Troop 270 is a fully chartered and accredited troop in Scouts BSA and the Boy Scouts of America. The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) grants our charter, the Thurmont Lions Club is our chartering organization. The charter is renewed annually. The NCAC consists of many different districts; Troop 270 is part of the Francis Scott Key District.

The charter is granted to the Troop Committee, whose responsibility it is to handle the troop administration and support the troop program.

The Troop Committee is a group of adults who assume the responsibility of administering the troop in accordance with national and council BSA policy. The Troop Committee is responsible for supporting the program and providing all that is necessary for the program to exist and run smoothly. All business is brought before and discussed by the Troop Committee. The Troop Committee chooses the Scoutmaster and supervises the adult leadership.

PARENTS!

Is there a spot on the committee for you? Speak with the Troop Committee Chairperson any time. The Committee meets once a month. Parents are always invited to our Troop Committee/Parent’s Meetings. If you have a special agenda item to discuss, please call the Troop Committee Chairperson ahead of time so that he/she can be aware of your request. (See Appendix for the name and addresses of Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters and Troop Committee members.)

Troop 270 is organized into several operating units, including the Patrols, the Patrol Leaders Council, the Scoutmasters, and the Troop Committee.

Patrols

Patrols are groups of approximately 8 Scouts that are the smallest democratic unit of the Troop. Patrols are selected so that, as nearly as possible, Scouts of the same age, maturity and that enjoy being together are in the same Patrol. If there is a problem, the Scout will need to confer with the Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader and finally the Scoutmaster. The Patrols operate using the "Patrol Method" which is described later in this guide.

Patrol Meetings

Each Patrol will be given the opportunity to meet for a short time at Troop meetings. In addition, the Patrol should hold at least one and preferably two meetings or activities outside of the Troop each month. These can be hikes (with Advisors), advancement activities, after-school planning sessions or service projects. The Patrol Leader is responsible for these meetings. These activities must not conflict with scheduled Troop activities. Any Patrol campouts must have prior approval of the Scoutmaster.

Qualifications for Scout leadership positions are described in the section entitled ‘Troop 270 Scout Leadership Positions’.

All leadership positions have a 30-day probation period. It is the Scoutmaster's option to remove a Scout from a leadership position if needed. The Scoutmaster will have a conference with the Scout first.

The Patrol Leader Council or “Green Bar Council”

The PLC (Patrol Leaders' Council) or “Green Bar Council” is comprised of the Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and the Patrol Leaders as well as the Scribe. Assistant Patrol Leaders should attend so that they are aware of plans and thus are able to step in when their Patrol Leader is unable to attend a meeting or outing. It is their job to plan and run the programs of the Troop, under guidance of the troop's Scoutmaster. The PLC (along with the Troop Scribe who is a non-voting member) meets periodically, generally once a month, to plan the Troop meetings and the upcoming monthly weekend activities.

Adult Leaders

The adult leadership is comprised of adults 18 years of age or older, whose function is to guide the Scouts in the execution of the program, especially with regard to the aims of Scouting (Character Building, Citizenship, and Physical Fitness). We strongly recommend that all Scout parents try to be part of our adult leadership team. Quite simply, the more involved parents are, the better their youth do in Scouting and the farther they will advance. It is axiomatic in Scouting that Eagle Scouts come through parental involvement.

Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmasters

The Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmasters are responsible for overseeing the program/operations side of the troop. The Scoutmaster is responsible for:

Training and guiding youth leaders to run their own Troop.
Working with and through responsible adults to give Scouting to the youth.
Helping Scouts to grow by encouraging them to learn for themselves.
Guiding Scouts in planning the Troop program.
Being fully trained in the Scouts BSA program.
Serving as leadership corps and/or Patrol Advisors.
Serving as a resource person for Patrol and leadership corps.
Recruiting others to assist in running the Troop.

Troop Committee

The Troop Committee acts as the "ways and means" committee of the Troop. It is the committee's responsibility to provide the resources to run the Troop's Scout program, including leadership, activities, funding, equipment, facilities and sites, training and internal/external communications. All parents are urged to register and attend all committee meetings. The Adult Leaders request that parents volunteer for committee positions and may ask parents to fill a committee position.

Currently, the Troop Committee consists of a Committee Chairperson, Chartered Organization Representative, Secretary, Treasurer, Advancement Coordinator, Outdoors/Activities Coordinator, Fund-raising Coordinator, Equipment Coordinator, Publicity Coordinator, and Social Coordinator. The responsibilities of each of these committee positions, as well as the individuals holding those positions, are outlined in other parts of this handbook.

The Troop Committee meets once a month from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, usually the Fourth Monday evening of the month, except for July.
The Troop Committee will publish in the Annual Calendar a list of all Committee Meeting dates for the coming year. This is also found on the "White Board" in the Scout House.
The purpose of this meeting is to review the Troop's activities and ensure that support for upcoming Troop programs is in place.
Scouters and parents are encouraged to attend the Troop Committee meeting.

Troop Organization