11/19/2009

Sorry for the late post!!! It's been a busy couple of weeks. So.... Last meeting was important for the members because, instead of hearing about past Jamborees, everyone got a sense of what a modern Jamboree is like. Scouts Dennis Maccarthy and Evan Seacrist spoke to the group about their experiences from the 2005 Jamboree. They shared with us places they went, such as the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Times Square, and Boston. Their stories made us even more excited to start out on our own adventure. "You will learn how to sleep sitting up reall well," says Evan. After the question and answer session about Jamboree, the troop split up into patrols and started a game of tug-of-war. Some patrols struggled while the others pulled with ease. The meeting ended with a ScoutMaster's Minute. Another great meeting Mr. Mac!!!

...And it keeps getting better

Our second meeting was even better than the first. As the Scouts of Troop 812 arrived, they were given a word search of places that we will see during the Jamboree. To name a few, Times Square, the White House, and Ground Zero.

The best part of the night was the guest speaker who went to the 1953 Jamboree. If he was able to do all of the fun things he described, imagine what the 100th anniversary will be like! And maybe, 56 years from now, we will be invited to speak to a Jamboree troop about our experiences.

The meeting wrapped up with a game of jump rope. Although not everyone was able to get in, it was a fun attempt.

I had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Mac. Here are his responses to the questions:
Q: What is your favorite part of Jamboree?
A: "My favorite part of the Jamboree is getting to know the boys."

Q: What do you want the boys to get out of the trip?
A: "More than anything, I want the boys to come away with life long memories."

Q: What are you going to do differently this time that you did not do the last time you went to Jamboree?
A: "The biggest change is going to be the emphasis on the boys getting to know each other."

Q: Any personal comments?
A: " I am feeling a lot of energy from this troop. The personalities seem to line up really nicely."

812 Investiture Ceremony & Spaghetti Dinner

Tonight was the perfect ceremony; meaningful, heartfelt, and memorable. Thank you to the Scouts who came out early to help set up, and thank you to all of the families who donated the auction items. Dinner was fantastic, and I am now inspired to go out and watch more soundless videos ☻. Mr. Mac, Mr. Markstrum, and Ms. Seacrest, the neckerchiefs and slides, songbooks, and certificates look awesome. For the families that came out tonight to support us, thank you. This was an amazing start to what will be a fantastic adventure. If you would like to follow this blog, click the "follow" button to the right ------►

Our Journey has Begun

For the first time, the Scouts of Jamboree Troop 812 met each other at our first meeting. We had a quick "Icebreaker" activity in which Scouts had to go around to other Scouts and find out what everyone's favorite thing is. The list contained colors, food, restaurants, and sports. Next, we went outside and did a quick run-through of what we were going to do for the investiture ceremony. Once we were back inside, the Scouts all participated in a team building activity in which we flung tennis balls, basketballs, and footballs from the tarps that our temporary patrols were provided. This is going to be a fun troop to go to National Jamboree with.
"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link" (I can tell that Troop 812 is going to be as strong as they get)