Troop 87 was started in 2003 with the intent that it would be a partner unit to Pack 87. We are a smaller sized troop and have learned that there are advantages to this. Our leaders get to know every scout very well and are able to give individual attention that ensures that no one "slips through the cracks". We've also learned that a smaller troop can be more flexible in its scheduling and program planning. We hope for gradual and moderate growth but have no desire to become another mega-troop.
Camping
Our annual program is centered on camping trips. We have a weekend trip once a month, year round. These are not challenging high adventure outings, but are fun and appropriate for boy scouts of all ages. We help more experienced scouts find other programs which allow them to try some more challenging trips such as wilderness trekking. A few of our monthly trips are open to family and friends, though most are less appropriate for non-boy scouts. Parents are always welcome to join and observe our activities. We do not cancel trips due to bad weather. We'll occasionally cancel if the weather presents an actual safety hazard, but this is rare. Each scout is expected to have appropriate clothing in order to manage in routine bad weather.
Advancement
The second primary focus of our troop is advancement. First year scouts will be organized into their own patrol. This is the Boy Scout equivalent of a den. They will learn and practice basic scout skills and can expect to progress through 4 levels of rank advancement to become First Class Scouts at around the end of their first year. This is assuming regular attendance at both weekly meetings and weekend trips. Advancement beyond First Class is based largely on the completion of merit badges. There are a total of 15 required merit badges. 3 or 4 of these must be completed for the ranks of Star Scout and Life Scout and 12 of the 15 must be completed for Eagle Scout. Troop 87 tries to have leaders who are also registered merit badge councilors for all of the required badges so that we can work on these regularly in meetings. We tend to work on these required badges as a group because they are not the ones that most kids would choose to work on independently. They can always complete more fun oriented badges on their own or at summer camp.
Payments and Fundraising
Although there are benefits to being a small troop, there are also drawbacks such as limitations in fundraising. We participate in the council popcorn sale but we do not push it very aggressively and do not raise large sums. We also feel that we keep our kids pretty busy with our established schedule and haven’t chosen to add many additional fundraising activities. For these reasons we primarily function on a pay as you go basis. Some of our trips will require an advance deposit and other times our treasury will pay for events up front and need to be reimbursed. In either case families can expect to make many small payments throughout the year. A positive feature of this policy is that you do not pay for events that you are unable to participate in. However, if you sign up for an event and then need to cancel at the last minute, you must reimburse any amount which has been spent on your behalf.
Reverence
Troop 87 functions in accord with the published BSA policy that “It leaves sectarian religious instruction to the member’s religious leaders and family.” We have members of many different faiths as well as those who do not identify with any organized religion. We accept each family’s own interpretation of what “reverence” means to them, and generally do not include religious observance in our program.
Attendance and Participation
We hope that our scouts have many diverse interests such as music, sports, and hobbies. We are understanding when these things cause them to miss meetings and trips due to unavoidable schedule conflicts. We do expect them to attend as often as possible when there are no conflicts. This ensures that they stay on track with advancement goals and do not fall too far behind when there is that inevitable legitimate schedule conflict. As scouts progress upward in rank they will sometimes find that the troop is working on things which they have already completed. We expect that they will continue to attend regularly and use their experience and leadership skills to help guide younger scouts. Every scout is expected to notify their patrol leader in advance when they are going to miss a meeting or event.
Summer Camp
Our troop attends a weeklong Boy Scout resident camp every July. This is considered to be the single most important event of the scout year. If we were allowed, we would make this a mandatory activity. We really desire that every single scout in our troop attends. This is important enough that we hope families will not plan vacations or other conflicting events during this week. It has been our experience that scouts who do not attend summer camp will have a much harder time fully integrating into the troop and bonding and progressing with their peers.
Uniforms
A final personality trait to be considered is uniforms. Every scout is expected to have a “Class A” uniform. Troop 87 considers the Class A uniform to consist of the BSA tan shirt with all of the correct patches and a pair of green pants or shorts. They do not necessarily have to be official BSA pants or shorts. BSA socks, belts, hats, neckerchiefs, etc. will be considered optional. This policy has been adopted because the cost of all the BSA uniform items is very high. We would prefer that our families spend their hard earned money on great program activities. Class A uniforms are not required for every meeting or event. We wear it for the first meeting of every month and on certain other occasions which are announced in advance. Many scouts come to meetings directly from other activities. If they are unable to change, we would prefer that they come without their uniform than to miss the meeting.