Our pack ranges from 60 to 75 scouts depending on the year and we have dens for both boys and girls. Our Scouting year follows the school-year calendar, with our kick-off meeting in August and our crossover ceremony in May, although we welcome new Scouts at any time during the year.
Your child will be assigned to a Den, which is a group of 6-12 Scouts in the same grade, and the majority of their Scouting adventures will be done with their Den. The entire Pack meets once a month and each Den meets 1-2 times per month.
All dens are led by a Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader (both parent volunteers), and parent involvement is always welcome. In the Lion and Tiger dens there must be an adult partner with the Scout at all meetings and activities. In the other dens it is acceptable for the Scout to attend meetings without an adult partner present.
Lions - The Lions den consists of Kindergarten age youth. Our Lion den uses a shared-leadership model, which means that the den leader works with a different Lion adult partner each month to plan the den’s program. The Lion Guide (aka Den Leader) remains with the Lion den each year and helps new parents and Scouts learn about Cub Scouts and work through all the adventures. Some meetings take place at a home while others take place at community locations.
Tigers - The Tiger den consists of first graders. The Tiger Den Leader is a parent volunteer and will advance with the den through each of the following ranks. An adult partner is still required to attend all meetings and events with a Tiger Scout. Most of the Tiger meetings will take place at one of our designated meeting locations or the home of one of the Scouts. There are one or two adventures that require a visit to a community location.
Wolves - The Wolf den consists of second graders. The Wolf Den Leader is usually the same parent volunteer from the Tiger year. This year the adult partner is not required to attend meetings and events with their Scout, although the Den Leader relies on parent involvement to run a successful and engaging program. The program structure is similar to the Tiger year, with the majority of the adventures being completed during meetings held at one of our designated meeting locations or the home of one of the Scouts. There are a couple of adventures that require a visit to a community location.
Bears - The Bear den consists of third graders. The Bear Den Leader is usually the same parent volunteer from the Wolf year. This year the adventures become more robust and parent involvement in helping plan meetings and activities becomes more critical. The Den Leader might also schedule meetings more often in order to give the Scouts ample time to complete each requirement.
Webelos - The Webelos den consists of fourth graders. Webelos stands for "We Be Loyal Scouts". The Webelos Den Leader is usually the same parent volunteer from the Bear year. This year the adventures begin to include activities that will help prepare the Scouts for a Scouts, BSA Troop, and will include camping and hiking activities. There will be more outings during this year than in previous years.
Arrow of Light - The Arrow of Light den consists of fifth graders. This is the final rank in Cub Scouts before youth cross over into a Scouts BSA Troop. The Arrow of Light year is short - these Scouts will cross into their Scouts, BSA Troop in February, which means all required adventures must be completed by January! This is a busy year and there will be several outings and community visits, plus meetings where the Scouts prepare for their transition from the "parent-led" leadership model found in Cub Scouts into the "Scout-led" leadership model found in Scouts, BSA.
Girls Den - Although we technically have a single "girl den" in our pack, we include the female Scouts in all den and pack meetings with the den appropriate for their grade. Per BSA requirements, there must be a female Den Leader (or other approved female Scout Leader) in attendance at all meetings and events where a female Scout is present.
At den meetings the Scouts participate in activities and work on projects that are related to an adventure and that help them learn the skills they need to progress in rank.
Most den meetings are held once a month but the frequency of meetings is up to the den leader and the families in the den. On average a den meeting lasts about an hour with some lasting longer based on the size of the den and the activity planned.
When and where the den meets is also up to the den leader and the families in the den. Some adventures require vising a community location, and these outings will be scheduled in advance for each den.
Pack 203 den meetings are typically held at 6pm on Tuesday evenings, with community visits and field trips usually occurring on the weekend.