District Awards of Merit Presented

On February 4, 2022, District Award of Merits were presented to Jared DeHart and Sheri' Nielsen at the annual Old Ephraim Recognition Dinner.

Sheri' Nielsen

Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 2119

Sheri' Nielsen has served in a number of positions during her Scouting career and is currently serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 2119, the first BSA girl's troop in this district. She also serves as a Den Leader for Packs 314 and 589 and is on the committees of their companion troops. Sheri' is a strong believer in Scouting's mission statement and the strength that it can bring to our communities, and puts her belief  in to action through her service. She is the mother of seven children, three of which are still at home and also active in Scouting units. 

Service is an ingrained part of Sheri's life. She has served her country as a member of the US Marines, serves actively in her church and community, and has been inducted into the Order of the Arrow whose tenets include providing cheerful service to others. She is a volunteer teacher and has also worked on several service projects with the Box Elder Community Pantry, the Box Elder County Justice Center and the Child and Family Services Department. She supports community improvement projects and strives to encourage youth to be active members in and contributors to their communities.

Jared DeHart

Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 47

Jared DeHart grew up in a Scouting family and was very active as a youth in Scouting. He served for four years on the council's NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) staff as the Senior Patrol Leader. He also served for four years on the camp staff at the council's Aspen Ridge scout camp.

Jared is an active member of the Order of the Arrow and has served as both a Chapter and Lodge Chief. He is a Vigil Honor member of our Lodge and has been awarded both the Coup Shield and Founder's Award recognitions for his dedicated service.

Jared has earned his Wood Badge beads and has served on staff for several Klondike Derby camps and Bike the Bear events. He is currently serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 47.

District Eagle Scouts in 2021

We are proud to announce that the Old Ephraim district had 43 Eagle Scouts for the year 2021! The Eagle Scout Coordinators could not have done it without the district Advancement Committee.

• We call on them to help with all the Eagle Scout Board of Reviews
• We ask them to help in approving Eagle Scout Projects.
• They help educate units with advancement.
• They have helped scouts who have been left behind when the massive change took place.
• This last year we had to say good-bye to a great scouter who is greatly missed due to Covid-19.

We love the scouting program and what it makes of the youth & their leaders!

 
Here are a few reminders as we head into the New Year of 2022!

• Eagle Scout Boards of Review are held twice each month on the first Tuesday and the third Thursday. 
• Boards start at 6 pm and there may be up to three in an evening
• Eagle Scout Boards of Review are only scheduled after all of the documents the scout needs for their Eagle Scout Board of Review have been received
• Unit leaders and parents are notified when the Board of Review will take place and invite them to be there as a support
• When approving Eagle Scout projects, two to three people review the project. 
• Scouts should use the Eagle Scout workbook (Jan 2021) and send it by email to be approved
• It takes a few days to look over all aspects of each project. Sometimes revisions are needed
• Each project should be typed for several reasons
• First, it makes it easier to read for those who review it, and changes are easier to make when needed.
• Second, each Eagle Scout project plan is saved until the Eagle Scout Board of Review
• Remember that Eagle Scout applications can be filled out right in Scoutbook! 
• All pertinent  information in Scoutbook will be automatically filled in on the application.
• This also gives the unit, council office and the Eagle Scout Coordinators a nice clean copy to scan and send to the National office after the scout's Eagle Scout Board of Review

Are You Prepared For Change?

Some things in scouting never change, for example: The Mission of Scouting, The Scout Oath or Promise and The Scout Law. This is the Scouting foundation. This is what draws the youth and their parents toward the program. There are things that do change, for example Merit Badges, the advancements, the uniform, how we track the progress of the youth and even trainings of the adult leaders. The scouts in early 1900’s are much different then the scouts we are working with now. 

Because of these changes it is important for all leaders to learn what is happening and the part they play in that change. By updating your training, you will be aware of these changes and there will not be a lapse in time because we did not know of them. The training manuals keep up to date. 

When you come to Leader Specific Training you will be in the know of how your responsibilities help the scouts and support the other leaders who are helping in your unit. 

We invite you to come to the Old Ephraim District Leader Specific Training will be October 9, 2021, it will be from 8am to 12 pm at the Logan Scout Service Center. You can register online. The cost is $5 a person

Download flyer >>

Successful Scout-O-Rama

 

Our Old Ephraim district Scout-O-Rama held at the Cache County fairgrounds on June 11^th & 12^th  turned out to be a great success for the units that came.  We did not have very many folks off the street come and see our Scout booths but the Scouts and Cubs had a memorable weekend.  We counted eight troops, one ship crew, and several Cub packs that were part of their associated troops that attended.  Our evening campfire program was excellent under the direction of Paul Harris and master of ceremonies was his son.  The booths Saturday morning were creative and very interactive.  The boys from all the units there took the time to participate at each booth making it a fun morning for all.  We awarded several prizes for the best booths and our Ship crew took first prize.  A big thanks goes out to our unit leaders in making this event a priority on their activities calendars.  

2021 Old Ephraim District Scout-o-rama

 

We are excited to have our first Old Ephraim District Scout-O-Rama on June 11-12, 2021 at the Cache County Fairgrounds.  We hope all of our units will mark that date on their planning calendars and come and have a great weekend of Scouting.  

We will have a traditional campfire program Friday evening with a cracker barrel so be prepared with your favorite skits and run-ons.  Saturday will be a fun filled morning of booths, activities, and displays.  Our Cub Scouts are welcome to the Saturday events.  The Cache County Fairgrounds stipulates no campfires, only propane stoves for cooking will be allowed so plan accordingly.   The cost of the event will be $8 for Scouts and their leaders; $5 for Cubs and their leaders.  For any questions contact the Scout office at 435-764-8059 or John Brenchley  435-757-5738. Be sure to check back for more details as the date gets closer.

2021 Klondike a Success! (In spite of the wind)

 

The 2021 Old Ephraim Klondike Derby was a huge success in spite of the bitter, cold arctic
wind that blew most of the day on Saturday. A total of 13 troops, including two girl troops, participated in this year's derby. Nearly 100 youth participated (99 to be exact) and nearly 50 adult leaders were there as well.

Almost all of the troops camped Friday night, mostly in snow trenches, but there were a few snow caves and tents as well. Fortunately the wind didn't blow as much in the camping area and it snowed a little all night long so everyone was able to sleep warm and cozy. 

Activities on Saturday included searching for a person (which looked a lot like a bag of candy) after an avalanche, lighting fires with just two boards, a cotton ball, some petroleum jelly and a few ashes, and putting together a personal first aid kit. The ROTC unit from Utah State University helped man many of the stations and even demonstrated a flame thrower. For more great photos of the entire event you can click here. There is also a 13 minute video of the activities on Saturday (a snippet of the video is at the end of this blog). The photos and the video were all recorded and shared by Michael Gordon.

Of course, the days events were capped off by the traditional Klondike sled race. The course this year was much longer than the past so troops weren't required to have a rider on the sled, but they still appeared exhausted by the end of the course. Kudos to everyone that was there for surviving the wind all day!

A big thanks to Paul Harris and his volunteers, the USU ROTC cadets and of course all of the scouts and their leaders for making this event a big success.  Also thanks to the US Forest Service for allowing us to hold the event at Sunrise Campground and thanks to UDOT for allowing us to use the Bear Lake Overlook parking area and restroom. We will see everyone again next year!

Klondike Derby 2021!

The tradition continues! Old Ephraim district is sponsoring the annual Klondike Derby. It will be held February 19-20, 2021 at Sunrise Campground up Logan Canyon just before you descend to Bear Lake.

There will be plenty of activities to test your Scouting skills with a particular focus on fire building and first aid. Attendees may find it helpful to bring their Scout Handbook and download the American Red Cross First Aid app (Click on buttons below to download).

The fun starts with a cracker barrel at 8 pm Friday night. The activities start Saturday morning with a flag ceremony at 8:30 am and ends with the Klondike race at noon. 

Parking will be tight so please avoid bringing trailers if you can. Be sure every one is dressed and prepared for the cold. Remember to clean up after yourself and leave your camp area clean by hauling out all of your trash and following Leave No Trace practices including taking appropriate care of your ashes. Please use the restrooms at the Bear Lake overlook. 

There will be a fee of $5/person to cover the cost of the patch and supplies. A downloadable flyer is available and contact information is available at https://www.utahscouts.org/OEKlondike. You can register your unit online now.

Update: There are 19 stations planned. Anyone who can come up on Saturday to help with those stations would be appreciated and will receive a free patch.

August Roundtable

August is here and it's time for Roundtable! We thought it would be nice to get together in person (in a virus safe way) so we are gathering together outdoors to share food, training and to do some networking. Here are the details:

• Time:
• 7pm - 8pm
• Where:
• Outdoors! In the large backyard of one of our Assistant Roundtable Commissioners (Dayna Webster). The address is 770 South 100 West, Wellsville, UT 84339
• What:
• Pot-luck dinner, networking, and training
• Attendees need to:
• Wear a mask/face covering
• Bring their own camp/lawn chair
• Bring a side to share and a serving utensil (we will not be sharing serving utensils between dishes)
• District Roundtable staff will provide:
• Paper goods (plates, cutlery, napkins, cups)
• Pulled pork sandwiches as the main course
• Water to drink

You can also download a flyer with all of the information

RSVP requested by Tuesday evening.

You can RSVP by text to 435-770-3382 or email to scouter.rcl@gmail.com (indicate name and number attending in your RSVP). We are asking for RSVP to accurately plan food.

We will be holding a raffle for a picnic quilt (56" x 94" and shown to the left) as a fundraiser for Roundtable (to cover the cost of paper goods, supplies, future raffle prizes, etc) and hope that everyone will participate for this good cause! Raffle tickets will be $1 each and will be available as you arrive at the event and sign the roll. For $10, raffle participants will receive an extra ticket (for a total of 11 entries).

For those who cannot attend in-person at Roundtable, we invite them to also participate in this good cause. Scouters can purchase raffle entry tickets via Venmo by sending their money to the District Commissioner (Venmo username: Rick-Larkin-2, Venmo email: rclarkin@gmail.com, Venmo phone #: 4357703382). If they need another platform (such as Zelle or PayPal, they can email the District Commissioner at scouter.rcl@gmail.com to make arrangements).

This Roundtable will NOT be broadcast as a Zoom meeting, though we are planning on recording the training portion of the meeting for later posting.

We look forward to meeting in-person with everyone and are asking that all attendees wear masks and observe proper social distancing during this activity. We will do all that we can to make this a safe and fun activity for everyone!