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THE POLARIS
The Internationally Famous North Star District,
Galacticly Famous Heart of America Council , BSA.
N O V E M B E R ,
M M X I V
CATAPULTS!!
This past October, the North Star and Pioneer Trails Districts held a joint District Camporee.
The weather was perfect for a great catapult competition. Camporee Chairman John Peter
and his staff put on an outstanding event.
Check out final results on page 9 to see who won the catapult competion. To see all of the
pictures taken of the event, check out http://goo.gl/BtefrD.
2014 Year to Date Advancement Summary:
Tiger: ................... 212
Tenderfoot: 195
Bobcat:................. 194
2nd Class:.... 146
Wolf: .................... 255
First Class: . 148
Bear: .................... 265
Star: ........... 122
Webelos: .............. 211
Life: ........... 141
Arrow of Light: ... 171
Eagle: ........... 84
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March, 2015
North Star District Calendar
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http://www.hoac-bsa.org/Districts/NorthStar/Calendar.aspx
November, 2014
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Commissioner Basic Training,
University of Scouting – Park University
Naish Work Day - Naish
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Recharter Turn-In, One-Stop-Shopping, Merit
Badge Counselor Training, Chartered Organization Rep
Training, & OA Chapter Meeting.
Popcorn Pick-Up, Noon - 5pm, Wagner Industries,
1731 St. Louis Ave, KCMO
Popcorn Pick-Up, 8:00am - Noon, Wagner Industries,
1731 St. Louis Ave, KCMO
Good Turn for Goodwill
Bartle Work Day – Bartle
Mini-Camps – Naish
Walking with Dinosaurs, 7:00 p.m., Sprint Center
Walking with Dinosaurs, 5:00 p.m., Sprint Center
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
Council Annual Recognition Dinner, 6:30 p.m..,
Downtown Marriott - Muehlbach Tower, 1213
Wyandotte St, KCMO
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April, 2015
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9
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Congratulations
to
Laura
Bohlman for being named
Scouter of the Month at the
North Star District October,
2014 Roundtable.
Laura a long-time volunteer to
Scouting. Thanks, Laura, for all
you do for Scouting.
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
Popcorn Pick-Up
All of the Scouts in our District have been busily selling
popcorn, and NOW IS THE TIME TO DELIVER!! No,
really, we have a lot of popcorn that needs to be delivered.
All of the orders will be
ready for pickup on
Friday, November 7th
(between 12-noon and
5:00
p.m.)
or
Saturday, November
8th (between 8:00 a.m.
and noon) at Wagoner
Industries, 1731 St.
Louis Ave, Kansas City,
MO.
Be sure that you bring
enough transportation
(vans, pickup trucks,
etc.) to carry the
product back to your
unit for distribution.
If any of you would like to help with the distribution on
either of those two days, please call Shannon Zornes at
[email protected] or at 816-914-6517. Your
help is greatly appreciated.
January, 2015
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District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
North Star District Dinner, 6:00 p.m., Finnigan’s Hall,
503 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, MO
February, 2015
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7
12
20-22
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
Congratulations
December, 2014
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District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
District Roundtable, 7:00 p.m., KCMO Police Training
Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, Kansas City,
MO. Merit Badge Counselor Training, & OA Chapter
Meeting.
North Star District Pinewood Derby - TBA
Joint District Committee & District Commissioner
Staff Meeting, 6:30/7:30 p.m., Liberty Stake Center,
6751 NE 70th Street
North Star District Klondike Derby, 5:00 p.m., Kelsey
Short Youth Camp, 17980 Collins Rd, Smithville, MO
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Let’s Get Our
Leaders…
Rechartering
Recharter is upon us. AND, all of us
need to step up to make sure that every
unit in the District gets their charter
turned in ON TIME!!
There are some changes for every
unit in the District to be aware
of. Some of these are BIG
changes.
RECHARTER STARTED AT
THE OCTOBER ROUNDTABLE.
This is one month earlier than in years past. You may hear
that the charters must be turned in by December.
Technically, that is correct. HOWEVER, and this is a big
one, all of these charters must be completely posted by
12/31/14. There will be no grace period provided.
If, for any reason, a charter is not completed and posted in
ScoutNet by 12/31/14, then the charter is dropped by
National and the Council.
Recharter Turn-In will be TONIGHT at the November
6th Roundtable. This is a One-Stop-Shopping event where
charters are turned in, OA Elections are selected, your
Journey to Excellence forms and all of the other normal
paperwork is processed. That will give the units and the
District all of November and December to identify and clean
up any issues. REMEMBER THE SIGNATURES!!!
If you have any questions, be sure to ask one of the District
professionals or your Unit Commissioner. We’re the North
Star District - - WE CAN GET THIS DONE!!
Recruiting. Recharter.
RETRAINING!!!
There is nothing wrong with updating your Scout training. We
are all getting older, and some of the brain cells are fading
(Polaris Editor included). Now is the time to take the personal
responsibility to make sure that all of our training is up-to-date,
and look for other training that will enhance our Scouting skills.
Bookmark the North Star Training webpage at
http://www.hoac-bsa.org/Districts/NorthStar/Training.aspx.
Check it often for updates. It is the MOST CURRENT listing
of training classes in the District.
Upcoming Training Opportunities:



Cub Scout Leader Training
o Watch for NEW Training Classes in 2015!!
Boy Scout Training
o Watch for NEW Training Classes in 2015!!
Chartered Organization Rep Training – 11/6 at
Roundtable, or by appointment
If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Tyler at
[email protected] or at 816-505-2015. Also, be sure to
visit the National training web site and check out the new
training sections. If you have any questions, let Jeff know.
On-line training links:
 Cub & Scout Youth Protection training (2 year expiration)
 Venturing Youth Protection training (2 year expiration)
 Cub Scout Leader Job Specific training (Cubmaster, Tiger,
Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Den Leader, Pack Trainer and Pack
Committee)
 Weather Hazards (2 year expiration)
 Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat and Climb On Safely (all 2
year expiration)
DEN CHIEF Training at
http://www.scouting.org/Training/Youth/DenChiefTraining.aspx
The North Star District Remembers
Each November, the North Star District
remembers those Scouters (adults and
boys) and friends of the program that
have gone before us in the last fiscal
year.
This month, the following Scouts,
Scouters, or friends of Scouting, are
remembered:
 Ted Fleischman, Eagle Scout, North
Star Scouter, Sachem in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say
 George William “Bill” Gillett, Adult Leader for over 25
years, Vigil Honor
 Robert (Bob) Atkins, COR – Troop 167, Unit Treasurer,
Vigil Honor
 Thomas G. King, Adult Leader – Troop 122, Vigil Honor
 John Cooper, Adult Leader – Troop 301, Silver Beaver,
Vigil Honor
 David Ozaki, Eagle Scout, Adult Advisor – Troop 60,
Commissioner, Vigil Honor
 Joseph J. Spohn, II, Past Lodge Chief, Vigil Honor
 George “Lefty” McKinney, Scoutmaster
 Will Krahenbuhl, Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver, Medicine
Man in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say
IIC Leadership Challenge
For the 2014/2015 Investment in Character Campaign, the
North Star District Leadership Team is being asked to do
just that – LEAD.
You will be asked soon to make your IIC comitment – well
in advance of the start of the Campaign. By doing so, we
are setting the stage for the rest of the District. If all of the
District volunteer leaders know that
the District Leadership Team is “all
in”, then they will follow.
If you have any questions about
this, ask one of our professionals or
our Key-3. Let’s set the standard
for all others to meet – and exceed!!
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Bring-A-Buddy!!
Attention Unit Advancement Chairmen
and Eagle Coordinators
Attention Pack Leaders!! How did your recruiting effort go
this fall? Did you meet your expectations? Many of you
would say “Yes”. Some would probably say “No.”
No matter what your answer was, EVERY unit has the
ability to continue to grow. Remember – Scouting is for
EVERYBODY!! It is our job to make sure that every boy
in our area gets an invitation.
What is the best way to get that invitation out? Your current
membership is your BEST ambassador for the Scouting
program. Encourage every Scout in your unit to ask a friend
who is not in Scouting to join him.
Are you aware that the Boy
Scouts of America issued a
new Eagle Project Workbook
and Application this year?
At the October Roundtable,
there was a presentation
about all of the new changes
to
the
Eagle
Project
workbook.
If you didn’t get an opportunity to attend this presentation,
be sure to look up our District Advancement Chairman,
Larry Duncan. He will be able to answer any question you
may have.
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Annual Award Nominations
REMINDER!!
All award
nominations for the District
Award of Merit, the Paul
Arend/Virgil Bower Unit Leader
Award, and The Council Eagle
Project of the Year Award are to
be submitted no later than the
December 4th District Roundtable.
The North Star District has plenty of people who are
deserving of recognition. It is your duty to fill out the
application and get it turned in on time for consideration.
Nomination forms can be found at http://www.hoacbsa.org/north-star-unit-service in the North Star Awards
section.
If you have questions about any of these awards, contact
Larry Duncan at [email protected], or at 816-213-9928.
One tool that is available to you this year is Invitation Post
Cards. These cards are tailored to your unit, and can be
personalized from one of your Cubs inviting a friend.
Shown here is a sample card from one of our Packs. Then,
you need to follow up with a personal invitation to that
prospective youth and his parents.
Be sure to recognize all new youth joining your Unit. Make
it fun and exciting for them and their parents – because
without them, there is nobody for you to deliver the
Scouting program to.
If you have any questions on how to get these cards, be sure
to call one of our Professionals, or our District Membership
Chairman, Mike Riley at 816-407-7279.
Annual District Dinner - 2015
Mark your calendar. The North Star
District Dinner will be on Saturday,
January 24th, 2015. This year, the
dinner will be at Finnigan’s Hall, 503
E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, MO.
The District Dinner is a time to
recognize all of the Eagle Scouts of the
past year, and also recognize the award
recipients – including the District
Award of Merit winners. Fellowship
starts at 6:00pm, and dinner will begin at 6:30pm. Parents
of the 2014 Eagle Scouts are invited to attend.
The cost has not been established yet. Keep an eye on the
North Star web page for more details.
Plan ahead and get your reservation in early. Make sure that
every Eagle Scout in your Troop is invited to attend, and
bring their families along. We look forward to a great
evening of fellowship.
A Cub Scout’s Thanksgiving Prayer
O, Heavenly Father, we ask for your blessing
For loved ones and friends that are near.
We thank you for food and for love and for life
And the Spirit of Scouting that’s here.
We thank you for leaders who care about boys,
Who give us their time – that’s better than toys!
We thank you for dads who help us learn right,
For moms whe sew on our badges at night.
For all this, thank you, dear Lord, up above,
For being in Scouting is something we love!
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Comments From Our District Chairman
Comments From our District Executive
Hello everyone!
Greetings Scouters!!
What a series for the Royals.
And, in the end, they were 90
feet way from continuing to play
another inning – and possibly
taking the series!
I wanted to take
some time as we
enter into the holiday
season to thank
everyone in the
Internationally
Famous North Star
District for all of their
hard
work
and
dedication to the
Scouting Program!
Without you, we could not continue to provide the first
class program that we have become accustomed to.
As I reflect on the season, I
continue to see correlations
between our District and the
Royals. We have both come so
far as a TEAM. The North Star
District has had a great year; we
are still in the game! By the numbers, our Financial goal
and Membership goal are just like where the Royals were
at the beginning of the 9th inning; we are within striking
distance, all we need is a few solid hits.
We have had a great Scouting year, with many wonderful
events, like the Camporee, Day Camp, Webelos and Bear
Camps, Boy Scout Camp, Cub Family Campout, the
Scouting 500, Royal Gathering of Eagles, Scout Day at the
Sporting KC, Scout Day at the Race Track, the Scout Strong
5K and Half Marathon, Pinewood Derby, Rain Gutter
Regattas, and the many monthly overnights, Pack
meetings, Den meetings, and Troop meetings that each of
our units have organized and many, many more. Again, I
would like to thank all of the volunteers that made these
events possible!
Let’s make sure we finish out and not leave our teammate
stranded on 3rd. Last night I received a note from Trey
about two new units that will bring in over 80 youth. If all
goes well with those two units, we will be within 126 youth
needed by year end to meet our membership goal for 2014
(that’s less than 1 youth per unit in our District).
Let’s all continue our push to Gold on our Journey to
Excellence! Thanks for all you do for North Star District!
Yours in Scouting…
Jeffrey Goertz
---North Star District Chairman
I also want to thank everyone that has taken the time to
help Kyle, Trey, and me transition into our roles as your
District Executives and Director. We strive to be the best
District Professionals possible; and that does not happen
without a lot of good feedback and strong volunteer
leadership in the District.
Mini-Camp
The HOAC Mini-Camp
program is in full swing,
and they are looking for
you to join in on the fun
and adventure.
What can your Scouts do at
Mini-Camp? How about
Rifle Shooting, COPE, Wilderness First Aid, Shotgun
Shooting, Woodcarvers Workshop, Aquatics, Pistol
Shooting for Venturers, and the Naish Climbing Tower.
All of these activities are available to Boy Scouts and
Venturers. They are day-long programs on various
Saturdays in the fall.
For more information about Mini-Camp, including dates,
times,
and
cost,
check
out
www.hoacbsa.org/Data/Sites/1/media/activities/mini-camp/ACT-MiniCamp-Flyer-2014.pdf. Space is limited, so register early.
As we transition into the Holiday Season, I would like to
wish everyone a safe and relaxing season! I look forward
to getting out more and visiting more units and seeing how
everyone is celebrating!
Again, thank you for everything you do!
Yours in Scouting…
Adam Singleton
---North Star District Executive
School Night T-Shirts
Have you had any last minute recruits?
If you have, be sure to call one of our professionals. The
new Scout can receive a free LIMITED-EDITION School
Night T-shirt to wear.
For more information about how to get these shirts to your
new youth, be sure to check HERE.
Hey!!! We have a shirt for EVERY boy who joins the
program.
“Your smile is your logo; your personality is your business
card; how you leave others feeling after having an
experience with you becomes your trademark.”
--Jay Danzie
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Jamboree On The Air - JOTA
The 2014 Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) activity at this years
North Star/Pioneer Trails District Camporee was a huge
success. About 150 Scouts,
Scouters and Venturers had the
opportunity to get on the air and
talk with their counterparts at
almost 40 different stations in at
least 5 different countries.
Demonstrations all day included
voice and digital operations on
any of the three stations in
operation from Friday night until late Saturday night, when the
batteries finally died.
Video of the Camporee with a spotlight on JOTA was shot all
day Saturday and has already made it to the big time. Showing
on the Internet TV show Ham Nation hosted by TWIT.TV
helped us to reestablish our claim of being "Internationally
Famous". Check it out at http://twit.tv/show/ham-nation,
espisode #171. The North Star JOTA story starts at about 7
minutes, 30 seconds into the show.
Special thanks go to the following volunteeers who went above
and beyond to make this a unique event:
Venturers & leaders of Crew 883
Cassandra, CJ, Nikki, and Elli
Ham Operators:
Doug Roberts (N E 0/ A)
Vince Ward (K A 0/ A I G)
Jacque (JD) Dupuy (N 0/ I R S)
Deb Kaiser (W 0/ D L K)
Keith Kaiser (W A 0/ T J T)
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It’s Never Too Late to Get Excited
About Day Camp!!
16th Annual Northland Protestant God
and Country Program
Sure!! Day Camp is
next June.
But,
NOW is the time to
GET EXCITED!!!!!.
Planning is now
underway for Day
Camp
–
2015.
Jennifer Moyer is
forming a North Star
District Day Camp Committee to help brainstorm for next
year. Now is your opportutnity to help generate ideas for
new programs, get donations to support programs and
crafts, and provide the support to make Day Camp a
GREAT EXPERIENCE.
Day Camp will be June 8-12, 2015, and will be at the
Platte County Fairgrounds.
A breakout session will be held at the February, 2015
Roundtable to go over all of the paperwork that will be
required, as well as the registration process. Oh, and that
will be streamlined this year. Sally Kim is our new Registrar,
and she looks forward to working with you. This year,
we’re looking to go all digital. Stay tuned!!
Keep reading The Polaris for more information about Day
Camp. If you have any questions, or would like to be part
of the action, give Jennifer a call at 817-915-2449, or at
[email protected].
This fall, any Scout in the
Northland area has the opportunity
to earn the Protestant God and
Country Award for their Grade
level. Jeff Cook is heading up the
program again and has assembled a
wonderful staff.
Classes will be held at the North
Cross United Methodist Church
at 1321 NE Vivion Road, and will begin on November 9th.
There will be eight classes running from November through
next
March.
To
register,
go
to
www.godandcountrykc.com/20132014.htm. There is a great
deal of information about this program, and it would be best
to contact Jeff via e-mail at [email protected]. He will be
able to forward to you all of the details, along with costs.
Be sure to put in the Subject line of the e-mail “God &
Country”. Also, let Jeff know what grade the Scout is. That
way, he can send you the specific details for your Scout.
The Religious Award is one of only three badges that a
youth can earn that will transfer to the Adult uniform (the
other three being Eagle Scout, Arrow of Light, and any one
of the Heroism Awards). It is an important step in the
character growth of each Scout, and this program has
proved to be very successful.
Thanks to the Parents and Leaders who have supported this
program since August 1999.
Philmont - 2016
Internet Advancement
Twenty
months
away!!
Boy, that
seems like a long
time.
But, without proper
planning, the event of
a lifetime could just .
. . slip . . . . . a w a
Advancement. It is the cornerstone of
an effective Scouting program
delivered to our youth. These young
men work very hard to earn
advancement and awards, and each
unit has the responsibility to report
that advancement on a timely basis.
The Internet Advancement program is
a partnership between the unit and
BSA. There are two benefits to this partnership. 1) The
youths receive timely advancement recognition.
2)
Advancement records are backed up at the national level.
Although your unit may have wonderful advancement
records, we can predict that at some point, your records will
become lost or destroyed. When that happens, it’s an easy
matter to retrieve them from the BSA system – IF you take
advantage of the Internet Advancement system.
Internet Advancement training was provided at the
September Roundtable. If you missed it or are having
trouble with this program, be sure to contact Larry
Duncan, North Star District Advancement Chairman, at
816-213-9928.
Let’s do everything possible to recognize these youth.
y.
REGISTRATION FOR PHILMONT IS NOW OPEN!!
If your Unit is interested in participating in a Trek during
the summer of 2016, you must register for the lottery
selection process which started October 29 and will run
through November 19, 2014. Get basic Philmont
information
about
the
lottery
process
at
http://philmontscoutranch.org/reserve.aspx. Once you have
had time to read through all of the information, you will
need to identify youth in your unit who will commit to
going.
Then, you register for the lottery at
https://registerphilmont.org/2016/.
If you have any questions, reach out to the HOAC High
Adventure Committee at [email protected]. Best of
luck with the lottery!!
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Webelos at Camporee
Camporee isn’t just for the big boys. Webelos came out for
a day of fun!!
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Visited By a Witch
Bo Qui Chapter Service Project
At the October District Camporee, a local radio-controlled
flying club came out to show off their planes. One of the
“planes” was a flying witch – in honor of Halloween.
Many Scouts dropped by to watch these flying machines.
On Saturday, October 11th, the Bo Qui
Chapter met at the MCC Fab Lab to build
Three-chamber bat houses as a service
project. Members of the chapter cut wood,
stapled mesh on to the inside boards,
fastened boards together and sealed the
corners of the houses. We were able to
complete four bat houses by the end of the
day.
These bat houses will be presented to the Missouri Department
of Conservation for distribution into the community.
A big Thank You to all those that gave of their time to this
project and for the MCC Fab Lab letting us use their facility.
The chapter will be building more bat houses for a 2015 service
project. We look forward to more of our chapter brothers
participating with the project.
Fact:
Did you know that a single bat will eat its own weight
in insects in a single night. And, a Three-chamber bat house
can hold up to 300 bats.
Catapult Competition Results
The Catapult Competition was very intense at this
Camporee. Teams were judged on three criteria –
Teamwork, Design, and Distance.
1st Place – Troop 425 – Dragon Patrol – 86.5 points
2nd Place – Troop 354 – Ninja Turtle Patrol – 82.3 points
3rd Place – Trop 46 – Dragon Patrol – 80.6 points
Taking the Best of Show trophy was Troop 374 – the
Fireballs Patrol with 17.5 ponits.
Contratulations to everybody who participated.
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Comments From Our
District Commissioner
Our North Star District Professionals
Adam and Kyle – outstanding in their field, or is that out
standing in a field?? The answer . . . BOTH!!
Greetings, North Star Scouters!!
What an amazing October we
have had this year and It was not
just because the Royals made it to
the World Series. This fall was special
because we had a great Camporee
thanks to John Peter and his staff. Add to that the September
recruiting efforts of Mike Riley and his team who joined Jeff
Tyler and his team to bring new trained leaders to our youth.
Add to that Boy Scout summer camp dates were selected.
Then the Royals went to the World Series! Yes, it was truly an
amazing October!
Last month I talked about finishing strong with Webelos
visiting Boy Scout troops, recharter, and getting your input to
help recognize the efforts of your adult leadership. Thanks to
everyone who has helped and to those who are still willing to
give us help in finishing strong in 2014.
The Boy Scouts of America are making some changes to the
Cub Scout program in 2015 and the Boy Scout program in
2016. There are also some changes coming to the
commissioner service starting in 2015 beginning January 1.
These changes are to help each unit create a better program
for each of the youth in the unit. The commissioner of your
unit will be meeting with the Key 3 Leadership, which is the
Charter Organization Representative, Committee Chairman
and either Cubmaster, Scoutmaster or Venture Crew Advisor.
Please be sure that you meet with your commissioner and Key
3 team to learn what they can do to help your unit. The
commissioner staff is here to serve and assist your unit.
As we go into the Holiday Season, please be safe in your
travels and spend time with your family and friends. Thanks to
all of you who have taken time to work with the scouts in our
district helping them become better citizens!Yours in
Scouting!!
Paul "Gator" Crooks
---North Star District Commissioner
Contacts and Information
Trey Miller – District Director
816-569-4964 [email protected]
Adam Singleton – District Executive
816-569-4950 [email protected]
Kyle Fulbright – District Executive
816-569-4982 [email protected]
Heart of America Council Website
http://www.hoac-bsa.org
North Star District Website
http://www.hoac-bsa.org/Districts/NorthStar.aspx
North Star Roundtable Information
http://bsaroundtable.org
Polaris Editor – Brian Blake 816-746-6797
[email protected]
Your Polaris Editor……….
Scout Stuff On-Line Catalog
https://scoutnet.scouting.org/BSASupply/
Heart of America Council Internet Advancement
http://hoac-bsa.org/Internet_Advancement
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