About Troop 600

 Boy Scout Troop 600 is chartered by the Warrenton Volunteer Fire Company #1 in Warrenton, Virginia and meets each Monday night. Troop 600 is a boy-led troop, which means the boys run troop meetings, learn from each other, and much more. Our troop has over thirty talented Scouts who learn leadership, citizenship, and outdoor skills

Eagle Projects
 Troop 600 has averaged three Eagle Scouts each year since it was chartered in 2002. To achieve the rank of Eagle, a Scout must complete all the advancement requirements, including an Eagle Project. An Eagle Project is where a Scout develops and leads a project of his own choosing that benefits the community. Troop 600 Eagle Scouts have performed a variety of projects such as restoring playgrounds, building foot bridges, and much more at churches, schools and other locations throughout our community.

Service Projects
Troop 600 participates in at least four community service projects every year. Troop 600 has participated in Adopt-a-Highway, aluminum recycling and many more projects so Scouts can do a good turn daily and demonstrate good citizenship. These projects also help the Scouts advance in rank since service hours are required for most ranks.

FAQ

Does Troop 600 have a defined purpose statement?
Troop 600’s mission is to promote a fun, boy-led program intended to challenge our youth through first-hand leadership experiences and high adventure and to instill the values of the Scout Oath and Law through self preparedness and selfless service. Troop 600 believes in allowing the youth the opportunity to take on as much responsibility as they are capable of and to learn from these experiences.

How active is Troop 600?
Troop 600 promotes a year-round, all-season, all-weather program. It has a weekend activity each month, which includes District Camp-o-Rees, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) week-long Summer Camp (a different venue each summer), parades, canoe trips, hiking trips, ski trips, not to mention several service projects and fundraisers. Troop 600 has meetings each Monday night and a monthly Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) meeting. Once a quarter, the Troop performs a service project for the community.

How is Troop 600 organized?
Troop 600 is organized along traditional BSA guidelines.

TROOP COMMITTEE
Troop oversight and functional support are provided by the Troop Committee. The adult Troop Committee is led by the Committee Chairman and consists of the Charter Organization Representative, Treasurer, Advancement Chairman, Secretary, and Coordinators for Fundraising, Equipment, Outings, Special Events, and Training. The Committee meets on a monthly basis with several sub-committees meeting at various times to provide support and structure for the Troop Program.

SCOUTMASTER STAFF
Program implementation and youth training are the task of the Scoutmaster Staff. The Scoutmaster Staff consists of the Scoutmaster (SM) and Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM). These are adult positions. There is typically one ASM assigned to each patrol. They help the youth plan and implement the troop program, meetings, and outings and are responsible for conducting youth training.

SCOUTS
The Scouts are organized into the youth Leadership Staff and several patrols. Patrols are generally grouped by age.

The patrols are led by the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) who is elected to a six (6) month term. The SPL selects the youth staff (with Scoutmaster approval) to include the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL), Quartermaster, Scribe, Librarian, Historian, Chaplain’s Aide, OA Representative, Instructors, Troop Guides. The Scouts are divided into patrols, each with an elected Patrol Leader (PL), an Assistant Patrol Leader, Scribe, and Quartermaster.


What is the Troop’s policy on adult involvement?
A primary concern of Troop 600 is to provide the highest quality training and supervision for our youth. It is Troop 600’s policy to limit direct involvement with the Scouts to registered adult leaders who have received the approved BSA training and are certified to work with our youth in Scout-related functions. For more details, refer to the Troop 600 Adult Involvement in Scout Activities policy statement.
Activities are planned and conducted by the youth leadership – it is a youth-run program. The adult leadership is there to guide and advise the youth, to provide good role models, to ensure support needs are met, and to keep the program on track.

How can I, as a parent, become involved in Troop 600?
Troop 600 believes Scouting should involve the entire family if the program is to be successful. Troop 600 believes parents should be involved in at least one (1) troop activity per quarter. This could include attending a campout, providing transportation to an activity, teaching a Merit Badge, helping with a fundraiser, or supporting a service project. Parents are always welcome to observe Troop meetings, committee and sub-committee meetings, outings, or any function that involves their Scout. Please refer to the Adult Involvement in Scout Activities Policy for more information. Any adult interested in becoming a member of the Troop 600 Committee or Scoutmaster Staff should talk to our unit leaders.

Parents should also play a role in their Scout’s progress by taking an active interest in his advancement requirements. Periodically, parents should review with their Scout the troop calendar and discuss the upcoming activities and advancement opportunities. This is especially important for younger Scouts. Remember, to let the Scout plan and prepare on his own.

What is Troop 600’s Advancement Policy?
Troop 600 provides every Scout the opportunity to achieve the rank of First Class within their first year of membership. Our Advancement Chairman maintains advancement records and uses them to periodically assess the progress of each Scout. Once a Scout has reached the rank of Life, the troop initiates a stepped up process called ‘Life to Eagle’ to facilitate the Scout’s efforts in achieving the rank of Eagle.

The Troop Committee conducts Boards of Review for Scouts completing a rank. The purpose of the Board of Review is to determine if the Scout is benefiting from the troop program in terms of skills learned, leadership experience, self-confidence, and service to community.

To clarify and define the Troop’s advancement process and expectations, the Troop Committee provides the Advancement and Board of Review Process Policy, based on BSA guidelines. The Boy Scout Handbook also provides general information about individual Scout Advancement.

Does Troop 600 have a New Scout Program?
Troop 600 does have a new Scout program. New Scouts are grouped into their own patrol and receive guidance from Troop Guides (senior Scouts) and an assigned Assistant Scoutmaster. Their first several campouts are dedicated to introducing new Scouts to basic scouting skills. Our goal is to provide each new Scout the opportunity to reach the rank of First Class within his first year.

In addition to the Boy Scout Handbook, we encourage each new Scout to maintain a Scout Notebook to assist him in keeping up with advancement and troop activities. The notebook should contain the troop calendar, roster & phone numbers, camping checklist, activities journal, advancement work, etc. and should be brought to all meetings.

Where do we buy Boy Scout uniforms and patches?
The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) has two (2) Scout Shops that carry the complete line of Boy Scout products and uniform items (Cub Scouts, Venture and Varsity too).
The Scout Shops are located at
• 9190 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3897
Phone 301-564-1091
• 5234 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22151.
Phone 703-321-4836.

You can also order from the Boy Scout Catalog at 1-800-323-0732 or shop online at www.scoutstuff.org.

What fees can we expect when joining Troop 600?
Troop 600 asks for a one-time ‘Join-up’ fee of $40 from each Scout to cover costs of their first year registration, BSA insurance, and a yearly subscription to Boy’s Life Magazine. This fee also includes costs of Troop 600 T-shirt (our official Class B uniform shirt), troop neckerchief, ‘600’ numeral patch for the uniform and Scout Handbook.

There will also be costs for Summer Camp and most campouts.
Dues are $5 a month payable the first Monday of each month. Dues help to pay for rank advancement, awards, merit badges, and leadership patches in addition to some of the troop’s administrative costs.

How can a Scout earn & save money to meet these costs?
Troop 600 conducts fundraisers, which gives every Scout the opportunity to earn the money needed to help pay for their scouting experience. A percentage of the proceeds is divided among the participating Scouts and credited to each Scout’s “Scout Account” (SAP). Money in Scout Accounts can be used to pay for scouting related activities such as summer camp, uniform items, outing and registration fees, and even camping equipment. Refer to the Scout Account Policy for more information.

What equipment does the Troop provide?
While some Scouts choose to use their own equipment, the troop does provide the essentials in the way of patrol equipment: lanterns, stoves, patrol cook kits, tents, dining flies, tarps, camp tools, water containers, and fuel. The troop is always looking for additional gear. Please let us know if you have equipment to donate.

What camping equipment should we buy?
Please refer to the Troop 600 Personal Gear List. Also, chapters 8 and 9 in the Boy Scout Handbook discuss the camping gear each Scout should have. We encourage each Scout to provide his own equipment, but before you buy any new equipment, talk to the Scoutmaster staff on gear recommendations and priorities (especially tents and sleeping bags). You don’t need to spend a fortune, and can borrow some equipment before you buy.

How do I find out what is going on within the Troop?
Announcements are made at every Troop meeting and Patrol leaders will routinely call their patrol members to remind them of activities. There is a secure website available only to members of Troop 600. Email is also frequently used to disseminate information and announcements.

What is OA?
The Order of the Arrow (OA) is a brotherhood of honored campers whose purpose is to recognize those campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law; to promote camping traditions within Scouting; and encourage cheerful service. Scouts are elected by members of their troop and are eligible when they have reached 1st Class and have completed the necessary camping requirements of 15 days & nights within two years of candidacy. Adults must meet the same camping requirements but are selected by their Troop Committee based on services or skills they can offer the OA.

Fundraisers
Troop 600’s primary fundraiser is the delivery of bags of mulch twice a year (spring and fall). If you would like to purchase mulch from Troop 600, the link to the order form is on the home page, downloads during our “mulch season.” Please refer to the information below about Troop 600’s SAP account.

Scout Account Program (SAP)
The Scout Account Program (SAP) is designed to serve as a way for Scouts to earn money to help pay for scouting their experiences. An individual account will be set up for each Scout when they join and by participating in fundraising events for the troop, Scouts can earn enough money to offset most of the costs for camp outs, dues and summer camp