The Akela - May 2012

MAY 2012
Pack 54 Newsletter
CUB SCOUTS
THE AKELA
MORAGA, CA
May Pack Meeting – It’s Magic!
CUBMASTER’S
minute
Thurs., May 17, 7:00 pm @ CP MUR
This is our last pack meeting of the
school year – and you don’t want to
miss it! We’ve invited a special
guest to come entertain and educate
us with the mysteries of magic!
This will be fun for the whole
family. And feel free to invite a
friend, especially one who might be
interested in joining Cub Scouts next year.
Year-End Pack Campout
May 26-27 @ Briones Reg’l Park
Our annual pack campout is
approaching fast! This is always a highlight of the
year, and one that past Scouts consistently rank as their
favorite in Cub Scouting. We have lots of fun activities
planned, including a water bottle launch, hikes, a
campfire with skits, songs and S’mores, the Raingutter
Regatta and more! An informational flyer and
registration form will be emailed soon.
Please RSVP by returning the registration form at the
May pack meeting or by sending it to our campout
coordinator, Jeff Johnson.
10, 9, 8, 7. . . . 1. Blastoff!
This year we will be adding a new activity at our pack
campout – a water rocket bottle derby! Each Scout
should save a 1 to 1.5 liter soda (not water) bottle. At
the May pack meeting, we will hand out
materials for the nose cone and fins.
Scouts will work with their parents at
home to construct their bottle rocket, and
bring the finished product with them to
the campout for our launch on Saturday
afternoon.
Vol. 4, Issue 9
This week I received an email from the
Moraga Baseball Association announcing
that they are offering a summer league so
that boys can now play MBA virtually
year round. As I pondered what I would
do if Andrew were to ask me about
playing in this league, I recalled this brief
commentary I recently came across:
***
Those of us who believe in the Scouting movement must recognize that we are competing for b oys with organized sports teams. While organized sports can be beneficial to boys, I believe that when participation in organized sports requires so great a commitment, that boys have time for nothing else, the end result will often b e young men who are one dimensional. The beauty of Scouting is that it develops boys into well rounded, multi-­‐dimensional young men. When parents tell me that their boys get as much out of sports as they would out of scouting I ask them, ”Does the team encourage your boy to be a good citizen, to be a responsible family member, to serve others, or to have a relationship with God? Aren’t those pretty good reasons to find time for scouting?”
***
Don’t get me wrong – I love sports and
believe they have a place in a child’s
activities. I just want to say “thank you”
for making room for Scouting in your
son’s life.
~ Mark Fenske
www.pack54moraga.com
Pack 54 Newsletter
MAY 2012
Pack 54 calendar
DATE
TIME
EVENT
LOCATION
May 7
May 17*
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
Pennini’s Restaurant
Camino Pablo MUR
May 19
May 19
May 21
May 26 May 27
10 am – 2 pm
9 am – 12 noon
Campout Planning Meeting
Pack Meeting
JDI: Batteries
Cub Scout Olympics
CP School Clean Up
RSVP for Campout Due
Pack Campout
2:00 pm –
11:00 am
Acalanes High School
Camino Pablo School
Maud Whalen Campsite,
Briones Regional Park
* Note the new date!
Cub Scout Olympics
Camino Pablo Clean-Up Day
Sat., May 19, 10am-2pm @ Acalanes HS
Sat., May 19, 9am–12pm @ Camino Pablo
School
All scouts and siblings are
invited to participate in a
Council-wide day of fun,
friendly Olympics-style
competition. There’ll be an
opening procession of scout
Olympians, followed by individual and team
events. Cost is $15 for pre-registered or $25 at
the door, and includes a BBQ lunch and event
patch and medals. To register, go to www.bsamdsc.org/events/cub-scout-events/cub-scoutolympics.
Scout Day @ Oakland A’s
Sun., Jun. 17, 1:05 pm @
Oakland Coliseum
We have 35 signed up to go to
watch the A’s take on the San
Diego Padres. In addition to
the game, Scouts are invited to
attend a pre-game chalk talk
and take part in an on-field parade. Scouts in
uniform will also receive a commemorative
patch.
Please contact Mark Fenske
(mdfenske@gmail.com) if you are interested in
attending but haven’t yet ordered tickets.
Vol. 4, Issue 9
The CP PTA has decided to schedule an end of
year school cleanup day and invites all students
and parents to come out for an hour or two (or
three) to help beautify the school. We encourage
all Scouts who can to come help in an effort to
show our appreciation to the school for letting us
use their facilities. This would count as a
conservation project for those Scouts interested
in earning the World Conservation Award.
Cub Scout Summer Day Camp
This summer’s Aklan District
Cub Scout Day Camp will be
held from August 6-10 at St.
Mary’s College. It’s a week
where boys can be boys,
learning scout skills and having fun with
games, crafts, BB gun shooting, archery, water
play and more! Cost is $250 ($350 after June
30). Discounts for volunteers. See the attached
flyer for more information. Registration is now
open at www.bsa-mdsc.org/events/cub-scoutevents/cub-scout-day-camp/aklan-districtday-camp. Questions? Contact Heather
O’Donnell at heatherodonnell@yahoo.com.
www.pack54moraga.com
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Pack 54 Newsletter
MAY 2012
Awards & Advancement
Rank Advancement
Congratulations to the following Scouts who advanced in rank at our April pack meeting! We
look forward to awarding rank to the remaining scouts at this month’s pack meeting.
Dominick S.
Leo K.
Robby H.
Tai L.
Tate G.
Will B.
Ari J.
Asa S.
Jared A.
Kurt J.
Quinn R.
Spencer L.
Stephan K.
Antonio T.
Benjamin H.
Finn L.
Jack H.
Jake L.
Jake T.
Nico M.
Taj D.
Cobra Patrol
Beck C.
Brent A.
Chase G.
Grant J.
Lucas N.
Michael H.
Nolan W.
Jaguar Patrol
Andrew F.
John S.
Kellen C.
Nick F.
Pablo N.
Patrick J.
Russell B.
William T.
Belt Loops & Pins
Bowling Belt Loop: Beck C., Tai L., Dominick S., Nick M., John S., Antonio T., Spencer L., Leo K.,
Robby H., Russell B., Grant J., Jake T., and Quinn R.
Jake L.: Tennis
Antonio T.: Basketball
Russell B.: Computers, Petcare, and Tennis
Nick F.: Baseball, Computers, Kickball, and Table Tennis
Nick M.: Basketball, Chess, and Swimming
Pablo N.: Communicating, Computers, Chess pin, Geology pin
Summer Overnight Camping Opportunities
Did you know that there are a number of opportunities for Cub Scouts to participate in overnight
camping during the summer? Our Council, and other Councils throughout Northern California,
host Boy Scout camps throughout the summer and have set aside specific weeks and/or weekends
for Webelos and Cub Scouts to participate in fun, Cub Scout-appropriate activities while enjoying
the thrill of camping overnight like the older scouts. Camping venues include Camp Wolfeboro
near Bear Valley, Camp Rancho Los Mochos in Livermore, Camp Royaneh near Cazadero, and
Camp Lassen near Chico. Dates, cost, and participant requirements vary. If you’d like more
information, please contact Mark Fenske.
Vol. 4, Issue 9
www.pack54moraga.com
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Pack 54 Newsletter
MAY 2012
Volunteer Leader Profile: Tina Chambers
This month we talk to Tina Chambers, one of our Den 2
Webelos den leaders.
When did you first volunteer as a pack leader?
When Beck and Casey joined as 1st and 3rd graders.
What made you decide to volunteer as a Cub Scout leader?
Well, I didn’t actually think I’d be doing this beyond the Tiger
year! At the Tigers Back to Scouting BBQ Mark was looking for
a co-den leader. Since Tigers is all about Akela involvement, I
figured what the heck, I have to be at the meetings anyhow.
The following years just seemed to follow.
What were your hopes or goals when you volunteered?
After I got over the “being a mom” leader concern, I thought it was a great opportunity to work
with so many boys I already knew in a new environment; not school and not sports. There is an
opportunity to develop a variety of life skills in all our youth community volunteerism, but I was
hopeful I could help foster the real values of scouting from a different perspective as a female
influence. [Editor’s note: “Mom” leaders are always welcome! Our pack has gotten testosteroneheavy lately and could use more feminine involvement. No offense guys!]
Have your hopes/goals been met? Exceeded?
Exceeded!
Has being a Cub Scout leader been as hard as you thought it would be?
Not at all. It is really fun and even Den meetings where we have to be inside and get the basics
done is a great experience. I love to see the kids learn and be inquisitive.
What has been the gratifying thing about being a Cub Scout leader?
Getting nice thank you notes at the end of each year. I keep them all in my Memory box! The kids’
appreciation, which is also shown throughout the year each year, outweighs the need for me to
get on them to be quiet at Pack meetings And during our most recent hike to Sunol it was fun
climbing all those rocks and swishing around in the water!
What has been the biggest challenge about being a leader?
A den with 20 boys! Well, we started at 12, and grew slowly (what are odds one moves and comes
back? Welcome home Kellen! And one scout left for two years and now is enthusiastically on his
way to being a Webelos.) Managing events for this big crew has actually been much easier than
expected and the parents of Den 2 rock! When necessary, we offer a meeting twice (sometimes you
have to be in a small group, like Ready Man training). The boys are so often split in other activities
(classes, sports teams) we made a conscience decision to keep the boys together and think it has
worked out amazingly well.
Vol. 4, Issue 9
www.pack54moraga.com
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Pack 54 Newsletter
MAY 2012
Pack 54 Paparazzi
Vol. 4, Issue 9
www.pack54moraga.com
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