In August, Troop 300 of Hempstead, NY, flew to Puerto Rico for an adventure of a lifetime--and what an adventure it was. From snorkeling to kayaking, caves to rainforest, the scouts will not soon forget this wondrous experience. But aside from the activities, more profound was living the values taught to us in the Scout Law. Here s how the scouts report on how the Scout Law played out in their trip to Puerto Rico. A Scout Is Trustworthy: by Theron Banks III We wanted to thank the scouting community of Puerto Rico for all they had done for us by doing a service project at camp. In response to our request, the Camp Director asked us to repaint cabins at Camp Guajataka. Scoutmaster Lindo assigned me with leading the project. I had confidence in the scouts that they would get the job done and, in turn, they trusted my instructions. After a few hours, the project was completed with good results. A scout is trustworthy.
Eagle Scout Teddy Banks (in red), Project Director, provides hands-on assistance to his team.
Father and son, Fritz and Denzel Honore, work side by side, scraping off old paint chips to prepare cabins for fresh coat of paint.
A Scout is Loyal: by Jeremy Hogu Young adults who are College Scouter Reserves demonstrated loyalty by volunteering to be chaperones on the trip. Although they did not have to accept this responsibility, they chose to in order to help maintain scouts safety, teach skills related to merit badges and give back to the troop and to scouting. By demonstrating their loyalty, they helped make the trip more successful and safer for everyone. A scout is loyal. College Scouter Reserves Jeremy Hogu and Joseph Marchese-Schmitt demonstrate loyalty to scouting and country.
Loyalty and respect, silently yet clearly conveyed.
A Scout Is Helpful: by Jared Gordon Boy Scout Troop 300 exhibited this characteristic on a recent trip to Puerto Rico. We performed community service during our stay at Camp Guajataka. We helped maintain the camp by painting five cabins. We worked hard to make the cabins look nice. A scout is helpful. Jalen, Maalik, Jeremy and Jared help one another achieve polished results.
Erik Allen and Victor Pulido partner up to provide quality community service. Victor Pulido adds Helping the scouts translate Spanish to English was fun because now I know I am useful for something other scouts cannot do. The way I helped was by translating for my peers. A scout is helpful.
A Scout is Friendly: by Ariana Holness and Janeane Gordon, Girl Scouts Over the summer we went to Puerto Rico with the Boy Scouts. We knew most of the boys so it was not like we were talking to them for the first time. But as the week progressed, the group, as a whole, became closer and we felt more comfortable around them. We stayed up every night playing games and it was so much fun! Whether we were playing pranks on each other or laughing on the bus, our bond became a lot stronger, which is not something we expected. A scout is friendly. Eagle Scout, Maalik Burgess, brings much appreciated warmth, friendliness and humor to the girl scouts.
A Scout Is Courteous: by Aasin Pritchard In the Scout Law, the fifth word, courtesy, can be performed in any situation. During part of our trip, we stayed at a hotel that had a breakfast buffet every morning. The best food was the waffles, which we got to make ourselves. There was only one waffle maker so it took time for all of us to make one. Because we are boy scouts, we showed kindness and courtesy by letting our fellow hotel guests go to the front of the line to get their food first so they would not have to wait so long. A scout is courteous. With courtesy and respect, scouts explore Puerto Rico s rich history at the Castillo de San Cristobal in Old San Juan.
Scouts show courtesy to one another and patiently await their turn to zipline by El Yunque Rainforest.
A Scout Is Kind: by Gregory and Erik Allen During the first half of our trip, we stayed at Camp Guajataka. At camp, the food service personnel were very kind in serving our meals. Even after Troop 300 of Mayaguez left, we were still treated well. In turn, we were kind to them by giving them a thank you letter to show our gratitude. A scout is kind.
Scout Gregory Allen, impressed with the kindness of culinary staff, prepares to eat his ethnic meal of rice and beans at Camp Guajataka.
Troop 300 of Hempstead thanks Ana Cintron of Troop 300 of Mayaguaz for her kindness throughout the year in helping prepare for the trip and for organizing a reception to greet our troop at camp.
Troop 300 poses with Jean-Ricard Rosarion of Jean Explora (center, white shirt), whose creation of the first educational software made in Puerto Rico inspired the troop s visit to PR for his advice on What It Takes To Run A Successful Business. His kindness, expressed in multiple ways, was instrumental in the trip s success.
Luis Mendino, District Head of San Juan, holds a certificate given to him as a token of appreciation for his kindness. Through his creativity, resourcefulness and on-going support, Mr. Mendino helped lay out the ground work for what would become a memorable experience not soon forgotten. A Scout Is Obedient: by Jalen Boxley