Camping at Wanocksett, Iron Chef Competition, and Day Hike on Mt. Monadnock 

The May trip will be tent camping at Camp Wanocksett Scout Reservation followed by a Sunday hike. This campout will be a great opportunity for our new cross-over scouts to join in all the fun of camping with Troop 437.  

The patrols will start the weekend with an Iron Chef cooking competition!  Does your patrol have what it takes to wow and delight the judges with your culinary skills and teamwork?  All patrols will be required to utilize a challenge ingredient in their dinner meal.

Sunday morning patrols will make breakfast, cleanup, pack up and then start up Mt. Monadnock, the most hiked mountain in the U.S.A.  The hike will be tailored to the Scouts on the hike.  In the event of serious weather, we'll depart mid morning

Start: Depart from Stonybrook Middle School parking lot (9 Farmer Way, Westford) 2 PM on Saturday, May 17 

End: Pickup at the Stonybrook Middle School parking lot mid-afternoon on Sunday, May 18

Cost: $20 for overnight camping, Iron Chef dinner, cracker barrel, Breakfast & Lunch on the trail (and bring your own trail snacks)

Sign-up deadline: May 15th

The Troop will hold a special Eagle Court of Honor on June 1st.  This will celebrate Ethan, Lachlan, and Louie reaching the rank of Eagle!  This is a great achievement, and everyone in the Troop is encouraged to attend.  An invitation with details will be coming soon but in the meantime, please mark your calendars!

Have you heard the term "Court of Honor"?  Are you wondering what it is?  If so here is a quick description that will hopefully clarify things.

Courts of Honor are when Scouts, Families, and Friends come together to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Troop members.  Courts come in two flavors...

Troop Courts of Honor

Troop 437 holds "Troop Courts" are held three times a year.  One in the Fall, One in the Winter, and one in the Spring.  Troop Courts are where Troop members are recognized for their achievements such as Rank Advancement, Merit Badges, Leadership, and other accomplishments that have been completed since the last court.  Troop Courts take the place of a regular Thursday evening Troop meeting and end with "pot luck" style refreshments.  Look for notices in the e-blast newsletters about upcoming Troop Courts.

Eagle Courts of Honor

Obtaining Scouting's highest rank of Eagle Scout is a major accomplishment and as such the Troop hosts a special "Eagle Court of Honor" whenever we have a new Eagle Scout to recognize.  Eagle Courts are planned and scheduled as needed throughout the year and might honor a single scout or multiple scouts as appropriate.  Invitations are sent out electronically announcing the Eagle Courts with a requested RSVP deadline.  All families and scouts from the Troop are encouraged to attend the Eagle Courts to help celebrate the accomplishment - even if you do not know the scout it is still important to participate.  Scouts from the Troop will be asked to arrive before the ceremony to help with set up and preparations.

Regardless of the type of court, be it Troop Court or Eagle Court, all Troop families are encouraged to attend.  If you have any questions, please feel free to let a scoutmaster know.

Our annual Bike & Sporting Goods Sale is one month away!  The sale will take place on the Westford Common on Saturday, May 3rd, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Please mark your calendars and spread the news far and wide to friends and family. Be sure to share our Facebook event too! (https://www.facebook.com/events/579333048332661/) 

We will be accepting donations from now until the sale, and consignments and donations can also be brought to the Legion on Friday May 2 from 5:30-7:30 pm and to the Common on Saturday May 3 from 7-9 am. Anyone wishing to donate can email bikesale@westfordtroop437.us to arrange drop-off or pickup.

Do you have some room available in a garage, shed or barn?  Please consider loaning us the space for a month, so we can store all of the donations.  Please email bikesale@westfordtroop437.us if you have storage space to offer.  Thank you!

The Bike Sale is our only annual fundraiser, and we ask all scouts and parents to help out however they can.  Please look for the signup form in mid-April. Your help during the drop-off evening or the sale is much appreciated, and we will also need to borrow some items like canopies and tables.

Check out our Summer Camp information video (best viewed with volume turned way up)!

Troop 437 will attend Summer Camp from July 27th to August 2nd. We will once again attend Camp Wanocksett.

Please see our Summer Camp web page for all the details.

Here are the important dates:

• April 17^th Signup deadline for early bird pricing
• April 15^th Deadline for CIT applications
• April 1^st Deadline for Campership applications
• June 5^th Medical Forms due