Ordeal, COH, Wall of Jericho

The Patrol leaders Conference (PLC) was well attended Monday night, 4/27, with following plans for May as approved by the Troop Committee at 8:00 PM.

May 1-3 Order of the Arrow Ordeal at Camp Sequoyah.

May 5 Court of Honor at the Bluff Park United Methodist Church Reid Crotty Fellowship Hall starting at 6:30 PM. Pot Luck dinners, uniform, and other details as described in a March Troop Blog are still in effect for each patrol. The Fox patrol (Host Patrol) will come in at 6:00 PM for the initial set up. Remember.... this is an Tuesday night instead of the regular Monday night..uniform for the Scouts is the Khaki shirt, Scout shorts or trousers, scout socks, scout belt, merit badge sash, and Troop neckerchief or a BSA bolo.

May 11 Meeting night will review backpacking prep and requirements by B Garrett and A Bansal with Mr. Branin. Though the Sharks will not need a back pack for this trip to the Walls of Jericho, they should attend to to prepare for their back packing trip in the Fall. Mr. Lepianka will give the Scoutmaster's minute. This is a relatively easy trip and all Scouts, except the Sharks (and all other first year Scouts), are encouraged to attend for the rank and merit badge requirements of back packing. The cost is $ 20.00 per person for fuel and other minor requirements. He is encouraged to attend the meeting so we can assure a final head count for the trip.
May 14..Thursday...all going on the trip are required to attend at 6:30 PM with their packed back pack in order to add troop camping items and meal requirements. The Sharks should attend to experience what they will have to pack in the Fall.

May 15-17 Back Packing trip to Walls of Jericho....bring a bagged dinner, uniform on the bus is troop red "t" shirt, scout trousers or shorts, scout belt, and scout socks...be at the Hut at 5:00 PM. Plan on returning around Noon to 1 PM on Sunday, May 17.

18 May..Monday... Trip equipment stowage, PLC, and Troop Committee meeting.

25 May...Monday.. No Troop meeting due to the Memorial Day Holiday
June 1 Monday Program by Dr. Hamilton (Chemistry) and Summer Camp Preparation Information (what to bring..where we are going..what will happen..when we are coming back).

Attached is a Court of Honor Agenda...please make a copy and bring it to the Court for you and the Scout to follow along with......

Congratulations to Mr. Hardy for attending the SMLT last Saturday while the Troop was camping. He will complete the weekend portion of the course (OLS-Outdooor Leadership Training) May 23-25. The Troop encourages all active leaders to attend the course as soon as practicable in the Fall and view the tape:"New Leader Essentials" located on the wall in the back of the Hut to achieve a trained status by BSA requirements. The courses enable a better understanding of the concepts of the "Boy Led Troop," as well as the goals and purpose of the BSA program. BSA Wood Badge is also a goal all active members should plan for in the future in between attending offered BSA certification courses for leaders locally in the District, the Council, and on the internet.

Thanks again for all your support...

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

Nunne-Hi News April 2009

Dear Arrowman,

What an awesome weekend we shared at Camp Comer this past Weekend at Conclave. Our Ceremony Team medaled as expected and scored higher than any other Pre-Ordeal Team in Our Section. The Judges were excited about their chances at NOAC. Congratulations to Troop 21 members P Kidd, J Kunka, J Ng, J Berry and of course their coach Mr. Don Russell. Also a big hand to Mr. Dan Strunk who has encouraged and enabled these boys to step up in Cheerful Service for our Lodge.

A great big thanks for all the Arrowman from Vulcan District that worked and helped make the inaugural SR-9 Conclave the best model for how a Conclave should be held. I heard nothing but positive comments from everyone. Many people worked hard to make Camp Comer shine. For those attending Summer Camp there this year, you will be impressed with the changes. Our next event is this weekend's Ordeal at Camp Sequoyah. Please attend and be an Elangomat or come work the day with your Coosa brothers. These work weekends are really the most important part of the order. We get new members and the camps are made ready for Summer Camp. There will also be an opportunity during the weekend to become a Brotherhood member.

Please email me for more information or visit the website Coosa50.org. As voted by our Arrowmen, Venture Crew 2310 is now Crew 150. We took these numbers from GAC#1 and Coosa #50, or the old Cherokee #50 and combined them. If you are at least 14 and older you can register with our Crew for no additional Charge and stay registered with your unit.

Please attend a Chapter meeting to find out more! We are Meeting this Thursday night at the Mountain View building at Briarwood at 6:30. Our Speaker is Mr. Dell Tull who will be telling the History of the Nunne-Hi and there importance to the Cherokee Indians, We will also have the latest news and notes, and have an opportunity for Brotherhood Counseling if you are ready.

Hey Adults! It is much easier for your Scouts to Attend OA events if you give them a ride. We need you to be committed to make the OA work in your troop by driving them to the events. This is really the most important part of your service. Start this weekend!

Thought of the Day: "Everything is possible for him who believes" Mark 9:23

Sincerely,

Brett Melton
Venture Crew 150 Advisor, Nunne-Hi Chapter, Coosa Lodge

Good Campout past weekend, PLC & Committee meeting tonight

The Trip this weekend was one of our best regarding weather, subject matter, staff, and just a good time at Camp Sequoyah....almost 40 Scouts and leaders were present...

We left after picking up ice at about 6:30 and taking a longer route to avoid the race traffic, arrived at about 10:00 PM at Buck's Hide Out camp site. We returned Sunday by taking a more direct route and still avoiding raceway traffic.

Thanks to Mr. Eggers, Mr. Gunn, and Mr. Turner...more than eight Scouts earned the Archery merit badge and thanks to Dr. Frank Nelson, his son Benjamin, and Mr. Wes Smith the boys shot all the .22 rifle and various gauge shotgun at stationary and skeet targets all day long. That's the first time, thanks to the special effort on Mr. Eggers' effort that the Scouts were able to make their arrows and bow string for the Archery requirments along with scoring on their targets.

Thanks to Mrs. Kidd, the new Scout patrol couldn't have prepared and eaten better meals. Along with acquiring the Patrol name of "Sharks," the Scouts picked up all their requirments for the "Scout" rank, their "Tote and Chip" for us using their pocket knives thanks to all the staff who were able to assist in the teaching the subject. We will sign off the individual Scout Books at summer camp for Scout and most of Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class rank requirements.

Good participation by all the attending parents and leaders made it one of our best and most fun trips this year. A special thanks to Mr. Debalsi for driving his truck to tow our trailer to bring along five archery targets, their stands, and the Skeet thrower for the Shotgun range.

A final not of thanks to Mr. Clark for making a run in to Anniston for a few things left behind for the trip.

Tonight....April 27..is a Troop PLC..Patrol Leader's Conference to plan for May. Uniform is not required..pen and pad are. We will start at 7:00 PM... Patrol leaders and the Asst Senior Patrol Leaders need to be present. We will also fininsh up any quartermaster requirements from the trip.
There is a Troop Committee meeting at 8:00 PM tonight following the PLC....new parents or a parent should try to attend for an introduction and understanding of the planning process in the Committee. You are also welcome to attend the PLC to understand how the boys plan a month or meetings and attend to Troop business and planning.

Don't forget the Troop Court of Honor next week on Tuesday night as described on earlier Troop blogs on the Troop Web Site. The Scout is required to wear his Troop Neckerchief/or a Scout bolo, his merit badge sash, the Kaki shirt, Scout belt, and scout socks. We will have two guest speakers at dinner and a great deal of activity for the next hour or so. The Sharks should wear as much of the uniform as possible as they are coming along in the process.

Thanks to Dr. Hamilton for coming on the trip to "bone up" on his CDL literature and we are anticipating his taking his certification exam this coming Friday at Sumiton....

Thanks to Mr. Eggers and a friend, we recently acquired a good truck load of fire wood.

Please make sure you shake Mrs. Kidd's hand on her rountinely manicuring the Scout Hut grounds for us..they have never looked better.
Thanks again to Mr. Wes Smith as were able to install a new alternator on the Frank Tank prior to the trip.

Thanks for all your support....

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

New Scout campout / Shooting Sports @Sequoyah

We had an excellent turn out for packing up for the Trip tonight.We will meet at the Hut at 5:00PM and once we make an ice run at the Piggley Wiggley we will head out for Camp Sequoyah.

Please fill out the BSA consent form found on our Web Site and bring it with him at 5:00PM...same for his BSA medical form if he is new and don't have a form in the Troop medical form book for him.Also for his first trip..he should bring a bag lunch/supper and have some snack money when we make a stop for fuel and the bathroom on the way up and back.The cost is $32.00 per person. We should be back at the Hut around noon.

Thanks for all your support.....YiS

Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

OA, Shooting Sports, Eagle Proj., COH

Our Order of the Arrow Ceremony Team members went to the Order of the Arrow Conclave this last weekend at Camp Comer....the Ceremony Team members, J Berry, J Kunka, J Ng, and P Kidd competed (K Berry couldn't be present), as they did last year and again were recognized with individual medals for their effort as a competive ceremonies team. The competition was not easy and all their recent work over past weekends at the hut paid off for their effort. Their next competition will be at the (NOAC) National Order of the Arrow Conference in Indianapolis, IN, during the first week of August where again J Kunka, J Ng, P Kidd, and K Berry will compete for National honors (J Berry will not be able attend). The team's coach and mentor, Mr. Don Russell, predicts a total team success based on his past experience at local and National competitions and the work the team is doing to get there.

We wanted to thank D Lepianka and his Dad, Mark, for representing the Troop at the GAC Scout Service Center Green Day Service where D Lepianka earned his service requirements for Star rank.

Tonight's meeting will start as usual with Dr. Nelson talking to our agenda this weekend with Shooting Sports a Camp Sequoyah. Scouts and leaders planning on attending should be present tonight for a final head count, safety requirements, and meal preparation. Mr. Eggers will also talk to requirements for the Archery merit badge which the boys will have an opportunity to complete in great part also.

Thanks to Mr. Frost, all the old paint cans we accumulated at the Hut over the pst several years were transported this weekend to Hoover Metro for disposal.....

Eagle projects: J Ellis is working on a Project that will require painting parking lot lines in an area of Hoover...according to him...there are other locations requiring the same work for other projects for the City of Hoover...he needs to be called for that information. The same applies for other projects waiting for Eagles with the Hoover Parks and Board Department, the Birmingham Zoo, the Birmingham Bontanical Gardens, the Bluff Park Elementary School, the McWayne Center, the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Oak Mountain State Park Headquarters, and others......They are waiting for his call for a planning conference to get underway....

There will be a May Ordeal for the Order of the Arrow the first weekend in May...Scouts who were nominated last year (2008) can attend this Ordeal to become members. It will be there last chance unless voted on by the Troop in 2009.

Thanks for all your support as usual...Please don't forget to make plans to attend our Court of Honor on May 5 (Tuesday night) as described in previous Troop Blogs. An agenda will be emailed the week before.....
Please work with Mr. Lepianka in completing the final payments due for summer camp.

YiS Dan S "Delivering the Promise"

Conclave 09

I need to know who is planning on coming to the OA Conclave this coming weekend at Camp Comer to arrange for transportation...so far I know that myself, P Kidd, J Ng, J Berry, and J Kunka will be there..anyone else?

The cost if you haven't registered is 40.00 covering all meals and we will camp in Troop tents when we arrive.....They are expecting about 900 Scouts from the three state area; it will include competitive Native American Indian Dancing, Ceremonial competition, games, Section Competitions, Lodge Competitions. patch trading, classes, and more.....you can go to Coosa50.org to get more details under under "Conclave 09."

YiS Dan S "Delivering the Promise"

Headcount for Shooting Sports in Apr, Backpacking in May

The bad news: The rappelling trip to Bucks Pocket in May is canceled as the instructor had something come up to prevent his going..but the good news is that we will make the back packing trip to the Walls of Jericho instead. Will be discussed more at the next Troop meeting on April 13th.
The speaker for April 13 is a former Deputy Chief of the Mountain Brook Fire Department. Cliff Carlisle will also talk to the fire former Bluff Park Fire Department as well as the paramedic field as a career. He is currently serving as an arson/fire investigator/consultant.

This Monday, 13th, we are going to need an exact count for the Shooting Sports weekend in order to purchase ammunition, so if the Scout is not present at the meeting and he intends to participate, he needs to make sure his patrol leader knows.

YiS Dan S "Delivering the Promise"

Welcome new Scouts & upcoming trip

The Troop meeting on Monday, April 6, was one of our best attended to hear Mr. Ben Putnam speak to Native American culture and ceremonial dancing as an Eagle from Troop 219 and a Vigil member of the Coosa Lodge of the Order of the Arrow where he serves as an advisor. He is attending University classes on Signing with the the hearing and speech impaired and spoke to the subject as a career and volunteerism in the community.

Dr. Frank Nelson also gave a initial briefing on shooting sports safety at home and on a firing range as a warm up for the shooting sports weekend for the Troop coming up on the weekend of 25 April. Mr. Eggers will be making the majority of the Archery merit badge possible also during the weekend.

We also formally welcomed nine new Scouts as a new patrol into the Troop during the evening:
G Yarboro and his parents Kim and Chris Yarboro;
Z Gandy and his parents Kelly and Melissa;
N Bolding and his dad Mark Bolding;
Z Morrow and his parents Chris and Kellis Morrow;
A and his parents Stacy and Jacquelyn;
J Park and his parents Robert and Na-jin Park; and
J Elmore and his parents Jay and Julie Elmore.
P Kidd's brother, E Kidd, and
Z Eldridge's brother N Eldridge are also present for joining the troop with the new patrol.

Thanks Mrs Kidd, Patrick Kidd, Mr. Hardy, and D Lepianka and Mr. Lepianka for being present at 5:30 PM to assist with the orientation. The new patrol will join us for regular meetings and their new Scout Camp-out when we go to Camp Sequoyah for Shooting Sports.

This coming Monday meeting will feature another special guest speaker we are working on and making arrangements with now.

We are going to need to know the the exact number of Scouts coming on the Shooting Sports weekend in order to have enough ammunition on hand. The Patrol Leaders will be calling the Scouts for this information this week.

Information regarding the trip is on the Troop Blog site in the most recent dates.

The Troop Court of Honor is coming on May 5. Normally, the Court takes place on a Monday, but we had to re-schedule it for a Tuesday. There will be no meeting on Monday, May 4. Remember, A Court of Honor is a family affair to acknowledge all the merit badge and rank advancement the Scouts have earned in the past six months, as well as to welcome in the new Scout leadership for the next six months. Details about the Court is on the Troop Blog site in the most recent dates.

Mr. Frost indicates that all the registration fees have been paid for Scouts and leaders for 2009. If not, please send a check to him as soon as possible or bring it to a meeting and give it to the Scoutmaster for a deposit.
Mr. Lepianka is still working on collecting fees for summer camp. The Scout should be registered for all his merit badges on line by now and fees should being paid either as a lump sum or in increments as he has been announcing.

Thanks to Mrs. Kidd for her work in coordinating the effort, nine Scouts attended the Advance-O-Rama Merit Badge day at Canterbury UMC on April 4 with Mr. Lepianka assisting.

An updated Troop roster to follow.

Thanks for all your support.

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"