Weekly Troop Meetings
Troop meetings are held every Sunday evening, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at St. James Presbyterian Church at 1425 Orrs Bridge Road, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Scouts should wear their Class-A Uniform with a Class-B shirt underneath. Scouts should also bring their scout handbook, pen and paper to all weekly meetings.
Preferably, meetings will be held outside at the church pavilion. However, during inclement weather or when the temperatures drops below 40, the Troop will move inside to the church’s gym.
Four Different Meeting Types
There are four main meeting types, each serving a specific purpose for the Troop. Click on the following to expand the section and learn more about the specific meeting type.
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- The purpose of the Outing Prep Meetings is to allow the Scouts to make plans, develop menus, check equipment, choose tent mates and handle other details related to the upcoming outing.
- This is an important meeting to attend for scouts so they may help finalize the outing plans and so they may understand what is required of them for the coming event.
- It is important that you signup for the outing as soon as possible, prior to the Outing Prep Meeting.
- There are several different types of outings. Each type is detailed on the Troop’s Events & Outings page
- The typical agenda for an Outing Prep Meeting includes:
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- 6:30-7:00p – Meeting prep., trailer and equip. prep for outing
- 7:00-7:05p – Opening flag ceremony
- 7:05-7:10p – Announcements, finalize outing signups
- 7:10-7:50p:
- Finalize weekend agenda
- Create menu plan
- Assign a Grubmaster for each patrol
- Setup duty roster
- Plan weekend’s campfire and interfaith services (as needed)
- 7:50-8:00p – Closing
- 8:00p – Green-Bar (PLC) Check-point, to review the following:
- Upcoming items on the Current Monthly Planner
- Upcoming items on the Current Schedule of Events
- Finalize the Troop Meeting Plan for the next meeting
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More coming…
Typical Troop Meeting Agenda:
- 6:30-7:00p – Meeting preparations and individual scout work, including:
- Scoutmaster Conferences (SMCs)
- Board of Reviews (BORs)
- Advancement work
- Merit badge work
- games & free time
- 7:00-7:05p – Opening flag ceremony
- 7:05-7:10p – Announcements
- 7:10-7:50p – TBD
- detailed by the Green Bar, using the Troop Meeting Planner
- 7:50-8:00p – Closing
- 8:00p – Green-Bar (PLC) Check-point, to review:
- Upcoming items on the Current Monthly Planner
- Upcoming items on the Current Schedule of Events
- Finalize the Troop Meeting Plan for the next meeting
More coming…
More coming…
Common for All Weekly Troop Meetings
Several key points are present at all Weekly Troop Meetings, including the following:
- Learning and practicing Scouting skills – Scouts spend part of the troop meeting learning and practicing skills that they will need ton upcoming outings or that will help them advance in rank
- Exercising leadership – The Scouts themselves plan and conduct troop meetings. This autonomy lets them strengthen skills that can only be learned through practice and demonstrate that they are fulfilling their positions of responsibility. Often, the only time an adult addresses the troop is when the Scoutmaster presents badges and gives the Scoutmaster Minute
- Strengthening patrols – Patrols sit together, meet together in breakout sessions, compete together in inter-patrol activities, and lead meetings elements like flag ceremonies
- Promoting advancement and personal growth – Individual Scouts have the chance to get advancement requirements signed-off or to complete Scoutmaster conferences. Occasionally, the troop may offer classes for popular merit badges (although this tends to work better as an optional activity before or after the troop meeting)
