Troop 17 BSA

Troop News

Upcoming events

Sat/Sun Mar 10-11- Camping trip to Camp Pouch and NYC hike. Click here for the online registration.

Sat/Sun Apr 14-15 - Special Event - To Be Announced. Click here for the online registration.

Click here for help with online registration. Click here for the calendar of online registration for the entire year.

Friends of Scouting (FOS)

"CAN WE COUNT ON YOU?" - The 2012 Friends of Scouting Campaign is underway and we are looking to get 100% Troop 17 Family Participation.

Friends of Scouting is the Council’s annual fund-raising activity which helps sustain existing programs, facilities, and expanding services. This is one campaign which has a direct bearing on the development of your son.

Your participation will help sustain the following:

Maintain and improve camps that are used year-round by all troops in the Council,
Train parent and professional leaders for the many activities through the year and
Provide the structure and leadership so that all of our troop’s activities are well-organized, well equipped, safe and worthwhile for our sons.

Every donation, no matter the amount, helps continue providing a quality Scouting program to our Scouts and many others. Your gift will also support programs in our Council for scouts that do not have the financial resources of Troop 17.

You may have already received the FOS mailing from Asst. Scoutmaster Vince Nascone; take a moment today and read the the FOS brochure, then complete the tear-away form with your pledge or payment (checks payable to NNJC) and return it in the included pre-addressed, stamped return envelope by February 18, 2012.

THANK YOU in advance for your participation and commitment to Scouting.

So..."CAN WE COUNT ON YOU?"

Freeze-O-Ree

Mother Nature tried to her best to dampen the Scouts' spirits on January 20th, cancelling the overnight program for the annual"Freeze-O-Ree", but a great "Plan B" by Lt. Pete Eakley resulted in a day of fun and Scout skills for Troop 17.

The day began with a surprise when the Scouts discovered that the entire day would be
chronicled by "Boy's Life", the national magazine of the Boys Scouts of America. Troop 17 was selected from all troops in the United States for a story about winter camping fun and emergency training. The story will likely run in Boy's Life next year.

The troop demonstrated for the Boy's Life photographers the annual Troop 17 shelter building contest. Each patrol was given a survival kit containing minimal equipment for a patrol to contruct a shelter to protect all memebrs of the patrol in case of emergency. These skills, learned by activities like the Freeze O Ree. have been documented to save the lives of individual and groups of Scouts who have encountered dangerous situations in extreme conditions. Congratulations to the Buffalo Patrol for constructing the best shelter. A delicious dessert of chocolate eclairs was awarded and enjoyed by the Buffaloes.

Click here to see pictures from the Freeze-O-Ree

Wreath Sale

Sold Out! Those two magical words are music to Mr. Fineran's ears this time of year. The troop's annual fundraising wreath sale was a spectacular success. The last wreath was sold after the 12:30 Mass. Clear weather, great attendance at the "Wreath Factory" in the morning, and no wreaths left over made the weekend perfect. We might have a new production record for the The Wreath Factory. The task of hand decorating 300 wreaths was accomplished in 58-minutes! The bar is set high for next year.

To the Scouts who got up extra early to unload the truck and had to catch flying bundles of wreaths tossed by Mr. Dries, nice job. (and nice catch too!). To the parents and siblings who came out to help at The Wreath Factory, thank-you. We could not have done it all in 58-minutes without you. To the Scouts and Scout leaders who decorated the wreaths and helped with the sale outside church, and to Mr. Joe Hamilton for again providing the lighting Saturday night, a hearty well done. And our special thanks to Mr. Bob Sanna for coordinating the whole event. Bob ordered the wreaths, supplies, coordinated the delivery and Wreath Factory, and worked every Mass this weekend. Thanks Bob, it's a big job.

Click here to see pictures from The Wreath Factory.

Stokes trip

In November the Troop held a camping trip to Stokes State Forest. Mr Fineran's brother Charley lead the Troop for a hike on the Military Trail in DWGNRA.

Click here to see photos from this trip.

Halloween Party

It was a spooktacular time in Ryan Hall for the annual Troop Halloween Party. Scouts enjoyed fiendishly good pizza and soda, and a truly scary array of candy, sweets and desserts.

The judges had a a tough time judging the costumes but top honors went to Horace G's werewolf as Scariest Costume, Dan Dyer's "Thin Girl" as Funniest Costume, and Gabriel B's "Stay Puff Man" as Best Costume. The movie "Ghostbusters" provided the entertainment during dinner. Great job to Will R's Halloween Party Committee for a really fun night.

Click here to see photos from the party.

Recognition of Volunteers by the Governor

On Wednesday October 26ht various volunteers and volunteer groups from throughout New Jersey were invited to Trenton to attend a special recognition ceremony by Governor Chris Christie for their outstanding efforts demonstrated during Tropical Storm Irene. Volunteers were nominated to attend the event by various local and county jurisdictions elected officials. Nominated by Millburn Township were the members of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 17.

During and after the storm, members of Troop 17 volunteered and staffed the emergency shelter reception area at Millburn High School. In addition, the Troop sent a small army of members to deliver handouts with important information, to the South Mountain area in the wake of the storm. The Scouts also helped handout water and deliver other goods to needed residents. Members of the Troop also helped clean resident’s homes which were flooded and damaged by the storm.

LT Peter Eakley – Township Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator and also Committee Chairman of Troop 17, “The Boy Scouts have a long history of humanitarian aid and community service during emergencies. During and after the storm, I knew immediately who I could call to help our recovery efforts. By utilizing the Scouts, we were able to keep Department of Public Works crews and emergency services personnel free to deal with more emergent needs throughout the community. The Scouts were a big help and were there when Millburn needed them.”Wednesday afternoon’s ceremony was held in the Trenton War Memorial Theater.

In addition to the Governor thanking the volunteers, other speakers, who were also the States most important leaders during times of crisis, were the Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno; Colonel Rick Fuentes – Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and New Jersey’s Emergency Management Coordinator; and Major General Glenn K. Rieth – Adjutant General New Jersey National Guard and Air National Guard. During the ceremony, there was a special remembrance by General Reith for New Jersey National Guard Sergeant Jorge Oliveria, 33-years old, who was killed on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. Sergeant Oliveria was also a highly decorated Essex County Sheriff’s Office Detective. His funeral will be this Friday.

The following Scouts from Troop 17 were recognized:

Christopher B, Tavish B, Horace G, Teddy G, Brandon H, Andrew L, Jack L, Daniel M, Andrew V, Cal W

District Camporee

Seventeen Troop 17 Scouts took part in the inaugural Lenape Trail District Camporee the weekend of October 15-16. Earlier this year, the former Orange Mountains District, Robert Treat District and Broken Arrow District merged to form the New Lenape Trail District. The first district Camporee was a smashing success. Almost 300 Scouts from the district took part at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, near Blairstown, NJ. Some of the activities the Scouts experienced were archery, rock wall climbing, and rifle shooting.

Saturday night ended with a great campfire of skits and songs performed by all the troops in attendance. Troop 17's skit, "The Rough Riders" was well received. Congratulations to "The North", to "The South", to "The East" and to "The West" (your son will know what that means!).

Click here to see photos from this trip.

Allaire State Park

In September the Troop went on a camping trip to Allaire State Park. The scouts spent the day on the beach at Sea Girt.

The weather wasn't exactly great for a day at the beach, but it did not dampen the fun the troop had at Allaire State Park and Sea Girt, NJ. The first camp out of the season was a good one.

Click here to see photos from this trip.

Troop 17 Scouts attend leadership training

In August, two youth members of Boy Scout Troop 17 attended National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) at Camp Turrell located in the southern Catskill Mountains. Nick M, a township resident and Troop 17 Patrol Leader, and Sean J, of New Providence, the Troop’s Senior Patrol Leader, were participants in the course.

NYLT is an intense, 5½ day, outdoor leadership training experience for youth troop leaders. The course goal is prepare young men to become superior leaders in their troop, their district and other organizations they belong to now and in the future.

Participants learn to use current corporate leadership skills within the framework of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. BSA National carefully developed the NYLT curriculum with input from current corporate trainers, the United States Air Force Academy and others in the training community. Graduates of this program become Senior Patrol Leaders in their troop as well as leaders in their Districts, Schools, Churches, and Communities.

The course is led and taught by some of the best youth leaders in the Council; all of whom are graduates of the NYLT program and typically have staffed multiple courses. The adult advisors who assist the Youth Staff are Wood Badge-trained with extensive experience in training programs.

Troop Condolences

Scoutmaster Ken Fineran relays the following information about the passing of a former Troop 17 Scoutmaster, Mr. Anthony DiGiovanni. Mr. DiGiovanni was Scoutmaster of the troop in the 1960's and was a Co-Chairman of the Troop's 25th Anniversary in 1970. In addition to his duties to the troop he also served as the Chairman of the then Orange Mountain Council's (now the Northern NJ Council BSA) Catholic Relationship Committee. Mr DiGiovanni passed away Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

The condolences of the Scouts and Scouters of Troop 17 are sent to the family of our former Scoutmaster.

Summer Camp 2011

On July 10th the Troop began a week of Summer Camp at Camp Turrell.

LT Eakley kicks off the week with an introduction of what to expect at camp.

Click here to read more about Summer Camp at Camp Turrell.

Click here to see photos from the first day at camp.

Ordeal

On the weekend of June 17-18-19, two Scouts from Troop 17 attended the Lenapehoking Lodge IX induction Ordeal weekend at Camp Lewis.

The Ordeal is the first step for induction into the Order of the Arrow (OA). The OA is the Honor Camper fellowship society of the Boy Scouts of America.

Newest Eagles

The Troop held an Eagle Court of Honor on June 9th. Five young men from the Troop received the Eagle award at this ceremony.

Both Justin M and Thomas N have older brothers who are also Eagle Scouts from Troop 17. Please click here for a list of Troop 17 Eagles since Mr Finaran became Scoutmaster.

Click here to see photos from this event.

Memorial Day Parade

The Troop marched in the Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 30th. The parade and ceremonies mark the day of remembrance for those who have lost their lives in service to our country.

American Legion Post 140, Millburn firefighters police officers and the rescue squad marched along with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, St. Rose of Lima school children and town officials in remembrance.

The Scouts marched from the Short Hills train station to Taylor Park with temperatures hovering near 90 degreesl. Afterward there were hotdogs and soda at the American Legion 140.

It was a good day to pause and remember - and started with a solemn services at graveyards that honored 300 soldiers who fought in wars going back to the Revolutionary War. The Scouts of Troop 17 placed American Flags on the cemetery graves the previous Thursday.

Click here to see photos from this event.

Web Site

If anyone has suggestions for the web site or announcements they would like to see posted, please e-mail the information to the Troop Historian at historian@troop17shorthills.com. Otherwise, please email the information to the Webmaster at webmaster@troop17shorthills.com.

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Chairman Scoutmaster Webmaster

	Troop News Upcoming events Sat/Sun Mar 10-11- Camping trip to Camp Pouch and NYC hike. Click here for the online registration. Sat/Sun Apr 14-15 - Special Event - To Be Announced. Click here for the online registration. Click here for help with online registration. Click here for the calendar of online registration for the entire year. Friends of Scouting (FOS) "CAN WE COUNT ON YOU?" - The 2012 Friends of Scouting Campaign is underway and we are looking to get 100% Troop 17 Family Participation. Friends of Scouting is the Council’s annual fund-raising activity which helps sustain existing programs, facilities, and expanding services. This is one campaign which has a direct bearing on the development of your son. Your participation will help sustain the following: Maintain and improve camps that are used year-round by all troops in the Council, Train parent and professional leaders for the many activities through the year and Provide the structure and leadership so that all of our troop’s activities are well-organized, well equipped, safe and worthwhile for our sons. Every donation, no matter the amount, helps continue providing a quality Scouting program to our Scouts and many others. Your gift will also support programs in our Council for scouts that do not have the financial resources of Troop 17. You may have already received the FOS mailing from Asst. Scoutmaster Vince Nascone; take a moment today and read the the FOS brochure, then complete the tear-away form with your pledge or payment (checks payable to NNJC) and return it in the included pre-addressed, stamped return envelope by February 18, 2012. THANK YOU in advance for your participation and commitment to Scouting. So..."CAN WE COUNT ON YOU?" Freeze-O-Ree Mother Nature tried to her best to dampen the Scouts' spirits on January 20th, cancelling the overnight program for the annual"Freeze-O-Ree", but a great "Plan B" by Lt. Pete Eakley resulted in a day of fun and Scout skills for Troop 17. The day began with a surprise when the Scouts discovered that the entire day would be chronicled by "Boy's Life", the national magazine of the Boys Scouts of America. Troop 17 was selected from all troops in the United States for a story about winter camping fun and emergency training. The story will likely run in Boy's Life next year. The troop demonstrated for the Boy's Life photographers the annual Troop 17 shelter building contest. Each patrol was given a survival kit containing minimal equipment for a patrol to contruct a shelter to protect all memebrs of the patrol in case of emergency. These skills, learned by activities like the Freeze O Ree. have been documented to save the lives of individual and groups of Scouts who have encountered dangerous situations in extreme conditions. Congratulations to the Buffalo Patrol for constructing the best shelter. A delicious dessert of chocolate eclairs was awarded and enjoyed by the Buffaloes. Click here to see pictures from the Freeze-O-Ree Wreath Sale Sold Out! Those two magical words are music to Mr. Fineran's ears this time of year. The troop's annual fundraising wreath sale was a spectacular success. The last wreath was sold after the 12:30 Mass. Clear weather, great attendance at the "Wreath Factory" in the morning, and no wreaths left over made the weekend perfect. We might have a new production record for the The Wreath Factory. The task of hand decorating 300 wreaths was accomplished in 58-minutes! The bar is set high for next year. To the Scouts who got up extra early to unload the truck and had to catch flying bundles of wreaths tossed by Mr. Dries, nice job. (and nice catch too!). To the parents and siblings who came out to help at The Wreath Factory, thank-you. We could not have done it all in 58-minutes without you. To the Scouts and Scout leaders who decorated the wreaths and helped with the sale outside church, and to Mr. Joe Hamilton for again providing the lighting Saturday night, a hearty well done. And our special thanks to Mr. Bob Sanna for coordinating the whole event. Bob ordered the wreaths, supplies, coordinated the delivery and Wreath Factory, and worked every Mass this weekend. Thanks Bob, it's a big job. Click here to see pictures from The Wreath Factory. Stokes trip In November the Troop held a camping trip to Stokes State Forest. Mr Fineran's brother Charley lead the Troop for a hike on the Military Trail in DWGNRA. Click here to see photos from this trip. Halloween Party It was a spooktacular time in Ryan Hall for the annual Troop Halloween Party. Scouts enjoyed fiendishly good pizza and soda, and a truly scary array of candy, sweets and desserts. The judges had a a tough time judging the costumes but top honors went to Horace G's werewolf as Scariest Costume, Dan Dyer's "Thin Girl" as Funniest Costume, and Gabriel B's "Stay Puff Man" as Best Costume. The movie "Ghostbusters" provided the entertainment during dinner. Great job to Will R's Halloween Party Committee for a really fun night. Click here to see photos from the party. Recognition of Volunteers by the Governor On Wednesday October 26ht various volunteers and volunteer groups from throughout New Jersey were invited to Trenton to attend a special recognition ceremony by Governor Chris Christie for their outstanding efforts demonstrated during Tropical Storm Irene. Volunteers were nominated to attend the event by various local and county jurisdictions elected officials. Nominated by Millburn Township were the members of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 17. During and after the storm, members of Troop 17 volunteered and staffed the emergency shelter reception area at Millburn High School. In addition, the Troop sent a small army of members to deliver handouts with important information, to the South Mountain area in the wake of the storm. The Scouts also helped handout water and deliver other goods to needed residents. Members of the Troop also helped clean resident’s homes which were flooded and damaged by the storm. LT Peter Eakley – Township Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator and also Committee Chairman of Troop 17, “The Boy Scouts have a long history of humanitarian aid and community service during emergencies. During and after the storm, I knew immediately who I could call to help our recovery efforts. By utilizing the Scouts, we were able to keep Department of Public Works crews and emergency services personnel free to deal with more emergent needs throughout the community. The Scouts were a big help and were there when Millburn needed them.”Wednesday afternoon’s ceremony was held in the Trenton War Memorial Theater. In addition to the Governor thanking the volunteers, other speakers, who were also the States most important leaders during times of crisis, were the Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno; Colonel Rick Fuentes – Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and New Jersey’s Emergency Management Coordinator; and Major General Glenn K. Rieth – Adjutant General New Jersey National Guard and Air National Guard. During the ceremony, there was a special remembrance by General Reith for New Jersey National Guard Sergeant Jorge Oliveria, 33-years old, who was killed on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. Sergeant Oliveria was also a highly decorated Essex County Sheriff’s Office Detective. His funeral will be this Friday. The following Scouts from Troop 17 were recognized: Christopher B, Tavish B, Horace G, Teddy G, Brandon H, Andrew L, Jack L, Daniel M, Andrew V, Cal W District Camporee Seventeen Troop 17 Scouts took part in the inaugural Lenape Trail District Camporee the weekend of October 15-16. Earlier this year, the former Orange Mountains District, Robert Treat District and Broken Arrow District merged to form the New Lenape Trail District. The first district Camporee was a smashing success. Almost 300 Scouts from the district took part at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, near Blairstown, NJ. Some of the activities the Scouts experienced were archery, rock wall climbing, and rifle shooting. Saturday night ended with a great campfire of skits and songs performed by all the troops in attendance. Troop 17's skit, "The Rough Riders" was well received. Congratulations to "The North", to "The South", to "The East" and to "The West" (your son will know what that means!). Click here to see photos from this trip. Allaire State Park In September the Troop went on a camping trip to Allaire State Park. The scouts spent the day on the beach at Sea Girt. The weather wasn't exactly great for a day at the beach, but it did not dampen the fun the troop had at Allaire State Park and Sea Girt, NJ. The first camp out of the season was a good one. Click here to see photos from this trip. Troop 17 Scouts attend leadership training In August, two youth members of Boy Scout Troop 17 attended National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) at Camp Turrell located in the southern Catskill Mountains. Nick M, a township resident and Troop 17 Patrol Leader, and Sean J, of New Providence, the Troop’s Senior Patrol Leader, were participants in the course. NYLT is an intense, 5½ day, outdoor leadership training experience for youth troop leaders. The course goal is prepare young men to become superior leaders in their troop, their district and other organizations they belong to now and in the future. Participants learn to use current corporate leadership skills within the framework of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. BSA National carefully developed the NYLT curriculum with input from current corporate trainers, the United States Air Force Academy and others in the training community. Graduates of this program become Senior Patrol Leaders in their troop as well as leaders in their Districts, Schools, Churches, and Communities. The course is led and taught by some of the best youth leaders in the Council; all of whom are graduates of the NYLT program and typically have staffed multiple courses. The adult advisors who assist the Youth Staff are Wood Badge-trained with extensive experience in training programs. Troop Condolences Scoutmaster Ken Fineran relays the following information about the passing of a former Troop 17 Scoutmaster, Mr. Anthony DiGiovanni. Mr. DiGiovanni was Scoutmaster of the troop in the 1960's and was a Co-Chairman of the Troop's 25th Anniversary in 1970. In addition to his duties to the troop he also served as the Chairman of the then Orange Mountain Council's (now the Northern NJ Council BSA) Catholic Relationship Committee. Mr DiGiovanni passed away Tuesday, July 26, 2011. The condolences of the Scouts and Scouters of Troop 17 are sent to the family of our former Scoutmaster. Summer Camp 2011 On July 10th the Troop began a week of Summer Camp at Camp Turrell. LT Eakley kicks off the week with an introduction of what to expect at camp. Click here to read more about Summer Camp at Camp Turrell. Click here to see photos from the first day at camp. Ordeal On the weekend of June 17-18-19, two Scouts from Troop 17 attended the Lenapehoking Lodge IX induction Ordeal weekend at Camp Lewis. The Ordeal is the first step for induction into the Order of the Arrow (OA). The OA is the Honor Camper fellowship society of the Boy Scouts of America. Newest Eagles The Troop held an Eagle Court of Honor on June 9th. Five young men from the Troop received the Eagle award at this ceremony. Both Justin M and Thomas N have older brothers who are also Eagle Scouts from Troop 17. Please click here for a list of Troop 17 Eagles since Mr Finaran became Scoutmaster. Click here to see photos from this event. Memorial Day Parade The Troop marched in the Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 30th. The parade and ceremonies mark the day of remembrance for those who have lost their lives in service to our country. American Legion Post 140, Millburn firefighters police officers and the rescue squad marched along with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, St. Rose of Lima school children and town officials in remembrance. The Scouts marched from the Short Hills train station to Taylor Park with temperatures hovering near 90 degreesl. Afterward there were hotdogs and soda at the American Legion 140. It was a good day to pause and remember - and started with a solemn services at graveyards that honored 300 soldiers who fought in wars going back to the Revolutionary War. The Scouts of Troop 17 placed American Flags on the cemetery graves the previous Thursday. Click here to see photos from this event. Web Site If anyone has suggestions for the web site or announcements they would like to see posted, please e-mail the information to the Troop Historian at historian@troop17shorthills.com. Otherwise, please email the information to the Webmaster at webmaster@troop17shorthills.com. Home