×
×
homepage logo

Scouts Hold Camp

By Staff | Jun 22, 2016

Photo Provided The Mountaineer District Cub Scouts held their annual camp this year starting on June 15. Camp was held at Wetzel County 4-H grounds.

The Mountaineer District Cub Scouts held their annual camp this year starting on June 15. The event lasted three days with a variety of activities, including fishing, arts and crafts, archery, BB gun shooting, STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), songs and skits. The camp, themed “Down on the Farm” included students from Marshall, Monroe, Tyler, and Wetzel counties and packs 17, 79, 82, 86, 102, 128, and 175. A total of 72 campers attended the event, located at Wetzel County 4-H grounds.

The camp could not have been possible without the help of several volunteers, as well as generous donations from various foundations. Major contributors were the Walmart Foundation, the Dominion Foundation, and the NRA. Thanks to the Walmart Foundation, the campers were provided with both breakfast and lunch.

A grant from the Walmart Foundation also allowed for the purchase of a BB gun station, which included 12 new Daisy BB guns. The station was also provided with safety glasses and caution tape, courtesy of Enlink.

“We can’t thank Walmart enough for the help,” said Kevin Yeager, who taught the BB gun shooting program.

“The campers will be learning a lot over the next few days. It’s not about hitting the Bullseye. It’s about having fun.”

Photos by Bruce Crawford Jim Lyons assists Cub Scouts with a STEM activity.

STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) kits were provided by Murray Energy. The STEM program, taught by Jim Lyons, informed campers how to build robotic cars out of Legos, software programming, and proximity sensors. The cars were then controlled using block programming which allowed wireless information to be transferred over low energy Bluetooth.

Another much-appreciated donation came from the NRA. A grant for $3,500 purchased an archery station, which included six new bows, five new targets with replaceable centers, new fletchings, new arrows, safety walls, and storage containers to ensure future usage. Instructor Maggie Fisher, also a Tyler Consolidated High School teacher, assisted in retrieving the grant money, along with teaching campers about bow safety.

“I have wonderful instructors this year,” Staff Advisor Sally Conklin said.

Organizing the camp takes a lot of time and energy, but Camp Director Nathan Kinter noted that seeing the smiles on the campers’ faces “makes it all worth it.”

“We would not be able to do this without all of the volunteers,” he added.

Cub Scouts practice their BB gun shooting skills at the annual Mountaineer District Cub Scouts camp.

Volunteers helped in a variety of ways. Volunteers Barney and Carolyn Willey specifically created handmade kits for arts and crafts, along with wooden steer used in a roping competition. They also provided a handmade milking machine to be used in competition.

And regardless of what activity campers are partaking in, safety comes first.

Camp Director Nathan Kinter was provided training at National Camp School. Leaders, including Kevin Yeager, Chad Lynch, and Joe Matheny, were all provided training to help them be aware of possible situations and how to deal with them.

Desiree Middleton was the life guard on duty. Although swimming was not allowed, she kept a keen eye on the fisherman.

Furthermore, there were “water popups” placed around the campgrounds to provide water and shade to escape the heat. An EMT was on the scene at all times, and Wetzel County EMS was on constant standby.

Alternate activity stations had been set up in case of foul weather and all of the station locations were secured thanks to Connie Yeager. Penny Baker of BMS Office Machine provided signs to keep activity stations clearly visible, helping with organization.

The cub scout program is broken down into age groups consisting of tigers, wolves, bears, and Webelos. Webelo is a word created by combining the phrase “we be loyal” and is the final step before a Cub Scout graduates to Boy Scouts. The Cub Scouts also have a service project consisting of cleaning litter as their motto is “Leave No Trace.” This teaches the campers to leave things better than they found them.

Those who wish to enroll their son into Cub Scouts can contact Sally Conklin at 304-455-5064.