GoodScoutBkfst

My name is Matthew P<>. I am an eighth grader at Wellesley Middle School where I am a percussionist in the Monday morning jazz band. I also play hockey and I am a Life Scout in Troop 182. A Scout who has reached the rank of Life is one rank away from Eagle Scout.

In Middle School, being a Scout isn’t always cool. So, I don’t run up to people and say things like “Hey, did you know I am looking for an Eagle project?” In fact, I am sure there are even some of my teachers who would question why Boy Scouting still exists. But I think people who question scouting really don’t know much about it. And, I am not going to answer any of the bigger questions around Scouting. I just want to share why being a Scout has been a really cool experience for me.

First, of course, there are merit badges. Some of them teach life skills like First Aid, Swimming, and Personal Management. I think the requirement to keep a 12 week budget was a lot more challenging than I ever would have expected (I am in week 11 right now). And, my mother liked the 90 day chore list required for Family Life better than I did. But I did get to ride in a hybrid 18 wheeler for the Truck and Transportation badge. And in Pathfinding, I really enjoyed it when another scout found himself stuck in the mud up to his waist, and had to be pulled out by the Scoutmaster. For the Wilderness Survival merit badge, I got to make and sleep in a shelter of twigs, tree bark and leaves. Only the next morning did I find out that I also slept with a lot of bugs.

I got several of my badges at Merit Badge college, including Photography. For that badge, I did a collage of photos from the Wellesley dump. When you actually stop to look closely, you realize there are some really colorful photograph opportunities in recycling.

There are over 125 merit badges offered: Electricity, Computers, Engineering, Music, Art, Athletics --- the choices are amazing. And a lot of fun. They also help me with life skills and deciding on a possible career.

The second thing that’s really cool about Scouting are the summer camps. I have been to three different scout camps over the past three summers: Camp Yawgoog, Camp Cachalot, and Resolute. At Scout camp we have camp fires, we attend religious services for many different faiths, and we eat really bad food. And, I do want to share the first rule of summer camp for our Troop: every scout must shower with soap at least once during the week. In my first year at camp, I didn’t fully understand that rule until about the 4^th day.

In addition to troop hikes in New Hampshire and elsewhere, Boy Scouts are also involved in volunteer service projects. These service projects are the third thing I like about Scouting, and they have taught me to give back to the community. I have played the piano for children at the Boston Shriner’s Hospital. I have visited criminal court - as a visitor only, of course. And, I have assisted many other Scouts with their Eagle projects. We have cleaned up trash along the banks of the Charles River, built foot bridges over Wellesley trails, painted an animal shelter, and cleaned up Hale Reservation. We built and stocked a library for a battered women’s shelter. When I was a cub scout, we visited veterans in the hospital and delivered gifts. And, of course, we participate in the Scouting for Food drive every year.

My main leadership role in the Troop is working with the Adult Webmaster. I get to add and update pages to the troop’s website, which is a great skillset.

The Scout Law says: A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

If more boys took the opportunity to be a Boy Scout and live that law, I think we would live in a very different world today. Thank you.