Our Program

We meet 7:01 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Strongsville High School Media Center. (See the meeting location map here.) The exceptions to this are nights that there is no school due to snow, holidays, or other days it is closed. In addition, there are nights, such as special elections, that we will not meet at the school. The Tuesday night after a campout will be an Advancement Night. Scouts should come prepared to work on passing or learning Scout skills. The session will also last from 7:01 to 8:30..

Now more than ever, Scouting trains youths in important life skills. A youth-led program provides good practice at both teamwork and leadership. In addition, Scouts in youth-led programs are responsible for carrying out the plans they themselves set down. Teamwork and leadership practice takes a group, yet in today’s world, youths are increasingly spending too much time in isolation. Too much television, video games, mobile-apps, and online-time all work against a youth’s ability to work in a group and lead. Scouting is the practice young people need to help them prepare for their life ahead where teamwork and leadership skills are critical, especially in employment settings. From the Scoutmaster Handbook, Chapter 3 on “The Boy-Led Troop”

 “Empowering boys to be leaders is the core of Scouting. Scouts learn by doing, and what they do is lead their patrols and their troop. The boys themselves develop a troop program, set goals and then take responsibility for figuring out how they will achieve their goals. ”

We organize Scouts by patrols, which are groups of 8 – 10 Scouts ranging in age from 10½ to 14 years old. The patrol is led by an older, more experienced Scout, who is the Patrol Leader. The Senior Patrol Leader is the Scout who is responsible for planning and conducting the troop activities. Each year at Summer Camp, the Scouts vote to fill these important positions. After being elected to one of these positions, the Patrol Leader and Senior Patrol Leader choose an assistant(s) to help him. Several other older Scouts in staff positions assist him, and together they provide most of the planning, organization and leadership of the troop. These include Quartermasters who maintain and distribute troop gear such as tents, cooking equipment, and food. The Chaplain Aide is responsible for the invocation at Court of Honors and for a small nondenominational service at camp. Instructors are used in the training of both new and older Scouts in various Scoutcraft areas, both at the weekly meetings and campouts. Troop Guides assist our new Scouts with making the transition from Cub Scouting (or no prior Scouting experience) to a troop environment.

One of the most important parts of the Scouting program is outdoor camping. Those boys who do not actively camp with the troop will not get the full value of the program. Troop 701 conducts a year-round program of weekend camps and a one-week Summer Camp experience. In addition, a High Adventure trip is offered each summer to the older Scouts. A Scout will enjoy camping, regardless of the weather, if he packs the proper equipment. The troop will provide each Scout with a packing list of the gear he should bring to camp. We value camping so much at Troop 701 that we even have an award for it. When a Scout camps 12 consecutive times without interruption, he will earn the ‘Year Round Camping Award’. Learn more about our philosophy of camp here.

Another very important part of the Troop 701 Scouting program is community service. We strongly believe that each Scout has the obligation to give something back to the community in which he lives. In addition to the Eagle Scout projects we undertake during the course of the year, there are several service projects for various organizations within the Strongsville community. Some are in support of our sponsoring organization, the Strongsville Rotary Foundation, while others benefit the Kiwanis Club, city residents during Yard Charge leaf removal, Camp Cheerful, the city of Strongsville, the Strongsville VFW, and more. We value Community Service so much at Troop 701 that we even have an award for it. In one year, when a Scout donates a total of 12 hours of community service from at least four community service projects he will earn the Troop 701 Community Service Award patch that is worn on the Scout uniform. For subsequent years that he earns the awards, he will be recognized with a service pin.

As a Scout grows, he advances through the ranks from Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and finally, Eagle Scout. For each rank, the Scout must fulfill requirements that are outlined in the Boy Scout Handbook. He must be an active member of the troop, and must pass a Board of Review for each rank. The Board of Review is  a panel made up of parents and committee members from our troop. For the Eagle Scout Board of Review, a representative from the District must also be present. The purpose of the Board of Review is to verify that the Scout has fulfilled the requirements, has grown as an individual, and exemplifies the principles of Scouting in a manner appropriate for the rank he is seeking.

Your Scout is expected to be in regular attendance for meetings and campouts. We also expect him to attend community service projects that occur during the course of the year. He is expected to conduct himself according to the principles of Scouting as embodied in the Twelve Points of the Scout Law. He will be encouraged and offered every opportunity to learn Scout skills, to demonstrate what he has learned, and to complete the steps required to advance in rank. As he gets older, he will also serve in various leadership roles within the troop. At all times, your son is free to move at a pace that he and you agree is appropriate for him. We would like to see every Scout advance through the ranks and become Eagle Scouts, but only about 2% of the boys who enter Scouting achieve this lofty goal. As a member of a patrol, your son will learn to work together with his patrol members in an atmosphere of teamwork. As he learns and grows, he will be offered opportunities for increased leadership. Leadership is an opportunity, not a reward or popularity contest. Scouts in positions of leadership are held to higher standards than the remainder of the troop.

We want and need parents to support our program in a variety of ways. All of our meetings and camps are always open for parents to visit and observe. We do discourage parents from attending meetings and camps on a regular basis until your son becomes acclimated to the troop. Experience has taught us that parents tend to naturally “hover” around their sons, and the boys tend to be more reluctant to join in, if their parents are present. It is important that your son begins to develop independence, which is valuable for both him and his parents. We offer an excellent opportunity for this to happen in a controlled, supervised atmosphere. Watching your son(s) grow and mature into fine young men is the reward that keeps leaders in Scouting. At a minimum, we require that parents help the troop by volunteering to drive either to or from camps twice a year. You are free to volunteer more frequently if you desire. In addition, we have a Troop Committee, which meets several times a year to assist the leaders in running the troop. Parent volunteers can serve in any of the following roles: Committee Chair, Fund Raising, Advancement, Transportation, Treasurer, Secretary, Eagle Court of Honor, Food Purchasing, Refreshments, and several others. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Communication starts with the boys.  Details about upcoming camps and troop activities are communicated from the Youth Leadership Team.  Your Scout’s Patrol Leader is his primary source of information.  For any questions your Scout might have about upcoming camp details, we encourage you to allow your Scout to gather this  information on his own.  This is a very important step in gaining independence.  We also communicate at weekly troop meetings. All parents are invited to attend the closing of each meeting which begins at 8:15 every Tuesday night. There, all the troop’s important information is shared.  Another vital method of communication is the Troop 701 Message of the Week.  All parents should be subscribed to this important newsletter list.   A subscription form is found in the footer of this webpage.