In early November, Cub Scouts from Pack 722 visited the seniors at the Dutton Center for an afternoon of fun. We played balloon volleyball and bean-bag toss with them, sang some campfire songs and served up a yummy snack. The bean-bag toss game was built by the Webelos Den in a recent den meeting. Yay for power tools! They also tried their hands at sewing while making the beanbags.

Also in November, the Tiger Den paid a visit to the Wakefield fire station. At our den meeting beforehand, we learned what makes a town into a community and had some hot chocolate to get us started! On our visit with the firefighters we talked about fire safety (and even got to practice stop-drop-and-roll!), inspected the trucks up close and saw all the "back room" operations that help keep our community safe.

You can see pictures from the Dutton Center and the Fire Station in our photo gallery.

Our October Pack Meeting was wrapped in fun! Check out some pictures in our photo gallery.

On Friday, May 23 we will be placing flags on veteran's graves at the Forest Glen Cemetery on Lowell Street. Meet right inside the front gate of the cemetery at 3:50 so we can start decorating right at 4 pm. Take Vernon Street to Lowell; the Dolbeare school is across the intersection. Turn RIGHT on Lowell ; the cemetery is on the left.

On Monday, May 26 we will be participating in the Memorial Day parade and ceremony on the Common. We will be meeting in the Galvin Middle School parking lot at 12:45; the parade starts promptly at 1 pm. The observance on the Common starts at approximately 1:30 and is done by 2 pm.

Ceremonial arrows will be presented to them to commemorate their achievement:

The colored bands honor their individual ranks and achievements. Orange is for Tiger, Black for Bobcat, Red for Wolf, Green for Bear, Silver and Gold for Arrow Points, Blue for Webelos, White is for the Webelos achievements; Tan for the Religious Emblem of their Faith; and the band of Yellow represents the Arrow of Light Award.

The parts of the arrow itself hold special significance.

The three feathers symbolize the family, the pack leadership and the scout. We have all worked together to help the scouts grow into fine young men. May they always fly straight and true to the mark.

These feathers in turn are joined by the blue and gold crests of Cub Scouting.

The blue crest stands for faith and loyalty, as deep and true as the vast expanse of the sky above us. May they always be faithful and loyal.

The gold crest stands for warmth and good cheer, like the golden rays of the sun. May they always be of good cheer.

The arrowhead represents courage and strength, like the stone from which it is crafted. May they always be courageous and strong.

The shaft of the arrow, fashioned from the hardest wood, stands for honesty and fairness. May they always be truthful, and straight as the arrow.

The lashing that holds the arrowhead to the shaft represents the friendship that has bound us together in scouting and will bind us together in memory.

Alex joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. As a Bear Cub he received the religious emblem of his faith - the Parvuli Dei Medal. Alex earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. He also earned the Aquanaut, Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveller, Citizen, Communicator, Family Member, Readyman, Craftsman, Handyman, Scientist, Naturalist and Outdoorsman Activity Pins. Alex's favorite experience in Scouting was the Great North Woods Challenge, camping at Webelos Woods and visiting the Ecotarium.

Connor joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. As a Bear Cub he received the religious emblem of his faith - the Parvuli Dei Medal. Connor earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. Connor is a Super Acheiver - he has earned all 20 activity pins: Aquanaut, Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveller, Citizen, Communicator, Family Member, Readyman, Craftsman, Engineer, Handyman, Scientist, Forester, Geologist, Naturalist and Outdoorsman. Connor's favorite experience in Scouting was camping at Webelos Woods and attending the Lowell Devil's hockey game.

Dan joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. If we ever had a question about the Scouts, Dan was always ready with an answer! Dan earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. Dan is a Super Acheiver - he has earned all 20 activity pins: Aquanaut, Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveller, Citizen, Communicator, Family Member, Readyman, Craftsman, Engineer, Handyman, Scientist, Forester, Geologist, Naturalist and Outdoorsman. Dan's favorite experience in Scouting was camping at Camp Nihan and the sleepover at the Museum of Science.

Liam joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. He took a short break from Bears and returned for Webelos. Liam earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. He also earned the Aquanaut, Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Citizen, Communicator, Readyman, Craftsman, Handyman, Naturalist and Outdoorsman Activity Pins. Liam's favorite experience in Scouting was camping at Webelos Woods.

Nick B. joined Cub Scouts in 2006 as a Webelos. For some strange reason he wanted to sell popcorn! Nick earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. He also earned the Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Citizen, Communicator, Readyman, Handyman, Naturalist and Outdoorsman Activity Pins. Nick's favorite experience in Scouting was camping at Webelos Woods with his friends.

Nick W. joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. He has been an enthusiastic member ever since. Nick earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. He also earned the Athlete, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveller, Citizen, Communicator, Family Member, Readyman, Handyman, Naturalist and Outdoorsman Activity Pins. Nick's favorite experience in Scouting was the Ecotarium sleepover.

Nico joined Cub Scouts in 2003 as a Tiger Cub. As a Bear Cub he received the religious emblem of his faith - the Parvuli Dei Medal. Nico earned his Webelos Badge and Compass Emblem in May, 2007. He also earned the Aquanaut, Fitness, Sportsman, Artist, Scholar, Showman, Traveller, Citizen, Communicator, Readyman, Handyman, and Outdoorsman Activity Pins. Nico's favorite experience in Scouting was camping at Webelos Woods.

You can see pictures from our visit in the photo gallery, here.

Special congratulations to our Den winners, who will represent our pack at the District Finals on March 15:

Tigers: Jacob Bassett

Wolves: Robert Guida

Bears: William Shea

Webelos 1: Kannon Romano

Webelos 2: Nicholas Basset

Good luck and have fun!

This is a really fun event, the boys have a blast. Please let your den leader know if your Scout will be attending.

You can see some pictures from last year's event in our photo gallery.

WHEN: Saturday May 17th, 2008

WHERE: Battleship Cove, Fall River MA

We’ve reserved 45 bunks on the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850

COST: $25.00 for Scouts who participated in the Popcorn fund-raiser, and $55.00 for all others (prices may decrease if the pack is able to raise additional funds before the outing). Checks should be made out to Pack 722, and mailed to or dropped off at my address 122 Kendrick Rd. The deadline for payment is April 10th.

WHAT’S INCLUDED: The price includes Dinner, breakfast and lunch, access to all of the ships and museums within the cove, and lodging aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850.

WHAT TO BRING: Here are some suggested items for the trip

• Sleeping Bag
• Pillow
• Personal Toiletry items (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc…)
• Spending money
• Towel

SCHEDULE: We’ll arrive Saturday afternoon around 1:00pm visit some of the ships, museums and try our hand at knot tying and then have supper in the battleships main dining room. Reveille sounds at 6:30 Sunday morning, followed by breakfast, tours of the ship, lunch in the wardroom and departure around 12:30AM. See the Plan of the Day for details.

The Kennedy is an example of a Gearing class destroyer, which were built during WW2 and became the workhorses of the Cold War destroyer navy. The JP Kennedy served with great distinction during the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and America's space program to name just a few. DD850 is now a museum ship to educate the public and serve as a memorial to those who sailed aboard destroyers. Below is an example of the berthing areas that we’ll “bunk” in over night.

Please use the following links to obtain detailed information about:

• Battleship Cove ships and Museums
• The USS Joseph P Kennedy
• Directions to BSC
• General Camping Information
• Food and Dining Services

Stay tuned for more information at the date draws closer. Please call (617-512-7762) or email (woneschuk@comcast.net) me if you have any question.

Regards
Walt Oneschuk

The day started with a train ride into the city. Thanks to a friendly commuter rail conductor, the boys rode the train in style, in their own private coach! But then she invited the boys to come to come to the front of the train, two at a time, to experience the trip from the point of view of the engineer. It's cool to see the train tracks laid out in front as you cruise down the line. The boys had a real "blast" when they blew the train horn, too! And when we pulled in to North Station, the Scouts got a private tour of the engine car.

A quick walk later, we were at the Navy Yard and exploring the U.S.S Constitution. We heard the story of "Old Ironsides" from a sailor, and toured three decks of the ship. The boys could just picture the excitement and the adventure aboard the ship... but they learned of the cold reality, too: the noise, the dirt, the crowded conditions and the poor excuses for food. All in all, the boys had a great time exploring the ship and learned about an important part of American history.

Before we headed home, we made a quick trip to the World War II destroyer, the U.S.S Cassin Young, that is also docked at the Navy yards. We can't wait for Battleship Cove!

At our most recent den meeting, we made custom, Christmas-themed neckerchief slides and practiced three of the important Cub Scout knots - the square knot, the bowline and the two-half hitches. When do we go camping again?

For details, see the calendar of events page.

See you then!

Check out some pictures from our pack races and the district finals in our photo gallery.

This month the boys have earned the following achievements:

Congratulations to Grant Simpson for earning his Compass Point Emblem. To earn the Emblem they must have completed earned 3 Achievements for their Webelos Badge and at least four additional activity badges. Congratulations!

Chris Powers has earned his first compass point pin for completing an additional 4 activity badges. Way to Go!

Jonah Dieguz has now earned both his Scholar and Fitness activity Badges. He is working hard to meet all of the requirements to get his Webelos Badge. Keep going, you’re doing GREAT!

Five of our Webelos II Scouts are working on their Arrow of Light Award. This is the highest award in Cub Scouting. This award tells everyone they are ready to be a Boy Scout. This is the ONLY Cub Scout badge you can wear on your Boy Scout uniform. As part of the requirements for this award, the Webelos II will be visiting a Boy Scout meeting in February AND will have a conference with the Scoutmaster, Mike Kilkely and their parents. We plan to award The Arrow of Light at the March Pack meeting.

We are so proud of the Scouts that participated, proving that Cub Scouts, indeed, give goodwill!

You can see a few pictures from the Pantry in our photo gallery.

The weekend included such skills as first aid (which Mr. Shine took to a new level!), fire building, knots, lashing. They also participated in archery and the BB range and whittled a walking stick. On Saturday, they had tin-foil chicken dinners cooked over charcoal pits with the help of our own LeeAnn Russell (Grant’s mom) and Gerard Daily (Joe’s dad). Then they participated in a bonfire and learned how to properly destroy, by fire, an American flag. The flags that were burned had flown in Iraq. That evening they also watch several skits, and songs around the fire. On Sunday, breakfast in the mess hall, Sunday Church Services at the lake, then more activities during the day. Sunday night, dinner included roast beef, turkey and ham. Mr. Macdonald was in his glory! Word has it that he even saved some for a midnight snack! After the campfire that evening everyone enjoyed the live band music of “Conniption Fits” from VT.

The nights were very chilly, but most were prepared with long underwear, below freezing sleeping bags, hats and gloves!

Thank you to Jim Wensley who got our Pack eight – two-man tents! These were donated to the District and Jim was able to get them for us.

Activity Badges

Our newest Webelos II scout–Jonah Dieguez has earned his Bobcat Badge - congratulations!

Together as a den, we have been working on the requirements for the Engineer badge, which we expect to finish in October. We have drawn a floor plan of our homes, learned how electricity is generated and gets to our home. We even constructed a simple working electrical circuit with a switch, light and batteries. It was so much fun that the boys kept adding more batteries and eventually blew out the light bulb! Next meeting we will build a catapult and see how it works.

Congratulations to the Webelos II scouts for earning the following activity badges

Kevin Cajuda - Aquanaut & Outdoorsman Noah Macdonald - Outdoorsman Grant Simpson - Traveler and the Cub Scout outdoor activity award Chris Powers – Traveler and Artist

Compass Points Emblem. The Compass points emblem is awarded after the scout has earned the Webelos badge AND four additional activity badges for a total of seven.
Congratulations to Chris Powers for being the first of the Webelos II scouts to earn their Compass Points Emblem. To earn the emblem, Chris completed and earned the Webelos badge and the Communicator, Readyman, Outdoorsman and Sportsman Badges. I know the other Webelos aren’t far behind.