Troop 50 recognized as council 'trailblazer'

In January 2021, Troop 50 was among six units — four troops and two crews — recognized as a "trailblazer" unit in the Chattahoochee Council. The Trailblazer Program recognizes units that sustain and grow their membership in 2020. Units qualify for this distinction if:

• their 2019 membership was below the council's average unit size (18 Scouts, for Boy Scout troops) and their 2020 membership represented a growth of 10% gain in membership by year's end; or
• their 2019 membership was equal to or above the council's average unit size and their 2020 membership was at least the same by year's end.

Troop 50 has long prided itself in maintaining its growth in a managed manner and in proportion to current and projected resources and volunteer support. Troop leaders believe this "managed growth" approach helps ensure every Scout and his family have a positive experience.

The troop provides information about how to join and its membership process on its website. Second-year Webelos or other prospective Scouts wishing to visit a troop meeting should contact Scoutmaster Andrew Baird at scoutmaster@boyscout50.org. Scheduling a visit is especially important during the pandemic so we can brief visiting families on our public safety protocols, as well as keep you informed in meeting plans change.

Scouts, families gather for annual planning retreat

Fresh on the heels of new Scouts and families joining Troop 50 as part of the pack-to-troop Webelos crossover season, Scouts, parents and leaders gathered at Auburn’s Kreher Preserve and Nature Center April 26-28 for the troop’s Annual Planning Campout and Retreat.

The campout represented the first time most of the Webelos who recently crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts camped with the troop. Friday evening’s traditional activities of setting up patrol areas and tents, and preparing dinner in their respective patrols, gave the troop’s newest Scouts the opportunity to see how patrols operate on a typical campout.

Scoutmaster Andrew Baird briefs Scouts on the morning's GPS exercise.

Oliver, one of the troop's newest Scouts, addresses a first aid
need encountered along the GPS course.

Following Saturday morning’s breakfast preparation, Scouts divided into a number of group activities designed to satisfy rank requirements for most of those working on ranks ranging from Scout to First Class. These activities centered on reading maps, using GPS units and applying first aid techniques.

Typically, the troop looks for ways to volunteer and improve the facilities where it camps. For this campout, that included three projects: rebuilding the campsite’s campfire seating area and cleaning up weeds and other debris from the area around campfire, cutting small trees and brush on the dam for the pond, and cleaning out and organizing the lumber in the nearby storage pavilion.

Scouts, with the guidance of Assistant Scoutmaster Matt Jordan, cleared out and sorted lumber as
one of the troop's three service projects on Saturday.

Parents, Scouts and leaders discussed a variety of topics
during Saturday afternoon's planning retreat.

Scouts and leaders prepared lunch for the troop’s parents, who began arriving around noon. Following a lunch of burgers, fries and cookies, the troop began the annual planning retreat portion of the weekend. The afternoon’s agenda, led by Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford, included identifying dates for troop outings and activities for the upcoming year, as well as soliciting feedback from Scouts about possible campout locations and programs, highlights of the current troop year, and ways in which the troop might improve during the course of the upcoming year. After Scouts returned to the campsite to ready for dinner, parents and leaders continued to discuss administrative matters like the troop’s operating budget, fees and policies. Following dinner, Scouts led a troop campfire program, complete with songs, skits and the like.

On Sunday, following breakfast, packing up gear and campsite cleanup, the troop gathered for its regular Sunday devotional service. The program included an opening prayer by Troop Chaplain’s Aide Rhett and a devotional by Troop Chaplain Michael Tullier about Jesus’ “Parable of the Weeds” found in Matthew 13:24-43. He and Scouts discussed how the weeds of sin can creep into our lives, and how each of us must be diligent in keeping them from taking over.

Since the Annual Planning Retreat served the purpose of the troop’s monthly Patrol Leaders’ Council, the troop’s next activity will be its regular troop meeting on Monday, May 6. Visit the troop’s online photo album for more photos from the Annual Planning Retreat and Campout.

Zuk honored as Troop 50’s 15th Eagle Scout

On Sunday, Aug. 12, Troop 50 bestowed the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank during a ceremony honoring new Eagle Scout Nicholas Emil “Nick” van Zuk. He is the son of Rose-Marie Zuk and the late Dr. Gary Zuk of Auburn. At the time of his Eagle Scout Board of Review, Nick was the troop’s youngest Eagle Scout and its 15th since its founding in 2012.

Nick’s ceremony, held at Monarch Estates senior living and retirement community — the site of his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project — included many of his fellow Scouts and adult leaders who have been in Scouting with him since his days as a Cub Scout, and who have served with him in a variety of troop leadership positions. It also included his pastor, Rev. Msgr. William Skoneki of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, who offered the invocation.

After accepting the “Eagle Scout Charge” from Scoutmaster Andrew Baird, Nick’s mother, Rose, the Eagle Scout medal on Nick and presented him with an Eagle Scout neckerchief slide. He in turn presented his mother with an Eagle Scout mother’s pin. Mr. Baird presented Nick with a framed Eagle Scout medal, noting that Nick was the first Eagle Scout in the troop to have enough merit badges at the time of his Eagle Scout Board of Review to receive all three Eagle Scout palms. Concluding the troop’s recognition was Chartered Organization Representative Michael Tullier, who acknowledged the troop’s gift of membership in the National Eagle Scout Association.

Also on hand for the ceremony was Ron Anders, Ward 2 councilman and mayor pro tem for the City of Auburn. On behalf of the city and Mayor Bill Ham, Mr. Anders congratulated Nick on his achievement and his example of leadership. In recognition of those achievements, Mr. Anders presented Nick with a proclamation declaring Aug. 12, 2018, as “Nicholas Emil van Zuk Eagle Scout Day.”

Nick honors the contributions of Mark Hankess, one of five individuals he presented with Eagle Scout mentor pins.

During Nick’s closing remarks, he acknowledged his fellow Scouts and the adult leaders who had supported his efforts to earn the Eagle Scout rank. As is customary, he singled out individuals who played a special role, presenting each with an Eagle Scout mentor pin. Among those were:

• Andrew Baird, his scoutmaster
• Rob Stanford, the troop’s committee chair who also served as his Eagle Scout project coach
• Jeff Sibley, a family friend who assisted Nick with his Eagle Scout project
• Mary Rainey, a long-time family friend and supporter of Nick’s Scouting efforts, who also has taught several of Nick’s homeschool classes
• Mark Hankess, a family friend who has been present through Nick’s life and has taught him life skills ranging from “how to fish, drive a boat and use a hammer.”

After earning Cub Scouting’s Arrow of Light as a Webelos Scout in Auburn's Pack 29, Nick joined Troop 11 before later transferring to Troop 50 in 2015. Since then, he has served as patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, lead instructor, and currently junior assistant scoutmaster. Through his Scouting participation, he had earned 39 merit badges by the time of his ceremony, qualifying him for a bronze, gold, and silver Eagle Palm. He also has accrued more than 75 nights of camping, 100 hours of community service, 100 hiking and backpacking miles, and 20 paddling miles.

Nick receiving the 2017 James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout
Award from Scoutmaster Andrew Baird at the
troop's August 2017 Court of Honor

Nick received the troop’s 2017 James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award; was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society; served as a youth counselor at Camp Half Moon at Camp Frank G. Lumpkin; and earned the BSA Mile Swim Award. He completed National Youth Leadership Training, an intensive, six-day leadership development program, which provides Scouts with leadership skills and experience applicable to both Scouting and other situations demanding leadership.

Nick and fellow members of the June 2017
620-B Philmont Expedition.

In addition to various troop-related outings and campouts, in June 2017, Nick participated in a 12-day backpacking expedition at Philmont Scout Ranch, the Boy Scouts’ largest national high-adventure base located in Cimarron, New Mexico. He also has participated in a seven-day sailing expedition at the Boy Scouts’ Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys.

For his Eagle Scout leadership service project, Nick designed and raised funds for a Veterans Memorial Garden at Monarch Estates retirement community in Auburn. Family, friends, and fellow Scouts and leaders logged more than 520 service hours planning and constructing the project. The garden provides residents with an accessible concrete pathway; four benches that convert to tables, which allow residents and visitors more places to socialize; two self-watering raised planters; a butterfly garden; and a fountain.

Nick's completed Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project at Monarch Estates.

After completing the Eagle Scout rank requirements, which included planning and executing his service project, Nick appeared before the Saugahatchee District’s Eagle Scout Board on Sept. 19, 2017. He is among the four Troop 50 Scouts to earn the Eagle Scout rank during 2017.

Currently, Nick is a ninth grader at Auburn Junior High School and is a member of the Auburn High School swim team. He and his family attend St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Auburn, where he is an altar server.

Since the first Eagle Scout was awarded in 1912, nearly 2.5 million Boy Scouts have completed the Eagle Scout’s performance-based rank requirements, which currently include serving in progressive leadership positions, demonstrating outdoor and Scouting skill competencies, earning at least 21 merit badges, and planning and executing a seminal Eagle Scout leadership service project. During 2017 alone, 55,494 Boy Scouts earned Scouting’s highest rank.

For more photos of Nick's ceremony and service project, visit the troop's online photo album.

Hitting the ground running

On the evening of Friday, April 20, the Pack 29 Webelos crossover ceremony was barely over when Troop 50’s newest Scouts loaded up in the Auburn United Methodist Church bus to join the rest of their fellow Boy Scouts for the troop’s annual planning retreat. As soon as the bus arrived at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka, these newest additions to the troop hit the ground running — literally — with gear in hand for their first two nights of Boy Scout camping.

Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford (center) leads officially opens the troop's sixth annual planning retreat.

The troop held its annual planning retreat the weekend of April 20-22 in a new location — Pioneer Park, maintained by the Lee County Historical Society. The living museum features nine structures that depict life in the county from the mid 1800s through mid 1900s. Among the park’s attractions is Dr. McLain’s Office, the site of Aiden Lytle’s Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project, and the McLain Garden, where Life Scout Jacob currently is completing garden improvements and the site of his Eagle Scout project.

This year marks the troop’s sixth annual planning retreat, which provides Scouts, leaders and parents a forum to share observations about troop operations and input into activities that will comprise the troop’s upcoming year of programming. As a function of the troop committee, the retreat is facilitated by Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford, who led discussions throughout the morning.

Senior Patrol Leader Rusty and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Joe
outline the Scouts' discussions for parents and leaders in attendance.

The retreat includes two components: a session for Scouts, where they critique past troop activities and offer suggestions for campout locations and programming for the upcoming year; and a session for parents and leaders, who review troop policies and budgets, and evaluate the best scheduling opportunities on the troop’s calendar for monthly outings and other troop events.

The two groups then came together, where Senior Patrol Leader Rusty summarized the Scouts’ discussions, as well as their ideas for potential troop outings. And, as usual, those ideas ranged from the regular staples, such as canoeing and backpacking, to the extremes, like amusement parks and swimming with the manatees. Many of their ideas, however, made the list of potential outings and will appear on the troop calendar once logistics are evaluated and finalized.

While the adults finished reviewing budgets and policies, Scouts and leaders returned to the campsite, where Scouts began preparing a lunch of hamburgers for everyone’s enjoyment. The campsite lunch gave parents the opportunity to see how the troop camps and the type of gear it uses.

Following lunch and the parents’ departure, Scouts went about several afternoon planned activities. Most of the scouts participated in a service project to benefit the Historical Society by cleaning trash and other debris from a newly acquired building adjacent to park property. In addition to the use of brooms and shovels, Scouts also learned the benefits of dust masks when cleaning as the air soon became thick with the dirt stirred up by the brooms.

At the same time, some of the older Scouts assisted Jacob with completing his Eagle Scout project. Later in the afternoon, the troop’s newest Scouts learned the basics of orienteering (that’s using a compass, for the benefit of those new to Boy Scouting lingo), and completed other early rank requirements. The troop concluded the evening with cooking dinner and dining by patrol, followed by an improv-style campfire organized by Life Scout and Troop Historian Jason.

Sunday morning, after breakfast preparations and packing up camp, the troop assembled for its traditional Sunday morning devotional service, led by Charter Organization Representative Michael Tullier. The group discussed the idea of “making yourself at home” at a friend’s house and paralleled that with several passages of Scripture that speak to making God at home in our hearts.

For more photos from the annual planning retreat, visit the troop’s online photo album.

The new 'Troop 50 Five' achieve milestone Scout Rank

The troop's five newest members arrived at Monday's night's meeting as official members of the troop — having crossed over from Pack 29 to Boy Scouts on April 10 — and left the meeting with not only their patrol assignments, but with the Scout rank in hand. The five received their Scout rank patches from Senior Patrol Leader Andrew and Assistant Patrol Leader Will at the conclusion of the evening's meeting.

Our newest Scouts, flanked by ASPL William (far left) and SPL Andrew (far right),
are (left to right): Trey, Carl, Zach, Hunter, and Miles.

Carl, Trey and Hunter are now members of the Carnivorous Pandas Patrol, and Zach and Miles are members of the Outdoorsmen Patrol.

And, for our parents who may not know where to put the newest patch in their sons' collection, here's a hint!

Webelos bring new 'light' to troop during crossover ceremony

Arrow of Light awards in hand, five Pack 29 Webelos Scouts crossed the Scouting bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts on Friday, April 10, thereby becoming Troop 50's newest Boy Scouts. While they are new additions to the official troop roster, their steady attendance at recent troop meetings has already made them familiar faces at troop activities.

The troop's newest Scouts included (front row, second from the left to right) Carl, Zach, Hunter,
Miles, and Trey. They are joined by current Troop 50 Scouts and leaders — and all Pack 29
alumni — (front row, far left) Jason; (back row, left to right) Nicky, Ethan,
Chartered Organization Representative and Assistant Scoutmaster Michael Tullier, ASPL Will,
SPL Andrew, Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford, and Assistant Scoutmaster Billy Lytle.

Pack 29 conducted its crossover ceremony at Auburn United Methodist Church, which serves as the its chartered organization. Rains throughout the day and evening on Friday unfortunately forced the pack to move the ceremony indoors, and despite missing elements like a campfire and torches that are standards for the pack's annual ceremony, pack leaders and Scouts did a great job retaining a warm Scouting spirit for all who attended. Senior Patrol Leader Andrew and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader William assisted in the ceremony as one of the principle ceremony actors and "backstage," respectively, and the troop was well represented by other Scouts and leaders present to receive our newest members and their families.

The five Webelos joining Troop 50 were among more than a dozen Webelos Scouts participating in the event and transferring membership from the pack to area Boy Scout troops. Many of Troop 50's Scouts and leaders are alumni of Pack 29. The 2015 ceremony marks the third consecutive year the troop has benefited from a strong class of new Scouts (and families) crossing over from Pack 29.

In addition to celebrating the achievements of the pack's Webelos Scouts, pack leadership also lauded the contributions of many of its leaders who were "retiring" from their Pack 29 service. Among those with Troop 50 connections were Rob Stanford, the troop's committee chair who until last year served as the pack's cubmaster, and for the past year has served as the pack's committee chair; Lysha Stanford, troop committee member who has served as pack trainer and, as Rob referred to her, "his better half"; Clyde Wikle, who served for many years has provided leadership for his son's den and organized pack activities as its outings chair; and Mary Jo Wikle, who assisted in chairing a number of pack committee duties over the years.

Please visit the troop's online photo album for more photos from the crossover event.

Webelos 'take aim' at troop during Arrow of Light ceremonies

The Troop 50 family is growing as a result of two recent Arrow of Light crossover ceremonies. We're delighted these Scouts have chosen to continue their Scouting journey into Boy Scouts, and that their Trail to Eagle will include Troop 50. Many of our new Boy Scouts have already been attending meetings and activities while Webelos Scouts, and we're excited to make them official Boy Scouts in our troop.

Liam accepts an arrow keepsake from
Pack 811 as part of the pack's
Arrow of Light and Crossover
Ceremony.

The first of these ceremonies was Pack 811's, conducted on March 16 at Auburn University's Ag Heritage Park. At that ceremony, Liam became Troop 50's first new Scout of 2014 as he crossed the bridge into Boy Scouting.

The second ceremony was Pack 29's, conducted on April 5 at Auburn United Methodist Church. The ceremony included nearly 20 Webelos Scouts from two dens, and 10 of those chose to join Troop 50.

In addition to being represented by the Webelos joining the troop, the ceremony also included two founding Scouts of Troop 50 — Andrew and Davis — who appeared as two of the four Native American principals who each represented one of the four winds — North, South, East and West. At the end of the ceremony, Webelos were escorted to different areas where each of the troops receiving their new Scouts were stationed. Both Andrew and Davis earned the Arrow of Light as Webelos themselves and are alumni of Pack 29. For more photos from the Pack 29 Arrow of Light Ceremony, view the troop's online photo album.

New Boy Scouts from Pack 29 include  (left to right), front row:
Everett, Ethan, Clayton, Jason, and Joe; middle row: Aiden, Creighton,
and Jack; back row: Scoutmaster Andrew Baird, Rusty, senior Troop 50
Scouts Davis and Andrew, and Ryan.

We're excited about the addition of our newest Scouts and wish them all much success on their Trail to Eagle!

Troop 50 lights the way during Webelos Crossover

Troop 50 Scouts donned leggings, grease paint and headdresses Saturday evening as part of Cub Scout Pack 29's annual Arrow of Light and Webelos Crossover Ceremony. The ceremony, which took place at the Forest Ecology Preserve, involved nine Webelos Scouts crossing over into three Auburn-based Boy Scout troops -- with four of the nine choosing Troop 50.

Davis, Kyle, William and Andrew (pictured above) participated in the ceremony by appearing as Native American principals who each represented one of the four winds -- North, South, East and West. The four were aided by other Troop 50 Scouts and leaders participating in the background as drummers and "backstage support." At the end of the ceremony, Webelos were escorted to different areas where each of the troops receiving their new Scouts were stationed.

 

At the end of the ceremony, our new Scouts -- (left to right) Louis, Mark, Andrew and Michael -- joined the ceremony principals and Senior Patrol Leader Jake (far right) for a group photo. We're delighted they and their families have selected Troop 50 in which to continue their Scouting activities, and we wish them all much success on the Trail to Eagle!

View more photos from the ceremony in our online photo album.