Lone Star District

Lone Star District Award Nominations

We need your help.  We need to know who it is that makes your unit and our district SPECIAL!  It is time to nominate the Scouters in the packs, troops, crews and posts of our district that do such a great job providing a quality program for the youth in our area.   Nobody knows who does a better job than you.  Please take a moment to nominate them.  The awards will be presented at the District Eagle Recognition and Award Dinner on Saturday, January 20th.   The awards are:     

• 1. The Unit Spark Plug Award (Every unit should submit one of these.) 

  2. The Outstanding Organization Award

  3. The Unit or District Scouting Family Award 

  4. The Unit or District Rising Star Award

  5. The District Silver Star Award

We would also love to be able to collect and present some Adult Leader Knots at the January dinner and encourage their submission throughout the year.  Their requirements and applications are linked.

  Awards you can work towards and fill out an application for yourself or others:

Scouter's Training Award for  Den Leader,  Cubmaster,  Scoutmaster,  Venturing Advisor,  or District Committee
Scouter's Key Award for  Cubmaster,  Scoutmaster,  Venturing Advisor,  District Committee,  Commissioner
Commissioner  Arrowhead Honor,   Award of Excellence in Unit Service

  Awards where a leader is nominated by others:

Unit Leader Award of Merit
Commissioner Certificate of Commendation, Distinguished Commissioner Service Award

Get award details and nominate them here: Award Link       

Let them know how much you really do care!  The nomination deadline will be Friday, January 12th.  Please get them in quickly.

Order of the Arrow Unit Elections - December 1st through March 31st

Has your unit scheduled an OA election with the Order of the Arrow yet?  We hope to be done by March 1st.  However, we can still have them before March 31st.  Have your OA Representative or Senior Patrol Leader sign up here.

District Crossover, February 25, 2024 at 3 pm

Join the district and all of the Arrow of Lights cross over into Troops.  The Order of the Arrow is hosting a crossover ceremony at Bonnie Wink Park in McKinney on Sunday, February 25th at 3 pm.  The cost is $5 per Scout..  Each Scout will receiver a totem.

  Register here soon.  Save the date.

BALOO Training Campout, April 12-13, 2024

Join us for Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation with an preparation meeting on the 9th then camping on the 12th and 13th during and by our Camporee Campout.  It is needed for Cub Scout Packs and Webelos Dens to camp.

IOLS Training Campout, April 12-13, 2024

Join us for Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills with a preparation meeting on the 9th then camping on the 12th and 13th during and by our Camporee Campout.  It is required for Scoutmasters and their assistants.  It will be at Camp James Ray, 2026 Mill Creek Road, Pottsboro, TX.

Camporee, April 12-14, 2024

Save the date for our Spring Camporee with the Lone Star and Eagle Trail districts.  We want all troops and crews to come and run a fun station everyone can attend.  We'll compete, have prizes, and more.  We want to see you there so save the date.    It will be at Camp James Ray, 2026 Mill Creek Road, Pottsboro, TX.

Cub Scout Program Changes Coming June 1, 2024 

SUMMARY:

1. Goal was to make program SIMPLE, FUN, EASY (think from perspective of busy leaders).
2. All ranks, LION – ARROW OF LIGHT, will be standardized with a consistent number of adventures to achieve rank: 6 “core” and 2 “elective”
3. The distinction between Webelos Program (4th and 5th grade) and the Webelos RANK (4th grade) and Arrow of Light Rank (5th grade) was a source of confusion to many. This will be rectified by having separate handbooks, just like there is for the other ranks.
4. BOBCAT will NO LONGER be a RANK. It becomes the first adventure in EACH grade level rank. The requirements will be different at each rank.
5. All “core” adventures are now standardized into 6 categories across each rank: CHARACTER/LEADERSHIP (this is the BOBCAT at each rank); OUTDOORS, PERSONAL FITNESS, CITIZENSHIP, PERSONAL SAFETY (OR SAFETY/FIRST AID FOR THE 4TH/5TH GRADERS), AND FAMILY/REVERENCE. This will make it easier for leaders planning pack outings or using mixed age dens, to plan meetings across a topic.
6. SUPPLEMENTAL AWARDS (not achievements) were not seeing much use/awareness; many of these are NOW reconfigured into an ELECTIVE which should increase their visibility.
7. Electives have been “repopulated” … lots of them; 16 in total for Lions and AOL; 20 for each of the other ranks. Some popular electives, such as FISHING, show up IN EVERY RANK (presumably with some variation of requirements – bet all include going fishing!). In the slide below, the “lightest” color in each rank at top are electives continuing from the current program. The “mid-tone” colored ones are NEW, including ones that used to be stand alone awards/patches, and the darkest tones at bottom (BB’s/Archery/Slingshot) are ones that must be done in a district/council setting.
8. They published a schedule of when information will be released; handbooks in March/April. More information coming out each month in another CUBCHATLIVE (dates and TOPICS are INDICATED in the chart below: 12/1/23; 1/12/24; 2/2/24; 3/1/24/ 4/5/24; 4/5/24; 5/10/24; 6/7/24)
9. Changes effective 6/1/2024 (i.e., for NEXT Cub Scout year) -- ALL RANKS continue as current for the spring semester.

If you have already watched/listened to the CubChatLive, great. If not, you can use this link: https://youtu.be/0Orm_Gz8hrg -- about 35 minutes, worth listening to.

Also, all the information this is currently in PRINT is available on the Program Updates Page: https://www.scouting.org/program-updates/cub-scout-program-updates-announced/