Troop 189 has been awarded BSA Quality Unit Status in
2003
2004
2005
2006
and
BSA Centennial
Quality Unit
Award
Status in
2007 and 2008

as well as the Nassau County Gus Katz Award for Service to God and Country in 2008
 

Troop 189 Onteora Scout Reservation Week 3 2009

Troop 189 Onteora Scout Reservation Week 4 2009

Our Troop celebrated a great 2 weeks this summer at our summer home, Onteora Scout Reservation. A total of 22 boys went to summer camp, some for one week and some for two.  All learned new skills, overcame challenges, and most importantly, had FUN!. The boys collectively earned over 80 Merit Badges and several advanced in rank.

CHECK-IN

Each week starts the same way. Bags are unloaded in the parking lot and we wait for the Scoutmaster to check us in at Admin.  Then we hike to Medical, and then down to the Waterfront to take our swim tests. Then we hike up to Iroquois Campsite where we unload our gear and set up camp.

IROQUOIS CAMPSITE

We’ve stayed in Iroquois the last few years. It gets pretty muddy when it rains, but we are in a perfect spot, close to the Program Areas, the Waterfront, and the closest site to morning line-up and the Dining Hall. This is handy if you oversleep! We bunk 2 boys to a tent and always find ways to keep busy if we are not at a Program.

LINE-UP

We go to line-up 3 times a day, before each meal.  Sometime there are skits or contests, like the Crazy Hat Contest. The SPL reports to the Camp Coordinator that “Troop 189 is all present or accounted for!”

THE LONG HOUSE

The Long House is our Dining Hall where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Besides food, there are announcements, songs, and cheers. On Wednesday nights we cook our own dinner in the campsite.

PROGRAM

Onteora has 7 main Program Areas: Waterfront, Filed Sports, Shooting Sports, Scoutcraft, Nature and Ecology, Crafts, and The Glaize. We take our Merit Badge classes at the program areas. Our Adult Leaders participate also; ASM Tobi became the new camp rifle champion, outshooting the range instructor!

CITIZENSHIP

One night the Camp Coordinator, our own ASM Drew, came to our site and gave a program on our rights and responsibilities as a citizen to our Troop.  We hosted some of the newer Scouts from Troop 323 and they in turn invited some of our older boys for a campfire.  Drew wore his Air Force uniform.

RAIN

Sullivan County is the wettest county in New York State, and we got slammed with storms a few times. When this happens we switch from “Plan A” to “Plan B”. Plan B is Plan A wearing a poncho. On Wednesday it rained so hard that some of the older boys had to grab shovels, rakes, and an ax to help Drew divert a stream that was flooding our site!

CAMPFIRES

A Campfire is a special part of Onteora. On opening day of each week the staff hosts a campfire to entertain the Scouts... and then on closing night the Scouts host the campfire and put on skits. This year a special program was the “Green Knight Challenge”.  Older Scouts had the opportunity to be knighted by completing a series of challenges at all of the program areas. It was very hard, and week 3 the only Scout in the whole camp to complete the challenge was our own Week 3 SPL Matt.  He was knighted by “King Eric” at the closing campfire. We also have our own campfire almost every night in our campsite

WEEKEND PROGRAM

For those Scouts staying both weeks, the Troop has a special weekend program.  This year we went to the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery, where SM Steve taught us how to make survival fishing rigs from a hook and an empty soda can.  We went fishing at the hatchery in their stocked pond, and it was much easier to catch fish there than in Orchard Lake back at camp! We learned how to clean our own fish, and then we took them back to Steve and Tobi’s house in Livingston Manor for a swim. We had hotdogs burgers, and fresh trout for dinner!

Onteora

OSR is a beautiful and special place for our Troop.  The Troop wants to recognize our members on Staff: ASM Andrew who is Camp Coordinator, Scouts John and Eddie who finished their CIT program and worked in the Dining Hall, and ASPL Alex who worked in the Trading Post. We also wish to acknowledge and thank the adult leaders who give up vacation and family time to make this special trip possible for our Scouts: Scoutmaster Steve, Assistant Scoutrmasters Art, Ed, Mark (who acted as Scoutmaster week 3), Mike, Theo and Tobi, Committee Members Andrea, Bonnie, Kathy, Jeff,  Jim and Marjorie, as well as Drivers Anthony and Barry.

We also salute our youth leadership for the summer: Week 3 SPL Matt R, ASPL Dylan, and Patrol Leaders Chris and Evan.  Our Week 4 team was SPL Charles, ASPL Michael, and Patrol Leaders Logan, Malo, and Dylan. Congratulations to the whole week 4 team for their perfect inspection scores three days in a row Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Good Job!