OUR TROOP
Welcome!
We are very pleased that you have decided to join Troop 420 and to be in Scouting. We hope that you have tons of fun, learn lifetime skills, and look back on this as one of the greatest experiences of your life. This guide has information about how Troop 420 runs and what you’ll need to know and do as Scout.
Where We Are
Weekly Troop Meetings are held at in the cafeteria at Hamilton Middle School, 4801 Waukesha St, Madison, WI
LEADING YOUTH TO LIFELONG VALUES
Our regular Troop meetings are Monday evenings, 7:15-8:30 p.m. in the “cafetorium” at Hamilton Middle School (unless a different location is announced). The Troop meets every Monday that school is open except for about 5-7 times a year after monthly outings which is reserved for a Patrol Leaders Council (PLC), at which the youth leadership of the Troop meets to plan activities for the following months. Scouts should bring their Boy Scout Handbook to Troop meetings; we will use them for advancement activities.
Each month except July, we have a weekend outing. Note that even though we do not have Troop meetings during the summer there are outings in June and August. In July, we attend a week-long Boy Scout camp rather than having a weekend outing. As soon as boys turn in their registration form for Boy Scouts and completed their joining requirements they are eligible to attend monthly outings.
Uniform of
the Boy Scouts
As soon as a boy is registered as a Boy Scout, a scout has the privilege of wearing the Boy Scout uniform, which in Troop 420 we wear to all Troop meetings and travel to and from all outings. Scouts wear a “Class A” uniform to all Troop meetings and for travel to and from outings including summer camp: Scout pants/shorts, scout belt, Scout shirt (short- or long-sleeved), neckerchief and neckerchief slide (required for Scoutmaster conferences and Court of Honors) or Scout bolo, and the following insignia: Glacier’s Edge Council patch, green epaulets, and the Troop numerals 420. Scout socks are encouraged, but not mandatory; Scouts can wear white socks instead. Optional patches include the quality unit patch and the International Scouting patch. Each boy will receive a Scout neckerchief, epaulets, 420 numeral strip and if appropriate the quality unit patch when he joins the Troop. Once the Scout is assigned to a patrol, he will receive a patrol patch.
The Scout uniform, pants/shorts, socks, etc. are available for purchase from the Scout Office at 5846 Manufactures Drive, Madison, WI 53704-6278. In addition, the Troop operates a uniform exchange, to which Scouts can donate Scout shirts, pants, shorts, and belts they have outgrown for use (free of charge) by younger Scouts. We understand that there can be problems and delays getting a uniform, but as soon as a Scout gets his uniform he should wear it. If you have any questions about where patches go on the uniform, please ask before they are sewn on so that they won’t need to be moved. The Scout Handbook and the uniform information sheet shows where most of the patches go onto the uniform.