On September 11, 2023, Troop 542 held its annual opening ceremony and fall Court of Honor. The ceremony began with a moment of silence in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. This moment of silence was followed by a personal anecdote by Scoutmaster Ed Grivner, who retold his account of the events and stressed the importance of duty to our country, a principle that proves important in times of crisis.
After Scoutmaster Grivner’s speech, the court of honor officially commenced. Scribe Bryan Xu presented Scouts with the merit badges they had completed during the summer and recognized Scouts who had earned a new rank. Eight Scouts advanced: five were awarded the Scout rank, one was awarded the Star rank, and two Scouts were awarded the Life rank. Following the presentation of badges and rank advancement, Scoutmaster Grivner directed the Troop’s attention to upcoming events. On October 21, Troops 541 and 542 will host the annual Trail Run, a 5.42K race that travels along the Wissahickon Creek Green Ribbon Trail. In November, Troop 541 and 542 Scout patrols will compete to collect the most non-perishable food items from their neighborhood and use them to construct a design. All collected cans are delivered to local shelters and food banks as part of a region-wide event known as “Scouting for Food.” Troop 542 will hold its first-ever Capture the Flag cabin camping trip at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation in December. During this event, patrols will compete to seize their opponent’s flags.
After discussing upcoming events, the ceremony concluded with an array of foods and beverages and an opportunity to socialize and sign up for both leadership positions and merit badges.