Michael serves as Cubmaster and Religious Emblems Coordinator of Pack 279. Michael has two boys advancing through the Webelos and Wolf Dens. He is in his 7th year of service in the Boy Scouts of America. He is the recipient of the Scouters' Training Award.
Everyone knows that Cubmaster Weitzel loves to include surprises into the Blue & Gold Banquet, right?
This year is no different. This week Mr. Weitzel and Mr. Fedor prepared more than 88 bags of awards, achievements, and special recognitions for the Scouts of this Pack. It is so exciting to see so many of you excelling in your Dens!
Don’t forget to dress in your “Class A” – also known as your Field Uniform – on Friday for dinner. Have a parent or guardian make sure your uniform is clean, pressed, and looking extra sharp. We are going to take photos as Dens and as a full Pack! It will be our largest group photo yet.
Our ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm, so arrive in time to sign in, pick a seat with your family, and visit with your friends. We will begin with the presentation of the Colors and a blessing. Then dinner begins! Awards and recognitions to follow.
And we have an extra special announcement coming on Friday that will surely change Cub Scout Pack 279 for the better for years to come. So bring your listening ears, your singing voices, and your appetite. We are going to have a bucket of fun on Friday night, Scouts!
The Pinewood Derby is a longstanding tradition in just about every Cub Scout Pack you find. Most Dad’s in our own Pack 279 who were scouts themselves have fond memories of working in their own cars, and some still even have them stashed away in the family archives.
On February 3, 208, Pack 279 had a bucket of fun as six dens competed in Den centric heats. Five dens then sent their top three racers to the Pack finals (the Lions could not move on). It was a long but spirited day of competition. More than 150 fans cycled through St. James Church to see their favorite scouts compete.
Lion Den Racers 2018Tiger Den 2018Wolf Den Racers 2018Bear Den Racers 2018Webelos Den Racers 2018Arrow of Light Racers 2018
For the first time, Pack 279 linked a community service project to the Pinewood Derby. We hosted the Central PA Blood Bank to host our first ever Community Blood Drive.
Assistant Cubmaster Fedor donates blood between Den races
Our very own Tiger Den leader and mother of two current scouts (and my wife) had her life saved in September by the gift of donated blood. We thought it would be a fitting tribute to her and to our Pack by ensuring we found a way to give back the very same gift that saved her life. Very soon we will know the final tally of how much blood we helped to secure for the Blood Bank. Stay tuned!
Now the moment you have all been waiting for: the results of the 2018 Pinewood Derby!
ARROW OF LIGHT ============ 1) Luke T 2) Andrew Cl 3) Issac R 4) Brandon B
WEBELOS ============ 1) Evan W 2) Ivan M 3) Ryan S 4) Connor B-S
BEAR ============ 1) Ryan B 2) Alex G 3) Zachary D 4) Tobey S
WOLF ============ 1) Aaron C 2) Alex M 3) Alex G 4) Aayush A
TIGER ============ 1) Matthew C 2) Colin W 3) Grayson P 4) Beckett Z
LION ============ 1) David M 2) Brayden H 3) Colin L 4) Jackson C
BUBBLE – Top-3 fastest times, that did not place above ============ 1) Ryan M – AOL 2) Tristan B – Wolf 3) Jack R – AOL
PACK FINALS ============ 1) Luke T 2) Evan W 3) Alex G 4) Andy C
Please contact the Cubmaster at cubscouts@pack279.us for a link to the complete den brackets. Congratulations to all!!
First, the Bear Den mtgs will be held at St James Church for the 2017-2018 Scouting year. The mtgs will be held the 3rd Sunday of each month from 3:15pm to 5:15pm. The format for Den Mtgs will stay consistent from last year and at times the Bears will work in separate Dens during the Den Mtgs. Please mark your calendars for the change in venue and time the Bears will meet this year.
There are 6 Requirement/Belt Loops this year, plus one elective requirement/loop. The Cyber Chip is also required too.
I will outline the months we are going to work on the 6 requirements and leave 1 month open for the elective we decide on at a future date.
One very important change/note for this year. Each Scout and their Parents are going to be required to update Scout Book when a requirement has been completed, whether the requirement has been completed at the Den Mtg, the Pack Mtg, at Camp or at home. This will give Scouts the flexibility to complete tasks at home if they are unable to attend a Dn Mtg and for the Leaders to be able to track the completion of the activity prior to the Pack Mtg. This will also ensure that requirements are being properly tracked and completed, by all Scouts. We always want the Scouts to receive credit for their good work. So please don’t forget to perform this important task…because when I go to approve awards…it will be essential for the requirement and all the tasks of each requirement to be completed so the Scout earns their award.
September Den Mtg. Bear Claws. I will add the requirements for Scouts prior to and at the Sept Den Mtg later in this email.
October Den Mtg : Bear Necessities
November Den Mtg: Fur, Feathers and Ferns. One requirement is to visit a zoo or wildlife refuge. Zoo America is open on 11/12 the day of our Den Mtg. So we can decide as a group if we use that Den Mtg to go to Zoo America or a wildlife refuge. Some of the other requirements can be worked on by Scouts in Sept, Oct or Nov at home if they are unable to attend Den Mtgs, Fall Camp or Pack Hike on 9/23/17 at Kings Gap.
December: Fellowship and Duty to God
January: Grin and Bear It. I believe the January Pack Mtg is the Scout Carnival that is held during the Pack mtg. The Bears, the Leaders and the Bears Parents will run the event.
February: Paws for Action. This could also stretch into March. TBD
March and April: Elective Loop and Cyber Chip
May: Another fun event off site, like this past year.
We will have Den 1 and Den 2 again this year. I will assign each Scout a Den and Denner responsibilities after I hear from 2 Scouts that are still deciding if they are going to return and if we have any new Bears that sign up on Parent Night on 9/7/17.
We will replant our tree in late Sept or early Oct and even though it’s sad the first tree died…when we take down our tree…we will be completed a project during this Scouting year to carve the main trunk of that tree into a walking stick, that will always be a symbol of or Scouts and Parents doing our best and remembering our fallen friend. Each scout can sign the walking stick and maybe we can apply a coat of finish to it too. We will discuss more during brief Parents Mtg on cost of new tree (approx $10 from each Family) and a day to plant. Goods Tree Care are certified tree experts and I’m confident that their help this time will lead to success.
Safety will be a major theme this year. Scouts will be working with knives, hiking and some have already been using air guns and bow and arrows at summer camp. The Leaders will be asking that Parents take a very active role at Camps and at Mtgs to ensure the safety of th3 Scouts.
Please let your leaders know in advance of scheduling issues if your Scout cannot make a Den mtg, Pack Mtg or event that you have signed up for. This helps with planning and other tasks.
September Den Mtg Schedule:
305-315pm Sign in
315-325pm. Pledge, Star Spangled Banner, Scout Oath and Scout Law.
325-335pm Announcements
335pm – 4pm Requirement 1 and 2 of Bear Claws. All scouts will be together as a group for this.
4pm – 405pm Snack/Parents Mtg
405pm-450pm. Requirement # 3 of Bear Claws. Scouts will work in their respective Den with their Parents.
450pm to 515pm Game outside or inside. Depending on weather.
PLEASE read all the requirements of Bear Claws asap and have your Scout bring the items needed that are listed in Requirement # 3 of Bear Claws to the Den Mtg on 9/17, including his or your own pocetknife. The Den will have a first aid kit, but will not have supplies for the Scouts to complete Req #3.
As always….I understand this is a lot of information, but please read thru and retain this post for the year and don’t feel like you have to digest it all at once.
Please email me or the other Leaders, Mr. Rodrigo, Mr. Kunkle or Mrs McKee with questions, suggestions or concerns.
I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone at St James Church on 9/17.
So you successfully completed the first week of kindergarten and you are thinking you want to try out a fun, valuable, and rewarding after school program with your boy. Look no further; the Lion Den Program at Cub Scout Pack 279 has a program for you.
Last year, the Lion Den Pilot Program was offered to kindergarteners in Cub Scout Pack 279. We had 10 kindergarteners begin the program in September 2016 and 90% of them completed their Lion Rank, earned their Lion Badge, and advanced to become Tigers by June 2017.
The Lion program is back in 2017-18. It continues to be a Pilot Program and Cub Scout Pack 279 – a Gold Level Journey to Excellence Unit – was selected to offer the pilot for a second consecutive year. The Den will meet on the First and Third Sunday of every month beginning Sunday, September 17th. If you want to learn more or want to enroll your scout, come to Parent Info Night or the First Pack Meeting.
So what is the Lion Rank and what will the boys do if they join?
Lion Rank Program Structure
Each Lion Scout attends a Den meeting twice a month. Meetings are no longer than 45 minutes total in length. Like Tigers (First Grade), the Lion Scouts complete their adventures and electives alongside their parent or guardian or participating adult (grandparents welcome!). Adventures are completed at the Den meetings (no homework).
Lions is fundamentally an introduction to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Here are some of the fun activities we’ll do in 2017-18 as a Den:
Attend Pack Meetings together with the other dens
Earn Wampum Beads for being good scouts
Collect food for a local food bank
Go Christmas caroling at a Senior Living community
Explore a local zoo together
Meet a police officer
Explore the value of independence such as tying your own shoes and learning to dress yourself
Playing games with rules together
Taking turns
Being respectful
Exploring the outdoors
Attending family camp outs and outings with the rest of the Cub Scout Pack 279
Requirements for Lion Scouts in Cub Scout Pack 279
Attend Den meetings September – May twice a month for 45 minutes with an adult partner
Attend at least 3 pack meetings (held monthly)
Wear the Pack 279 “Class B T-Shirt” to all events (The BSA Lion Scout T-Shirt and cap are not required)
Do your best
Have fun
Complete 5 adventures and 1 elective. Last year the Den completed 5 adventures and 5 electives together.
Complete the enrollment paperwork and pay the $55 dues. Lion Scouts are not required to sell popcorn.
Lion scouts will be invited to try the Pinewood Derby for fun! (with fewer rules than other scouts)
Lion scouts will be welcome at all Pack Family events and outings
Lion scouts will complete one community service project with the Den.
Many parents in Cumberland County seek out ways to get their children involved in activities after school that teach them about leadership, sportsmanship, good behavior, and positive relationships with peers and adults. Church youth groups and sports leagues like soccer, baseball, and football continue to be extremely popular in our area for elementary age boys. But have you ever considered scouting?
I was looking for a scout pack for my boys because I was in scouts when I was a young boy, and I largely enjoyed it. I also wanted to find an activity that was not as heavily scheduled as sports, but got them outside and interacting with children younger and older than them.
Five Reasons to Consider Joining Scouts with Your Boy
Scouting is not just a program for your son, grandson, or nephew. It is a program where an adult partner or partners actually take part month to month alongside the scout. This is part of the secret sauce that makes Scouting so successful. So here are the Top 5 Reasons to consider joining scouts with your boy this September.
1. The Laughter
Boys in five dens bridged to the next rank in June.
Come to any event with Cub Scout Pack 279 and you will see boys laughing and having fun. Scouting does a great deal to promote positive, healthy relationships among scouts and between scouts and adults. Respect and fun are at the core of everything we do. If we are planning camp outs, parade costumes, service projects, family friendly outings or others, our first consideration is “how can this be something the boys will find fun and relevant to scouting?” The second question is “how do we respect the time and financial commitments of families?”
But the boys aren’t the only ones you’ll see laughing. Adult leaders and parent partners have just as much fun laughing and enjoying the quality time alongside their boys. There are also friendships and bonds that form among the parents who put in the time to participate. Nearly everyone comes and goes from a Cub Scout Pack 279 event with a smile on their face (we all know there are exceptions).
2. The Challenge
Webelos and Arrow of Light rank scouts learn proper paddling techniques at Summer Camp at Camp Tuckahoe in 2017.
So how is the Pack set up? Every boy is part of the Pack but they are also part of smaller dens where their rank specific work is largely done. Every rank (Lion through Webelos) has a minimum of five required challenges to be completed each scouting year. The dens in Pack 279 go above and beyond to encourage our boys to explore electives that also pique the boys’ interests. These required “adventures” and electives often include at least one character lesson, one healthy habits lesson, one outdoors lesson, one hobby or craft lesson, and multiple lessons meant to push them to explore and discover new activities.
My oldest son, Jackson, who is in the third grade just started his Bear rank. He is going to be learning how to cook a meal on a camp fire. He is also going to complete a series of lessons on how to safely use a pocket knife (yeah, I’m nervous about that but he’s pretty excited and the program is full of safety and guidelines). He is also learning how to rescue a peer who is drowning or needs help in a pool, lake, or river. In fact, he’s already completed this requirement while at summer camp this past June.
But what is most compelling is the education is not book learning. They might read about proper fire safety, but 90% of the lesson is showing, demonstrating, and giving them a chance to try it for themselves. The Cub Scout program is a hands-ons, get the boys up and moving type of instruction. They learn from peers as well as adult leaders. They listen, watch, and try to learn. They are pushed to move outside of their comfort zone and challenged to grow year after year.
3. The Connectedness
After a long day together, father (Michael Fedor) and son (Parker) read through requirements for the next badge by flashlight in their tent.
Being wrapped up in week after week of work and home life can create routine but also distance. Scouting really allowed my boys and I to gain some quality father-son time as well as mother-son time for the events my wife has done with them (That’s right, we have many female leaders and mom’s involved in the Pack). Scouting really brings you closer to your child as you participate in events and activities together.
Feeling connected to other families and a community of shared purpose is powerful. As we start our third year of scouting, we feel a kinship and connectedness to the parents and children who are part of our Cub Scout Pack 279. We camp with them, cook with them, and hike with them. We sweat side by side with them performing community service. We stand next to them as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Oath. and Scout Law. We laugh with them around the campfire and march with them in parades.
Our boys have developed friendships with children outside of their classroom. It has broadened their horizons and helped them develop healthy friendships not linked solely to the 8 am – 3 pm school day.
Scouting also connects us to our country through reverence of our institutions and stewardship and conservation of our natural resources.
4. The Longevity
Cub Scout pack 279 attends many outdoors events and activities in the Central PA Region.
Our boys now look forward to the start of the new scout year. They are eager to earn their next loop (part of earning a rank). They are excited to put on their uniform and head out to an event with other scouts. Because scouting now spans from kindergarten through fifth grade, it has a reach that coincides with their entire elementary education experience.
5. The Free Fishing Rod
Bass Pro Shops and the Boy Scouts of America are offering every new scout a free fishing rod and reel to every new scout who enrolls with dues paid by September 30. New Scout dues are $100 for grades 1-5 and $55 for kindergarteners for our Pack. But if financial considerations are a concern, we have a scholarship program that ensures that cub scouting is available to every boy in our area who wants to participate. Contact the Cubmaster for a confidential conversation about how to get financial help for your scout. To coincide with the “Hooked on Scouting” theme for new scouts, the New Birth of Freedom Council of which Cub Scout Pack 279 is a part is organizing fishing derbies across our area in early October for new scouts to try out their new rods with their mom, dad, grandmother or grandfather.
The Cub Scouts Program is a extracurricular program designed to develop essential skills of character and leadership in boys enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade (K-5).
Every year the Cub Scout program grows to reflect the ever changing interest and needs of the latest generation of Boy Scouts. Today more than 2.4 million boys across the United States are registered and actively participating in local troops and packs of the Boy Scouts.
The Cub Scouts has been a part of the Boy Scouts of American for more than 70 years, formally getting its start in 1930 in the USA. The six year program offers boys the chance to explore challenging activities in science, technology, math, communications, nutrition, boating, fishing, marksmanship, art, history, civics, community service, faith and worship, hobbies, sports, and many more.
Do you have a boy in grades K-5 in Cumberland Valley, East Pennsboro, Mechanicsburg, West Shore, Camp Hill, or even the Carlisle School Districts of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania? Ever consider getting him hooked on scouting?
Are you looking for a program in the 2017-18 school year that will give him positive relationships with peers, exposure to strong role models, and opportunities to earn awards and recognition to build positive self esteem?
Are you looking for a fun activity you can do together on a weekly or monthly basis to get out of the house?
Are you looking to learn new skills as a parent and meet new friends and families from your area?
Does your boy love adventure and to try new things?
Does he have friends participating in scouts?
Did you or a spouse or partner participate in scouts when you were young?
Then scouting may be just the program you are looking for. Join us for a Parent Information and Sign up Night on Thursday, September 7, 2017. You will have an opportunity to meet the parents who lead the pack, ask questions about time commitments and cost, understand the diverse opportunities we offer throughout the program year (community service, hiking, camping, competitions, sports and games, family friendly events, field trips just to name a few).
Get Hooked
As a special incentive, every new scout who completes enrollment paperwork and is fully paid in dues by September 30 will receive a free rod and reel fishing combo courtesy of Bass Pro Shops and the New Birth of Freedom Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Help your son discover new abilities, make new friends, and explore new worlds. Build an Adventure with Cub Scouts.
If you are a returning scout to Pack 279, you’re not going to want to miss our Movie Night on Friday, August 18. The movie night is the last event you need to attend this summer to qualify for the Pack Summertime Activities Patch (if you attended Space Derby and Scout Night at the Senators).
On movie night, we gather as a pack and award recognitions earned at Cub Camp and Webelos Camp. We eat great food, we preview popcorn sales. We give parents a chance to sign up for popcorn Show and Sales. We watch a great movie on a screen under the stars.
Returning scouts who complete all paperwork and are paid in full on Scout Movie Night receive a very special bead for their wampum.
Scout Year 17-18 is shaping up to be a year completely full of fun, adventures, and activities. Here are the top 10 surprises for movie night:
Cub Camp Awards
Webelos Camp Awards
The movie will be a major clue about this year’s theme.
Learn About Two “New Patches” to earn for your uniform
50 Years
Popcorn Previews
What is “Hooked on Scouting”?
Delicious Quartermaster Menu!
New beads!
New scouts!
We welcome new families to Hot Dog and Movie night. Especially if you are feeling out scouts to decide if it is the right program for your boys. Here’s what to bring:
Water bottle and snacks for the film
Comfy chairs for each member of the family
Boy Scout Application Forms and Dues if you are committing to joining the pack
Bug spray
Comfy clothes
Pillows, blankets (If it rains, the movie will move inside. Consider adding a bit more cushion to your seating on the hard gym floor, such as pillows, blankets, and an air mattress or bed roll).
