The Polaris - Heart of America Council

THE POLARIS
The Internationally Famous North Star District,
Soon, the Northern Lights & Golden Eagle Districts
Galacticly Famous Heart of America Council , BSA.
O C T O B E R ,
M M X V
Two Big Events – One Weekend
# # DISTRICT CAMPOREE # #
# # CUB FAMILY CAMPOUT # #
For our last North Star District Camporee, units will
be putting their Scouting skills to test in an
apocalyptic event.
This year’s theme is Apocalyptic Emergency
Training.
We’ll have tests of emergency
preparedness, wilderness survival and many more
emergency demonstrations.
The Camporee will be October 2-4, at the Kelsey
Short Youth Camp, 17980 Collins Rd, Smithville, MO.
Scouts will spend the day in competition seeing who
best knows their emergency preparedness skills.
Competition includes apocalyptic orienteering,
survival shelter building, refugee campsites and
more. There will also be a cooking competition,
along with a campfire to cap off the evening.
Awards will be given for the patrol activities
stations and cooking competitions. A unique patch
will be given to all participants.
All Webelos will go through a series of stations
focused on introduction to Boy Scouts and
Emergency Preparedness.
Final registration is now being accepted - $10/Scout
and a $15 unit fee if registered by September 30th.
After that date, it is $15/Scout and a $20 unit fee.
If you have any questions, contact Ryan Hughes,
Camporee Chair at rhughe88@gmail.com or
Professional Scouting Zombie Adam Singleton at
Adam.Singleton@scouting.org.
THE END (of the North Star District) IS
COMING!! ARE YOU PREPARED???
All newly recruited Cub Scouts are invited to attend
the North Star District Cub Scout Family Campout.
There is a change this year: ALL CUB SCOUTS –
NEW and CURRENT – ARE INVITED TO
ATTEND. EVERYBODY!!
This is an opportunity for each boy and his family
to start the Cub Scout year off with a fun outdoor
event. This overnight campout will feature games
and activities designed for the entire family.
The campout will start at 4:00 pm on Friday,
October 2nd, and will conclude by early afternoon
on Saturday, October 3rd.
The cost for the event is $8.00 per person. Parents,
siblings and all other family members are invited to
have fun with all of our Cub Scouts.
The campout will be held at Camp Branch - Loop B,
Smithville Lake, 17600 Collins Rd., Smithville, MO.
Everybody is to eat dinner before coming to the
campout. The only meal will be breakfast on
Saturday morning – served by Chris Cakes
pancakes.
For more information, including what to bring,
check out hoac-bsa.org/north-star-activities.
If you have any questions, contact Adam Singleton
at
816-569-4950
or
at
adam.singleton@scouting.org. See you there!!
2015 Year to Date Advancement Summary:
Tiger: ....................205
Tenderfoot:. 166
Bobcat: ...................46
2nd Class: .... 131
Wolf: ....................209
First Class: . 144
Bear: .....................224
Star: ............ 127
Webelos: ..............196
Life: ............ 108
Arrow of Light: ....108
Eagle: ........... 67
1
January, 2016
North Star District Calendar
7
http://www.hoac-bsa.org/Districts/NorthStar/Calendar.aspx
October, 2015
1
2-4
2-3
2-4
3
3
3
6
8
9-10
17
24
24
24
24
26
31
7
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. . Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
Wood Badge Course
Cub Scout Family Campout, 4:00 p.m., Camp Branch
- Loop B, 17600 Collins Rd., Smithville Lake
North Star District Camporee, 5:00pm, Kelsey Short
Youth Camp, 17980 Collins Rd, Smithville Lake
OA Vigil Banquet
SET Training Exercise
American Royal Parade – 10am, Truman Sports Complex
District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m., North Cross
United Methodist Church, 1321 NE Vivion Rd., KCMO
District Commissioner Staff Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
KCMO Police Training Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant
Valley Road, Kansas City, MO, RECHARTER Packet
Handout & Training
Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, 5:00pm,
Kelsey Short Youth Camp, 17980 Collins Rd, Smithville,
MO
Scout Day at Kansas Speedway
Naish Boy Scout Camp Draw – 2016
Bartle Boy Scout Camp Draw – 2016
Work Day - Naish
VOA Haunted Trails – Naish
Popcorn – Final Orders Due Online
Chartered Organization Representative Specific
Training, 9:00 a.m., Park Hill Christian Church
12
12
14
14
22-24
30
February, 2016
4
4
9
9
11
11
7
7
10
11
12
3
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Recharter Turn-In, One-Stop Shopping. Merit
Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter Meeting.
Work Day – Bartle
University of Scouting – Metropolitan Community
College – Business & Technology Campus, 1775
Universal Avenue, KCMO 64120. DON’T MISS IT!!!
District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m., North Cross
United Methodist Church, 1321 NE Vivion Rd., KCMO
Council Annual Banquet
District Commissioner Staff Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
Liberty Stake Center, 6751 NE 70th Street
3
8
8
10
10
8
10
Golden Eagle District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Northern Lights District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Golden Eagle District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
TBD
Northern Lights District Committee Meeting, 7:00
p.m., TBD
Golden Eagle District Commissioner Staff Meeting,
7: 00 p.m., TBD
Northern Lights District Commissioner Staff
Meeting, 7: 00 p.m., TBD
Congratulations
Congratulations
to
Brooke
Jackson for being named
Scouter of the Month at the
North Star District September
2015 Roundtable.
December, 2015
3
Golden Eagle District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Northern Lights District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Golden Eagle District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
TBD
Northern Lights District Committee Meeting, 7:00
p.m., TBD
Golden Eagle District Commissioner Staff Meeting,
7: 00 p.m., TBD
Northern Lights District Commissioner Staff
Meeting, 7: 00 p.m., TBD
March, 2016
November, 2015
5
Golden Eagle District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Northern Lights District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.,
Location TBD
Golden Eagle District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
TBD
Northern Lights District Committee Meeting, 7:00
p.m., TBD
Golden Eagle District Commissioner Staff Meeting,
7: 00 p.m., TBD
Northern Lights District Commissioner Staff
Meeting, 7: 00 p.m., TBD
Golden Eagle Klondike Derby, 5:00pm, Kelsey Short
Youth Camp, 17980 Collins Rd, Smithville, MO
North Star District Annual Dinner & Awards
Ceremony, 6:30 p.m., Location TBD
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
District Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m., North Cross
United Methodist Church, 1321 NE Vivion Rd., KCMO
District Commissioner Staff Meeting, 7:30 p.m.,
Liberty Stake Center, 6751 NE 70th Street
Thanks, Brooke, for all you do for
the program.
2
Let’s Get Our
Leaders…
Rechartering
Summer is barely over. 6th Session at Bartle just
returned home. AND we haven’t even held
our first School Night for Scouting event.
However, NOW is the time to start
thinking about rechartering.
There are some changes for every unit in
the District to be aware of. Some of these
are BIG changes.
Recharter will start at the October District
Commissioner’s Meeting – Thursday, October 8th. Just
like last year, we will need to turn in our charters one month
earlier than in years past.
All charters will need to be turned in at the November
Roundtable. This will allow the Council office to do all of
the paperwork necessary to get them completely posted by
12/31/15. There will be no grace period provided.
If, for any reason, a charter is not completed and posted in
ScoutNet by 12/31/15, then the charter is dropped by
National and the Council.
Recharter Turn-In will be at the November 5th
Roundtable. This is a One-Stop-Shopping event where
charters are turned in, OA Elections are selected, your
Journey to Excellence forms and all of the other normal
paperwork is processed. That will give the units and the
District all of November and December to identify and clean
up any issues.
If you have any questions, be sure to ask one of the District
professionals or your Unit Commissioner. We’re the North
Star District - - WE CAN GET THIS DONE!!
We have all barely had
time to knock the dust and sweat off our summer scout uniform,
and a new Scouting season is just around the corner. Are you
ready for it?
Many of us may feel tired and complacent. NOW is the time
to come back to training and recharge our SCOUTING
batteries so that we can deliver a year-round program.
Everybody can benefit from training. That includes all of the
old-time scouters who have “seen it all and done it all” as well
as the brand new adults to Scouting.
Bookmark the North Star Training webpage at www.hoacbsa.org/Districts/NorthStar/Training.aspx. Check it often for
updates. It is the MOST CURRENT listing of training classes
in the District.
Upcoming Training Opportunities:

o Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills – 10/9 & 10/10
at Kelsey Short Youth Camp
Chartered Organization Rep Training – 10/31 at Park
Hill Christian Church, or by appointment
If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Tyler at
jstyler2015@icloud.com or at 816-505-2015. Also, be sure to
visit the National training web site and check out the new
training sections. If you have any questions, let Jeff know.
On-line training links:
 Cub & Scout Youth Protection training (2 year expiration)
 Venturing Youth Protection training (2 year expiration)
 Cub Scout Leader Job Specific training (Cubmaster, Tiger,
Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Den Leader, Pack Trainer and Pack
Committee)
 Weather Hazards (2 year expiration)
 Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat and Climb On Safely (all 2
year expiration)
DEN CHIEF Training at
http://www.scouting.org/Training/Youth/DenChiefTraining.aspx
D’OH!!
In last month’s Polaris, we
announced two very deserving
Scouters having been named as
2015 Silver Beaver recipients.
They
are
Raymond
Graskemper, Jr. and Lee
Perry. However, Lee’s name
was misspelled.
Oops!! Sorry about that. Anyway congratulations to
both Ray and Lee.
The Annual Recognition Dinner is on Wednesday,
November 11th, at 6:30m. It will be at the Overland Park
Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS.
Cost to attend is $45 per person, or $400 per table of 10.
Be sure to check out http://www.hoac-bsa.org/annualrecognition-dinner for information on how to register.
Again, congratulations to two very worthy individuals. A
job well done!!
Nominations
At the October Recharter event,
every unit will receive their
Recharter packet. Inside of this
packet is a great deal of material
about the recharter process.
Also in the packet will be
nomination forms for awards,
including the District Award of
Merit and the Virgil Bower Unit
Leader Award.
Every unit is encouraged to fill
out these forms and submit the
nominations at the December Roundtable with their
recharter. If you have any questions, call one of our
Professionals at 816-942-9333, or your Unit Commissioner.
3
Comments From Our North Star
District Chairman
SET Training Exercise – Oct 3rd
The North Star District will be participating
in a Simulated Emergency Test (SET)
training exercise on Saturday
October 3, 2015.
A SET exercise involves the
Amateur Radio Emergency Services
(ARES), the National Traffic System
(NTS), which is a message-handling
service of amateur radio, the Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Service
(RACES) and others.
In our District, these SET’s are conducted with the Kansas City
Metropolitan Emergency Communications Council (MECC),
the local Police and Sheriff’s departments, as well as
coordination with other city, state and national authorities.
Its primary purposes are to evaluate strengths and weaknesses
of these and other groups in providing emergency
communications, and to demonstrate amateur radio to the
public. This years activity is based on the scenerio of an ice
storm. And specifically for the Camporee, how an emergency
like this would be handled during the event.
North Star is unique in that it is the only Boy Scout District in
a metro-wide emergency communications organization
anywhere in the country. We are unique too in that we have an
abundance of Amateur Radio operators willing to give another
hour of their week to both Scouts and Ham Radio. This year,
one of the SET exercises will involve communications support
for our Camporee.
Be sure to look for Vince Ward (KA0AIG) at the Camporee
and maybe you'll get a chance to talk with someone in another
state, or another country or maybe even on the International
Space Station. He will be demonstrating Ham Radio and
participating in the SET.
Vince is a member of the North Star Radio Scouting
Committee and is looking for Scouts and Scouters who might
be interested in helping with it. Or maybe you would like to
become an Amateur Radio operator. Vince can put you on the
right track there as well.
The longer term goal is to actually set up a Radio Scouting
Committee made up entirely of Scouts and Scouters from the
Heart of America Council. If you are interested in helping or
participating with either the new club or the SET exercise,
please contact Keith Kaiser at kcscouter@gmail.com, or find
him in the District Mall at Roundtable.
Greetings, North Star!
As we settle into the first days
of fall, we are reminded that in
the scout world “F” also stands
for fundraising. I would guess
that every unit in our district
has an event planned for this
time of year.
Foremost is Popcorn Sales! A
sure sign of fall is a boy in full
scout uniform, spiel in hand,
approaching your door. If you
look hard, you can always spot the adult nearby and it isn’t
difficult to guess what is about to happen. For all those who
participate in our popcorn sales, whether as sellers, buyers, or
leaders: “A great big Thank-you!”
Almost all of our units will have some other fundraising
activity during the year and with the ingenuity of our folks they
can be quite creative. It is a competitive world of fundraising
and every other youth group also has its needs. With all the
options out there, this seems a good time to review scouting’s
guides to unit money-earning. Units are required to submit a
Unit Money-earning Application to the council for all activities
that are not council-coordinated such as pop-corn at least two
weeks in advance of the project. This form also includes 8
guides to projects that you should review. Some of them are:
Do you really need a fund-raising project? Each unit
committee is responsible for establishing a budget and
determining how to fund it. There must be a need for the
funds.
Will your fund-raiser prevent promoters from trading on the
name and goodwill of the Boy Scouts of America? Scouting
units must not become a tool of commercial interests.
Will the fund-raising activity uphold the good name of the
BSA? Sorry, no games of chance or gambling which is in direct
violation of the BSA Rules and Regulations.
Does the fund-raising activity avoid competition with other
units, your chartered organization, your council or United
Way? It is always a good idea to check first, and avoid
complications.
As always, if you have any questions, your district executive is
a good source of information to help you in your scouting
journey.
Yours in Scouting…
Ted Wilson
---North Star District Chairman
Your Polaris Editor……….
4
willing to help serve the new districts in any fashion, please
reach out to any of us. The Northern Lights District Chairman
is Ted Wilson and the Commissioner is Larry Duncan, the
Golden Eagle District Chairman (interim) is Jeff Goertz and
Commissioner is Paul Crooks. The contact information can be
found on the new district web pages on the Council web site.
Yours in Scouting!!
Larry Duncan
---District 2 Commissioner – Platte County / Northern Lights
Paul "Gator" Crooks
---District 3 Commissioner – Clay County / Golden Eagle
Comments From Our TWO District
Commissioners
Greetings, Scouters!!
The Royals have won the American
League Central Division Crown for
the first time ever and in 30 years
they won a division championship!
LETS GO ROYALS clap, clap, clap,
clap, clap!! . It’s hard to believe that 30
years have passed since the Royals won their division and 30
years have passed since the North Star District was created.
This time of year is always exciting, not only because of the
local pride of our fall sports but also because we have new
scouts that have joined our units! The familiar smell of a
campfire is in the air with the Cub Family campout and
Camporee. New Bobcat badges are being earned; Webelos
visiting Boy Scout Troops; Boy Scout summer camp sign ups;
University of Scouting in November – a little something for
everyone!!!
This month we kick off our annual renewal to the scouting
program for 2016. Yes, it is recharter time. We will be
conducting a training session for the recharter process on
October 8th at the Police Academy. We are asking that each
unit send their recharter representative to the training event.
The council registrar will be training us all on how to complete
a successful recharter. Then, we are asking each unit to
complete and return the needed paperwork at the November
roundtable. This will save you a trip to the scout office. During
the recharter process, be sure to update your Youth
Protection training and any personal information such as
email address or phone number changes. Also, now is the
time to make sure that each scouts information is updated.
You can find your current information at my.scouting.org
website. This is important so you can receive communication
from the council office in preperation for the Scoutbook
tracking system launch.
The commissioner staff should be meeting with your Unit Key
3 this month. The Unit Key 3 is the Charter Organization
Representative, Committee Chairman, and either the
Cubmaster, Scoutmaster or Crew Advisor depending on your
type of unit. We want to ensure that you have all the
resources you need so you can deliver the promise of Scouting
to the youth in your unit. It is important that your scouts are
experiencing the best possible program and they keep
climbing the trail that will lead them into character
development that we all would be proud of, being better and
more productive citizens of their community and nation and
be fit both physically and mentally.
Northern Lights & Golden Eagle Districts are working hard to
ensure they have everything in place for the roll out of the
new districts in January. We want to ensure that everyone
who wants to help has the opportunity to do so. If you are
University of Scouting
Got your Youth Protection Training?
Check.
Got your position specific training?
Check.
That means you are fully trained for
your position, right? Well, yes – and
no. Yes, ScoutNet says that you are
trained, and that’s great! But, there is always more training
you can take to BE EVEN BETTER at your registered
position. And, the more training you receive, the better the
program you can deliver to our youth.
That is where the University of Scouting comes in.
University of Scouting is a Council wide Cub, Boy Scout &
Venturing Leader learning extravaganza where you pick
your own classes. It’s an annual get-together, a conference,
a convention, a big fun-filled experience where ALL Scout
Leaders increase their knowledge, improve their skills and
gain enthusiastic attitudes about Scouting.
It’s an
opportunity to add the fun and pizzazz to your program.
The University of Scouting will be on Saturday,
November 7th, 2015, starting at 8:30am. This year,
University of Scouting will be held at a new location –
Metropolitan Community College Business & technology
Campus, 1775 Universal Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64120. If
you have any questions, call our very own North Star
Scouting volunteer Jeannie Salmon at 816-520-1911, or
drop her an e-mail at jrsalmon@kc.rr.com. Or, you can
check out http://www.hoac-bsa.org/university-of-scouting
often for more information.
Jeannie tells us that there is a two-step process to attending
the University of Scouting this year. First, you must register
and pay your fee. Once you have been registered, you will
be allowed to pick the classes you want to attend.
Oh, by the way, SEATING IS LIMITED. Jeannie
anticipates that classes will fill up quickly. If you want to
make sure that you get into the classs of your choice, she
recommends that you register as quickly as possible.
Be sure to get all of your friends in your unit to register.
Then, you can collaborate to figure out your schedule, and
then share with each other what you learned. It will be a
great day of FUN!!
5
Comments From the Interim Clay
County District Chairman
What The Heck is Scoutbook??
Are you getting
questions about what
Scoutbook can offer
parents, Scouts, and
volunteers? Here’s a chance to help your team understand
what you gain with this revolutionary Scouting web
application.
From the first knot tied to final hours of service performed,
the Scouting experience is a journey like no other.
Scoutbook ensures not a moment is missed – tracking
advancement, milestone achievements and all the fun along
the way. You’ve probably already heard about or are using
Scoutbook. Now it’s time to encourage other Scouters to
join the more than 300,000 Scoutbook users who are taking
advantage of the digital resource.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, there was a live webcast of the
Journey to Excellence Hour, where senior executives for the
Boy Scouts of America discussed Scoutbook. They covered





To
Greetings Golden Eagle District!!
We have begun to field a
nominating committee led by
Brian Streich to create our first
District Committee before the
years end. We’ve had some
great conversations about the
direction and vision for Golden
Eagle.
Our focus for the new
Committee will be to provide
you, our leaders, with the tools,
support and resources to
maintain a quality program in our District so that we can
serve all the Scouts in Clay County. One of those key tools
will be a calendar of District events that will reach out more
than 1 year into the future, so you can plan your programs
in advance. We may not always know the specific weekend
for events like our Day at the K as that is determined by the
Royals, not by the Council. We will do our best to get at
least placeholders into a calendar format to show you by
date, or at least month, when to expect Council and District
activities and events.
Another thing we want to focus on is prepping for things
like recruitment. Trying to pull off recruitment in 30 to 45
days is not sustainable. We need to be working on those
types of events 6 months or more in advance so we can
deliver a quality approach and be more successful. And,
speaking of events, we need and expect your feedback on
our events that we do as a district! What do you like?
What don’t you like? If you don’t tell us we cannot read
your minds. If you have suggestions of things to Start, Stop
or Continue, please reach out to Adam, Stephanie or
myself. We need your input.
26 years ago, our son was recruited into Cub Scouts, and I
was recruited as a leader the next day with the familiar line
“it’s only an hour per week” …………… I am here to say , it’s
the most fun and rewarding hour or so you can spend
working with and developing these boys into young men.
I cannot think of anything in my career that gives me as
much satisfaction as seeing a young man receive his Eagle
Scout award. I ask each of you to think about how you can
spend that hour every week to make a difference in just
one young man. The payback is priceless.
Thanks for all you do in Scouting each and every day!
Yours in Scouting…
Jeffrey Goertz
---Interim Golden Eagle District Chairman
Tracking requirements and achievements.
Sharing progress updates.
Enabling web-based merit badge counselor reviews.
Viewing the unit calendar.
Messaging other parents and leaders.
view
the
entire
presentation,
go
to
new.livestream.com/bsa/nationalcouncil.. Scoutbook is
THE future for tracking advancement. Be sure to check
it out and start using it.
Haunted Trails
The HOAC Venturing Officers
Association is inviting EVERY
CUB SCOUT to come out to Cub
World at Camp Naish for a FUN &
SCARY time.
This year, the fun will be on Saturday, October 24.
Trail Hikes begin at 5:30 p.m., with the last hike starting at
9:30 p.m. Hikes start every 15 minutes, and are capped at
50 participants.
Pre-registration for this Haunted Trails event is
REQUIRED!!
Registration will end at midnight,
October 16th. Walk-In’s will not be accepted. Price is
$8.00/person for ages 5 and up, and $4.00/person for ages 4
and under. Price includes shuttle transportation from the
parking lot to Camp (and back), light meal, trail hike, patch
and insurance.
Parking will be at the lot directly east across from the
concrete plant at K31 & 121st Street.
This event is family friendly, so everybody is invited to
come out and have fun. For more information, and to preregister
for
this
event,
check
out
voahaunted2015.kintera.org. Be ready to get your scream
on!!
6
High Flying!!
Flag Etiquette
On Saturday, September 19th, 2015 Radio Scouting HOAC
hosted an Amateur Radio High Altitude Balloon (ARHAB)
launch.
The
launch
was
conducted
by
Near
Space
Ventures,
Missouri CAP
Squadron MO018 and Cub
Scouts,
Boy
Scouts
and
Venturers from
the North Star
District.
The 600g weather balloon was launched from Line Creek
Park near the Kansas City Northern Railroad at 9:03 am. It
reached an altitude of 88,911 feet and landed 82 miles East
in an open field near the Blind Pony Lake Conservation
Area at 11:37am.
Below is a link to 387 of the 785 pictures taken from the
balloon. And some of the chase/recovery team thrown in.
www.flickr.com/photos/11795652@N04/sets/7215765652341490
3/
After
the
successful
launch,
KCN
Lines hosted the
youth
to
a
‘Operation
Lifesaver’
railroad safety
seminar
designed
for
boys and girls of
all ages. Followed by a free ride on the railroad.
There are so many people to thank for making this such a
successful day, if I forget your name please forgive me.
Deb Kaiser (without her none of this happens), John
Morelli (navigator extraordinaire), Troy Campbell
(founder of Near Space Ventures), Mike Hackley, JD
Dupuy (watch
for his videos
soon), Jena &
Evan
Bernstein,
Carl
(for
buying lunch),
and all the
boys who held
lines
and
assisted with
the launch.
---Keith Kaiser
Do you know the rules about Flag Etiquette? Most people
would say “Yes”. However, in reality, many people don’t.
Bryan on Scouting, a blog for the BSA Adult Leaders, has
a great article about flag etiquette. There is no time like the
present to review these rules about what you can – and
can’t/shouldn’t – do with the American Flag.
Check out blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/09/24/10-thingsknow-flag-etiquette/. Now is the time to show Old Glory the
respect it deserves – and Scouts can lead the way in our
community!!
(By the way, read the blog to find out if the flag in this image
is properly folded.)
Volunteer Opportunity
Do you have any Scouts that are needing “time” for their
advancement? Or, is your unit looking for a worthy service
project that will benefit the northland area?
We have just the solution for you. “Rake The Town” will
be on Saturday, November 7th. If you aren’t planning on
going to University of Scouting, this is a great opportunity
to give back to our community. Volunteers are teaming up
with Northland Shepherd’s Center to help out Senior
Citizens who need fall yard work done.
For more information, or to sign up to help, reach out to
Brenda Dunn, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Northland
Shepherd’s Center, at brenda@northlandsc.org, or at 816452-4536, ext. 406.
Brenda is looking for lots of hard-working Scouts and
Scouters, and the North Star District has plenty of that to
spare. This is a great opportunity to show the Senior
Citizens how much the Scouting program cares about our
community.
7
The Bear Claw
Award
Jamboree On The Air - 2015
Oct.16-18 is Jamboree on
The Air and Jamboree on
the Internet, more than
750,000
Scouts
from
around the world will
participate in the 58th
annual event. Jamboree on
the Air is the largest
Scouting event in the world.
In a typical year over 1
million Scouts participate
with over 11,000 stations
operated by 20,000+ amateur radio operators in operation
from 150+ countries around the world.
Members of North Star and HOAC Radio Scouting will
participate in an all day demonstration at the JOTA station
located at Camp Naish on Saturday during the event. Join
us for a chance to talk with Scouts from all over the world.
For more information about JOTA, drop a note to Keith
Kaiser at kcscouter@gmail.com. Keith would love for you
to get involved!!
The Bear claw award is a
district award that has been
presented to hundreds of Cub
Scouts over the years in the
North Star District by the
Commissioner Staff. With the
implementation of the new Cub
Scout advancement, it has been
determined to align the Bear
Claw Award with the new Bear
rank advancement requirements. As we move forward and
into our new districts, we want to continue this North Star
tradition.
The new Bear Claw Award requirements will be as follows:
Earn the Bear Badge, complete 6 additional elective Bear
Adventures and earn the religious emblem award of your
faith. After the completion of these requirements, the Den
Leader for the deserving Cub Scout will contact their Unit
Commissioner for the presentation. If there are any
questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your
District Advancement Chairman.
“Outings” and Tour Plans
Scout Day at Kansas Speedway
Do you like NASCAR racing? If so, Scout Day at Kansas
Speedway is on Saturday, October 17th. Race time is at 3:00pm
for the Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Race.
Everybody has heard that we put the “OUTING” in
Scouting.
A well run program focuses on getting our youth outdoors
– going camping and doing all sorts of activities.
BUT – a well run program is also a safe program. One
major component is the Tour Plan. You know that old
saying, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail!”
The Tour Plan is an essential part of a great outdoor
program. It is designed to help ensure that your unit is
properly prepared to handle the risk factors of your
adventure, that qualified and trained leadership is in place,
and that the right equipment is available for the adventure
of a lifetime.
For all of the details about when a Tour Plan is to be
submitted, check out www.hoac-bsa.org/tour-plan. Read all
of the information, and then fill out the plan. Be sure to pay
close attention to the THREE-WEEK RULE!!
Tickets are only $20!!! That gets you a race ticket, dedicated
parking and Fan Vision, which puts the action of NASCAR at
your fingertips with up to eight (8) in-car camera replays, a digital
radio-scanner, and real-time statistics at every turn.
As of the writing of this article, there are only 833 tickets
remaining at this special price. So, sign up NOW!! Click HERE
for registration information.
(Sorry - - if you are reading The Polaris in a hard copy paper
version, seeing the word HERE doesn’t help you much. You
need to be reading an electronic copy either at the North Star
District’s web page on the www.hoac-bsa.org web site, or at
www.bsaroundtable.org, where these links become active. One
reason is that the web address is 50+ characters long. So, no time
like the present to start reading The Polaris ON-LINE. You get
all of the benefits of the hyperlinks. Oh, by the way, if you’re online and have managed to read The Polaris all the way to this point,
click HERE!! Follow this link, fill it out, and send in.)
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Good Turn for Goodwill
She Said YES!!
Good
Turn
for
Goodwill
is
a
community-wide
recycling/donation
drive
as
Scouts
collect and deliver
donations of good,
used
clothing,
household
items,
books, games, etc. to
a designated location.
All age groups can
participate in this day
of community service! Scouts, Leaders and their volunteers
distribute donation bags to friends and neighbors in the
community along with a flyer requesting donations. On
November 14, 2015, neighbors will place the filled bags
on their porch or by the mailbox for the Scouts, Leaders
and their volunteers to pick up. These are then delivered to
the pre-selected Goodwill donation center and tallied.
A special patch will be provided by Goodwill for each Scout
and Scouter who participates. For more information, check
out www.hoac-bsa.org/community-service. Leaders – be
sure to log your service hours in my.scouting.org.
Former North Star District
Executive Kyle Fulbright
started
his
professional
Scouting career right here in
the North Star District. He
was with us for a short time,
but many of us got to know
Kyle and appreciated his hard work and dedication to the
Scouting program in our District.
Earlier this summer, Kyle proposed to Kim Long – and she
said “YES”. Even though Kyle is no longer serving our
District, CONGRATULATIONS to Kyle and Kim!!
Order of the Arrow Activities
There are plenty of activities going
on this fall with the Order of the
Arrow. The Bo Qui chapter in the
North Star District would like to
remind all Arrowmen of the
upcoming events and activities.

Elections
o Every unit is requested to schedule an Election with the
Chapter.
o All Arrowmen are encouraged to join an Election team
to help run an Election.
 Lodge Activities
o October 3-4 – OA Vigil Banquet
o November 6-8 – 2015 OA NLS/NLATS Training
o November 14 – OA Trading Post Service Project
For more information, check out www.hoac-bsa.org/order-of-thearrow, or send an e-mail to Barry Loughrige at
barry100@loughrige.com, or at 816-200-6553.
American Royal Parade
Last year, the
Heart of America
Council had a
great
time
participating in
the
American
Royal
Parade.
More than 2000
Contacts and Information
Stephanie Regalia – District Director – Clay County
816-569-4929 Stephanie.Regalia@scouting.org
Scouts joined in on the fun.
For 2015, WE CAN DO BETTER!!!
There has been a change in this year’s parade. It will be on
Saturday, October 3rd at 10:00am on the grounds of the
Truman Sports Complex. It will kickoff an entire day of
family and barbecue activities.
Registrations are being taken via the
web, which can be found HERE if
you are reading this on-line. If you
register by Noon on Monday,
September 11th, you will be eligible
to receive the commemorative patch
for this event.
Following the Parade, there will be a
Cowtown Family Fest, along with
other activities like Pony Rides,
Inflatables, a Rock Wall Climbing Tower, and more.
Let’s show Kansas City how much FUN Scouting is.
Adam Singleton – District Executive – Clay County
816-569-4950 Adam.Singleton@scouting.org
Elisa Corry – District Executive – Platte County
816-569-4966 Elisa.Corry@scouting.org
Heart of America Council Website
http://www.hoac-bsa.org
North Star District Website
http://www.hoac-bsa.org/Districts/NorthStar.aspx
North Star Roundtable Information
http://bsaroundtable.org
Polaris Editor – Brian Blake 816-746-6797
northstar.scouter@gmail.com
North Star District Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/NorthStarDistrictHOAC
Scout Stuff On-Line Catalog
http://www.scoutstuff.org
Heart of America Council Internet Advancement
http://hoac-bsa.org/Internet-Advancement
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Popcorn
Popcorn is in full swing. And, the North Star
District is is in FULL SELLING MODE!!!
How do you know? Well, if you are out and
about in the District, you will find units selling.
In front of grocery stores. In churches. At
individual
homes
in
neighborhoods.
EVERYWHERE!!
Units in the District that have signed up for the
the “Show N Sell” are already out selling.
How do we know?
Brock of Pack 248 Collecting a Donation
Well, the Polaris editor has been approached by
lots of Scouts who are trying to get him to buy
popcorn. LOTS OF POPCORN.
Anyway, as you can see from these pictures, Cub
Scouts are out in-force selling popcorn in the
northland. …And, The Polaris Editor is running
into lots of these Cubs!!
“I’m running out of money to support these
Cubs!”
This show of force means that a lot of Cub Scout
Packs are actively selling this fall, which is a
great!
The Popcorn Sales Program officially started
September 12th. All sales will need to be
finalized and paperwork turned in on October 26th.
All orders will need to be picked up November 6 th
& 7th. If you have any questions, or need more
information, be sure to check out www.hoacbsa.org/popcorn. This is a great way to support
Scouting in the Council as well a Scout funding
his own way through Scouting.
Isaih & Zareb of Pack 441 Ready to Sell Popcorn
Philmont
Opportunity
Troop 351 is sending a
crew to Philmont next
summer. The trek is
July 4 through July 18,
2016.
They have four spots
open – three youth and
one adult.
If you are
interested in going but can’t get anybody in your
unit to go with you, call Macey Noe at a (m)816810-1414
or
(h)816-858-5572,
or
at
troop1351.scoutmaster@gmail.com.
Macey
would love to have you join them!!
Pack 441 Selling at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church
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