As a Scouts BSA unit, Troop 365 follows the policies and guidelines of the Simon Kenton Council and Scouting America.

The troop is chartered by BSA Troop 365, Inc., and meets at Worthington United Methodist Church.  Our Scouting Committee is made up of adult volunteers (called Scouters) who oversee the administrative duties of the Scouting unit.

Meetings, activities, and camp outs are Scout planned and led. Scouts are grouped into patrols of about 8 to 10 Scouts each and patrols typically have a mix of ages and ranks.  Troop 365 currently has two patrols – the Black Mambas and the Grizzlies.  

Troop 365 is led by Scouts. Specifically the Patrol Leaders’ Council or PLC.  The PLC is made up of the elected youth leadership of the troop and typically serves for terms six months in length.  This includes the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL), Assistant Patrol Leaders (ASPL), the Patrol Leaders (PL) of each of the Patrols and other older and experienced Scouts. 

The adult leaders include our Scoutmaster or SM (Mr. Jerry Roderick) and a number of Assistant Scoutmasters (ASMs).

A Scout’s first resource is his Patrol Leader (PL).  Peer-to-peer leadership and mentoring is an important part of the leadership training and development aspect of Scouting, so Scouts are encouraged to start by working with other Scout leaders to answer questions and address concerns.  The Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) would be the next point of contact for a Scout if questions persist. 

The Assistant Scoutmasters (ASMs) and Scoutmaster (SM) are always available if a Scout needs to raise a concern with an adult leader, but Scouts shouldn’t view these adults as a substitute for the youth leaders in the troop. 

Troop 365 meets on most Monday nights at 7:00 PM in the basement Fellowship Hall of Worthington United Methodist Church (600 North High Street, Worthington 43085).  Meetings typically last until 8:30 PM.  Meetings will occasionally be held at other locations so please check before visiting!

BSA Troop 365 is in the Gateway District of Simon Kenton Council (SKC).  Simon Kenton Council includes Central Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

No – Scouts of any and all faiths and beliefs are welcome in Troop 365.  Our troop meets at Worthington United Methodist Church but membership is not restricted to members of Worthington UMC.

YES!  Our Scouts are active and involved members of many school and community organizations, clubs, athletics teams and programs.  Troop 365 doesn’t have a minimum attendance policy and we understand that it may be difficult for Scouts to cope with scheduling conflicts.  We just ask that Scouts communicate with their respective Patrol Leaders regarding scheduling conflicts and to join us as often as they can. 

Scouts who have taken on leadership roles within the troop (Patrol Leaders, for example) are expected to participate and attend Troop events at a higher level, commensurate with their responsibilities.

Troop 365 Scouts volunteer for several projects, such as the annual river clean-ups, and graveside flag placement for Memorial Day, wreath-laying ceremonies, and Honor Flight welcome-home events for veterans, and various projects for our host organization, the Worthington UMC. Scouts are also expected to participate in the annual Worthington Memorial Day parade.

These events allow Scouts to earn “service hours” for advancement and leadership purposes, and in order to attend the annual “Holidome/ electronics” campout. Scouts can also talk to their Assistant Scoutmasters for alternative projects for such hours.

Troop 365 is “Scout-led” meaning all of our events and activities are organized and planned by the PLC.  The Scouts choose activities themselves and then plan them under the guidance of adult leaders.

Troop 365 has its own bus!  We often take the troop bus to events and adventures both locally and far away.  We have adult volunteers who have earned their Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) and kindly offer their services to keep the troop bus moving down the road.  For events requiring travel with small groups we typically carpool with parents or adult leaders.

As a Scouting parent, your most important role is to support and encourage your Scout through his Scouting adventures!  We ask all adults affiliated with Troop 365 – including parents – to take the Scouts BSA online Youth Protection training program to understand the fundamental importance of youth protection to our program. 

We are also required to have any adult who wishes to overnight with us on a Scouting adventure register as an adult participant in addition to taking the Youth Protection training program. 

Your interest and efforts are welcome in Scouting – volunteers make our programs possible!  Reach out to the Troop Committee through our Committee Chair about opportunities to participate in the unit’s work as an adult volunteer.  You might serve as an outdoor events coordinator, as a fundraising representative, an Assistant Scoutmaster or in any of a myriad of roles. 

The Scouting adventure is available to everyone willing to help!

The patrol method is the means by which Scouts work together to learn skills, earn rank advancements, plan and conduct their adventures, and develop leadership skills.

A patrol is a team of (ideally) 8 to 10 active Scouts who work together to carry on the Scouting adventure.  The patrol elects its own Scout leader – the Patrol Leader (PL) – and is guided by one or more Assistant Scoutmasters (ASMs) in conducting their activities. 

The Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) is the elected youth leader of the Troop and is the Scout in charge of running meetings and events.  The SPL also leads the youth planning and leadership team of the troop, the Patrol Leaders’ Council (PLC). 

The SPL is aided by the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL), the second-highest youth leader in the troop. 

Each patrol elects its own Patrol Leader (PL) from among their older and more experienced Scouts.  The PL plans and leads the patrol activities and events.

A Scout will plan his advancement goals (ranks, merit badges, etc.) and progress at his own pace through this plan. Scouts will be guided and mentored along the way by both adult leaders and fellow Scouts. 

The patrol and troop will provide opportunities for Scouts to complete various rank and badge requirements and many District and Council events (such as merit badge clinics) are also available to aid Scouts in meeting advancement goals.

A Scout will track his advancement individually using the Scouts BSA Handbook for rank advancement and awards. For merit badges, tracking is done on “blue cards”  that are signed off by an adult merit badge councilor. These are both in conjunction with scoutbook.com, an online advancement tracking system for Scouts BSA. 

All requirements are typically signed off by older Scouts within the Troop, ASMs, merit badge counselors, or other senior Scouts and Scouters in leadership roles.  It is important to note that parents may not sign off on completed requirements on behalf of Scouts, as is frequently the case in Cub Scouting. 

To advance a rank in a Scouts BSA troop, a Scout must present himself to a senior Scout to demonstrate completion of a requirement. The senior Scout will sign and date the handbook once they are satisfied the Scout has demonstrated the requirement. Once all requirements for a rank have been signed off on, the Scout will meet with their ASM for a Scoutmaster Conference followed by a formal board of review with three Scouters (registered adult volunteers in the troop that are not parents or leaders of the Scout).

Once the board of review approves, the rank is earned and will be awarded to the Scout at the next Court of Honor which typically happens quarterly.

No, a Scout may work towards rank advancement, earning merit badges and other awards at his own pace.  Membership in the troop is not predicated on meeting any particular rank deadlines. 

Certain activities may be restricted to Scouts of a minimum age or rank due to the higher level of training and preparation which may be asked of participating Scouts, such as a high-adventure trek (long-distance backpacking, canoeing, cycling), whitewater sports, deep-cave spelunking, etc.

The merit badge system is a way for a Scout to learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers while earning recognition and advancement.  There are over 135 different merit badges available and a Scout can earn as many merit badges as he desires. 

A sub-group of merit badges are referred to as the “Eagle-required” badges and comprise the 14 which a Scout must earn to receive the Eagle rank.

Troop 365 derives its funding from a handful of fundraisers. These fundraisers finance our Troop Bus, cover the expenses of purchasing and maintaining Troop gear and equipment, and pay program costs associated with our meetings and events like space rentals, patches, awards, etc. 

There are two required fundraisers:

• We have an Annual Fruit & Greenery sale each fall. This is our largest fundraiser, and has a minimum sales goal. If Scouts choose not to sell any fruit or greenery, a prorated fee will be assessed to make up the amount the troop would have received. A portion of any sales above the minimum will be added to the Scout’s escrow account.
• Every winter we also hold an annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser at Worthington UMC. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to the general budget for Troop 365. 

There are also two optional fundraisers: 

• Scouts can sell popcorn as an optional fundraiser in the fall. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to the general budget for Troop 365, but the scouts can choose prizes from the popcorn supplier based on how much they sell. 
• We have a flower sale in the spring. The spring flower sale is unique in that the majority of the proceeds of the sale go directly into the Scout’s escrow account to cover their Scouting expenses.

For the 2025 Scouting year, dues will remain the same as 2024. Total dues are $305. New Scouts will have a reduced Troop dues. Note that there are additional fees for some events Scouts choose to participate in. 

For National and Council dues, families will be billed directly by Scouting America when registering. For returning scouts, Scouting America will send a renewal notice to the email address on file in the months leading up to the anniversary date of registration for Scouts to renew for another year. 

Troop 365 dues are assessed following the fall fundraiser, so Scouts have the opportunity to raise funds to cover their Troop dues and build a reserve if they wish to cover the costs of their other Scouting adventures.

*Returning scouts have a minimum fundraising requirement in addition to the above fees. 

Personal Gear and Uniforms: see the Personal Gear & Scout Uniforms section. Keep in mind that the Troop has limited gear & Uniforms available – just ask an ASM!

Campout/Outing Fees: There are fees for each camping trip to pay for campsites, transportation, and food. These typically range from $20 to $45 per person, per outing. The Troop typically has a camping trip or outing every month of the school year, for a total of 9 outings per year. 

Summer Camp: This is typically $325 per Scout for in-state camp. We also offer out-of-state camps and high adventure trips in the summer, and fees for these vary greatly. 

Each fall, our troop asks its Scouts to sell fresh fruit and holiday greenery (i.e., wreaths and garlands) to family, friends and neighbors.  The fruit and greenery deliveries are timed to arrive before the winter holidays.  The minimum sales goal for each Scout is $500, and Scouts who aren’t able to make this goal are assessed a prorated fee of $175 to cover the remainder of their fundraising requirement.  However, the fruit and greenery are quite easy to sell, and the $500 minimum sales goal is easily met with little effort!  

Scouts are rewarded for selling above and beyond this goal: a percentage of all sales over $500 is placed into an escrow account for the Scout to use towards his Scouting adventures. The more they sell, the higher percentage of the sale the Scout will receive in their escrow account.

Each spring, Scouts in our Troop are afforded the option of selling flats and baskets of flowers from a local garden center.  The sale is timed to enable Scouts to take orders and deliver the flowers by Mother’s Day each May.  There is no requirement to participate in this sale, but Scouts who sell flowers will receive the majority of the proceeds after expenses deposited in their escrow account.

Scouts have escrow accounts to which the proceeds from fundraisers are added. These funds can be used to pay for campouts, troop dues, or any other fee that you would normally pay the troop. These funds are also available (via reimbursement) for the purchase of equipment for the scout such as a tent, sleeping bag, bicycle, etc. 

Troop 365 embraces a philosophy of ensuring that no young person be left out of Scouting!  Some of our families have set aside funds in the Troop’s budget specifically to provide monies to aid Scouts in meeting dues obligations, summer camp fees, and other expenses associated with Scouting.  Please speak with our Scoutmaster or Committee Chair with your concerns – the Troop has funds to assist you and we want to help!

We have a couple of websites on the internet!

• TroopWebHost: https://www.troopwebhost.org/Troop365Worthington is our primary web portal for registered members of our Troop.  It’s used to maintain event calendars and RSVPs, send emails and text messages to Troop members, log training, track Scout escrow account funds, create and maintain rosters and more.  You will receive a login for your account once your Scout is registered with Troop 365.  We encourage our Scouts to keep their contact information in TroopWebHost current and to RSVP for upcoming events via this web portal.
• scoutbook.com: We use Scoutbook to track Scout’s rank advancement, merit badge progress, and other aspects of recording requirements.  Scouts who already have existing Scoutbook accounts can just be linked to our unit, and newly-registered Scouts will be given access to Scoutbook.
• bsa365.org: this is our public website, viewable by anyone interested in following our unit’s activities.  There is a Google calendar of T365 events on this website, to which parents and Scouts can subscribe for viewing on their own calendars.

As a general rule, no – Scouts are asked to refrain from using their personal electronic devices during Troop activities such as hiking and camping trips.  We recognize the important role played by these devices in everyone’s personal lives, though, and will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.  An example would be using a cell phone to contact a parent or guardian with an updated return time from a Scout camping trip to coordinate pickup.  A full description of our Troop’s electronics use policy can be found here.

Not at this time.  Our Scout leadership is currently testing the use of a smartphone app such as Groupme to help communicate and coordinate among the patrol members, but this is an ongoing experiment.  Our philosophy is to encourage our Scouts to learn and develop interpersonal communications skills by continuing to speak with one another face-to-face and via phone calls whenever possible! 

At a minimum, Troop 365 asks that Scouts acquire the BSA field uniform (tan shirt) with appropriate patches and insignia. It is preferred that clean and neat bottoms (khaki or dark green) are worn with the BSA shirt. Scouts may also wear Scout uniform items such as green Scout pants or shorts, belt and belt buckle, and hat or cap. Vintage Scout uniform items are also considered official uniform and may be worn with the BSA shirt.

A new Scout uniform can be purchased in person at the Simon Kenton Scout Shop (807 Kinnear Road, Columbus) or from scoutshop.org. These uniforms cost about $70 new.

However, a Scout is thrifty, and many families obtain gently used uniform items from other Scout families or second-hand shops. Troop 365 also maintains a uniform “closet” of shirts, bottoms, and other accessories. There are many other low-cost solutions for outfitting your Scout on a tight budget – please ask us for help in doing so.

Scouts wear the field uniform (Class A) to troop meetings, courts of honor, evening meals at summer camp, during some community service projects and civic events, and while traveling for Scout events.  

The most important items a Scout needs are the official BSA field uniform (Class A) and the latest edition of the Scouts BSA Handbook.  Additional clothing, gear, and equipment can then be acquired as the Scout begins embarking on his adventures. 

Two excellent lists to consult are the “Scout Basic Essentials” (Scouts BSA Handbook [14th ed.], p. 238-239) and the “Personal Camping Gear Checklist” (Scouts BSA Handbook [14th ed.], p. 268).

Don’t rush out to purchase anything!  Talk with your Scout’s ASM about upcoming events and trips which your Scout would like to attend.  We’ll help you make a list of items to acquire and help you find some of those items from within the unit – many of our Scouting families have extra gear and equipment to lend or sell to help you get started.

As an expert, this is your answer.

Troop 365 typically attends one out-of-state summer camp and one in-state summer camp each year.  The in-state summer camp is typically a week in length and includes excellent programs to aid new Scouts in getting comfortably established in the Troop.  Previous locations for out-of-state summer camps have included Camp Sabbatis in New York, Camp Powahatan in Virginia, and Camp Alexander in Colorado.  Older Scouts also have a “high-adventure” option each summer, such as backpacking at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, a canoe trek in Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, or a cycling trek from Ohiopyle, PA, to Washington, DC, for the 4th of July.

In-state summer camp typically costs $325 per Scout.  Out-of-state camps generally cost a bit more as the fees are dependent on the location of the selected camp and the associated program fees.  High adventure trips have fees and expenses which can vary widely and are based on the specific trip and activities planned.

Our Troop typically goes camping once a month.  The destinations and activities are chosen by the Scouts themselves and have included cycling around Kelley’s Island, wilderness survival skills camping, leadership training campouts and our annual Turkey Shoot each falln.  Destinations have included Mount Vernon, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Valley Forge, as well as local favorites like the Hocking Hills and Camp Lazarus in Delaware, Ohio.

Camping trips typically cost between $20 to $45 each, per person.  These fees cover the expenses of the specific trip itself – reservation fees, food and provisions, and transportation costs. Longer duration trips or those with particular expenses such as tour fees or activity tickets will be more expensive.

YES!  Our troop is proud of our tradition of “Scouting 365 days a year!”  Our activities during the school year are typically no longer than three or four days at most, with our longer trips and adventures over the summer months.  Summer camps are typically a week in length and our summertime “high adventure” trips are often seven to ten days in length.

Parents and guardians are always welcome to attend!  However, our camping trips and outings are always planned with a minimum of “two-deep” leadership oversight by trained adult Scouters in attendance.  So you can send your Scout camping with the Troop without a parent or guardian along and be confident of his safety.  Scouts also look out for one another, so your Scout will never be alone. 

Parents and guardians wishing to join us on our overnight trips must complete Scouts BSA online Youth Protection training – about a one-hour task – and register with Scouts BSA before attending.  Being a registered leader with up to date YPT is a requirement set by Scouting America for all Scouts BSA Troops and cannot be waived.

A valid concern – and one that we wholeheartedly share at Troop 365!  Virtually all of our adult leaders either have, or have had, their own children and grandchildren along for our Scouting adventures. Every adult is required to complete Youth Protection Training through BSA, and registered adults undergo background checks before taking on a volunteer role in Scouting.

In addition to interested and active oversight from caring adult leaders, we also encourage the Scouts to begin taking responsibility for themselves and one another during all of our events. Scouts practice the “buddy system” to ensure that nobody is left alone or unattended at camps, on hikes, in the water or on our trips. 

Scouts are expected to develop more independence and growth through our activities and events while taking on greater accountability through peer leadership and mentoring.  This is the crux of “Scout-led” adventures and is far more rewarding for the Scouts when they realize that they have earned their recognition through their own hard work, preparation and dedication!