Scouts Advance at Troop 3 Newport Court of Honor

Now that the sunlight hours are lasting longer and the temperatures are rising, it is easier to picture and plan for summer scout camp.

Troop 3 Newport held a Court of Honor recently at the Elks Lodge #104 to celebrate the achievement of their 22 scouts and reviewed recent events and their upcoming schedule. These winter and spring campouts were outdoor skill building opportunities for scouts who will be challenging themselves at summer camp in New Hampshire this July 11-18. Summer camp activities include: hiking Mount Washington (weather permitting,) biking, kayaking & tubing on the Saco river and a trip to the water park.

Family and friends enjoyed a photos and videos narrated by the scouts describing their experiences at Camp Norse, Buck Hill and Coggeshall Farm. Another highlight was the completion of two Eagle Scout projects. Zack Bolen completed his two phase project at the popular Fort Adams and Conner Flynn completed his extensive marker installations at the famous Cliff Walk. Both projects included the coordination of hundreds of volunteer hours and achieved lasting outcomes to be enjoyed by locals and visitors to Newport.

Coming up, Troop 3 will take a camping bike trip to Cape Cod to use their scenic 22 mile rail trail bike path and participate in the annual Flag Day ceremony at the Elks Lodge. Riley Bolan will conduct his landscaping improvement Eagle leadership project on June 20th at Pell School. He will manage volunteers installing buddy benches he designed and constructed and mulching the playground.

As well as the sharing their Troop 3 achievements, many scouts who are part of military families, shared their plans to join new troops in the fall where they will be moving. As this represents almost half the troop, it is a bittersweet day for many who reflected on the bonds created and the appreciation to those who supported the scouts’ interests in learning about their world and themselves.

The following awards were presented:

Rank Advancements

Dylan McGrath Second Class

Will Serth Second Class

Declan Foster Second / First Class

Sam Hawkins First Class

Ian Ellermann Star

Peter Hebda Star

Merit Badges

Jack Hallett Orienteering

Michael Roche Orienteering

Declan Foster Citizenship in the Community

Dylan McGrath Orienteering and Archery

Will Serth Orienteering

Peter Hebda Orienteering

Ian Ellermann Cooking, Citizenship in the Community, Personal Management, Theater, American Heritage, Oceanography

Zack Bolen Personal Management, Citizen in the Community, Cooking

Riley Bolan Family Life, Environmental Science

Troop 3 is sponsored by Newport Elks Lodge and is a member of BSA Narragansett Council. Boys in Troop 3 range in age from 11-17 years old. They attend All Saints Academy, St. Philomena School, Thompson Middle School, Rogers & Middletown High Schools and some are home schooled.

Boy Scouts of America has three objectives: character development, citizenship training and personal fitness. For more information about BSA Troop 3 Newport, please call Glenn Gardiner at 401 846-9583 x 2002.

Caption to photo: members of BSA Troop 3 on their recent Cape Cod Rail Trail 44 mile bike ride

L to R Peter Hebda, Derek Hallett, Zach Bolen, Jack Hallett, Bill Serth, Camping Director, Will Serth, Michael Roche, Dylan McGrath, Ian Ellermann, Mike Flynn, Assistant Scoutmaster, Steve Hebda, Matthew Glaser, Glenn Gardiner, Scoutmaster.

Photo credit: Mike Hallett