Last night it was an honor to be installed as the new Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 279. The list of leaders who have proceeded me in this role over the 52 year history of our Pack. Each Cubmaster has brought their own personality, ideas, and priorities to the job of Cubmaster. As parents, I want you to know what you can expect from my service to the pack.

1 – Make It Fun

The number one goal of Cub Scout programming is to make each outing, den meeting, and pack gathering fun and enjoyable for the scouts. They are our number one priority and they remain my number one priority. We are going to continue our rich tradition of lighthearted skits, themes, and laughter that make being part of Pack 279 so enjoyable. If the kids have fun as a scout, we’ll keep them coming back month after month, year after year. After all, our goal is to create lifelong learners and scouters.

2 – Encourage Us to Get Outdoors More

As a suburban township pack, we can sometimes get stuck in the rut of classroom style gatherings indoors. The cool, wet Central Pennsylvania weather of late that has spanned October to April has not made the job of getting us outdoors more often any easier. However, we are not about to give up. We are going to take on one major conservation project a year as a Pack to help push us into the outdoors more and I am going to encourage our Dens to hike locally and meet outdoors rather than inside the church recreational hall anytime weather permits.

3 – Lean In and Listen

A great teacher listens more than he or she speaks. As you might know, I have been a lifelong educator with experience teaching every age group from kindergarten through adulthood. I am here to listen to our scouts and our parents for opportunities to make our programming better or keep wonderful traditions and programming alive. My phone and email are open to you, but so am I for any one-on-one conversation you want to have about your scout’s experience in our Pack.

4 – Stay Committed to the Well Run Machine

The Cubmasters who have come before me have developed a robust system of tools to keep communication flowing in our Pack. No parent should ever have to guess what programming opportunities are coming up next for their scout. We will keep using Scoutbook, Timetosignup.com/pack279 and our monthly Pack announcements slides to ensure parents have all the information they need get their scouts active and involved in activities to earn rank, learn, and have fun.

5 – Parent Partnership

I am supremely proud that every leader in our Pack is a parent of a current scout. This ensures we stay focused on the kids. I also know that a pack of our size (back down to 73 for now with the bridging of 12 AOL awardees, but surely we’ll be up into the 80s again this fall) cannot succeed without the time, talents, and energy of a robust corps of parents who are involved and giving of themselves to make our programs wonderful. I encourage you to join me in this journey. Attend Parent Planning Meetings once a month (We meet the Monday before the Pack Meeting at St. James generally). Volunteer for the Quartermaster Corps to help with cooking, supplies, and set up. Become a Popcorn Sale team member to ensure that fundraiser is as successful as we need it to be each year. Suggest to us other ways you can help make Cub Scout Pack 279 a fun and exciting experience for K-5 students for the years ahead.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve our youth and your family. I am looking forward to fun that will create lifelong memories together.