Category: Special announcement
This past Spring, Troop 349 welcomed it’s first two Eagle Scouts!
June 2012: This past spring, Troop 349 welcomed Jack Ulses and Philip Whittlesey in two back-to-back courts of honor, to the rank of Eagle Scouts. The troop opened its doors in 2009 with 5 Scouts, and soon there after 12 more boys joined its ranks. Currently the troop has 37 scouts, all at various ranks.
This past June Jack Ulses, one of the original 5 Scouts graduated as the troops first Eagle Scout. For his Eagle project, Jack created a music workshop designed for students in Grades 2 and 3, to introduce them to basic music concepts through interactive activities (rhythm and musical instrument games). He also incorporated an introduction to musical instruments vis-a-vis the involvement of Scouts in the troop who offered to demonstrate the instrument they play and give its brief history. Finally, each of his workshops concluded with an “instrument petting zoo,” to offer the young students the opportunity to explore the musical world.
Foxes Music Company generously donated the musical game and helped to defray the printing costs for flyers. Ms. Connie Jenkins at MEHMS provided advice on how to structure the workshop, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library hosted the workshops in the community room in the Children’s section of the library.
Also in June, Philip Whittlesey, graduated as the troops second Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Philip planned and led a project to create a natural habitat to attract native wildlife at the Gulf Branch Nature Center in Arlington. Philip organized a group of volunteers to clear invasive species from an area about 120 feet long by 60 feet wide. Using logs and branches from a fallen tree, the group built brush piles where wildlife can make their homes. Philip and his group then planted persimmon trees and hazelnut bushes native to the area.
We’re so proud of both you and we know you will go on to do great things in your lives!
Facts and requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest advancement rank in Boy Scouting here are some recent facts:
- In 2011, 51,473 Scouts earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Around 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earned the Eagle Scout rank in 2011.
- In 2011, the average age of boys earning the Eagle Scout rank was 17 years of age.
- From 1912 to 2011, more than 2 million Boy Scouts earned the Eagle Scout rank.
To earn the rank, a Boy Scout must progress through the ranks in the following order:
- Tenderfoot
- Second Class
- First Class
- Star
- Life
- Eagle
Earn 21 merit badges, including:
- First Aid
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Communications
- Environmental Science
- Personal Fitness
- Camping
- Family Life
- Personal Management
- Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
- Cycling, Hiking, or Swimming
Other aspects of the award are:
- Serve six months in a troop leadership position.
- Plan, develop, and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community.
- Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.
- Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.
Navy’s Center of Excellence for Ships and Ship Systems
The Carderock Division consists of approximately 3,200 scientists, engineers and support personnel working in more than 40 disciplines ranging from fundamental science to applied/in-service engineering. They are the Navy’s experts for maritime technology. The Division houses world-class facilities and laboratories. Carderock’s Headquarters is located in West Bethesda, Maryland.
The tour will last approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours and allow us access to several unique maritime R&D facilities. The motto of the Division is ‘Where the Fleet Begins,’ for Surface Ships, Submarines and Carriers; from ship forms and machinery to propellers it all starts at Carderock!
Click here for the packet
Every year Troop 349 sells mistletoe to bring a little holiday cheer into your home!
This garland comes de-berried, decorated, and bagged with a short story of the garlands history and what it means when you hang it in your house during the holidays. It’s proven to be quite popular with people in the community and we typically sell out.
The Troop sells individual bags of mistletoe for $5 each (see the picture to the right) 
Buying Opportunities:
- Scouts will be selling Sat Dec. 10th in front of the Giant in Falls Church City from 3:00 – 5:00 pm
- Scouts will be selling at both Falls Church Metro Stops from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Wed. Dec. 14th & Thurs. Dec. 15th
- Scouts will be selling Sat Dec. 17th in front of the Giant in Falls Church City from 3:00 – 5:00 pm
- Scouts from the troop will also be walking through the Farmers Market selling mistletoe from baskets Sat Dec. 17th from 9:00 -10:00 am(we are not allowed to set up a table in the Market).
- Scouts will also be at the Vienna Metro stop on Mon. Dec. 19th from 5-7:00 PM
- Scouts will also be selling in their neighborhoods from Dec 10th – the 20th
Proceeds from the Holiday Fund raising
Proceeds form the sales will go to fund the troops yearly ski trip as well as some of the other activities the troop engages in throughout the year.
More information will be made available in the coming weeks for this, if you have any questions please feel free to contact Mr Valley stevenrichardvalley@gmail.com
The original group of founding scout of Troop 349 at Goshen Scout Reservation July 2009
The original founding members of the troop, this picture was taken in July of 2009 after the troop had won the honor oar while at Goshen Scout Reservation. This was our first year at summer camp and it set the precedent that each year the troop would win as many awards as it could from what ever camp it attended.
We are a boy-led, adult-mentored troop, cultivating in young men the skills, compassion, and confidence needed to believe in themselves so they can go on to become strong and intelligent leaders in their community, school, and families.
If you want to join a vibrant and active troop, then we’re the Troop for you!
349 History
The concepts and ideals that would go on to become the basis of 349 in Falls Church were laid out in November of 2008 while the founding leaders were on a campout with another local boy scout troop.
Three months later, in February of 2009 these same leaders approached the The American Legion, Post 130 to see if they would like to be the sponsor of a new troop. The 3 founding leaders Tony Ulses, Jim Custer, and Steven Valley met with Harry Shovlin where they laid out their vision of the troop and all agreed that it would be a good addition to the community.
The rest as they say was history, and here is brief recounting of that history:
- The start-up paperwork formally proclaiming the 3 founding leaders desire to form a troop in Falls Church at the Legion Post 130 was filed with the National Capital Area Council of the BSA on Feb 12th 2009, it was approved and we received our troop number (349) later that same day.
- There were 5 founding scouts (the 5 boys who were registered in the start-up paperwork): Matthew Valley, Jack Ulses, Truman Custer, Preston Custer, and Davis Hagigh.
- Tony Ulses was our first Scout Master and Jim Custer was our first Quarter Master.
- In early March of 2009, the 3 founding leaders put $500 each into the troop bank account to get it started, we decided at that point that we would always have at least $1000.00 in the account at all times and never go below that amount.
- An initial open house was held on Feb 28th 2009 where 13 more boys from the community decided to become scouts and declared their desire to join 349 and the 5 founding scouts already registered. At this time we had 4 leaders: Jim, Tony, Steve, and Bob McComas who joined us from the Legion post. This original group went on to create and codify the traditions and the culture that has become Troop 349.
- Steven Valley was the first Committee Chair, Mechelle Coppock was the first Treasurer, Melissa Dana was the first Communications Director, Alvin Furtner was in charge of Advancement, and Jim Pala was our Summer Camp Director.
- The troop went on 7 camping trips that first year, our first campout was on April 18th 2009 and was at Quantico VA MWR. Our first summer camp experience was at Goshen Boy Scout Reservation where we stayed at camp Bowman site #1 from July 4 to the 11. From this point forward the troop decided that it would always go to Summer Camp on the July 4th weekend.
- We had our fist committee meeting April 16th 2009 and 8 parents attended
- We had our first Court of honor in Sept of 2009
- We picked up one more scout in Sept of 2009
- We went on two special visits that year: The Pentagon in April where we saw the 9/11 memorial, and the Capital in Oct where the boys met our State Senator Jim Webb
- We had our first fund raiser in April of 2009, a yard sale that netted us about $550.00 we had our second fundraiser in Sept. 2009 providing lawn aeration to our neighbors that netted the troop $800.00, our third fundraiser was in December of 2009 selling mistletoe and we netted $500.00 from it.
- We had our second Open House in December 2009 and we had 1 more scout join us form it, this brought the total number of scouts to 20.
- We never skipped a troop meeting or committee meeting and we went on all planned campouts except for the Oct 2009 campout due to driving rains and flood warnings.
- Our re-chartering started in Feb 2010 and it was finished in April. By the time re-chartering had finished we had lost 3 scouts, bringing our total number of registered scouts to 17.
- We celebrated our first year of operations in March of 2010 with a steak dinner and slide show Court of Honor
- In 2010 we had 100% Boys Life coverage and a near perfect attendance record by all scouts in the troop (perfect attendance = only 1 missed meeting per month) the scouts all advanced at least one rank and the troop as a whole earned over 70 merit badges.
- Troop Master was installed on a troop laptop and we went into the 2010 season with 20 scouts (3 more had joined our ranks in Sept of 2010)
- At this point Steven Valley stepped down from being the committee chair and Ash Johnston took over, that was in Sept 2010.
The troop has now gone on to exists for several more years and has kept to it’s small origins as well as it’s desire to focus on teaching the scouts in it’s ranks the principals of being strong caring leaders.
We have grown to become a strong family and we’re proud of all of the scouts who came before us as well as all of the scouts who will come after.
YIS
