The American Legion Post 437 will be holding a spring cleanup of their grounds and an informal Flag retirement event.

This is a great way to give back to our sponsoring organization and help keep the property looking nice.

The cleanup activities will be leaf blowing, weeding, mulching planting beds, litter cleanup, and other related tasks.

As you might remember, the Legion had to cancel their Flag Day ceremony last year, and they have a large number of flags that need to be retired.  Once the cleanup is done, they will be conducting an information retirement of the flags they have that are no longer serviceable.

The Legion will be providing lunch.

Our next trip will be tent camping at the Resolute Scout Reservation.   

This campout will be a great opportunity for our new cross-over scouts to join in all the fun of camping with Troop 437. 

Outing: Camp Resolute in Bolton, MA
Arrive at Resolute: 10 AM on Saturday, April 12th
Pickup at Resolute: 10 AM on Sunday, April 13th 
Cost: $25 for overnight camping, lunch, dinner, cracker barrel & Breakfast

This trip will feature a Merit Badge Bonanza where several merit badges that can be completed in one day will be offered.  We hope all scouts can complete one or two badges at this campout.  An exact list of badges that will be offered will be announced as the trip approaches.

The patrols will also be competing in 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.

 There will also be our usual evening campfire and likely opportunity for board or card games. Bring your favorite game to share with your fellow scouts!

We will be conducting Scouting America's Introduction to Leadership Skills Training (ILST) for the Patrol Leaders Council on March 30th.

The purpose of the ILST course is to teach Scouts with leadership positions about their roles and how to succeed in that role. It is intended to help Scouts in leadership positions within their troop understand their responsibilities and to equip them with organizational and leadership skills to fulfill those responsibilities. ILST is the first course in a series of leadership training available to Scouts. 

For more about ISLT check out this article: This training course is an absolute must for BSA youth

We are requesting that all PLC members make it a priority to attend this important training.

• When: 1:00 PM to 7:30 PM Sunday, March 30th
• Where: Westford Central Fire Station (Boston Road) meeting room
• Who: All PLC members - SPL, ASPL, Patrol Leaders, Assistant Patrol Leaders and all scouts with a position of responsibility

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

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.