunteers for this type of project.) The same designer could also help spruce up this newsletter and our under-construction website. Interested? Please contact Nicole Gupte.
Got finance skills? Enjoy spreadsheets? Troop 60 could use some help with the Treasurer role, especially as we look ahead to the next school year and more exciting activities and programs to come. Please contact Simran Sidhu for more information.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

Save the Dates

April 1-3: Campout @ Rishikesh
April 11: Troop Meeting, 6-7:30 p.m @ AES MPR1
April 18: Troop Meeting, 6-7:30 p.m. @ AES MPR1
April 28-30: Troop 60B Campout @ Bello Home
April 29: Troop 60G Rock Climbing @ Climb Central
May 2: Troop Meeting, 6-7:30 p.m. @ AES HOP
May 16: Troop Meeting, 6-7:30 p.m @ AES HOP
May 21: Court of Honor & Troop Elections, 4-6 p.m. @ AES HOP
July 22-29: Summer Camp @ Camp Nepal

MONTH IN REVIEW & PHOTO GALLERY

Merit Badge Extravaganza: March 11

By Kathryn Farmer, Advancement Chair

Twenty-seven scouts converged at the AES Hall of Peace to kick off our first Merit Badge Extravaganza on Saturday, March 11. The Frederick family flew in from our remote Rickshaw patrol in Mumbai, and our friendly Lone Scouts, the Baloneks, rode the overnight train in from Varanasi to participate. Seven badges were offered covering a wide variety of topics: Swimming, First Aid, Game Design, Crime Prevention, Geocaching, Reading and Personal Management.

Our Scouts had lots of fun and made a ton of progress on their chosen badges. We encourage them to keep working on the badges they started and if they complete them, they will receive that merit badge at our next Court of Honor (May 21)! As one of the few units big enough and with enough Merit Badge Counselors in the area to hold this type of event, we were even written up in the Far East Council newsletter.

Lastly, a huge thank you to our Merit Badge Counselors: Tim and Nicci Frederick, Michael Balonek, Amree Wilcox, Alanna Gregory, Warren Harrity, and Michael Farmer. This event could not have happened without the gift of your time, energy, and leadership!

ICCHA Street School Eagle Project: March 18

By Carsten Barker

For my Eagle Scout Service Project, I decided to help improve a slum school in New Delhi. The school takes place in an outdoor street school classroom. The students sit on the ground, so I decided to help improve the school by beginning with improving the tarp roof that they have.

The structure that held the roof up was made of bamboo poles tied together with rope, so part of the project was to add additional bamboo poles and to brace and strengthen the joints. I did this by taking U-brackets, bolts, and nuts and reinforcing all intersections, making them more sturdy. Then the existing tarp, which was full of holes, was replaced. To make the roof better, I tightened the tarp so that rain and leaves do not pool, making the roof sag. I was also able to dig out a place for a future small rock wall that the students can sit on to learn. We had an outdoor banner made with the name of the organization which supports the school and we attached it to the bamboo poles.

This project took nearly 80 hours to complete. The children who attend the school were very pleased to watch our progress and interact with us as we worked. It was great to do a project for such a great group of kids. A huge thanks to all who volunteered!

DEA Agent Visit: March 21

Troop 60 hosted a visit from U.S. Embassy Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent Mike Calegari on March 21 to learn about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco (2nd Class Req 7c). Agent Calegari spoke about the ramifications of illegal drug use and abuse and shared with scouts about the mission of the DEA. Scouts asked many pertinent and important questions and came away armed with understanding of the dangers associated with these harmful substances. Remember: A Scout is clean.

Order of the Arrow: March 24-25
by Jackson DeWaal, Troop Guide

On March 24-25, the Order of the Arrow (OA) in India held an induction for recently elected OA candidates: Kaiden, Shiv, Owen, Aakash, Thomas, and an adult nominee, Mr. Harrity. These Scouts were elected in late February and then called out during the campfire at the Crash Pad Campout a few days later.

They all worked very hard and made it through to the end and are now the newest members of the OA in India! With help from current OA members Jackson, Evan, Abe, Sami (Rickshaw Patrol), Max (Rickshaw Patrol), Scoutmaster DeWaal, and ASM Mike Hankey (Rickshaw) the whole OA weekend was carried out smoothly and successfully.

The Scouts camped on a rainy night at Chattarpur Farms on the night of the 24th and spent the next day providing cheerful service. Thanks to Mrs. Simran, we could go to a nearby school that needed yard work. First, we swept some leaves out of the field they had on-site, and then we moved on to the back of the school, where we swept some leaves, moved some poles, and organized the trash, glass, bricks, and tiles into piles. The scouts worked hard all morning and got a lot done.

After lunch back at Chattarpur, we got to work painting benches. Three rusty benches at the farm needed some sanding and painting to make them look nicer. The Scouts worked efficiently to complete all three in around three hours. This was followed by a solemn induction ceremony. Earlier in the day we also had two Scouts, Evan and Abe, seal their membership in the OA by becoming Brotherhood members.

After dinner, we drove to the ACSA bowling lanes and spent some time together as a first meeting. The OA members will play a role in upcoming events.

Overall, the Scouts did a great job cheerfully serving, and it is only right that we were able to give back to the community through service. Congratulations to our newest members! I encourage all scouts in both Troops to work towards OA eligibility, and I urge our new members to remember their obligations to the Order and to Scouting.

I just wanted to give a BIG thanks to Mrs. Simran and Mr. Ronsher; we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the things we did without their help. They organized the service at the school and the farm, provided a place for us to do our Induction, and provided food.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

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