About Us

Introduction
Meetings and Troop Initiation
Boy Scout Supplies
Troop Organization
Officer Positions Needed for Advancement
Website
Community Service
Eagle Merit Badges vs. Regular Merit Badges
Rank Advancement
Camping Outings
Summer Camp and Other Available Area Camps
Formal Occasions
Organizational Meetings
Scout Leaders

Introduction

Welcome to Boy Scouts of America, of the North Florida Council, of the River Bend District, Troop 225. This troop was founded in 1988, and the sponsorship is provided by Geneva Presbyterian Church. Connie Cummings and Wynn Davis were the founding leaders of this troop. Ms. Cummings became Scoutmaster of Troop 225 at that time as her son crossed over to Boy Scouts from Club Scout Pack 225. Mr. Davis' son crossed over as well in 1988. Mr. Davis became Scoutmaster in 1991 at the time of Ms. Cummings' departure.

In 1993, Carl Pearce, whose children were in the Troop, became the Scoutmaster of Troop 225. He and his wife, Janice, were and still are today extremely active in our Troop. Then in the winter of 2004, Mr. Pearce stepped down as Scoutmaster and Jim Beeler took on the role. Mr. Beeler served as Scoutmaster for two years, at which time he stepped down, and Kristopher Rule assumed the role of Scoutmaster. Mr. Rule was an adviser for the Dragon Patrol before he was the Scoutmaster. Approximately 2 & 1/2 years later, in early 2009, Mr. Rule stepped down and Tony Pionessa became Scoutmaster.Top

Meetings and Troop Initiation

The scouts meet each Monday, except holidays, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the recreation hall at Geneva Presbyterian Church on State Route 13 in Switzerland. Troop 225 meets year round, including summer months. All scouts should attend meetings on time and are expected to be in full "Class A" uniform. This includes the beige scout shirt, scout shorts/pants, scout belt, scout neckerchief, scout socks, and scout handbook. Troop 225 has its own neckerchief and slide which is supplied to each new scout by the troop. Merit badge sashes are only worn to Courts of Honor or other formal occasions. "Class B" uniforms can be worn at some events if specified by scout leaders. "Class B" uniform includes troop T-shirt, scout shorts/pants, scout belt, and scout socks. Scouts will be given two "Class B" T-shirts, and a notebook for collecting scout information when he enters the Troop.

When a group of new scouts joins the Troop, they will stay together in their own patrol and, ideally, their leader from WEBELOS or other interested parents will join the Troop with them as an Assistant Scoutmaster and adult adviser to their patrol. Weekly meetings are conducted mostly by the scouts with the adults acting as advisers. During the meetings, the first fifteen (15) minutes are spent with uniform inspection, announcements, opening ceremonies, etc. The scouts then break up into their own patrols and work on advancements or planning as needed. The latter portion of meeting time is reserved for guest speakers or older scouts working with younger scouts on requirements, skits or games. The remaining minutes are used for reminders and closing ceremonies.

Each scout is to bring their scout handbook and notebook to meetings as scouts will be working toward advancement and all information is in the book. Scouts will review advancement needs and accomplish some goals at meetings and campouts. Other goals must be accomplished by the scout in his own time. Parents will need to review and assist all scouts with these goals and aid in scout advancement. It is the goal of the Troop that scouts be responsible for their goals and accomplishments by the time the scout reaches First Class.
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Boy Scout Supplies

Scouting supplies and clothing can be purchased in the Scout Shop at the Boy Scouts of America offices on Edgewood Avenue. There is a full Scout shop located in that building. Also, scout clothing can be purchased at Blackcreek Outfitters on Gate Parkway across from Costco, Board City Surf Shop on Blanding Blvd at Kingsley Road, Army Navy Surplus on Monument Drive across from Regency Mall, or the Boy Scout Catalog, which can be obtained upon request.

You may find it helpful to purchase a Boy Scout badge Requirements Handbook (approximately $3.00) in addition to the required Boy Scout Handbook as your Scout begins to work toward goals for attaining merit badges. This handbook provides detailed requirements for each badge. Scout handbooks and other books are most easily found at the Scout Shop at Boy Scouts of America offices on Edgewood Ave at I-10.

It is helpful for scouts with positions of leadership to have a few extra supplies. These include meeting planner forms, which are used for writing information at PLCs and noting information for meetings, and menu planner forms, which will also help with planning out the patrol meals for a campout. Both forms are available for download on our website.
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Troop Organization

Tony Pionessa is the Scoutmaster of Troop 225 with John Roche is the Committee Chairperson. Troop 225 relies heavily on the recruitment of adult leaders to assist in the operations of the Troop. There is a training workshop available for any perspective Scout Leaders if they wish to attend. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Pionessa. Leaders attend most meetings, help with groups of Scouts, attend Scout Committee meetings, and attend campouts as available/needed. Also, any parent or leader is encouraged to be a merit badge counselor if interested. No special educational requirements are needed. The basic role of a counselor is to read the Merit Badge Book, follow the listed badge requirements needs, counsel scouts and then complete the paperwork for badge achievement. A parent counseling only his/her child for a badge achievement is discouraged. To participate in scout instruction, one must notify the Scoutmaster to sign up for a particular merit badge class.

The Scouts are split up into "patrols" with an elected Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader. At meetings, the patrol leaders are responsible for roll call and checking Scout attire. They are also responsible for attending Patrol Leader Council (PLC) meetings to plan meetings and campouts based on what their patrol is interested in doing. They call scouts in their patrol to communicate as needed.

The Senior Patrol Leader oversees meetings and campouts with the help of the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. He is responsible for troop communication prior to events, campouts, and meetings. He must attend and conduct PLC meetings to plan upcoming meetings and events. He conducts Courts of Honor with the Scoutmaster and is responsible for overall communication.

The Quartermaster, Scribe, Historian, Troop Guides, and Chaplain's Aide positions are described more fully in the next section.
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Officer Positions Needed for Advancement

Positions held within the troop is also another advancement requirement. We ask that parents please note this need and encourage your scout to determine which positions they wish to strive for and be elected. These positions have minimum attendance requirements that must be met. These positions include:

• Senior Patrol Leader - Leads troop and conducts PLC (Patrol Leader Council) meetings once a month.
• Assistant Senior Patrol Leader - Assists Senior Patrol Leader.
• Patrol Leaders - Leads patrol.
• Assistant Patrol Leaders - Assists Patrol Leader.
• Quartermasters - Prepares for camping trips and maintains equipment.
• Troop Guides - Works with scouts for advancement.
• Troop Historian - Takes pictures at events, maintains scrapbook.
• Troop Scribe - Collects attendance sheets, sends thank you notes and writes monthly newsletter article. The troop scribe assists the webmaster in publishing the website.
• Chaplain\'s Aide - Conducts prayers at meeting and campouts.

Positions are usually held for six (6) months. Nominated scouts tell the troop why they should be elected to the post. The scouts then vote on the nominees to elect the best person for the job. Scouts need to meet the job description of the position that they are elected to or they will have to forfeit the position and miss an advancement opportunity.
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Web Site

Troop 225 has a website that is used as a resource to scouts and their families for information about upcoming events and trips. It is also used to educate people outside our troop that want to get more information about it. The address is http://www.troop225.net/. If you would like more information about the website contact our webmaster, Mike Jasper.
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Community Service

All scouts are encouraged to become involved with community service projects. Advancement for most ranks is contingent upon the scout's participation in a community service project. For example, our scouts have participated in the Walk for Diabetes, assisting the church with Christmas activities, assisting older scouts with their Eagle project, attending Boy Scout Sunday at a church, parade participation, clean up projects, and other formal Scouting ceremonies. Each advancement rank requires service hours outside of the regular scout meeting schedule. Parents be aware of this need and encourage your scout to participate.
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Eagle Merit Badges vs. Regular Merit Badges

There are a number of merit badges available for scouts to earn. Please refer to your Scout Handbook for a review of these. When a scout is interested in obtaining a badge, he should discuss it with his adult leader and obtain a "blue card" from the Merit Badge Organizer needed to apply for the merit badge. Badges are taught by a merit badge counselor. Merit Badge classes must have an enrollment of two or more scouts. Also, paperwork (blue cards) needs to be completed prior to a scout beginning a badge. Please note that there are select badges needed once you reach First Class that will prepare a scout for the rank of Eagle.
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Rank Advancement

After obtaining all requirements for advancements in rank, a scout must notify their adult adviser to schedule a "Scoutmaster conference" to discuss his advancement in rank. Parents please encourage your scout to do this. Leaders will also encourage this. After the Scoutmaster conference, the scout must go before a "Board of Review" to discuss advancement. This Board of Review is held every month. The board includes a small group consisting of Eagle scouts and/or parents who will interview the advancing scout on their attitudes toward scouting and his advancement. The scout will know following this review if advancement has been granted based on his knowledge of the requirements. Parents will be asked to volunteer for Board of Reviews. This gives parents a chance to get to know the scouts and why scouting is important to them.
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Camping Outings

Camping is an advancement requirement. Camping trips are scheduled monthly and are announced 2-3 weeks in advance. Mr. Derek Emerson is our Camping coordinator. Some camping events will be open to the scout's family, others will include advancing WEBELOS, but most camping weekends are limited to scouts, leaders and parents. Camping outings usually require a small fee of less than $25 (Cash Only) from each scout going on the trip. This fee covers food for meal preparation and campsite reservation. Each scout should have approximately $5 spending money when leaving for the campout. Most of these camping adventures are within 2 hours or less driving time from Jacksonville. Weekend camping events usually depart at 5:00 PM on Friday night from Geneva Presbyterian Church. Assistant Scoutmasters provide their vehicles for transportation, but at times parents may be asked to provide transportation as well. Only adults over 18 years old can transport scouts. Each driver must provide their Driver's License number, vehicle make/model/year, and insurance coverage information prior to the campout or any activity transporting scouts in their vehicle. Scouts must be in class A uniform to be eligible to depart for the camping trips.

Scouts assist in camp activities, clean up and cooking during the weekend. Following a brief Sunday morning church service, camp is broken down and then scouts leave at approximately 9:30 a.m. and parents meet the scout caravan in the Food Lion parking lot for pick up around 11:00 Permission slips and directions will be e-mailed out 2-3 weeks prior to the actual camping event. Forms are also available on the troop website for upcoming camping trips. Hard copies of the forms will not be handed out at any time. The scout is responsible for printing it himself or asking another scout to do so. Mr. Emerson is available for any questions.
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Summer Camp and Other Available Area Camps

In addition to weekend camping activities, Troop 225 participates in a long distance, weeklong summer camp experience each summer. These camps are within a days drive of Jacksonville. The cost is approximately $300.00 and is broken into an installment plan over a three (3) month period. This is a good opportunity for the scouts to become fully involved in scouting and to advance. Summer camp offers many merit badge classes as well as instructions for Tenderfoot through First Class advancements. Please contact Mr. Emerson for additional information.

Aquatics Camp is another fun Boy Scout camp available in the Jacksonville area. Only offered during the summer months, it is located at Camp Echockotee in Orange Park and has a very wide offering of different Boy Scout Merit Badge classes that can be completed 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. Each session is for one week and was less than $155/week in 2007. You can find out more information about this camp by contacting 904-388-0591 or by visiting the North Florida Council website.

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Formal Occasions

The Boy Scout Court of Honor is a formal ceremony for recognizing scouts advancing in rank and receiving merit badges. At this ceremony, a scout color guard will present colors. Mr. Pionessa and senior scouts will lead the traditional Boy Scout ceremony and present each scout with the advancement and/or badges they have earned. Scouts should wear a full "Class A" uniform with their merit badge sash. Parents are encouraged to share this important time with their scout by attending these ceremonies.

Prior to each of these ceremonies, scouts are assigned refreshments to bring, i.e. cookies, chips, sodas and paper supplies for the social gathering following the ceremony. This ceremony occurs every quarter during the regular meeting time on Monday.

Another formal occasion is the Award for Eagle. The candidate and his family plan this event and send out invitations to attend. We encourage families to attend these occasions to support the Eagle Scout process and to demonstrate to younger scouts the goal that can be attained. Scout families may be contacted to assist in ceremony preparation.
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Organizational Meetings

Patrol Leader Council is held the Tuesday following the Committee Meeting each month at 7 PM. The Scoutmaster and Scout Leaders meet with the Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leaders to plan meetings and campouts. These usually last one hour at the church.

Scout Committee Meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM. All adult leaders and parents are encouraged to attend to find out more about the Troop plans and functions. This is a working committee to attend to Troop business and make policy. Suggestions are always welcome. The meetings usually last 60 minutes and are held at the church.

It is important that all Scouts and parents review the monthly newsletter which lists calendar events, campouts, activities and meetings requirements. This newsletter is e-mailed or a copy is available on our website.
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Scout Leaders

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