CO= NGRATULATIONS

to the following new=

EA= GLE SCOUTS!

H= arrison F= . August 14, 2007

Ke= egan C. December 5, 2007

Hidd= en Valley Scout Camp

by Stephen C.

Hidden Valley, or just Valley to most veterans, is one= of two camps open to Scouts in Griswold Scout Reservation. Each year our troop= has a blast there, and this year was no exception! We stayed there for Week 5 of the possible 10 weeks, and we stayed at our usual campsite, Naticook.

Valley offered plenty of opportunities for advancement, experience, or just plain all-out fun. Many Scouts selected merit badge cou= rses which they took part in during the morning, with troop activities scheduled= for the evening. Among our troop activities were troop shoots (archery/rifle), = ice cube candle making, and a “friendly” watermelon scramble with T= roop 263. Some huge feats accomplished by Scouts and even Adults were the Mile S= wim, the Polar Bear swim, and the COPE high ropes course.

Overall, everyone had a terrific time, and many of us = got something out of it, like merit badges or experience. The most memorable th= ing about this particular trip was seeing 4 adults and half the boys around the fire reading the same book: Harry Potter. I hope that we can have another t= rip to Valley next year.

NH J= amboree

by Stephen C.

Known as Jambo to nearly every Scout, the NH Jamboree = could be described in one word: immense. Thousands of Scouts from all around NH in one place would seem overwhelming, for anybody but us. Located at Gunstock = Ski Resort, the Jambo was an extravagant celebration of everything that is Scouting. The theme of this Jambo was “Traditions For Tomorrow”, reflecting how our past connects with our future.

On Saturday (after arriving on Friday), the Troop spli= t up in a mass mission to see and do everything! There were plenty of shooting sports stations, as well as merit badge fairs, museums, and free stuff to collect. The most notable event was a Blackhawk helicopter swooping in (catching a lot of us by surprise) and landing!

On Saturday night, however, there was a slight change in the weather that caused us to get a little wet. Nonetheless, we manage= d to see the ending finale including fireworks, a rock band, and several skits f= rom other troops. All in all, we all had a terrific time despite getting a bit = wet. I would definitely encourage any Scouts to go to future Jambos, especially = the upcoming 100^th anniversary celebration one.

Bear= Brook Bike Trip

by Matthew R.

When we arrived, we talked about different bike design= s and their purposes. We then checked our bikes, including brakes, gears, and tire pressure; consulted the map, and t= hen we were on our way. It was uphil= l at first, but then leveled off, then uphill.&= nbsp; We followed the path to a nice clearing near a lake. We had a good lunch and rest. We then continued our trip around t= he lake. For some of the riders,= this was the first time to be on a mountain trail – it was fun, but there = were also difficult portions too. = The last leg of our trip was a welcomed gentle downhill ride on a paved path. This brought us back to our starti= ng point. It was a great day.

Fall Membership Picnic<= /span>

by Ben G.

This year’s fall membership Picnic at Griffin Park was yet another success. Many= of the boy scouts brought their friends along to participate in the fun. Some = of the games we played were: Ultimate Frisbee, wiffle ball, and wall ball. The food was also very delicious and many of us had 2^nd helpings. By nighttime, we were all anxious to see who would win the raffle prizes. Some= of these prizes included Nalgenes and an LCD lamp. After all was done, we all headed home with wonderful and joyous memories from the 2007 Fall Membership Picnic.

June Backpacking trip

by John P.

In June, right after school got out, a small group of = us went on a three-day backpacking trip up North. We went a total of about 18 miles. We summited three mountains. Members of the party included Tommy O., Tyler C., Matt L., Kevin D., Keegan C., and myself, John P.. Our adult lead= ers were Mr. Ostberg, Mr. Caron, and Mr. Pierson. The trip was a lot of fun. If= you want to join us next time, make sure that you get to 1^st class!<= /p>

The = Sub Sale

by Alex B.

The sub sale went well this year on October 20^{th<=
/sup>.
We raised about $3000 for troop supplies and trips; we made 720 subs! This =
year
was better than last year because it didn’t rain. The sub making went=
so
fast we all got an early start on delivery. It was another great success! A great ‘Thank You’ go=
es to
Mr. Al Letizio for donating the subs (meats, cheeses, vegetables, rolls, and
the use of his facilities)!}

Scouting for Food

by Matthew R.

We had a lot of help, picking up, gathering, and sorti= ng food for the Shepherd’s Pantry during Scouting for Food week. It was = good to work together for the community and we had fun too!

Tree Lighting and Bonfire

by Freddy N.

On December 1^st at the town common was the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. We (the boy scouts) had a HUGE bonfire go= ing the whole time. It was awesome. Hot cocoa, cookies, and face painting were available to everyone. There was a concert by the Windham Community Band who played Christmas songs to entertain people. Also there was a visit by Santa= who rode in a fire truck and was escorted by the Salem Marching Band. He was available for pictures after that. All in all, it was a great time for everyone.

Lafayette Cam= pout

by David P.

On a chilly Saturday morning, we met at Center school = and prepared for our departure. We finally left after loading up the cars with gear, food and scouts and started our 2 and a half hour journey to the Lafayette campsite in Franconia, NH. We arrived, and soon after the tents were all set up. We made lunch for the trail and we= nt on a hike. After a great hike, it was time to make dinner. So we gathered fire= wood and cooked our meal. We had some great food for dinner. For the next couple= of hours we sat around the fire warming ourselves. That night it got down into= the low twenties! When we awoke, there was a nice layer of frost covering the ground. After a delicious breakfast, we started breaking camp. Strong winds made putting tents away a little bit of a challenge. Af= ter camp was broken, it was time to leave Lafayette and set off on the car- ride back to Windham. It was a great campout.

= = &nb= sp; =

Lone= some Lake Campout

by Jake S.

On the weekend of December 8^th, 2007, many = scouts went on an extremely cold campout on top of the White Mountains. The hike up to the plateau was 1.7 miles of switchb= ack trail. We had to carry our backpacking gear up with us in the frigid temperatures and took us approx. two hours to reach the cabin. Once there, = we ate our lunches and tried to keep warm. The majority of the adults that came went on another hike around another mountain while the rest of us relaxed a= nd played cards, Scrabble, and other games of the sort. After a cold night in = our sleeping bags, we started to descend the mountain at around 11:30. We were finished with the descent in a matter of thirty minutes. After we left the mountains, many of us had lunch at the Tilton Diner and left for home. Another fun trip!

The Salem Exchange Clu= b

by Ben G.

On November 24^th, a group of boy scouts hel= ped build Christmas tree stands at a lot next to Daisy Cleaners on Route 28 in Salem. The morning started nice and cold with securing stands for the trees. Next was the unwrapping and setting up the trees from the truck on to the stands. It was= a fun activity that was enjoyed by all. These Christmas trees are sold by the Salem Exchange Club (a local community service<= /st1:PersonName> organization).

Tim = S.’s Eagle Scout Project

by Tim S.

This fall I FI= NALLY completed my Eagle Scout Project. I started my project two and a half years= ago with fundraising and ended it in November of this year with two new Windham Middle School baseball dugout roofs. This project took over= eight hundred and fifty volunteer hours to complete. Thank you to all who helped. I could not have completed this pr= oject without your support.

John= P.’s Eagle Project and Campout

by John P.

Over the course of the weekend of September 22-23, I, = with the help of many other Scouts, built a campsite as my Eagle Project. We wor= ked all day, hauling wood through the trails and assembling tent platforms. The campsite currently has 5 platforms and a campfire ring. After we finished t= he project, a small group of Scouts stayed the night on the new platforms. We cooked dinner and breakfast before heading out on Sunday. The campsite is o= ff of a trail leading off of Route 28, just after the <= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Animal Hospital. Thanks a lot to all those who participated!

SPL Minute

by Kevin D. <= /p>

The Senior Patrol Leader is the most demanding leaders= hip position a boy can have, and, at first, seems like a daunting task. However= , I feel that every scout that is able, should assume the role for one election period and they will, hopefully, realize that it isn’t that bad. I ha= ve learned countless lessons along the way. One of the most obvious, and harde= st to do is manage the twenty-ish kids every Thursday night, which can require some patience. Teaching scout skills during that time is another thing altogether. However it is not just crowd control, there is organizing, planning, and leadership, all of which are important life lessons to learn early on and apply to everyday life. Overall assuming the roll of the Senior Patrol Leader is the best thing a scout can do for himself, besides earning Eagle of course.

Scou= tmaster’s Corner

by Mr. Steve Pierson

Man oh man, what a busy summer and fall! Where did the time go? Starting with the Appalachian Trial backpacking trip, summer camp, mountain biking at Bear Brook, OA weekend, W= ood Badge training, building the new campsite and camping there, the New Hampsh= ire Jamboree, sub sale, Lafayette Place camp out, and Lonesome Lake AMC overnig= ht, and a smattering of Eagle Scout projects, I guess maybe there were a few th= ings going on...

We have also seen a lot of advancement. From Scout to Tenderfoot and Life = to Eagle and everything in between, there has been a lot of activity. Let’s keep up the good work!= I am continually impressed with yo= u guys and I am proud to be associated with you through the Troop.

So what’s next?= Winter activities like the Klondike, snowshoe hiking, and winter camping. Spring will bring the Webelos cross-over and preparation for the can= oe trip and summer camp. We are = always looking for new things to do and places to go. If you want to do something, make a plan, present it to your patrol leader and let’s do it!

And what’s going to change? A few things. First, I need the older Scouts who= are looking for their Eagle advancements to be more active in the Troop. You guys are the leaders of the Tr= oop – you need to be here when you can and you need to participate in Tro= op activities. Review of your pa= rticipation will be a part of all upcoming Scoutmaster conferences. Next, I need for the ranking Scout= s (1^st Class and above) to take an active role in advancing the skill Scouts (up t= o 1^st Class). So, I am going to ask= each of you to be a mentor to a skill Scout and help him to reach the next rank = by the June CoH. Finally, I will continue to work through the PLC to truly make the program boy run using the Patrol method. Believe me, wh= en this method is working right, the Troop runs really well!

So, some more of the same (lots of activities, focus on advancement) and some new stuff (more responsibility to support advancement). Sounds like a b= usy winter and spring ahead! I can’t wait!

Boy Scout= Leaders
Senior Patrol Leader	Kevin D.
Asst. Senior Patrol Leader	David P.
Asst. Senior Patrol Leader	Tim S.
Black Dragon’s Patrol Leader	Vallen I.
Eagle’s Patrol Leader	John R.
Lightning’s Patrol Leader	Chris B.
Monkey’s Patrol Leader	Greg S.l
Viking’s Patrol Leader	Jake S.
Chaplain Aid	Freddy P.
Historian	Matthew= R.
Librarian	Sean J.
Quartermaster	Tyler C.
Scribe	Ben G.
Troop Guide	John P.
Jr. Asst. Scout Master	Aaron F.

Website: http://www.troop266.org

Adult Sco= ut Leaders

Scoutmaster: Mr. Steve Pierson

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Don Caron

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Dee Deranian

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. John Foster

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Chris Gallo

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Al Letizio

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Fred Nader

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Tom Ostberg

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Chuck Swierad

Asst. Scoutmaster: Mr. Bob Tomer

Troop Committee Chairperson: Mr. Chris Cole

Troop Treasurer: Ms. Rosa Chau

Advancement Coordinator: Mr. Don Caron

Camping Coordinator: Mr. Richa= rd Joseph

Note from the Editor:= Thank you to all those who contributed to the newsletter.