T934 – Summer Camp – Important Info & Reminders
Summer camp departure is TOMORROW, Sunday Jul 25. We’ll meet at the Mt. Tabor High School “bus parking lot” at 10 AM (please see Shannon Settlemire’s email of Jul 6 for more detail on where that is located).
Class A uniforms are REQUIRED at departure (we will be taking our troop photo in them). NO NECKERCHIEFS – they often get lost. Leave those at home. However, DO BRING your SCOUT HANDBOOK. While all rank advancements and Merit Badge accomplishments are given to us by camp, there still may be time for especially Scouts under 1st Class to knock out some rank requirements.
Bring a bag lunch (fast food is OK). The first meal at camp is Sunday dinner.
Have an extra key (for key locked trunks) or the combo written for us (if a combo lock). If you do not have an extra key, then get a lock with one. A lost single key will require us to destroy the foot locker…
Bring a daypack for carrying a water bottle and swimming clothes and towel (for 1st years). Only trunks/foot lockers (no backpacks) for gear in tents.
Bring all meds in a single ziplock bag with your son’s name and detailed administration directions for each med.
A troop photo will be taken at camp. Most of you have already ordered this through your preregistration. If not, we usually have that opportunity to do so on Sunday. Bring $10 cash for a troop pic if you still want one and have not ordered one yet.
Boys will be 2 to a tent. They should have an idea now with whom they want to have as a tentmate (and that feeling should be mutual).
NO PHONES for Raven scouts. LEAVE THEM AT HOME. PLEASE respect this very important rule we have. We encourage all other scouts to leave their phone at home as well. Younger scouts or those with less digital maturity fail to use phones responsibly and often will use these devices to escape from camp responsibilities and social bonding with others in the troop. We will confiscate any phone used in a manner that does not abide by troop rules and Scouting values. Period.
Please attend the Wed night SHARED potluck dinner with the troop. Bring foods your scout and others and their families would like! We will be meeting at the CRK Chapel (again see Shannon’s Jul 6 email for details). It’s a big highlight of the week for the boys (and a great meal, too!) Plan on arriving at camp no later than 5:30, if possible. After dinner, all scouts (and their family’s, if desired) will be attending the Wed night campfire and Order of the Arrow Callout Ceremony that starts at 8:15. All Scouts will remain in attendance at the campfire until its conclusion. If you and your family need to leave before the ceremony is complete, you may; but your son stays with the troop. So prepare for hugs and kisses there and then.
NO SCOUT GOES HOME on Wed night, no matter how much they may beg, cry, demand, throw tantrums, etc. While extreme behavior is very rare, it does happen. However a good many of the 1st year Scouts will ask and may even cajole. If this happens to you, please tell our son you are not allowed to take him home and encourage your son that it’ll be alright to complete his week at camp. Please know that troop and camp leaders are very experienced at dealing with homesickness, etc. Your son will be fine.
Pickup after camp will be around noon on Saturday, Jul 23 at the usual MTUMC lower parking lot. No scout leaves until all troop gear is stowed and put and as released by the SPL.
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at 10 AM at Mt. Tabor HS. We always see summer camp as a positive experience for your son on his journey to Eagle and growth as a young man into adulthood. Thank you for entrusting us with him for this week for this journey in his life.