History

Troop 1345 is sponsored by the Burke Conservancy, the homeowners association for all residents of the Burke area. Our troop recently reached our 25th anniversary. We are located within the Patriot District of the National Capital Area Council.

Our troop activities are designed to provide adventure and fun, while obtaining the skills needed to solve problems, gain self-discipline and self-reliance, respect other people and our environment, learn teamwork, and develop leadership. These activities include camping, hiking, high adventure, skiing, flag ceremonies, public service projects, and Scouting for Food.

The strength of our troop rests in the active participation of each and every scout and his parents. Some parents are assistant scoutmasters, while others hold positions such as treasurer, badge counselors or event coordinators. One assistant scoutmaster focuses on helping the new scouts, while another works with Eagle Scout candidates. Most all of our parents have driven scouts to and from events. In all cases, the high levels of parental involvement and commitment are key to our success as a troop.

But our troop is run by the scouts, not the adults! The Senior Patrol Leader is an older scout elected by the troop, who runs the weekly meetings and sets the tone for the troop activities. He is assisted by other senior scouts. We have other scouts who hold appointive offices such as quartermaster, scribe, historian and librarian.

We meet every Thursday night at 7:00 at the Woods Community Center. Most meetings last about 90 minutes. We cancel meetings only for school holidays and extreme weather. Otherwise, we meet regularly throughout the year, including summer months.

The troop members are divided into patrols of between five and eight scouts to better organize their activities. These patrols can be somewhat independent of each other in their activities, and sometimes engage in friendly competition with each other. The patrol leaders are an integral part of our weekly troop meetings, leading the patrol members in their instructional activities and planning.

The first Thursday of the month is the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC), during which our scout leaders, patrol leaders and officers meet with the Scoutmaster and Assistants to discuss current issues within the troop and plan for the future. The PLC sets the annual troop plan of activities each summer and maintains the plan throughout the year.

The Troop Committee meets monthly at the same time as the PLC, though in a different room. Committee members are parents who are actively involved in troop management as badge counselors, project managers, treasurer, database administrator, and event leaders. The committee handles financial management and ensures that troop functions properly comply with BSA policy.

During all meetings other than formal events, scouts should wear Class A uniforms – the official BSA khaki shirt with insignia, neckerchief and slide, pants or shirt, and socks. The Scout sash is only required for Courts of Honor and other designated formal occasions.

Scouts should make every effort to attend all regular weekly meetings. They sign in at the beginning of all meetings as a record of their participation. Scouts should listen carefully for all announcements at the beginning of each meeting to learn what will be happening later that night and in upcoming weeks. Handouts are provided to discuss details of upcoming events, and badge counselors are available to help scouts in their progress toward fulfilling the requirements.

We send out a quarterly newsletter after the PLC meeting as a further means of communication to both scout and parent. This newsletter is also posted on this web site.

Unlike some youth organizations that perform several fund-raising events throughout the year, our troop has only one – a mulch sale. Held in early spring, we consistently sell over 8000 bags of shredded hardwood mulch to houses in the Burke area. The scouts actually meet about six weeks beforehand to distribute flyers to area homes. Then on the big day, we all congregate about 7:30 in a large parking lot to ride or chase after trucks that deliver to our customers. Scouts also recruit their parents, brothers, and friends to help out during the day, and receive an unlimited supply of refreshments at the lot.

A portion of the funds raised by these events is deposited into an account for each scout based on his level of participation. The funds in this account are available for the scout to defray his cost of equipment and event participation.

The annual membership fee for scouts is $50. These fees cover troop and council registration, insurance, uniform accessories, handbooks, and subscription to Boy’s Life magazine.