By Kathy Brown, Scoutmaster, Troop #44G. 
COVID-19 has changed many things this year; Scouts is no different. We canceled one can & bottle drive, then changed the way we did things for the next one. Our spring trip was canceled, our summer camp was canceled, and we couldn’t meet all spring. And yet, the Scouts still worked. Summer Camp staff created Camp Kind-a-like-a and hosted Scouts from all over the country on Zoom, holding flag ceremonies, and teaching merit badges. We held meetings on line, as well as merit badge classes, and Scouts kept earning merit badges and moving up the ranks. One Scout earned twelve merit badges during this time. This fall we got in two overnight camping trips before the governor instituted a curfew, which effectively canceled those for the foreseeable future. On December 22, 2020, we held our fall Court of Honor on Zoom led by Scouts Marissa Masterson, Dylan Marshall, and Liam Brown.
For Haddam Boy Scout Troop #44, there were 10 rank advancements, as well as 22 merit badges awarded.
- Ryan McCue, Dylan Brown, Devin Weems, Harrison Reed, and Joseph Rizzo earned Scout rank
- Mason Weems and Colin Mitchell earned Tenderfoot rank
- Jaden Frank earned Second Class rank
- Soren Tassmer earned First Class rank, as well as and Star Rank
The following merit badges were awarded (number of Scouts who earned the merit badge in parenthesis):
- Art (2)
- Communications (3)
- Cooking (1)
- Fingerprinting (1)
- Fire Safety (1)
- First Aid (2)
- Fishing (1)
- Gardening (1)
- Genealogy (1)
- Indian Lore (1)
- Mammal Study (1)
- Painting (1)
- Personal Management (1)
- Pets (1)
- Rifle Shooting (1)
- Scholarship (1)
- Scout Heritage (1)
- Swimming (1)
BSA Troop #44G, the Boy Scouts’ sister troop, which was created February 1, 2019, when BSA allowed girls into the Scouts BSA program, held their Court of Honor at the same time. In this regional troop, where two Scouts are from Haddam, and one is from Bristol, there were five rank advancements, and 5 merit badges awarded.
Troop #44G
- Marissa Masterson earned Scout rank
- Adelle Colucia earned Tenderfoot rank, as well as Second Class rank
- Georgia Brown earned First Class rank, as well as Star rank
The following merit badges were awarded:
- Communications (2)
- First Aid (2)
- Photography (1)
If anyone ages 11-17 is interested in joining either troop, please send an email to kjbrown92@aol.com, Scoutmaster Troop #44G or markcp571@gmail.com, Scoutmaster Troop #44.
Photo by Kathy Brown.
