These just in: The latest BSA headlines from around the country… Bag Those Square Knots! The BSA has introduced over 200 new “square knots” that leaders can earn in their spare time. This, in an effort to assure that adult leaders’ uniform shirts are no longer “naked” in the upper-left quadrant. The new awards include: […]

Hello Andy, I’m taking over as a new Cubmaster, and this is my first leadership position in Scouting, and my first official pack meeting is just around the corner. I recently took the basic leadership course and the Cubmaster-specific training, as well as the online training. Here’s a problem: My son’s Tiger den, which started […]

Hoo-Ray for the BSA! Everyone makes a mistake now and again, and I’m sure no exception! That’s why I try to stay on top of things as much as I can. So, a couple of weeks ago, I re-took the BSA’s online “Troop Committee Challenge” training. Oops! There was what appeared to be a glitch. […]

Dear Andy, Our Scoutmaster balks at the thought of having to take the medical forms of the youth and adults with him every time the troop goes on an outing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a trip to the fire house or a trek on the Appalachian Trail: His attitude is that following the Guide […]

Dear Andy, In our troop, there’s a limit on the number of adults and parents who can participate with our troop on outings and such—several are fire fighters, EMTs, or work shifts. We have a Scout with Asperger’s Syndrome in our troop. We encourage his participation; however, due to past experiences with him and the […]

Dear Andy, Our Senior Patrol Leader is doing a great job planning meetings, but he’s having a hard time coming up with new, fresh ideas that will keep our Scouts engaged and participating. He’s asked me if there’s a guidebook with ideas—Do you know if there’s such a book? (Matt Palladino, ASM, Nashua Valley Council, […]

Dear Andy, On the Scout badge, what type of knot is represented that serves as the reminder to do a good turn daily? (Paul Bellavance, Webelos Den Leader, Bay Area Council, TX) Believe it or not (no pun intended), you have to go all the way back to the 5th edition of the Handbook for […]

Editor’s note from the NetCommish: Ask Andy was red hot and ready to publish a week ago. Andy wrote a great column and had it ready, but, your old editor, The NetCommish, was dealing with some real life issues that made it impossible to publish for awhile. My apologies for the delay in releasing this […]

Remember the Green Zone Council and the Victory Base Council in Iraq, and Captain John Green? I just received a letter from John that I’d like to share with you…   Dear Andy, In the middle of the night two years ago, my sergeants and I boarded a Blackhawk helicopter and took off from a […]

Dear Andy, One of your recent Q&As was for a chap who’ll be serving as a Camp Commissioner this coming summer. Here’s an example of a “Camp Commissioner Guide” that one of my NCS (National Camping School) participants created for the CC course:CampCommissionerStaffGuide_2006.pdf Here’s another, from a camp where I served as Commissioner: CampCommGuidebook.pdf (Ken […]