New Scout Shop Associate
We’re excited to announce that Layne Draxler will join our us as our new Scout Shop Associate.
Layne is from Wausau and has been working as a receptionist at Studio E Salon & Spa. She is a competitive athlete who has played on her high school basketball and volleyball teams.
She loves animals and has two cats and two dogs. One of her dogs is a 6-week purebred Golden Retriever. She and her dog “Minnie” are a certified Therapy Dog Team.
Please make sure to give her a warm welcome as she joins our Samoset Family!
|  | | New Unit Serving Executive
Jhan Wagenaar is the newest Unit Serving Executive here at Samoset. She attended college in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Marshfield shortly following graduation.
In addition to working at Samoset, Jhan is pursuing a master's degree in business and enjoys playing piano, writing, and tutoring Spanish in her spare time.
She loves getting to work with people and helping make an impact in her community.
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Save the Date!
The Council Annual Recognition Event will be June 11 at Camp Tesomas. Join us as we honor all those who share their time and talent and bring the scouting program to life.
Know of someone who deserves recognition? We are seeking nominations for the following categories:
• Rookie Scouter of the Year • Cubmaster of the Year • Den Leader of the Year • Scouter of the Year • Scoutmaster of the Year • Council Award of Merit • Distinguished Service Award • Silver Beaver
Please visit the Samoset website for the complete nomination form or email Kristin Woller at kristin.woller@samoset.org to submit a nomination.
| | 102nd Annual Business Meeting of Samoset Council
The 102nd Samoset Council Annual Meeting to be held on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 6:30 PM at Northcentral Technical College will be hybrid, with the option to attend in-person or virtually. There is no charge for this event.
Please join us as we recognize volunteers, thank our out-going board members, install executive board members and officers, pass annual resolutions, review the annual report, and hear reports from council committees. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kaela Burmeister at 715-355-1450 to register for the event and she will coordinate getting you the online meeting link. Please let Kaela know if you are a voting member of the council. Voting members are Council Executive Board, Council Members at Large, and Unit Chartered Organization Representatives.
Tom Heinrichs to be Honored at 102nd Annual Meeting
Tom Heinrichs will be honored with an Honorary Life Membership to Samoset Scouting at the Council Annual Meeting on Wednesday, February 23, at Northcentral Technical College.
Tom has been involved with Scouting within Samoset since he was in Scouts as a youth member. He is the first Eagle Scout of Troop 427 in Wausau and has been deeply involved with Scouting ever since, serving in unit roles and multiple district and council volunteer positions. Tom was an executive board member for ten years and served four years as our council commissioner. He has many other Scouting accomplishments we will proudly share at the annual meeting.
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BSA Prohibited Activities
There are some activities that are prohibited in BSA. That means that the activities should not be conducted in scouting events or programs due to safety concerns. If someone is injured while conducting a prohibited activity, BSA general liability insurance will not apply. And those involved may have their BSA membership revoked.
The Guide to Safe Scouting, available on-line on the BSA website Scouting.org, explains what a prohibited activity is and provides a list of some of the common prohibited activities. However, please note: If an activity is not on the list, that does not mean it is okay to conduct the activity.
As you plan your activities first, ask yourself this question:
Is the activity in a handbook or other current literature of the Boy Scouts of America?
If it is, great! Then you know it is part of the BSA program.
Wait, it’s not in a BSA handbook or any BSA literature? Then ask yourself:
Does the activity support the values of the Boy Scouts of America?
If the activity helps to foster good conduct and honesty, and create respect for others, then most likely it is good to go. (Note: Values do not use fun, exciting, wilder, crazy, or faster as a test, nor do they include “We have always done it.”) For example, it may be fun to throw pies in the faces of individuals in recognition of attaining a goal. However, this is a prohibited activity and should not be done. You will not find it in a BSA Handbook.
The next test:
Is the activity age appropriate?
For instance, the use of throwing knives and tomahawks is limited to youth in Scouts BSA and above, and the use of pocketknives is limited in Cub Scouting to Bears and above. A list of age-appropriate guidelines is in the appendix of the Guide to Safe Scouting.
So, the activity you want to do isn’t in the handbook, but you think it supports the values of the BSA and it appears to be age appropriate.
One last test:
Is the activity prohibited or unauthorized?
Look at the list of prohibited activities in the Guide to Safe Scouting.
There are currently 22 activities on the prohibited listing. Prohibitions include failing to deliver program as designed or contained in our literature, and common sense restrictions including extreme sports, pyrotechnics, shooting or throwing at each other, and power tool use.
Please note: The list is not comprehensive, but it does provide a definitive list of prohibited activities, and it offers a broad sense of what is not allowed as a Scouting activity.
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Trek Opportunities
Our Trek and Scuba programs are back and in FULL FORCE for the summer of 2022!
We will be offering two Trek opportunities this summer for units looking for a customized experience. You can chose from either a canoe trip in the Ottawa National Forest OR a hiking experience in the Porcupine Mountains! Both are sure to test your Scouts, develop their leadership skills, and create bonds they’ll never forget.
Our Scuba program will take place at Crystal Lake and will fit right in with the normal camp program on site. Klein Scuba will provide all of the training and supervision for the program and we are excited to have them back again this year.
Please reach out to Brit Burmeister for information on pricing, dates, or to sign up for Trek or Scuba programs. You can reach her at: Brittany.Burmeister@Scouting.org
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Polar Cubs and Hanna Winter Adventure:
We cannot contain our excitement about the upcoming season of winter programming at Crystal Lake Scout Reservation! If you haven't previously joined us in the winter season, you're in for a treat—we have great overnight opportunities for Cub Scouts and excellent weekend opportunities for Scouts BSA units. Snow shoeing, sledding, advancements, and games await your Scouts in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods!
Register today!
Hanna Winter Adventure: http://www.samoset.org/event/space-available/hanna-winter-adventure/72474
Polar Cubs: http://www.samoset.org/event/space-available/polar-cubs-2021/72693
|  | | It is a great time to be in Scouting with Samoset Council and one of the best ways to connect with your fellow Scouters is at your in-person Roundtable!
Stop by to receive training and updates on current events and programming in the area. Tune in for new announcements and information from the Council as well as volunteer leadership in Scouting.
Please check the Samoset page under Resources-Roundtable to find a location and time that best fits you and your unit.
Keep an eye out for changes coming soon as we update the Roundtable delivery format.
Hope to see you there!
|  | | Camping – Guidance for Winter Months
It’s winter camping time, and for those of us in the Northwoods it can be the most exciting camping experience we’ll ever have. As you embark upon your adventure, please keep these Youth Protection guidelines in mind.
Accommodations Separate accommodations for adult males and females and youth males and females are required.
Tenting (including large tents)
Separate tenting arrangements must be provided for male and female adults as well as for male and female youth
• Youth sharing tents must be no more than two years apart in age
• In Cub Scouting, parents and guardians may share a tent with their family
• In all other programs, youth and adults tent separately
· • Spouses may share tents
Lodging (including lean-tos and cabins) Whenever possible, separate lodging should be provided for male and female adults as well as for male and female youth. Where separate accommodations cannot be provided due to group size or limited availability, modifications may be made: • If adults and youth of the same gender occupy single-room accommodations, there must be a minimum of two adults and four youth, with all adults being Youth Protection trained.
• Physical separation by other means, including temporary barriers or space, should be used only when no other arrangements are possible
• These modifications are limited to single-gender accommodations
You can find more details in the Guide to Safe Scouting, under “Youth Protection and Adult Leadership.” In addition to the Youth Protection guidelines, please remember that our Covid protocols limit one Scout to a tent (unless from the same household).
HAPPY CAMPING!!
| | Unit Highlight-Pack and Troop 458
Thirty minutes outside of Wausau, a foil-covered rocket shoots into the clouds, makes a satisfying pop as it releases bright orange streamer from its nose, and then gently careens back to the ground.
Within moments of touching the snow, the rocket’s red-faced and cold-toed pilot—an excited Cub Scout from Pack 458 out of Marathon—scoops up the rocket and races back to the launch pad.
In celebration of their 2022 theme of “Out of This World,” Cub Scouts worked with their parents and older Scouts from the Troop to put together their own Estes rockets to launch into the cold Wisconsin sky. As every rocket scientist needs, ice cream and soda were also provided in order to provide a little “R & R” (rootbeer floats and rockets).
However, the miraculous thing about these two units is not simply their impressive puns, but their complete and utter dedication to making sure their Scouts have fun. Making sure that every rocket got into the air that day was not without its challenges: the launch controller was forgotten at home, the launch pad rods were too big for the size of the rockets, and there were two bottles of glue to share between 40 Cub Scouts. For some people, these obstacles would’ve meant it was time to pack up and just launch the rockets next month.
Not for Pack 458.
While the Scouts were gleefully distracted by their root beer floats, a group of adult volunteers gathered in the corner of their meeting space, expertly crafting a launch controller complete with launch buttons and a safety. Meanwhile, another group was making a frantic dash 10 minutes away to pick up extra launch pads and any other thin rodsthey could find in their home garages. Due to these adults’ dedication, every rocket got into the air that day!
But the most impressive part?
At no point did anyone ever say “can’t." Throughout the ordeal, there was laughter and good humor. Even through what could have been an incredibly stressful time, these adults were role models to their Scouts, showing them that an attitude can determine success. They went above and beyond what was expected of them, all with a smile on their faces, just to make sure that their Scouts had a good time.
That is something we all need to remember, both in Scouting and beyond.
|  | | .jpg) | | Customer Service Staff Position
We currently are accepting applications for a full-time Customer Service Staff position in our office.
Duties will include a wide variety of administrative, clerical, and staff support to the following areas of operation: communication, marketing, fundraising, registration & activities, Scout shop sales, and customer inquiries. Hours are Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Minimum high school degree or equivalent required; business or technical school preferred with one to three years of administrative office experience. Intermediate to advanced skills required in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Needed skills include database, desktop publishing programs (Access, Publisher, InDesign), and Adobe Acrobat Professional. Experience in company social media platforms and website design is strongly preferred. Advanced keyboarding and layout skills are needed, with a speed of 50-70 words per minute.
Must enjoy working with people and be an active team player. Must be able to work independently as well as cooperatively and demonstrate a positive attitude. Must enjoy and be able to work in a fast-paced environment and able to handle multiple assignments with a quick turnaround.
Duties will involve reading, detail work, confidentiality, problem solving, training, math, reasoning, verbal communication, written communication, customer contact, multiple concurrent tasks, all in a fast-paced environment, with continual change.
For more information or a detailed position description please send email to Michael.Vangelov@Scouting.org | | .jpg) | |
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