Happy New Year Troop 58!
As Ms. Peiler mentioned in early December, I have the honor of becoming Troop 58’s 3rd Scoutmaster effective January 1st. I couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of our Troop over the last 4 years – Mr. Jesionowski and Mr. Rogers led an extremely successful Troop. Our growing Eagle’s Nest; diverse and challenging outing experiences; impressive 2017 Year-in-Review; extensive National, Council, and District engagement via the 2017 Jamboree, Order of the Arrow, and youth leadership training attendance; consistent recruiting success; and active adult leadership all signal a vibrant, healthy Scouting organization.
I know most of our Scouts well and I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of our parents, but it occurs to me that you may not know much about me other than what you see at Scout meetings or outings. Scouting has played a huge role in my life; I began as a Cub Scout in Fairfax, VA and rose to become an Eagle Scout with Troop 187 and Order of the Arrow member – in fact, portions of my Eagle Scout project are still in place at George Washington’s Grist Mill near Fort Belvoir. You might say that Scouting is a big part of our home – my son, Owen, is a Life Scout, Order of the Arrow member, National Youth Leadership Training graduate, 2017 Jamboree attendee, and Troop 58’s current Quartermaster. Also – my wife, Lynn, is a Girl Scout Troop co-Leader and my daughter, Sydney, is an active Girl Scout. Outside of Scouts, I have worked in technology project management for many years (I currently work for CARFAX) and I am also a retired Army Reserve officer; we live in Ashburn Farm with our two dogs – Charlie and Cody.
I have a passion for Scouting in general and I am looking forward to actively infusing that passion into the Troop. As we move into our 5th year, I will continue to ensure that our Troop is Scout-led and outdoors-focused; these two concepts alone are critical to developing boys into responsible, capable, and confident young men. We will also remain committed to community service and having our Scouts participate in the various levels of leadership training that Scouting offers. While we’re on that topic, if you’re not familiar with the opportunities associated with National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE), Order of the Arrow, or the 2019 World Scout Jamboree (WSJ), please don’t hesitate to ask. These are all wonderful opportunities for our Scouts.
Effective communications are key to our Troop, and I will always be available to our Scouts and their families. You may reach me anytime via aaronhall98@aol.com or 571-279-2079 (call or text). Scouts – always cc: your parent(s) when emailing me. I’ll also be trying out our Troop blog periodically – take a look! On a related note, our Troop is one of those areas where “it takes a village” to be successful. Every parent in the Troop has a skill that we need…it doesn’t matter if you’ve never been camping or associated with Scouts. If each parent offered to assist in one minor way each year – the impact Troop 58 has on our Scouts would increase ten-fold. Please contact me or our Committee Chair, Jen Peiler, if you’d like to lend a hand.
One final thought on recruiting – while we tend to rely on local area Cub Scout Packs to help the Troop grow each year, I guarantee we all know Middle and High School boys who could benefit from Scouting. We had 3 non-Cub Scouts join Troop 58 in 2017 simply because a Scout or a parent thought to ask if they would be interested. All it took was one meeting or outing, and they were hooked! Please be on the lookout for similar opportunities.
Unfortunately, I will be travelling for work during our first Troop meeting in 2018, but our ASMs and SPL will ensure we have a successful meeting as usual. I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season and I’m looking forward to 2018!
Yours in Scouting,
Aaron Hall | Scoutmaster
571.278.2079
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Troop 58
