Troop 16 has New Scoutmaster

Posted by Prescott on September 1, 2009

After 2.5 years, Mr. Coleman is turning the reins over to a new Scoutmaster.

Mr. Mark Abell will begin leading the Troop effective September 1^st, 2009.  This gradual transition has been in the works for several months now, with Mr. Abell taking the role of Acting Scoutmaster at Summer Camp this year.

Mr. Abell brings a wealth of capability, wisdom, and experience to the role.  He and his son joined Troop 16 in 2007, along with a great group of dad and mom Scouters, who quickly became significant contributors to the program.  Mark is a Cub Scouter as well, and will be juggling duties at the Cub level until the first part of 2010.

In terms of direction for the Troop, as Mark puts it, “We will be building on the tremendous foundation laid by Mr. Santy and Mr. Coleman.  We will continue to deliver on our reputation for being a High Adventure Troop, and we will work on bringing in more of the Patrol Method.  The boys love our boy-owned program and all the challenging things we do; and we want to help be sure they identify and work closely with their team/patrol mates.”

Mark is also planning on adding a Patrol Leader Mentorship program and working to make the meetings more engaging.  Please reach out to Mark and find ways to help him. 

Mr. Coleman will be transitioning into a couple of roles.  One of them will be the “Assistant Scoutmaster in Charge of Really Cool Campouts.”  In this role, he will continue to be responsible for the November Adventure Race and the Survivorman Challenge. Even as we speak, he’s thinking up new cool “themed” campouts.  As well, because of his knowledge of Scouting and Outdoor Lore, we’ll be asking him to fulfill a Troop Trainer role. 

Please join me in thanking Prescott for his service above-and-beyond the call *and* welcoming Mr. Abell into perhaps the most significant and impactful role in the entire Scouting program. 

 Thanks to them both,

 Gene Knippers, Troop Committee Chairman