GENERAL INFORMATION ON TROOP 121

Troop 121 was founded October 23, 1966 with the Holy Spirit Catholic Church as our Charter Organization.  Since it’s inception, Troop 121 has advanced over fifty Scouts to the rank of Eagle.  We have high goals, which are reflected by our troop slogan, “No Fear, Just Eagles”.

Our troop is organized into a number of patrols.  Each patrol has a Patrol Leader (PL), Assistant Patrol Leader (APL) and 5-8 Scouts.  In the fall, we welcome Webelos Scouts into Troop 121 and they form New Scout patrols.  Each new patrol has an experienced older Scout as Troop Guide, to work on basic Scouting skills and advancement.

Monthly Meetings and Activities

Our regular troop meetings are held from September through mid-June on Monday evenings (no meetings on holidays or the fifth Monday).  The meetings are held at Sequoia Elementary School, which is located at the corner of Calistoga Road and DuPont Drive.  The meetings begin at 7:00 PM and last until 8:00 (or 8:30 on the first Monday of the month).

We offer a wide variety of outings from September through June.  Our aim is to camp at least one weekend each month and to schedule as many different camping locations as possible.  Troop 121 outings are designed to provide the Scouts with fun, opportunities to develop new skills to help with their advancement.  For experienced Scouts, we offer challenging backpacking campouts and other high adventure outings.

We organize day hikes including the six of the “Rim of the Bay” hikes.  This is the one activity where patches can be earned by the parents as well as the Scouts.

Troop 121 believes in the importance of giving time to help others in the community.  We offer at least one service project each month.  Some of the projects we take on regularly are:

·        Working at the Salvation Army food bank.

·        Helping to clean up after the library book fair.

·        Serving meals at Holy Spirit Church.

·        Teaching youth during “learn to fish” day.

For a schedule of current Troop 121 events, please check out our Calendar.

Special Events

Troop 121 has a history of special family events including:

·        Family Skiing/Snowboarding trip.  This takes place during a three day weekend, usually the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in January.  We reserve a lodge at North Lake Tahoe, ski and snowboard for 3 days, work on the snow sports merit badge and have a great time!

·        Family Camp.  This occurs each year over the Memorial Day weekend, at Camp Masonite/Navarro.  We encourage the entire family to attend the weekend of hiking, biking, basketball, work projects and great meals.  On Sunday, we have our annual planning meeting and in the evening around the campfire we hold a Court of Honor.

Summer Camps

Troop 121 normally participates in 3-4 summer camps each year.  These include:

·        Camp Masonite/Navarro.  This camp is run by our district and is about 1 ½ hours away nestled in the Redwoods on the “icy cold” Navarro river near the town of Philo.  This is an excellent camp for newer Scouts as it offers many of the basic programs.

·        Camp Emerald Bay.  This camp is a favorite for some of experienced Scouts.  It is located in Southern California on Catalina Island.  It offers many water related merit badges that are hard to get in the chilly waters of Northern California.

·        Camp Wente.  In 1999, we added this camp as an alternative for experienced Scouts who want to try something new.  The Scouts that have attended gave this camp a very good rating for fine programs, the warm lake and excellent food.

·        Camp Royaneh.  This is the oldest continuously running Scout Camp west of the Mississippi River.  This camp has a great COPE course (similar to a ROPES course), horsemanship and a swimming pool.  In 2000, we will offer this camp for the first time.

·        Philmont Scout Ranch.  This trip may be what a Scout will remember most about his entire scouting experience.  This grueling 10 day backpacking trip through the New Mexico Mountains is intended for experienced Scouts.  Because this is visited by Scouts from around the world,  we can only offer this opportunity every few years.  Our next opportunity for Philmont will be during the summer of 2002.

Uniforms

One of the most distinguishing features of the Troop 121 uniform is the sharp-looking Red Berets we wear.  Class A uniforms (beret, scout shirt, scout pants or shorts with scout socks and scout belt) are worn at the first Monday meeting of every month, all Court of Honor ceremonies, Summer Camps and whenever we are on an event out in the public eye. Class B uniforms (T-shirt associated with scouting, scout pants or shorts and scout belt) are worn at all other Monday troop meetings, hikes and campouts.

Advancement

The Troop Advancement Program is designed to encourage Scouts to accomplish a progressive series of learning experiences in the areas of citizenship, character, personal fitness and camping objectives of the Boy Scout Program.  As Scouts take part in troop activities, they learn skills and meet requirements that allow them to advance in rank.  There are the following seven ranks along the Eagle Trail:

A key part of advancement is to earn merit badges.  Merit badges can be earned during the Monday troop meetings, during a summer camp, or by the Scout’s own initiative.  Part of the process for completing a merit badge is to have the “Blue Card” filled out.  The completed cards are placed in our troops “Blue Card Box”.

Troop 121 holds three Court of Honor ceremonies each year.  We hold one in October, one in November and one in May during our Family Camp.  The Scouts are awarded their rank advancements and merit badges during the ceremony.  A special Eagle Court of Honor is held for each boy when they attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Scout Leadership

We aim to be a “Boy Run Troop”.  This means that the meetings are planned by and for the Scouts, not adult leaders.  All of the Scout leaders are elected by their peers and serve six-month terms.  The Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) is made up of SPL, ASPL, all of the PL’s, Troop Guides and the Scribe.  They take the lead in planning and executing our Troop program under the guidance of the Scoutmaster.

Parent Involvement

Parents need to be active in Troop 121 in order for the troop to operate.  There are a variety of areas in which we need and appreciate participation.  We have a Troop Parent Committee composed of all the Scouts parents and guardians.  The committee has set positions (Committee Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Advancement and Re-chartering) with open-ended terms.  All parents are encouraged to attend the Troop Parent Committee meetings which are held at Sequoia School from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM on the first Monday of each month  from September through May.

Other adult positions within the Troop include Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and Merit Badge Counselor.  We encourage parents to consider a role in which they can best use their talents and skills.  In most cases the Scouts who have parents who take an active role in the Troop are the Scouts who get the most of their Scouting experiences.

If you are concerned that you may not have the background, don’t worry, there are many training classes available to get you started.  We provide the Youth Protection Training which is required for adult leaders who participate with the Scouts in Troop activities.  All of our current adult leaders started out where you are so just jump right up and ask the Scoutmaster or Committee Chair how you can help.

Fundraising

E-script and Comedy Day

Parents and other relatives and friend of Scouts can support us financially by joining the e-scrip program.   For $10 per year, a portion of your money spent with companies such as Safeway and American Airlines is donated to our troop by these generous supporters.

Each August, we perform trash and grounds cleanup duties at San Francisco's Comedy Day.  This is a free comedy concert held in Golden Gate Park.  A number of well-known comedians perform.  Historically, Comedy Day has given us a generous contribution.