Troop 335 traces its roots to the Morton Elementary School, West Lafayette, now the Morton Community Center. The school first chartered the troop in 1925 as Troop 335 in the Harrison Trails Council. About 1966 the troop moved its charter to St. Andrew United Methodist Church when it was formed by the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and St. Andrew Methodist Church. The troop has prospered because of the church, active adult leaders, frequent outdoor and high adventure activities, and most of all, active young men interested in learning new things and having fun.
The Boy Scouting program is a self- and community-oriented program designed to support individual, family, community and religious values. Each scout is taught self-respect as well as respect for others during his life whether they are immediate family or part of his global family. DOING A GOOD TURN DAILY and BEING PREPARED are integral to the Boy Scout program and are stressed continuously. Boys are taught the “Scout Oath” and Scout Law” and how to live by those high standards. To progress in rank it becomes the responsibility of each scout to put into practice these values in the form of “scout spirit."
Foremost, Boy Scouts is a program run BY boys, FOR boys. Anything that a boy CAN do, a boy SHOULD do. Adults are present to provide guidance and direction to oversee safety and discipline. At times meetings may seem disorganized. Parents and leaders must remember that learning to be in charge is part of the maturing process. All adults associated with the Boy Scout program must learn to be patient and expect only the best of each scout, while keeping in mind ages range from 11 to 17 years old.
Each scout is a member of a patrol. A patrol consists of 4 to 9 scouts. Each patrol has a Patrol Leader (PL) and an Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). The patrols make up the troop. The troop is lead by the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and one or more Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPL).
The Scoutmaster (SM), along with the Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM) is responsible for overseeing the content and quality of the program. They are also responsible for overseeing the training and quittance that is needed for a scout to advance.
The Troop Committee oversees the logistics of the troop to make sure it functions within acceptable activity, financial, discipline, safety, and training guidelines. The committee is responsible for fundraising, record keeping, awards, and equipment repair and maintenance tasks.