Arrow of Light News
Welcome to the Arrow of Light Den Blog. Stay tuned for news and updates from the Den Leadership here.
Webelos Den Blog
Welcome to the Webelos Den Blog. Stay tuned for news and updates from the Den Leadership here.
Lion Den Recruiting for 2017-18
The Lion Den application is in, and upon approval by the New Birth of Freedom Council, Pack 279 will begin recruiting kindergarten age boys to be part of our Lion Den in the 2017-18 scouting year. Last year, Pack 279 successfully advanced 9 Lion Scouts to become Tigers in the inaugural class of Lions. Serena Fedor served as our Lion Guide last year and has moved on to serve as the Lion Den Leader.
Michael Fedor – Assistant Cub Master and last year’s Assistant Lion Guide – is back this year to help get the program off the ground again. He will be helping to recruit our next Lion Guide and providing the den with the support and guidance we found worked so well in 2016-17. He has also spoken with Packs across the Council, bringing some of their ideas and successes to our own program this school year.
If you are a parent or guardian of a kindergarten age student in the Easter Cumberland County area and want to know more about Cub Scouting in Pack 279, plan to attend a Parents Information Night at St. James Church on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 7 PM.
Congrats on Advancements!
More than 70 cub scouts of Pack 279 were recognized on June 4, 2017 for earning their ranks. Lions became Tigers. Tigers became wolves. Wolves advanced to Bears. Bears bridged over to become Webelos. We are so proud of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see the incredible service projects, hikes, and fun we have together in 2017-18!
Journey to Excellence Gold Level Pack
We are gold once again.
That’s right, Cub Scout Pack 279 of Mechanicsburg, Hampden Township, Cumberland County was award the Gold Level designation – the highest a pack can achieve – in the Journey to Excellence program for 2016.
Scouting’s Journey to Excellence is the Boy Scouts of America’s “planning, performance, and recognition program designed to encourage and reward the success of our units, districts and councils.” It is designed to encourage excellence in providing a high quality program at all levels of the Boy Scouts.
Pack 279 qualified for Gold Level designation due to our commitment to planning, budgeting, programming that generates widespread participation from dens and parents alike. We plan and complete many hours of community service each year in our community. We also see a high level of year-over-year return of scouts back to our program as well as nearly 1000% advancement by scouts to the next rank by the end of the scout year. All of this contributes to our ability to receive the BSA highest rank in the Journey to Excellence program.
And as an aside, 100% of Pack 279 subscribes to Boy’s Life, the scouting magazine, which also gets us a special designation on our unit patches.
Parents as well as scouts have a role in continuing to make Pack 279 a Gold Level unit. Participate in events, provide feedback as to their quality and appropriateness, and plan future events. Study your scout handbook of your rank, work hard to earn your loops, and work diligently towards advancement. All of these are positive ways our scouts and parents contribute to Pack 279 being a high quality program.
So thank you for your continued commitment to scouting and to bringing excellence to our program. We couldn’t have done it without you.