Scout Troop 220 is Still Alive and Kicking

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Like most groups during COVID, Scout Troop 220, located on the Key Peninsula, was not allowed to meet, which suspended the scouts from working on merit badges and rank advancement. However, some scout parents had the idea to meet outside at a park in groups of five to rally the troop and continue their work until things reopened. The number of scouts in Troop 220 dropped from thirty-five in November 2019 to eight in October 2022. The decreasing numbers concerned some troop members, but they were assured it was normal and there would be enough cub scouts transferring into the troop that it would survive.

The Troop began 28 years ago, in 1995, 85 years after Boy Scouts of America was founded. Since the beginning of Troop 220, there have been 38 Eagle Scouts. Some adults oversee the troop and give their input, but for the most part, the scouts decide what they want to do and how they want to do it. There is a chain of command among the scouts starting with the senior patrol leader, then the assistant senior patrol leader, the patrol leaders, and finally the scouts; the quartermaster is separate from the chain of command but still has some authority. The adults have almost the same roles: scoutmaster, assistant scoutmaster, quartermaster, and parents; there are more roles in the troop, but they don’t determine how the troop operates day to day.

Troop 220 means a lot to the scouts in it. “Troop 220 is like a family,” says James Smith, the Senior Patrol Leader, “the duty of a scout is to do what’s right, not to get a reward but to help people and because they know it’s the right thing to do. You have to live your whole life to certain standards outside earning rank, and that helps you become a better person; you have to live the scout oath and law.” The Troop’s Scoutmaster has noticed how learning new leadership skills and participating in volunteering events has affected the scouts, “Some of the younger scouts have really come into their own, and we’re all really proud of them. Scouts is a huge part of the boys’ lives, and we’re glad to have them in the troop.”

The troop meets every Tuesday at the Key Peninsula Civic Center at 6:30 pm. The meeting starts with the scouts lining up in their patrols and reciting the pledge of allegiance, the scout oath, the scout law, and the motto and slogan. After opening, the scouts move into team building or trail to first class (TTFC). TTFC is a chance to better a scout’s skills and help them get closer to achieving higher ranks. TTFC is usually accompanied by scouts working on merit badges if they don’t have anything else to do. If there’s an upcoming event, like a Klondike or summer camp, the troop will practice for scout skills competitions, sign up for merit badges, as well as come up with a patrol name and yell.

Troop 220 is always looking for new scouts. Anyone from 6th graders to high school seniors can join. Kids from kindergarten to 5th grade, would join a Cub Scout pack and would transfer to a troop when they were old enough. The adjoining Cub Scout pack for Troop 220 is Pack 222.