BSA Scouts

Scouting in Beavercreek has been present for my family since our oldest was old enough to join. Here are some family photos over the last decade.

Over the past decade, my kids and I have spent a lot of time at BSA Camp Hugh Taylor Birch near Yellow Springs. As the Cubmaster for Pack 68, I helped plan and organize Pack activities. Scouting has been a big part of our family's life since we moved to Beavercreek in January 2010.


I served as Cubmaster for over three years, maintaining a strong and very active Pack 68 through several challenging organizational changes:

  1. The redistricting when Main split to Main & Trebein. Our pack had always served Main Elementary, so the changes split up long-time friends and added more students.

  2. Through several tumultuous changes to the BSA program: acceptance of LGBT youth and adults into the program and the decision to welcome girls into BSA.

Despite these challenges, I helped Pack 68 stay strong. When I stepped down from the leadership role to focus on starting FIRST LEGO League, I had recruited a strong leadership team to replace me.

NOTE: Neither BSA nor Pack 68 endorse candidates for political office.

Coffee In Bulk

We experimented with different filter materials from campout to campout. After a great deal of dedicated research, I believe our solution was to dispatch an adult to the nearest Starbucks.

Popcorn Sales Pie in the face

Someone (I think I know who) started a tradition where top Popcorn sellers get to throw a pie in the face of a leader in Pack 68. Top sellers got the Cubmaster. Here, we see the distinguished Dr. Carl H Fischer IV after one such scout cashed in his prize.

The "No Rules" Pine Wood Derby competition in Pack 68 was a blast. Dr. Fischer used it as an opportunity to (1) tinker with fun technologies and (2) inspire Pack 68 youth (3) try something crazy. The Estes rocket-powered car was so fast we didn't dare run it indoors. The ducted fan design used a microcontroller, a custom-designed limit switch (paperclip), and a 3d-printed duct from Brian

My Introduction Letter to Pack 68 in March, 2013

Parents,

I am Carl Fischer, the new Cubmaster for Pack 68. I’ve met many of you, but this seems like a good time for introductions. First, a little about me and my family. My son (also Carl) is in Den 3. My wife’s name is Julie and I also have a daughter, Allison (6) and a younger son Brendan (4). We have lived in Beavercreek since January 2010. By day, I’m an engineer at Ball Aerospace (right across from Wright State University in Fairborn). Here’s my Linked In profile in case you want the gory details. I volunteered for the Cubmaster position because the job needed to be done and some other leaders in the organization thought I would be good at it.

My primary goal for Pack 68 is to make sure we leave a successful and sustainable pack for the next generation of Pack 68 scouts. Successful means the kids are safe, having fun, and learning. Sustainable means we aren’t dependant on a single parent doing 90% of the work and we have at least two people who know how to do any given job.

I have been impressed with the level of parent participation we have in our Pack. Our volunteers are the reason we are able to do so much for our kids. Planning an event or activity can feel like a short sprint. There are a couple open positions that are more of a marathon. We need volunteers to serve in these longer-term roles if we are to succeed in the long-run:

  • Assistant Cubmaster

  • Popcorn Kernel

Please be thinking about serving in one of these roles. This pack runs 100% on parent volunteers. We need your help!

Our former cubmaster, Steve Kennedy, did an awesome job putting on pack meetings and activities each month. I need to change this structure a little to work for me. I’m happy to be the guy up on stage passing out awards and talking about events and values, but I will need help planning and executing the activities we do each month. Be on the lookout for a signup sheet -- we are looking for a different volunteer each month. The role of the monthly pack activity coordinator will be to:

  • Plan the activity,

  • Purchase (and be reimbursed for) supplies

  • Run that portion of the Pack Meeting

There will be a theme each month and I will work with these volunteers to answer any questions and guide you through the process.

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this email. I’m honored to serve as Cubmaster for our Pack and looking forward to working with all of you.


Thanks,

Carl Fischer

Pack 68 Cubmaster