| This July, Troop 399 celebrated its 32nd consecutive summer at Camp Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, Rhode Island. Nineteen scouts spent a week earning merit badges, participating in camp activities, moving forward in rank advancement and having fun. This year, Troop 399 earned the Reservation's prestigious Honor Troop for the seventh consecutive year, passing all five campsite inspections, participating in all camp activities, and conducting numerous service projects for the camp. All in all, the scouts and adults of Troop 399 enjoyed another fun week at Yawgoog full of accomplishment and scout spirit. Here are some of the highlights from the week: |
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This year at camp, Troop 399 had numerous
encounters with the Rhode Island wildlife during our time at camp.
On Monday afternoon, a doe wandered the outskirts of our campsite for
close to two hours. One night, a rare Polyphemus moth found its
way into the campsite. The width of its body matched the width of
Mr. Fatuzzo's palm. Scouts and adults were snapping pictures of it
as it floated around from person to person. In addition, one
morning, we woke to find a small but brightly colored venomous spider
climbing on the campsite whiteboard. Pictures of all our camp
critter friends can be found on the
Yawgoog photo gallery page. <- Mr. Fatuzzo takes a picture of the Polyphemuys moth as it lands on his hand. |
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On Saturday afternoon, Troop 399 took first place in the annual Camp Medicine Bow Water Carnival. First, Chris Irizzary tied for first place in the 'Dive for Silver' event. This marked the 4th time in the last 5 years that Troop 399 won the Dive for Silver. Next, SPL Alex Marange and PL Alex Lopez placed second in the 'Canoe-in-and-Out.' The medley relay team of John Cuomo, Alex Marange, Liam Gargiulo and Alex Lopez took third place. Finally, ASPL Joe Scaduto finished third in the grueling 'Tin Man' race. Mr. Gargiulo scored a 24 out of 30 in the infamous Scoutmaster Splash. John Cuomo on the sidestroke in the Medley Relay at the Water Carnival -> |
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As always, our scouts were out and about all
week, busy earning merit badges and advancing in rank. Between 19
scouts, almost fifty merit badges were earned at camp. Three
scouts took part in the New Frontier program, getting their Tenderfoot,
Second Class and First Class rank requirements completed. One
scout completed the week-long BSA Lifeguard Certification course.
Three adult leaders took part in Outdoor Leadership Training (OLS) as
they look to comlete Scoutmaster Training. In addition, Anthony
Covelli advanced to the rank of Star and Danny Mastrocco became a First
Class scout. <- The whiteboard in our campsite which keeps track of all the merit badge classes our scouts took part in. It was very full! |
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Troop 399 (campsite Wetuomuck), once again did extremely well in the competition aspect of summer camp. For the third time in the last four years, Troop 399 earned the most 'medallions' on the camp medallion board indicating the progress and success of all the troops in Camp Medicine Bow. The board shows that Troop 399 passed all five campsite inspections, won the Water Carnival, conducted two service projects, placed second in the Scavenger Hunt and correctly answered all the daily trivia questions. The 18 medallions Troop 399 earned tied for the most in Medicine Bow, tying with the campsite that won Troop of the Week. The medallion board in the dining hall that showed the success of campsite Wetuomuck during the week at camp -> |
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It was Action Week at Camp Medicine Bow this
summer. Traditionally, Troop 399 and the rest of the camp dressed
up for Costume Night at dinner on Thursday. Some of our troop
outfits included pirates, superheroes, soldiers, etc. John Fatuzzo
and SM Mr. Fatuzzo won the Camp Medicine Bow Costume Contest, dressing
up as J and K from the Men in the Black. <- John and Mr. Fatuzzo dressed up as the Men in Black during Costume Night at Camp Medicine Bow. |
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One element that helped Troop 399 earn Honor Troop was the service that our group of boys did for the Camp. Each night, our scouts volunteered their time to rake the beach and organize the equipment at the Camp Medicine Bow waterfront. In our campsite, our scouts removed all the rocks and boulders that were tripping hazards and made a new rock pathway into the site. On Saturday afternoon, the troop did a service project by cleaning up the Medicine Bow Amphitheatre. Mr. Gargiulo, Scott Langdon and Danny Mastrocco in our campsite after working on the rock entrance service project -> |
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