Welcome to the July newsletter! Peak summer brought an incredible month of growth, service, and adventure for Troop 89. Highlights include a week-long summer camp trip to Resica Falls, a patrol hike at Sourland Mountain Preserve, and a meaningful community service project assembling care packages for deployed service members with Operation Shoebox New Jersey. We are proud to highlight the hard work our Scouts put into rank advancement, leadership development, and teamwork this month.
Table of Contents:
Summer Camp Recap
Scribe Report by Krishiv
Leader Report by Samarth
Community Service Highlight
Operation Shoebox New Jersey
Patrol Leader Highlights
Shark Patrol by Rohan
Wolf Patrol by Arya
New Scout Patrol by Darsh
Honorary Scouting Skill of the Month: Tripod Lashing
Puzzle of the Month
Summer Camp at Resica Falls
Scribe Report By Krishiv
Summer camp at Resica Falls was an eventful and fun-filled week for our Scouts.
Every year, Troop 89 spends a week at summer camp to earn merit badges, gain leadership experience, sharpen outdoor skills, collaborate with other groups, and build lifelong friendships. Scouts camp outdoors on cots and have daily opportunities to attend diverse programs, earning badges in areas such as Cooking, Camping, Archery, Wood Carving, ATV riding, and many others.
Our troop spent a fantastic week at Resica Falls Scout Reservation in Monroe County, PA. Standout highlights compared to camps we’ve previously visited, such as Forestburg or Camp Sommers, included great food, unique badge offerings like Movie Making, ATV trails, and a dedicated freshwater pool equipped with multiple water slides.
This year's theme at Resica Falls was The Curse of the Mystic Waters, which incorporated elements of magic. The camp divided participants into two houses: House Brenner and House Runner. Throughout the week, troops competed in events to earn house points, including Duel of the Wands (a sports tournament) and The Hunt for Jareth's Lost Artifacts. In addition to camp-wide events, our troop explored local trails on a group hike and visited the lake for a swim.
During free time, our Scouts found plenty of ways to stay entertained. We visited the trading post for snacks and gear and gathered on the parade field for games of gaga, tetherball, basketball, and volleyball. A major highlight for everyone was the Night Swim, where Scouts got to enjoy the pool and water slides after dark!
Leader Report By Samarth
My experience leading summer camp this year was overall really good. This was the first time I had to take the SPL position, so it was definitely a little stressful, especially on a big trip like summer camp, where the SPL has a lot of responsibilities. However, the Scouts who came to this year's summer camp were already very well-behaved, so I didn't have to constantly tell them what to do, which definitely made everything a lot easier. The main things I had to do were attend the daily SPL meetings and keep track of activities our troop wanted to do and whether everyone was together and having fun, which I think is the most important part. Additionally, my overall experience at summer camp was really fun, although it rained a lot for a few days. The other days had beautiful weather, and the whole troop was able to come together and play sports like gaga or volleyball, and also go night swimming together, which was all amazing bonding time with each other. Overall, I really liked leading this year's summer camp as it gave me good practice for when I myself have to become an SPL, and it helped me figure out what I need to work on more as a leader to maintain a stable troop where everyone is having fun and learning.
Community Service Highlight
Operation Shoebox New Jersey
This month, Troop 89 partnered with Operation Shoebox New Jersey, a non-profit organization dedicated to assembling and shipping care packages to deployed military members serving across the world.
To date, Operation Shoebox NJ has shipped over 200,000 personal care packages filled with snacks, toiletries, and comfort items. Our Scouts were proud to step up, support our troops abroad, and embody the Scout Oath by helping others at all times.
Patrol Leader Highlights
Shark Patrol by Rohan
July was a fun month for the Shark Patrol. I got to know more about each Scout, as well as more information for future meetings. We held 2 Shark Patrol meetings over the month, which included going over Warm Weather Camping for this summer, l as well as a Patrol hike at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. As a leader, this meant planning and thinking about what the patrol currently needs and what could be beneficial to them, not just in a team-building way, but in a physical way as well. I chose July for a hike as the weather seemed cool with a welcoming sun, plenty of clouds, and a nice early-summer breeze. We went on a hike that was around 3.5- 4 miles. This meant that the hike was easy enough to spend time and enjoy the Sourland Mountains, but heavy enough to get a good exercise in for the day. This hike was especially important because one of my Scouts in our patrol, Tejas, was able to get his Orienteering requirement signed off, which was a huge plus, as there are not many opportunities to get that requirement. Leading these meetings showed me that leading a patrol isn’t just about what you do during an event, but more importantly, what you do before it. Planning can make all the difference between something going smoothly and something getting canceled. I hope that August and the rest of the term can be as great as July was, if not better, and I hope to improve myself and patrol as much as possible!
Wolf Patrol by Arya
In the month of July, I held a patrol meeting with about five Scouts in attendance. During the meeting, we discussed first aid and completed many requirements. The Scouts enjoyed the meeting and had a great time teaching younger Scouts these important skills.
After the first aid portion of the meeting, refreshments were provided for everyone.
New Scout Patrol by Darsh
During the month of July, I had the opportunity to take on a leadership role with our new Scout patrol and help our new Scouts get started on their Scouting journey. I led and organized patrol meetings, worked with Scouts on their rank requirements, and helped them understand what they needed to complete to continue advancing through the ranks.
A major part of my role was working directly with the new Scouts and helping them become more comfortable with the different aspects of Scouting. During our meetings, I reviewed requirements with them, answered questions, demonstrated skills when needed, and signed off on requirements they successfully completed. I made sure to give each Scout the time and guidance they needed while encouraging them to take responsibility for their own progress.
I also focused on helping the Scouts understand that advancement is not just about completing requirements, but about learning useful skills, becoming more confident, and growing as leaders themselves. It was rewarding to see the Scouts make progress throughout the month and become more comfortable participating in meetings and completing their requirements.
Leading the new patrol was a valuable experience for me as well. It gave me the opportunity to practice leadership, communication, organization, and mentoring while helping other Scouts succeed. I look forward to continuing to support the patrol and helping our new Scouts advance, develop their skills, and become active members of our troop.
Honorary Scouting Skill of the Month
As part of Scouting, all Scouts must master certain Scouting skills, including but not limited to Orienteering, Knots, Lashings, Basic First Aid, Cooking, Leadership, and adhering to the Scout Oath and Law.
This segment of the newsletter is dedicated to encouraging Scouts to master these basic elements and skills of Scouting.
How to Tie a Tripod Lashing
End of Newsletter Puzzle
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