If your son has just joined Troop 561, WELCOME! If he's still considering it, we're glad he’s interested. In either case, this section will give you an overview of Scouting and Troop 561. As you and your son become more involved in the troop, you will learn more about each of these topics.

There are many ways to look at Scouting. From the Scout's perspective, it is a game. It takes him outdoors for camping and hiking, and gives him a chance to learn new skills and be recognized for them.  Scouting also provides plenty of fun with old - and new - friends.

From the involved parent’s viewpoint, Scouting is all that and more. It is another tool for the parent to strengthen the boy’s character, to make him an aware participating citizen, and to enhance his physical, mental, and moral development. That sounds like a tall order, and it is. But Scouting has proved over time that it can fill that order by exposing your son to new, wholesome experiences as he works and plays with fellow Scouts in our troop.

Our troop also encourages your son to be involved in more than just Scouts. A well-balanced Scout is involved in family, church, school, and community groups and activities. What he learns from these will contribute to his Scouting; what he learns from Scouting will enhance his other endeavors.

Aims and Methods of Scouting

The Scouting program has four aims or purposes: character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. The methods by which the aims are achieved are listed below and described in detail here.

Ideals

Patrols

Outdoor Programs

Advancement

Associations With Adults

Personal Growth

Leadership Development

Uniform

How Our Troop Works

Unlike Cub Scouting, a ScoutsBSA troop is a youth-lead organization. Troop 561 works on two levels: the Scouts (the senior patrol leader and staff, and the patrol leaders) and the adults (chartered organization, troop committee, scoutmaster, assistant scoutmasters, and parents). This troop is run by the Scouts who elect their own leaders. Adults are needed to train and encourage the Scouts and to do only those things that Scouts are unable to do for themselves.

The Scouts

Scouts that are new to ScoutsBSA will be assigned to a “new Scout” patrol. This patrol will be his team for games and contests, his closest buddies in camp, and his teachers as he works on advancement. The patrol will be advised by an experienced scout known as the troop guide. He will work with an assistant scoutmaster to develop lesson plans and provide opportunities for the boys to advance through rank. It is up to each individual Scout, not the troop guide, to learn the material and master it for advancement. After learning the basics of Scouting, the Scouts in the new Scout patrol will be integrated into one of the other patrols in the troop.

Troop meetings are planned and conducted by youth leaders under the coaching and guidance of the scoutmaster. This helps the youth grow by allowing them to make decisions and take an active part in making the troop program successful. A typical troop meeting includes work on skills, a game, a brief patrol meeting for advancement progress or planning a future patrol event, and ceremonies highlighting Scouting ideals.

While at troop meetings and working on his own, Scouts will have a chance to earn many badges and awards. As they learn new skills and earn badges, they will progress from Scout to Tenderfoot, through the Second and First Class ranks, and then into the more difficult requirements for the Star and Life Scout badges. Finally, they may earn the most difficult rank of all -- the Eagle Scout Award. 

Almost every month our troop will conduct at least one special event.  It may be an overnight campout, a visit to a location of special interest or significance, or a troop service project to help the community and stimulate his interest and self-reliance. Parents should let their Scout prepare for these events on his own as much as possible. He may make some mistakes or forget something, but that's part of the learning experience in Scouting. Summer camp, a week at a Scout camp, requires more planning. Information about summer camps will be presented early in the calendar year. 

The Adults

Every Boy Scout troop is sponsored by a group known as its chartered organization. Troop 561 is chartered by The Rotary Club of Lexington Park. The Rotary Club approves the adult leaders who administer troop affairs. These adult leaders are the troop committee members, Scoutmaster, and assistant Scoutmasters.

The troop committee is responsible for the administrative matters of the troop. Various members, under the coordination of the troop committee chair, support the Scouting program by managing finances, providing equipment, ensuring that the troop program includes adequate camping and outdoor programs, keeping advancement and medical records, and ensuring that quality adult leadership is recruited and trained.

The Scoutmaster is the adult leader responsible for the troop program. His main job is to train and guide the boy leaders of the troop, work with assistant Scoutmasters to ensure that the troop program is conducted with proper supervision and under safe conditions. He is the key link between the Scout leaders of the troop and the troop committee.

An assistant Scoutmaster is an adult leader over the age of 18 who helps the Scoutmaster deliver the promise of Scouting. Each assistant Scoutmaster is assigned specific program duties. They can serve the troop by guiding a particular patrol to which they’ve been assigned, advising certain Scouts who’ve assumed a position e.g. the quartermaster or OA representative, or fill in as necessary to assure the junior leaders have what they need to run things.

Your Role as a Scout Parent

The best troops have enthusiastic leaders, involved parents, and motivated Scouts. You can help by becoming an involved parent.  An involved parent is: (1) informed, (2) helpful, (3) concerned, and (4) encouraging.

Stay informed about troop and patrol activities that are available to your Scout.  He may not want to participate in all the activities that are offered, but encourage him to try some new experiences. Also, stay informed about your Scout's advancements throughout Scouting and encourage him to continue advancing through the ranks to Eagle. Help him make time for Scouting. Offer suggestions and choices; after he does the choosing, support him in his decisions, and let him do the work.

Your Scout's success depends in part on the success of our troop.  If the troop is strong, active, and vibrant, he will have a much better chance to make the most of his experience as a Scout.  You can help keep the troop strong. 

How you support the troop depends on your talents and available time.  You may be asked to serve on the troop committee, which functions as a sort of board of directors.  If you have the desire to work directly with the Scouts, we encourage you to serve as an assistant scoutmaster.  Or you might be called upon for only occasional tasks – helping with a fundraiser or service project, providing transportation for a campout or hike, maintaining troop equipment, or serving as a merit badge counselor in a hobby or career field you are familiar with.

Occasionally, you and your family will be invited to a special troop activity -- a parents’ night or Court of Honor at which Scouts are recognized for their advancement. Your participation in these activities and your offers of help when the troop has a need will show your son that you support him and want him to have the best experiences possible in Scouting.  Whenever you have problems with or suggestions to improve the way the troop is operating, bring these to the troop committee or scoutmaster as soon as you can. The adults are all volunteers who need your support. 

Costs of Scouting

As you would expect, operating a quality Scouting program does entail some expenses. Dues cover annual BSA registration fees, insurance coverage, and the Scout’s share of general troop operating expenses (patches, awards, troop equipment, etc). Other expenses your Scout will incur include personal camping gear, uniform items, a Scout Handbook, summer camp registration fees, and food and transportation costs for outings. The troop conducts several fundraisers each year, and Scouts who participate in these efforts can apply much of the money they raise towards their Scouting expenses.  

IF, FOR ANY REASON, YOU HAVE PROBLEMS COVERING THE COSTS MENTIONED ABOVE, PLEASE TALK TO THE COMMITTEE CHAIR OR THE SCOUTMASTER -- WE WILL NOT LET THE ISSUE OF MONEY KEEP YOUR SON OUT OF THIS TROOP. 

Equipment Needs

To participate in the wide variety of outdoor activities Scouting offers, your son will need some personal equipment such as a tent, backpack, hiking shoes, poncho/rain gear, pocketknife (sheath knives are not allowed), compass, sleeping bag, flashlight, canteen, personal mess kit, and eating utensils. The troop has an inventory of cooking gear and other equipment for the boys to use on campouts.  We do recommend, though, that Scouts tent with another Scout on each campout.  When it comes to purchasing camping equipment, use your judgment; only you know what you can afford. We encourage you to consult with our adult leaders for ideas before purchasing equipment.

There are two distinct uniforms Scouts and Scouters wear: the traditional “Class A” uniform is worn to troop meetings during the fall, winter and spring, and on every troop outing. The less formal “Class B” uniform is worn during troop meetings during the summer and for other activities when authorized by troop leadership.

The standard Class A uniform for Scouts in our troop is the Boy Scout shirt (short or long sleeve) with National Capital Area Council shoulder patch, troop numerals (561), and green shoulder loops. In addition, Scouts wear a troop neckerchief with their Class A uniforms on special occasions such as courts of honor and rank advancement boards of review. Wearing BSA pants, belt and socks is encouraged but not mandatory. The troop committee provides each new Scout with a set of troop numerals, shoulder loops, neckerchief, and a neckerchief slide when he joins the troop, and will also provide advancement rank patches, troop position patches, merit badge patches, and year pins throughout his Scouting career.  

The “Class B” uniform is a Scout-related T-shirt or sweatshirt with appropriate solid colored pants/shorts.  The troop has Troop 561 Class B gear for sale at various times during the year. 

Advancement

During their early years of scouting, new Scouts work their way through the Trail to First Class to earn the Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks. The skills learned while working on requirements for these ranks give the Scouts a strong knowledge of basic scout and camping skills and will serve them as they advance through Star, Life, and Eagle. New Scouts will meet with older Scouts during Troop meetings and outings to work on Trail to First Class skills. They will also have the opportunity to attend a Trail to First Class program at summer camp during their first year. The requirements for the BSA ranks are found in the back of your Scout's Handbook and online here. Attendance at Troop meetings and participation in outings are essential to completing many of the requirements. The requirements for the Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks may be worked on simultaneously; however, these ranks must be earned in sequence.

Merit Badges

The merit badge program is described in detail here and in Section 14 of your Scout's Handbook. Scouting offers over 135 merit badges in different topics. The goal of the merit badge program is to expand a Scout’s area of interest and to encourage the Scout to meet and work with adults in a chosen subject.  Scouts need to accumulate at least 21 merit badges before earning the Eagle Scout rank. Of those 21 badges, 14 must come from the list of Eagle-required merit badges.

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