This page is designed to provide information about Troop 5 Bronxville’s activities and procedures. It is intended as a resource for parents and scouts alike. In particular, it serves as a resource for those many questions that one has about troop operations and expectations.
Thinking of Joining Our Troop?-
Anyone who wishes to participate in Troop 5 (as a scout or adult leader) is welcome. The scouting year more or less coincides with the school year. The best way to understand what it would be like to be a scout is to come to observe any of the meetings that are held regularly at The Reformed Church in Bronxville. If interested, contact the scoutmaster at scoutmaster@troop5.net.
The biggest difference between Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting is that Boy Scout meetings and activities are typically planned and led by the scouts themselves – occasionally with adult oversite J The troop operates by the Patrol Method which is smaller units within the troop to make learning and planning more manageable. All scouts are expected to live by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law (Don’t worry, you’ll learn about that when you get your Scout Handbook!).
The only requirement for scouting is that you must be either 11 years of age, or have completed the 5th grade, or have earned the Arrow of Light Award (and is 10 years old) which can be earned in Cub Scouting. If you meet the age requirements, the following is a checklist of recommended actions:
· Contact the scoutmaster and tell him that you are interested in joining;
· Complete an Application, which must be filled out by an adult and signed by a parent (or guardian), the Scoutmaster, and the Troop Committee Chairman. The application can be obtained from the Scoutmaster. If you hand this completed form back to the Scoutmaster, he’ll take care of the rest;
· Obtain a Boy Scout Handbook and review the “Joining Requirements” as outlined in the First Chapter. These are some fairly easy tasks, such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, reviewing the Scout Oath and completing a mandatory child protection segment with your parent/guardian. The Scout Handbook can be obtained from any scout store – there are ones located in Westchester County and in New York City.
· While at the Scout Store, obtain a Boy Scout uniform. The store attendants know most of what you need, but print out the following checklist and you shouldn’t have a problem: Boy Scouting Uniform for New Scouts.
· Notify the Scoutmaster of your email address(es) that you would like to receive communications through;
· Attend a meeting and join in the fun!!!!!!!
Meetings–
Meetings are held most Mondays from 7:30-9:00 pm in The Reformed Church Edwards room located on Midland Avenue in Bronxville. There are two kinds of meetings; regular troop meetings and Patrol Leader Council Meetings (PLCs) which occur every few weeks. The PLCs are not mandatory unless you are a troop leader. During these meetings, the meeting plans and camping plans will be drawn up for future activities.
Regular Troop Meetings contain several parts; a Pre-opening activity, a skills presentation during the main meeting, a period when the scouts break into patrols to work on individual patrol activities, an inter patrol competition, and finally a closing with a Scoutmaster minute. Often Merit Badge work of some sort of special presentations is arranged. Modifications to the schedule are made for other activities and to prepare for trips.
Communication–
Most communications in the troop take place via email. Once you register with the troop, you will be added to the troop email list which can be downloaded from the Documents section of this website. All you need to do is notify the Scoutmaster and tell him which emails you would like to have on the list and to receive communications. Recognize that timely responses to emails are a prerequisite in the troop as a lot of planning takes place and is dependent upon responses to the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters, and scout leaders. Put as many emails as you like on the list. However, if you are not getting emails you should contact the Scoutmaster to have any errors in the list corrected.
Uniform–
Boy Scouts wear two types of uniforms: Class A and Class B.
· Class A: The Class A BSA Uniform consists of the official shirt and pants with our troop bandana around the neck and under the collar. The bandana should be secured with a rope woggle. You can find the shirt and pants at most scout shops (see Hawthorne Scout Shop). The troop will provide a bandana. To make a woggle you just need to follow these Woggle Instructions or this great Waggle Video. It’s actually a lot of fun to make. Class A’s should be worn to Troop Meetings, Scoutmaster Conferences, Courts of Honor, Boards of Review, Cub Scout activities, and PLCs. Typically, the uniform policy is communicated in advance of events.
· Class B: The Class B Uniform is a scout tee-shirt with official scout pants. Troop 5 has a Class B shirt that can be ordered for the troop. Don’t worry if you don’t have one of these immediately – any scout tee-shirt will do
All of the information related to Advancement is included in the Scout Handbook. Many of the requirements are worked on during the course of meetings and activities. There are older scouts, called Troop Guides, who work with the new scouts on completing various requirements. Once a skill or requirement is learned, it must be demonstrated to a senior scout and then the scout’s Handbook must be initialed by the senior scout (ie scouts who have obtained the rank of Life or above). There is a ton of time to finish all of the various ranks in scouting so there is no need to rush. However, scouts should work on attaining the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class in their first 12 to 18 months with the troop. Once every requirement is signed off, scouts will have a conference with our Scoutmaster and then they will sit for an official Board of Review. Ranks and merit badges are awarded during Courts of Honor which occur three to four times per year.
· Scoutmaster Conference: Once a Scout has completed all of his requirements for any rank, he must sit with the Scoutmaster for a Scoutmaster Conference. While it is not required, it is not a bad idea to demonstrate scout spirit by showing up in your Class A uniform. All requirements for the rank will be reviewed during this session – If you don’t know your requirements, you shouldn’t schedule a meeting. As part of this conference, the following form must be downloaded and completed: [Attach form here]. After this conference, the Scoutmaster will tell the Scout whether he is ready to sit for a Board of Review.
· Board of Review: Boards of Review occur two to three weeks before every scheduled Court of Honor. During these sessions, scouts who have completed all of their rank requirements, including a Scoutmaster Conference, sit with several of the adult leaders in the troop to review their scouting experience which is appropriate to their rank and tenure in the troop. Class A uniforms, signed Scout Handbooks, and completed a Board of Review forms [Attach forms here] are mandatory for this meeting. Scouts who are not prepared with the mandatory requirements fulfilled, will need to wait until the next Board of Review to advance so BE PREPARED!!!!!!
· Court of Honor: The Court of Honor is the ceremony in which scouts receive their rank advancement, merit badges and other awards. It is a great time to celebrate the achievements of the scouts and is attended by parents, family members, friends, the troop and supporters of scouting. Courts of Honor are held 3 to 4 times per year.
Trips–
Troop 5 prides itself on its really amazing trips; the main page includes write-ups and links to photos from many past trips and activities. We’ve hiked Mt. Washington, visited Gettysburg and Valley Forge, rock climbed, ice climbed, camped at seashores and done lots of hiking. New scouts will be prepared for any of these activities. Some are age-appropriate for older scouts but new scouts will get there soon enough.
Here are the Top Ten things a new Boy Scout should know (parents too)-
10. From Tenderfoot to First Class, advancement is primarily individual requirements and not merit badges. Merit badges and leadership positions are more pertinent in the latter ranks from first-class to eagle.
9. Don’t lose that book! It’s the only place where the official record of the requirements you have completed exists. Photocopy the advancement pages every once in a while, just in case.
8. Adult leaders cannot sign off on requirements. Only other scouts that are star rank or higher can sign.
7. Don’t forget to get things signed as soon as you do them. Many requirements for advancement are done during the troop meetings and at Campouts.
6. Keep a log of every camping trip and how many nights you slept. Keep a record of every hike. These will be important later for Camping and Hiking merit badges.
5. When all requirements are signed in your book, it’s time to schedule a scoutmasters conference. Don’t wait until just before a court of honor. Fill out the form from the Troop 5 website at this link: https://troop5.net/documents/
4. After the scoutmaster’s conference is done it’s time for your board of review. Fill out the other form from the website. Bring your book. Bring your hiking and camping log. Brush up on your law and oath.
3. To work on a merit badge you need a ‘blue card’ signed by the scoutmaster. You need to work with an official merit badge counselor. The list of these in troop 5 are here: https://troop5.net/advancement/
2. The best place to get a significant amount of advancement done (and have a ton of fun) is Camp Read for a week of summer camp with the troop.
1. Have fun! This is your chance to do some things that most kids never get to do. In the past two years, our trips have included West Point, Valley Forge, Katadhin, Lake Tiorati, Assateague National Seashore, Antietam, Tamarack Gun Club, Adirondacks (Camp Read), Gore Mountain, Vermont (fly fishing), and Six Flags, just to name a few.
Looking for More Information?-
Check out the Documents section of the page for many resources involving our troop.
Look it up online. There is a huge amount of scouting information online.
Attend a troop meeting to see for yourself!
Talk to scouts and scout leaders.
Troop 5 - Bronxville, NY 
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